Those are some beautiful American flyer trains

Great looking set. The PA-1 is my favorite AF engine. I got a kick out of Harold & Herb.

Cleverly done. if I had such a layout, this is the kind of fun I would like to have with it. The night-running scenes were magical, the way I remember them from when I was a boy

Very amusing and entertaining. Just like your train, I was also born in 1953, so am well acquainted with parts not wanting to move after sitting too long. Your passenger train is a real beauty, and I enjoyed this closeup review of it. Well done!

@MygrandpasTrain

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@jamespatton1902

2 жыл бұрын

Very entertaining, thank u Tim!

Great train!!

hi tim, my dad bought me a set with PA PB locos and 3 cars. I was born in '53. will always love 'flyer'.

@MygrandpasTrain

2 жыл бұрын

Thats neat! Thanks

At a local garage sale I bought those locos for $25.00. After the sale was done he had found a 2nd B unit and just gave it to me. It needs new tires other then that it seems to want to giddy-up go!

@MygrandpasTrain

Жыл бұрын

Very nice! I had to rebuild both motors in the powered unit I had and it still wasn't quite right, which is why I used the steam engine to simulate a helper service run!

Thanks vfor sharing some great trains while having a very nice operation. ***** "Happy Rails" GMan

The chipmunk cutaways were hilarious!

@MygrandpasTrain

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks! They are based on the old "Chip and Dale" but the secret is their actual names are Herb and Harold, which was the first and middle name of a real engineer (who was my grandfather)

Beautiful set there Mister!! Them oldies sure make a lot of noise :-)

@MygrandpasTrain

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

Nicely done! I have several PA diesels. They REALLY don’t like to sit. They seem to run best when all warmed up. This is the first video of yours I’ve seen, so I don’t know your library contains. I’d like to see some slower-speed runs to appreciate the detail. I’d also like an in-depth video about your DC power system. I’ve come close to changing my set to DC but would sorely miss my whistles and horns or would spend way too much converting 20+ engines to Dallee modules. Keep up the good work. BTW I still have my first flyer set from Christmas of 1954 and it’s totally complete and still runs great.

@MygrandpasTrain

2 жыл бұрын

I just got a 494 New Haven alco and It is in beautiful shape. I haven't restored it yet, but the motor mounts appear to be loose, when it goes forward or reverse, the trucks shift about a 1/4". There are several advantages to running DC, and a few disadvantages. Probably the biggest reason for me was my Northern engine is the 332 DC, so it needs DC power anyway. I do plan to make a video on DC operation of Flyer in the future. Another reason I like DC is that the electrical pickups spark far less, which means the tracks stay cleaner for way longer. At one point I had two flyer loops, one ran DC and the other ran AC. That allowed me to run my AC operating box car.

I was born in 47. My older brother had a 332ac. Couldn't move out of its own shadow. I own the prewar 0 gauge version and what a magnificent piece of machinery.

@MygrandpasTrain

2 жыл бұрын

I'm glad you enjoy your O gauge trains!

@MygrandpasTrain

Жыл бұрын

I reread your comment, Looks like I misunderstood part of it. You have the 3 rail prewar Northern? I just picked up a 3 rail prewar Atlantic. I'm starting to like the older stuff better than the later plastic!

@ronalddevine9587

Жыл бұрын

@@MygrandpasTrain Yes, I have the 3 rail Northern, Hudson, and Pacific. Also Royal Blue, many freight and passenger cars. Some freight cars are actually die cast metal. And, those pesky link couplers work like a charm. The only thing that is a problem is the reverse unit. They tend to be a bit fussy. They tend to hang up and not want to switch.

I vaguely remember when these locos were introduced during a Christmas season. I wanted at least the A unit in the worst way but my parents, parsimonious in nature, said forget about it. Many many years later I bought the A and B units and the dummy on eBay. They run fine. Shells show their age. All had been converted to knuckle couplers. They are not aligned correctly and this causes infrequent uncouplings.

@MygrandpasTrain

7 ай бұрын

Sounds like you have the 360-361. They originally had link couplers. Twisting the coupler mount with a pliers should keep it straight, however sometimes aftermarket couplers just open up on their own.

I like the chipmunk train crew, Herb and Harold. Sounds very familiar.

Tim, nice train, congratulations. Suggestions: What value is speed? Makes train appear as roller coaster ride. Isn’t overall goal scaled, steady state speed and operations? On grease eradication, what works well for me: Scrape excess grease, xacto knife works good, then wash thoroughly with green or blue degreasing dish soap, dry thoroughly then pressure wash with AutoZone Brake Cleaner, the best and safest acetone will dissolve all grease, gears, axles, chassis, bearings, bushings, etc. be careful, brake cleaner is not plastic/rubber compatible, finally thorough wipe down with 91% alcohol, parts and components will be factory new squeakily clean, then lubricate, Gear Lub is best (Labelle #102). In closing, highest goal is reduce or minimize - in locomotives and rolling stock - drag and friction, amp draw and heat. Ultimate target is to measure then minimize amp draw, reducing work and maximizing tractive force. Failure to do same to rolling stock increases work required by locomotive, enjoy your trains! DavesAFTrains

@MygrandpasTrain

6 ай бұрын

Thanks! This was a really old video and was also my first attempt at repairing a diesel. It ran better at high speed. My latest diesel endeavors however run quite well at low speeds (shockingly well, in my view). The number one issue I had with the twin motor engines was that the previous owners did not care well for them and often one motor locked up while the other motor ran and dragged it around. I found if that is the case where one motor is in good condition and the other is in much worse shape, all else being equal, getting identical performance is nearly impossible. I did not try replacing the brushes on that engine, but I will try that on a 360 I'm working on. That one has had water damage.

@davesaftrains4368

6 ай бұрын

@@MygrandpasTrain Cool, keep in mind that it is not known if Gilbert engineers had test specifications for motor synchronization i.e., rpms, tractive force etc. Don’t spend time on that endeavor, rebuild both with same level of effort, parts replacement (e.g., brushes), disassembly, cleaning, lubrication, Pull-Mor replacement etc is probably best that can be done to match motor operation, performance etc

I had that set with a second B unit. Two horns,! Cleaning with pure Mineral oil works good for motors. Use cotton swabs only. Whaloil is best for lubing motor. Once armatures are shining, those two motors will run strong. I pulled 40 Gilbert boxcars with no the A B B A combo at full 18 volt 16B power controller hardly even slowing down. The secrets are easy by oiling all axles with Whaloil or Gilbert's oil from the Service kit. Labelle HO oil is good too. Track has to be super clean too. Scotch Brites are great. Rusty track gets cleaner with those. I have used everything on track, even soaking in vinegar overnight but track has to be washed with WD-40 outside or it will rust again in no time. I like mineral oil once again for that job by brushing it all over completely then use Scotch Brites again after a few days when the oil drys up more. Good luck! . .

@ADITADDICTS

2 жыл бұрын

After you soak the track in vinegar you can make a solution out of baking soda and water that will neutralize the vinegar. Off the top of my head I can't remember what portions to mix it at (try 70 30 water to soda or 40 60) but basically pull it out of the vinegar and dunk it into the baking soda water mix to rinse the track and it will significantly knock the rusting effect down.

Nice layout

Amazing how much you sound like Daniel "Pryce" Wormald breaking bad character played by Mark Proksch..

@MygrandpasTrain

7 ай бұрын

I don't think I have heard of him, but I do practice my "Radio Voice"🙂

Where did you get an S gauge Gerber Baby Food box car?

@MygrandpasTrain

Жыл бұрын

Well, I didn't. When I recorded this video, I had both S and HO on the same layout. You probably saw an HO car. I'm not aware of an S gauge Baby food car.

@stevegerber2076

Жыл бұрын

@@MygrandpasTrain Thanks. Someday I will make one.

Who in the world operates the model railroad at jet speed? The sound barrier was not broken by an ALCO PA my friend and you can operate as many powered ALCO' as your little heart desires on a DC Power pack or supply. The set is to beautifull to have chipmunks crash and destroy a delicate chrome finish, very disappointing this time!!

So much better looking than Lionel. Nothing personal Lionel but American Flyer is much better proportioned

@MygrandpasTrain

Жыл бұрын

I agree, but more for the steam engines. Flyers steam engines look way better. The diesels I could take either