Exploding Car

[bbmiroku]

     I was rooting through a hobby shop and came across a used Bachmann Exploding Car (Old Time Combine car, Central Pacific), #1401, in box.

     First time I ever saw one or heard about one.  Did a little research after buying it and found that it started life in a set that was offered in 1976 through 1978, the Great Iron Horse Train Robbery.  Surprisingly, the stand-alone car I bought still included the little stack of dynamite, the safe, and a little money box (for the GOLD)!

     What it was lacking was, of course, the plunger to make it go boom.  On the non-esplody side, there is a bar on the bottom of the carriage that hen pressed releases the spring mechanism, 'blowing out' the side and roof.  Supposedly.

     When I took it out of the package and tried it out, I realized that the top pegs on both wall sections were broken and the spring on the section with the door was missing.

     Oh well.  It still looks cool and adds some action to the layout.

     (not my pictures or site)

http://tycotrain.tripod.com/bachmannhoscaletrainsets/id37.html

[bbmiroku]

Now I'm thinking of changing my rolling stock wheels to metal ones.  For the Old Time cars, would they be the 36" or 33" wheels?

[Woody Elmore]

I believe Lionel had an exploding box car. It was in a set that also launched a missile. Then there was the AEC (now NRC) flatcar. They were grasping at straws.

[bbmiroku]

Funny enough, I also have (most of) the OLD Lionel exploding boxcar.  And the missile launcher (minus missile), the submarine car (prop still spins) and the reefer car with the loader/unloader inside of it.
An older friend of mine gave me a box (what he had left) of his childhood train set.  I was amazed that the wheels still turned on the engine, even though the motor itself was either shorted or seized.  The wires were covered in fabric instead of rubber (so old!), and the track is rust-coated.  But nothing a little rubbing with a slight abrasive won't fix.