Enjoying Tyco, all over again

[Heath]

We've all had them as starter kits when we were just wee folk. I still have a majority of mine and decided to do something with them.
Cars are all at least 30 years old (am 40 now) so I enjoyed them upto 10 years old. Some were a bit beat up but thought nothing I couldn't fix. A few stirrup steps broken off which I replaced with some modern, scaled ones. I will put in some Kadee good ol' #5's, better trucks and have stripped them down with all the paint and decals now removed.
My idea is to repaint them and make them into a small MOW train. Will place detailed loads on the cars, ballast in a converted coal car, etc. Still awaiting Athearn's 250 ton wrecker due out this fall. Once I have that, I'll hopefully have the rest of the cars ready for it's arrival.
I know what a lot are probably thinking. A trip down nostalgia lane. There are better cars, more detailed out there, etc.but hey, it's about having fun and I have to start somewhere to airbrushing, decalling and not sure on weathering just yet.
I do have a few well detailed cars bought this year right out of the box that I won't do anything to but the ol' Tyco's Mantua's I know I can get them closer with some extra detailing stuff. (better grab's, trucks, wheels I'll install on them) I figure I'll get another 30 years enjoyment or so out of them.
What inspired me to write this note was a big thank you to all of you on here :thumb: for paint stripping. I tried everything and nothing worked Got brave with brake fluid and the industrial strength Tyco paint and decals come off no problemo.
Thanks one and all for your suggestions. Looking forward to enjoying (some)Tyco trains all over again.
Heath

 

[MilesWestern]

I specialize in doing that kind of thing, taking my old cars, rebuilding them to a much higher quality, and sending them "on the road" for "revenue service. I've got a Tyco reefer in service as I post this, with old bachmann, MDC roundhouse, Model power, and other cars that some people would call "sub quality." I really take pride in resyoring a car to it's formewr glory, or usually way better, it's one of my favorite parts of the hobby!

You'll spot all kinds of old cars and things right up your alley at my site....
http://www.freewebs.com/mileswestern/

 

[brakie]

Miles,Some times those old cars are a diamond in the rough that needs polishing..

 

[MilesWestern]

Exactly my thought! After you add $10 worth of detail parts, they look just like the new athearn R-T-R you could have bought instead!

Seriously, there have been some really cool "sub-quality" cars made over the years certianly worth keeping, and 'restoring'! :thumb: Even doctorwayne keeps a few trainset qualtiy reefers in his collection, although with a ton of nice deatils added! Good work.

I salute those who actually rescue forlorn cars and fix them! Shaygetz, Myself, Doctorwayne, and now Heath. Any others do this sort of thing?

 

[brakie]

I have rebuilt several Mantua chemical tank cars-no longer produced..These where sharp looking tankers once they was upgraded with new trucks,body mounted couplers,paint and decals...:thumb:

 

[NSES44DC]

You said it right Heath.....its about having fun. I hate when you get the rivet counters and what not that take this way too seriously. But hey, to each his/her own. Infact, in the june or july issue..a person thanked the editor of MRR for bringing up this same topic. He most have wrote about it in april or may which i missed. Honestly, just have fun! Thats what its about! If i wanted to rivet count..id go work for the railroad.

 

[Gil Finn]

announce1 I found the cheap set lost wheels and couplers.

Now however I am repainting the great as well as the cheap and making a fleet of log cars.

I like the Tyco and Life Like as I can get them for a $1 to $2 dollars at shows and on ebay.sign1

 

[shaygetz]

Long live Tyco...woo hoo:thumb:

 

[Heath]

Hey,
anyone want "in progress" pictures, I'll snap a few.
Maybe there are others out there that have the same as I do. Here's a 4 car description that I have so far:

Short flat car. WAS painted green. Road was Deleware and Maryland I think. From the Tyco set I think it carried a load 3 cement drain pipes, which I think I still have. I'll turn this into a wheel carfor the MOW.

Mid length flat car. WAS an ATSF with wood decking. I'll make this my small track panel car for the MOW. Have a photo of the prototype. Think the 4 track sections were a scale 35 feet.

Short gondola. WAS an UP MoW to begin with. Painted brilliant yellow. The paint is stripped now it's just brilliant yellow. May take a few thin coats of boxcar brown to tone it down. Will use it for either some "wrecked" trucks I'll pickup at a sale or something similar.

Coal car. WAS a Boston and Maine blue. Now it's just blue. I'll turn it into a ballast car. I know it won't be a true Hart ballast car with the side shutes but I only have to answer to myself.

Neat project with these. Will paiint them all appropriate CN colors.
Will eventually lead them with my new P2k CN GP9 I bought with sound. Love this loco. Just replaced the brake wheel and painted the step hand rails white.

Will snap a few happy snaps and post when I can if anyone is interested.

Happy RR'ing!

 

[MilesWestern]

Yes, Pictures would be great if you could. Thanks.

 

[shaygetz]

Snap them happy snaps...:thumb:

I'm glad to see ol' Tyco gets used by more folks then I ever thought. This is my latest Tyco creation heading into/out of the paint shop. I added Kadee couplers and wheelsets to an otherwise stock Tyco early 70s 200 ton crane, then painted/weathered it to look like a hastily renamed addition to the B&MC's MOW fleet. The boom car is a bash of Revell/Athearn/Tyco bits and pieces.

 

[Heath]

Ok, here they are.
All in their raw plastic state. Have done quite a bit of doctoring on them to heal them from sitting in storage for 30 years.

The step on the gondola is .40" styrene filed down with a square pencil file to mimic the rest of the stirrup steps.

The old B&M coal car has had a new piece of bracing and the new stirrup steps added.
The old B&M coal car chasis has had a piece of holed styrene tubing for the new set screw to go into. Have also added KD 5's to the end of the chasis. No other place to put it.

The old ATSF flat car I might be able to conceal some stick weights underneath but would hate to spoil it that way. I may settle for the weight of the load (track panel section) place it with it's new load on a diet scale and see how heavy it is. Flatcar got the KD treatment and styrene tubing added for the new trucks.

Old flatcar has had some work done on it too. Missing 1 step which was added. May have to drill out the bracing holes on the sides as the old ATSF flat carhas them like that. Not sure on that.

Getting closer to paint time soon. Will wait for a bit until some non-sunny weather keeps me indoors.

 

[Heath]

Here's the rest of them.

By the way, I have the same wrecker. A fantastic job on that and well done:thumb:
Will have to save that one for another day.

 

[green_elite_cab]

Long live Tyco...woo hoo:thumb:

I have this locomotive. It barely worked when i got it, and parts where missing ( one side frame and no couplers or anywhere to instal them as well as no handrails).

the only difference is mine has an emblem on the nose, and the top of the long hood is solid blue.

 

[doctorwayne]

I also had one of those C-430s. Not a great runner, but at least it was an Alco. Mine was painted in the dark and light grey, and dark green of my freelance Elora Gorge & Eastern. I also had one of their C-630s, done up in the same paint scheme and with a scratchbuilt CNR-style safety cab. Although it had the incorrect trucks, it looked pretty good. I got rid of both, along with a couple dozen other "modern" locos, when I backdated my layout to the '30s. Unfortunately, I have no pictures to post, although I may have some if I ever get around to buying a new computer and scanner. (All the older photos are slides or negatives)

Wayne

 

[brakie]

Snip

Snap them happy snaps...:thumb:

I'm glad to see ol' Tyco gets used by more folks then I ever thought.

Bob,One would be surprise what goes on in the real modeling world.. I always like that Tyco crane because it has a "modern" diesel powered look..:thumb:

 

[shaygetz]

the only difference is mine has an emblem on the nose, and the top of the long hood is solid blue.

:thumb: :thumb: ...what I have found with mine on the Tyco collectors website is that it does not exist. There is no reference to one that looks like mine...the fun of the search continues:thumb:

The modern diesel look always appealed to me too, Larry.:thumb:

 

[green_elite_cab]

:thumb: :thumb: ...what I have found with mine on the Tyco collectors website is that it does not exist. There is no reference to one that looks like mine...the fun of the search continues:thumb:

Really? I was aware there are 3 different versions of that Bi-cenntial Alco. There is third version somewhere, lol.

 

[shaygetz]

Really? I was aware there are 3 different versions of that Bi-cenntial Alco. There is third version somewhere, lol.

If you look at the picture of mine, it does not have the dark blue roofline, making for a fourth variation. I love it when searches take a turn like that:thumb:

 

[slagpot]

I have nothing remotely good to say about Tyco....but I sure do miss those two bay operating hopper cars. Man I'd like to have a fleet of those!!!!

Patrick
Beaufort,SC
Dragon River Steel Corp {DRSC}