|
|
 Posted - June 13 2012 : 5:01:53 PM
|
I just found this today on eBay. Gonna bid on it soon. Cleared body'd FP-9A by Tyco. I am drooling over this! I never seen one ever especially on eBay. Tony Cook's website has it. I wonder if Tony L. owns one or is watching this!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/120930006127?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649
" Heck with counting 'em rivets, TRAINS ARE FOR FUN! Not called the Mad Scientist for nothing either!"
|
Country:  USA ~
Posts: 3147 ~
Member Since: May 07 2007 ~
Last Visit: March 12 2026
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - June 14 2012 : 3:49:23 PM
|
I've got one, but it's the dual-motored example. I wasn't aware they made them single-motored, or was that replaced with a dummy truck? I'm fortunate all the steps on mine are intact as that plastic is pretty brittle.
Mine is also in the Canadian Pacific striping, too. There is also one in Santa Fe Warbonnet striping which seems to be rarer. I don't have that one.
|
|
Country: USA ~
Posts: 2798 ~
Member Since: September 17 2010 ~
Last Visit: July 22 2015
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - June 14 2012 : 8:23:41 PM
|
Tony, that unit sold for $140. Dual truck F-9's seem a little on the rare side. I see F-units all the time, but, unknown to me if single or dual drive.
" Heck with counting 'em rivets, TRAINS ARE FOR FUN! Not called the Mad Scientist for nothing either!"
|
|
Country: USA ~
Posts: 3147 ~
Member Since: May 07 2007 ~
Last Visit: March 12 2026
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - June 26 2012 : 07:51:13 AM
|
| Hello guys, i'm the one who won the clear body'd FP-9A. My wife knew I wanted it, so she let me bid to win. It was around fathers day so that lessened the blow. After reading the comments from spiderj76 I was worried that someone may have changed the trucks, but after closely looking at it you can tell it's all original. The problem I have though is instead of one step missing there are three, It's still a prize for my collction but i'm still mad about it. I have a couple of days to decide if I will return it or not, but this is probably my only shot at getting one.
|
|
Country: USA ~
Posts: 664 ~
Member Since: May 05 2012 ~
Last Visit: June 11 2024
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - June 26 2012 : 1:45:57 PM
|
I say keep it GG-1! At least the shell was clear and crack free! They usually yellow over time.
" Heck with counting 'em rivets, TRAINS ARE FOR FUN! Not called the Mad Scientist for nothing either!"
|
|
Country: USA ~
Posts: 3147 ~
Member Since: May 07 2007 ~
Last Visit: March 12 2026
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - July 02 2012 : 2:28:32 PM
|
I'm glad it's intact and original for you :) Even in its condition, it's probably worth keeping until a better one comes along... you can resell this one later to defray that cost.
I noticed the missing rear steps after I made my post, but didn't want to come back and seem like I was influencing a deal or hyping my own. You might be able to make clear stirrups using scrap window material.... would be tricky, but certainly possible.
|
|
Country: USA ~
Posts: 2798 ~
Member Since: September 17 2010 ~
Last Visit: July 22 2015
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - July 02 2012 : 2:42:31 PM
|
The photos show both rear stirrups intact, so they broke 2 of them since they were taken? Or did they break in shipping?
The Tyco Depot
|
|
Country: USA ~
Posts: 3927 ~
Member Since: June 20 2007 ~
Last Visit: November 19 2015
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - July 02 2012 : 3:22:00 PM
|
The ones at the very rear end of the carbody were missing in the listing...
(I modified mine with a color-change LED headlight turned on by a switch in the rear door window, which is what the red wire is from. It's otherwise stock original with the dual-motor setup).
|
|
Country: USA ~
Posts: 2798 ~
Member Since: September 17 2010 ~
Last Visit: July 22 2015
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - July 02 2012 : 5:11:08 PM
|
I forgot about those rearmost steps.
One quality all of these clear units seem to share is brittleness. I guess there's something missing from clear styrene formulations that makes opaque styrene tougher, or at least did when these were made.
^ Space Ghost's C-Liner ^
The same holds true for these FM shells. This one has the small strip of plastic just forward of the front mounting pin knocked out on the other side, but I've seen much worse cracking on most. Of course you're much more likely to notice hairline breaks in clear, but they still seem fragile.
The Tyco Depot
|
|
Country: USA ~
Posts: 3927 ~
Member Since: June 20 2007 ~
Last Visit: November 19 2015
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - July 02 2012 : 5:47:50 PM
|
Nelson,
I have the FM clear shell but not the clear chassis. Your's is very nice.
Spidey,
Your example is very nice especially with the red accents and the dual motors. I have yet to land a normal dual motor F unit
GG-1, Nice score!!
Alco Fan
Edited by - Alco Fan on July 02 2012 5:50:07 PM
|
|
Country: USA ~
Posts: 2496 ~
Member Since: August 03 2006 ~
Last Visit: September 17 2024
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - July 02 2012 : 11:06:31 PM
|
Guys,
Several years ago I lucked into one of the clear F3/7 Tyco units. It was missing one or two steps which kind of dissapointed me  and I knew nothing about it so I set it on the shelf. A month or so went by and I went to pick it up and look at it. As I was picking it up off the shelf, the entire unit crumbled in my hands. The shell was shattered (on the opposite side that was seen on the shelf). It was very suspicious to me since I knew it was not like that when I put it there last. 
I threw it out and was rather disgusted after that. 
Sean
"If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!" - Mario Andretti!
|
|
Country: USA ~
Posts: 1729 ~
Member Since: June 15 2011 ~
Last Visit: June 26 2021
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - July 03 2012 : 12:05:16 AM
|
That's weird, Sean. Maybe it absorbed some petroleum based lubricants over the years, because that's a really extreme example.
Fortunately the Rivarossi and then AHM C-Liners never had steps due to the oversized trucks... I'm sure they never would have survived on the clear shells.
AF, I've collected 4 or 5 of those clear chassis, and finally scored a shell for one. The clear chassis have tendency to let go of the steel fuel tank weights because the top of the plastic post that's melted over to hold them will break off. I haven't seen that on the normal black chassis. The clear chassis was started by Rivarossi when they were still making them for Lionel, and Mehano continued them for a while in the early 60's.
Rivarossi also molded the whole roof / window glazing assembly in clear for their passenger coaches, and they seemed pretty durable.
The Tyco Depot
|
|
Country: USA ~
Posts: 3927 ~
Member Since: June 20 2007 ~
Last Visit: November 19 2015
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - July 03 2012 : 07:51:33 AM
|
Nelson,
My hunch is someone knocked it off the shelf (wife) and then never told me about it.
The clear chassis were used on all the c-liners produced for Lionel. Get one of those and strip the black base paint off and you will have a clear chassis. In great shape however, you could get $50 or more for one.
Sean
"If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!" - Mario Andretti!
|
|
Country: USA ~
Posts: 1729 ~
Member Since: June 15 2011 ~
Last Visit: June 26 2021
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - July 03 2012 : 10:57:26 AM
|
Wow Nelson, that full-clear C-Liner looks awesome! The transparent chassis really does something, plus it doesn't seem as "cluttered" as the Tyco one. I'm trying to limit what I collect but I might have to keep an eye out for one of those. Incidentally the body shape and lines don't even seem quite as awkward as that loco otherwise does.
I agree on the clear plastic - they're always more brittle than opaque, and the "more clear" the worse they are. Even consider windows on building kits and such: walls have some degree of elasticity, but the windows don't. A locomotive light pipe will crack while an identical section of colored sprue will bend. Yet a slightly cloudy "clear" piece such as a windshield on a toy car is undeniably more durable. I'm not a chemist but I'm curious as to what the difference is.
|
|
Country: USA ~
Posts: 2798 ~
Member Since: September 17 2010 ~
Last Visit: July 22 2015
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - July 03 2012 : 12:10:56 PM
|
| Lionel issue C-liners have four variants of chassis, including one of flat sheet metal; the giveaway to them seems to be all have two metal eyelets at the rear for wires to pass through to wire several of them together.
|
|
Country: USA ~
Posts: 956 ~
Member Since: January 27 2008 ~
Last Visit: May 27 2016
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - July 03 2012 : 10:54:31 PM
|
Sean, gotcha... in other words, gremlins. 
The clear chassis in the photo, like all the ones I have are Mehano. I even wondered if they were using up Rivarossi stock in the beginning, but they're clearly marked "AHM Tempo" on the underside. I have some clear Rivarossi B unit chassis, and they're marked with the RR logo. I think there's very few parts Rivarossi didn't put their stamp on, the total opposite of Athearn.
I was originally going to strip the black paint off the underside, but AHM paint tends to be very tough and I don't want to end up with a partial removal job, or worse... a brittle chassis. I would only try Chameleon or Scalecoat II Wash Away which are very safe, but clear stuff seems dicey enough as it is, so I decided to leave well enough alone. It still looks cool.
Thanks, Tony. These clear C-Liner shells didn't come with an AHM demonstrator scheme like the Tyco did, so that probably contributes to a less cluttered look as well. The lines of these units never bothered me, maybe because I grew up with them. There does seem to be a 50's - 60's aesthetic to it when I see it in clear like this. The earliest Rivarossi shells were Bakelite, and they have a definite 40's tube radio vibe to them.
LVRR, you're right about the variations. The early Lionel C-Liners varied little from the first Rivarossi, so they had brass frames and Bakelite shells. Here are two later versions I picked up, one with the early RR ball bearing motor, and the later bb design with a white plastic end bell. Both have sheet brass frames.
There are jumpers that go between units for combined pickup.
Here's an auction photo of the later clear RR chassis.
The Tyco Depot
Edited by - NickelPlate759 on July 03 2012 10:56:35 PM
|
|
Country: USA ~
Posts: 3927 ~
Member Since: June 20 2007 ~
Last Visit: November 19 2015
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
 Posted - October 26 2012 : 11:41:35 PM
|
Huzzah, I finally got it!
Totally lucky on a stupid-cheap BIN - as one of us is fond of saying, "I couldn't click the button fast enough"! Only one side of the loco was shown in a lousy photo, but I didn't care - for the price the risk was worth it. Even though the other loco in the lot was beat to heck, this one is *pristine* - explain that! (?)
Anyway, it's the rarer Santa Fe version. Which you will notice is a singe-motor, as opposed to my Canadian Pacific's dual-motor setup. I wonder if that was the intended reason and purpose for the two schemes?
I have to say, I much prefer the Santa Fe version. It was a great choice for the single-motor setup, as the front of the loco is remarkably clean (clear) with no striping or mechanics in the way. Compare to the cluttered appearance of the Canadian Pacific / Dual Motor, above.
Anyway... It's no Athearn International Minerals, but I'm pretty happy with this one. Makes me one short on known Tyco F units, too... and the other should be far more common, oops 
|
|
Country: USA ~
Posts: 2798 ~
Member Since: September 17 2010 ~
Last Visit: July 22 2015
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - October 27 2012 : 04:57:44 AM
|
Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Jealous!
I'm very happy you got one - and pristine at that! Again - if anyone wants to part with one - just let me know! I need one for my locomotive works. Yes, it will NOT be a shelf queen!
Rus
Starting my Tyco and other favorites collection over again after 37 years.
My still in progress list of inventory and wantlist: tyconut.com
|
|
Country: USA ~
Posts: 396 ~
Member Since: November 02 2009 ~
Last Visit: March 14 2021
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - October 27 2012 : 08:47:32 AM
|
| *gets the Jealousy Monster on my head & gives Tyco Nut one too*
|
|
Country: USA ~
Posts: 15017 ~
Member Since: February 23 2009 ~
Last Visit: April 12 2026
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - October 27 2012 : 3:56:33 PM
|
Beautiful find Tony!!! I wonder want the production numbers actually were on those?
Mike
|
Country:  Canada ~
Posts: 1586 ~
Member Since: December 07 2007 ~
Last Visit: March 30 2026
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - October 27 2012 : 8:13:14 PM
|
I think that is my "click" line there Tony!
As for the rare piece! I like yours better than the Athearn set for sure! Cool find!
Sean
"If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!" - Mario Andretti!
|
|
Country: USA ~
Posts: 1729 ~
Member Since: June 15 2011 ~
Last Visit: June 26 2021
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - October 27 2012 : 8:17:08 PM
|
Tony,
So are you going to tell us what you paid? 
The Tyco Depot
|
|
Country: USA ~
Posts: 3927 ~
Member Since: June 20 2007 ~
Last Visit: November 19 2015
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - October 27 2012 : 8:23:49 PM
|
WOW!!!!
Sure looks unique
my entire collection of trains and cars doesn't come to $139. and if i spent that would be out in the cold
|
|
Country: USA ~
Posts: 424 ~
Member Since: June 25 2010 ~
Last Visit: July 30 2021
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
Home
Forums
Events Calendar
Forum Admins & Mods
Register
