John Bull and Lafayette train sets.

[John Boyle]

 Are you planning on bringing back the two train sets I mentioned, above?

[ACY]

Both these locomotives are best used for display only, and making them again would not change that.

[richg]

Like was said, those locos are only for display. They do not last very long. We do not want to rain on your parade but the motor, pickups and plastic motor gears are not very good.


Rich

[Doneldon]

John-

These are neat little trains but I wouldn't look to them for extended use. They're just too small and too lightly built. Put 'em on display on a shelf or, better, right on your layout. If you're lucky, you'll be able to run them occasionally for excursions but they'll never carry their weight in regular use.
                                                                                -- D

[railsider]

Here at the railside, the John Bull, the Lafayette and the DeWitt Clinton run every now and again, and the crowds lov 'em. They are a pain to set up, though, with those plasic pin-and-tab couplers. I'm going to experiment some time with adapting them to something easier -- perhaps very small magnets?

Has anyone tried this?

I also have a marvelous British-made Hornby "Rocket" in OO scale. As everyone knows, but I will explain anyway sos you don't have to admit you don't know  , OO is actually 1/76 rather than 1/87, but runs on exactly the same track gauge as HO. The result is a slightly larger engine and cars, housing a really splendid motor in the engine (the Bachmann oldies  have the motive power in the tender, so they push the engine. Which works fine, except that it's so light it sometimes derails under bad circumstances). Adding a little bit of weight might help -- but not too much! The other good thing about the "Rocket" is that it has those nice European couplers. They're the kind you find on imported Hogwarts and VSOE Orient Express HO trains.

Recently, Bachmann produced a new "oldie," retooling John Bull cars and a Lafayette loco, but the drive motor is improved, and it's a good place to start if you want to get into these historical trains. They make an excellent educational tool for teaching young folks (of any age!) about the history of railroads from the 1840s to the turn of the cenetuury.

Railsider

[Johnson Bar Jeff]

The "Lafayette" set that I bought on eBay arrived yesterday. Neat little early engine. I've been wanting one but as usual procrastinated about it because I'm cheap. ...    Anyway, I wanted one because I knew the "repro" from the B&O Museum was used as the "Yonah" in Disney's "Great Locomotive Chase." I don't expect to run it much; I need to think about changing the display in my display case to put the "Lafayette" in with the "John Bull" (I never got the "John Bull" set, just the engine and one car years ago).

Since the coaches for the "Lafayette" are open, it would be neat to figure out how to put some passengers in the seats. Preiser makes seated passengers in reasonably correct dress (first half of the nineteenth century).

[John Boyle]

I realize that the train sets I have mentioned have very tiny and weak motors, I was hoping to get them for display and teaching purposes, only! I gather that Bachmann is NOT going to reissue them, am I correct in that?

[Bucksco]

No immediate plans - but never say never!

[railsider]

Johnson Bar Jeff .......................

I found Preiser's "Beidermeister" figure sets look very good as period people for the Lafayette, John Bull and DeWitt Clinton trains. Try Walathers or eBay ... or your local model train shop.

Railsider

[Johnson Bar Jeff]

Johnson Bar Jeff .......................

I found Preiser's "Beidermeister" figure sets look very good as period people for the Lafayette, John Bull and DeWitt Clinton trains. Try Walthers or eBay ... or your local model train shop.

Railsider

Thanks. As a matter of fact, I already have a good store of Preiser's early nineteenth century figures, including some seated figures. But I'd hate to break something trying to get those "Lafayette" cars apart to put passengers in the seats. 

JBJ

[toptrain1]

 The roofs easily come off on the 6 Lafayette cars I have. And they pop back on.
frank

I have tried to do a second post with a photo. Upon trying i was told that at 600 to 500 it was to big . I made it smaller to 490- 380. This time I was told my upload folder was full. How can that be if i haven't uploaded anything here in over a year. If it is still to big I'll make it smaller.
frank

[richiy]

Very old discussion.
You cannot post pictures directly.

Look down a ways in the forums list to General discussions for instructions. Very easy.

richiy

[toptrain1]

 Well I'm done with my build of the First Railroad Depot of the Hudson River which provided rail service between New York City and Philadelphia, also points west and south. Though opened for service in 1834, I modeled the 1840 view with the complete terminal in Jersey City. It included Depot, 3 track train shed,  roundhouse, 2 story locomotive assembly and repair building, machine shop, and Car assembly and repair building. If you get to see the photo it is a single view looking east from Washington street. I used all or parts of the John Bull, Prussian, Lafayette, Pegasus, Dewitt Clinton train sets. and a few others. Trix Der-Adler, and Triang Rocket. All are from that time period but some just never made it to Jersey City.  
I don't think anyone ever made a Model of this Depot before.

Link to flickr photo.

[Len]

With Flickr, after you upload the picture right click on it and select "inspect element". This will open a subwindow below the picture. In the left hand portion you'll see a line that says "zoom small" and a bit below it on that says "zoom large".

Right click on the line that says "zoom large" and in the pull down that will come up select "copy link". In this case what you'll get is:
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4918/45436288664_b32f4559a5_k.jpg

If you put that between image tags [i m g] [/i m g], without the spaces, you picture will show up in your post. Like this:


Len

[Terry Toenges]

toptrain1 - I love it. Are you going to do a layout with it?