Just bought a new complete set on ebay

[jerry w in FL]

#25023 On30 Norman Rockwell American Christmas for $212 including shipping. Way cheaper than others listed/previously sold & supposed to be new in box.  This will replace an aging Wonderland Express that needs a major overhaul (bought it used but hasnt performed or held up well).

Anywho, does the 2-6-0 loco on the 25023 produce steam? i couldnt really tell by writing on box. Also, any chance the lights are LED? Didnt see the Spectrum logo on the box pix either (tho i'm not exactly sure what Spectrum means other than finer detailing).

i also lucked up on a Spectrum On30 Great Northern lighted caboose (NIB) for $39 to add to it (to me a train aint complete without a caboose!!) & may get a freight car or two later since it'll pass a warehouse loading dock as well as a passenger station.  See freight trains go by here several times a day & they look "nekkid" compared to ones i used to see as a kid out in the country.

Thanks & stay safe,
Jerry - Largo, FL

[the Bach-man]

Dear Jerry,
We have made no On30 locos with smoke.
Most modelers now consider it more of a mess- maker than it's worth.
Be safe!
the Bach-man

[Ton N]

This is a first generation set made specific for xmas layouts.
It was a nice locomotive to convert to a real model by the already exciting 0n30 community.
Bachmann saw that there was a market for 0n30 and build upon the success of these first sets.
The later models they produced were much better in detail, thus the Spectrum brand.

A passenger train usually does not have a caboose.
Freight trains do.

The set you have has light bulps, no LED's.

Ton

[rich1998]

Steam tubes are sold for a conversion. Do not remember the brand. Some here will remember if you really want tp go down that path. You better be good at conversions. I have no idea how much heat the device produces.

Rich

[Ton N]

you mean Seuthe smoke generators.
And yes they get quite hot.
The first thing i do when i get a H0 to 0n30 conversion candidate is to remove the smoke generator and chuck it in file 13.

Ton

[jerry w in FL]

Thanks for all the replies fellas.

Think i read either here on the board or somewhere else a couple years ago about the smoke gumming up the tracks & display - didnt know if there'd been improvements or not. Oh well, will use my imagination or spray paint a puff of cotton grey & black & stick in the smoke stack!!

As for the caboose, its just more a nostalgia thing than proper for a passenger train - beside i wanta add a freight car or two if i can luck up on Christmas themed ones at a decent price so it'll be a combo train. It goes all the way around my 16x4 village (the 'Express' as Alexa knows it) passing a warehouse area & a passenger platform that also for a slower passenger train that just serves downtown (local yocal). But i was also surprised to find a caboose that lights up & being red fits the Christmas theme, & the price was in my budget!

Everythings supposed to be here Thursday - gonna make sure i take those first few loops nice & slow to make sure it clears buildings, platforms, trees & rocks, telephone poles, etc & especially the railroad bridge (which i enlarged just enough for the Wonderland).  If it is brand new as described, i dont want a major wreck on the first trip & have to buy stock in superglue   

Hoping once things calm down that the local train shop reopens & they can tell me if the Wonderland Express is worth rehabilitating for sale (it still runs but finicky & needs cosmetic repair too) or better to sell for parts.

Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Stay Smilin...
Jerry - Largo, FL

[Ton N]

You can always sell the passenger cars separately.
I have one in my collection.

Ton

[RailMan63]

I've put Seuthe smoke generators in 3 different trains (all Large Scale). They work very well, but I don't use them very much .
Most smoke oils are petroleum based, and continued use in an enclosed environment (such as in a room of your house ) can potentially cause breathing problems.
Especially for those with asthma. Like me.
As far as putting one in an On30 Scale train, I wouldn't bother with it. It's not worth the effort of taking these little trains apart.
Believe me, I've taken 2 of those Bachmann 2-6-0's apart as a rebuild project where I combined 2 to make one, and they are not that easy to get apart without damaging them.
And with the parts department currently being closed, and coupled with the fact that they don't carry a lot of replacement parts for the On30 2-6-0, you may quickly come to regret your decision to take your mogul apart just to add an accessory like a smoke generator.
It's up to you,of course, but personally, I wouldn't do it .
I could see doing it to add DCC and sound. But not smoke.

[Terry Toenges]

I always had the idea of gluing cotton to a tooth pick and sticking it in some kind of small bearing and sticking it in the stack. That way it would swing out as it went around a curve. I never did it but have been thinking about it for years. I don't know if I could get some kind of thing that small. It would have to be able to swing real easy. One would have to make sure the cotton wouldn't lose strands and find it's way into the wheels and axles.

[jerry w in FL]

Well, the new NR American Christmas arrived yesterday - & yes, it was new in box - really surprised (& joyous) coming from ebay & at half the list price here. Parts & pieces all still wrapped in plastic, tucked with foam rubber & styrofoam.  The Great Northern caboose from another seller came the same way.  Rare for ebay...

Anxious to try it out, i just removed the Wonderland Express & set up the new stuff on existing track with existing power supply & controller. Fired right up but definitely had to make some adjustments to landscaping such as gravel & rocks around the track & move a couple of light/telephone poles, trim back one wooden parts of a loading dock (thankfully only popsicle sticks) - mostly stuff on curves.  Luckily no bad crashes to jar anything loose.  The WE was missing it's cow catcher plus some other cosmetic parts so layout was designed so it'd just slide by.

After that, i had a problem with going up the embankment to the rr bridge - cars would disconnect after the tender. On the WE, i just used really thin florist wire to secure the couplers together but that was a pain in the tush to do & would eventually wiggle loose. So on the AC, a drop of hot glue on each coupler & now it climbs & descends with no problem & no issues going around curves! Readily more easy to remove if needed than wire or superglue for sure.
Had one issue where either the front wheels of the loco, tender or 1st car would come off track in the same place every time.  Low & behold, close inspection with my glasses & a flashlight there was a small drop of hot glue (bout the size of seamstress pin head) stuck to the inside of one rail. Likely from when i added lamp posts to the platform a couple days earlier.  Popped that off & no more derailing.

Today, i replaced the old controller & power supply with the new one (same stats mind you) - WOW what a difference. Coach lights are brighter & i dont have to rev it up full force to get over the bridge - just over half way.  & that makes it a lot quieter too.

So happy i lucked on these super great deals (or should i say steals?). Basically $250 for a brand new set up including the caboose & i've got the extra track i can either add to the WE to make it a complete set  to sell or resell each separately.
Have a great weekend everyone.