I bought my daughter a Lionel Timberline set at a flea market for $20 so as to feed her interest but keep her away from daddy's trains.
It was missing a car, the track and engine were dirty, the log dump car is now a flat car and the timber mill is missing a few parts. But the tracks were solid with all the pins and the transformer/speed controller works.
I greased and oiled the engine after pulling a thread out of the gears, sanded and lightly oiled the track with an oil suited to electrical contacts and the doggone thing runs great. Top speed will roll the engine in the turns if not careful.
Bought a 90 degree crossing 2 35" sections and some curves and straights and we now have a figure 8. Her ponies ride the train and she jumps ove the train as it goes past.
I was wondering if anyone has (and maybe willing to part with) or knows where to find more of the cars. They are all plastic with but 2 axles on each though they look like solid 2 axle trucks on each end. I think it was to make it easier for younger hands to handle. I've looked on eBay and nothing so far.
The guy through in a real Lionel 2 dome tank car with a whole punched in the top. The trucks were dirty and they didn't roll well. The engine seemed to have a hard time with it so I cleaned and oiled the trucks and am fixing and repainting the tank. I'm little dubious yet as to whether it's gonna work or not, maybe if it's the first car after the tender?
Thanks! Frank