Feb 2001 - Lionel Collectors Club of America

The removal of onescrew allows the solenoidhousing to be removed asseen in photo 9. In thisphoto the solenoid is offand the unloading ramp isin its upper position. Whenthe unload button on thecontroller is pressed, thesolenoid is energized andthe door is lowered as inphoto 10.The controller is onewe’ve seen before. It issimilar to the O-gauge remote control track controller,with the exception that the button on the left is a slideswitch labeled “On-Off” and the button on the right amomentary push button labeled “Unload.” Three wiresfrom the controller are connected to the shed shown inphoto 5. Two wires from the transformer connect to theremaining posts. The instructions call for an operatingvoltage between 12 and 18 volts AC. I hooked it up andeverything worked just as it should. The motorized cranereverses itself at the end of each stroke and continues upand down as long as the on-off switch is in the “on”position. I set my ZW to 12 volts and the crane operatedjust fine. When I tried the unloading door, I found thatthe door did not quite open far enough and the balls didnot run down the ramp. I first suspected that the lever onthe solenoid might have need adjusting, but found thatall that was necessary was to increase the voltage slightlyand it functioned perfectly. No other adjustment wasnecessary.This accessory is not offered in a Command version,and this is for a very good reason. Now that the new SC-2 is available, a separate version is not necessary. TheSC-2 is a more powerful version of the SC-1 controller.The SC-1 could only handle 1 amp while the SC-2 willhandle 15 amps, more than enough amperage to operatemost accessories. We’ll have more on that in a later issue.Lionel’s new Nuclear Reactor operated flawlessly.Being especially fond of postwar Lionel, I particularlyenjoyed the 1950s look of this accessory. It certainly hasthe flavor of the carefree days we dreamed of in the fifties.Where else but in Lionelville would “radioactive isotopes”be transported in open gondolas? Only in the same townwhere glowing “radioactive waste” is transported onflatcars. I’m glad to see that Lionel has taken anundeveloped idea from the company’s 1950 engineers andbrought it proudly to fruition. Thisalso gives us hope that perhapsother ideas that Lionel nevercompleted might still see the lightof a Lionel locomotive.On the same page in the T &M book is also pictured a mock-upof an operating grain elevator.Might we expect to see this in thefuture? At least we know thatLionel considers these treasuresworth looking into and it gives ushope for continued excitement aswe relive our boyhood dreams.If you’d like to see more of what’s in Lionel’sarchives, the 116 page, 8-1/2 x 11 inch, Volume Five ofthe McComas and Tuohy Lionel, A Collector’s Guide andHistory, is available in a softbound edition for only $9.95plus postage. It can be ordered directly from TM Booksand Videos at 800-892-2822. This book includes photosyou’ll see nowhere else of many of the treasures ofLionel’s past.Artrain Begins New SeriesArtrain is beginning a Series II Lionel model traincar set. As with the initial series, the first entry in thesecond series will be a boxcar. Photo 11 shows the newArtistry of Space boxcar, which celebrates the NASA Art9 1011Program. This boxcar sports all the top-of-the-linefeatures, including all metal die-cast sprung trucks, metalframe and door guides, and stars which light on the sidesof the car. The stars are actually LEDs which are poweredfrom the track. This car will be limited to only 500 piecesand is available for a tax-deductible donation of $125.Additional cars are available for $100 donations. Shippingis $6 per car. You can order the car directly from Artrainat the following address:1100 North Main St.Suite 106Ann Arbor, MI 48104.Photographs by Bill SchmeelkBill Schmeelk’s address is shown on page 1.31The Lion Roars February, 2001