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 Posted - February 04 2011 : 11:51:21 AM
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Here's my quite scarce Virginian Rectifier with the rare brown colored VGN standard caboose. This particular Rectifier is especially rare being numbered "0650" - with if you look closely - an upsidedown "5". Why? Because Athearn simply flipped the more common roadnumber "0590" upsidedown. Whether or not this was done on purpose or an error hasnt been determined. These of course were sold by Lionel with Athearn assembling/painting them in California tho Lionel itself designed and made the body shell. 0590 was the Lionel kit number for these and they simply used it for the roadnumber too. Most of the Athearn issued ones were also numbered this way. The other thing that makes this one even more rare is that it has the early gear drive rather than the "Hi-F" rubberband drive thats more common under these. This is my most prized Athearn unit along with my International Minerals GP7.
Larry
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Posted - February 04 2011 : 3:46:25 PM
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Nice engine. I live in VIrginia, and the terminus end of the Virginian railway is / was in Burkeville, about 160 miles from me. I traveled there often in the early 2000's, don't get down that way much. And LONG after the Virginian was absorbed by NW. But the trackage is still there and used. Been looking for one of these E33's, but they seem to go high on Ebay, so I have't acquired one yet. But I'll keep looking.
Jerry
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
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Posted - February 04 2011 : 4:32:23 PM
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Try a HO lot search - I actually saw one in a box (no pantograph) sell for 34 dollars awhile back. It was part of a lot containing Bachmann etc engines. But otherwise yes they are very expensive generally. I got this one for a good price when I bought it.
Larry
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Posted - February 04 2011 : 5:06:09 PM
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Hey if I remember right Tyco had a VGN train set I HAD the caboose but traded it to a member in here  Will look for that set at show the 26th 
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Posted - October 12 2011 : 07:54:05 AM
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Very Nice Electric! It Looks Good! But Not As Good As An American GK Still Good Engine.
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Posted - October 12 2011 : 4:11:45 PM
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I hear ya Larry! Very nice locomotive!
I like really that locomotive myself... but like everything else, I tend to go a little over-board...
I personally fancy the New Haven McGinnis paint scheme... I have these in storage now and I do have one more on display at my office. After taking this photo though, I found two more complete units in my garage:
Sean
"If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!" - Mario Andretti!
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Posted - October 12 2011 : 5:08:05 PM
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I have a shell of one of these that I would like to power. Does anyone know if a newer Athearn GP9 drive (with the gold motor and flywheels) fits?
Thanks!
Thomas
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Posted - October 12 2011 : 5:41:24 PM
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quote: Does anyone know if a newer Athearn GP9 drive (with the gold motor and flywheels) fits?
Thanks!
Thomas
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The chassis fits, provided the coupler pockets are widened on the shell. The newer chassis have a wider coupler mounting tab.
Sean
"If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!" - Mario Andretti!
Edited by - Mustangs_n_Trains on October 12 2011 5:42:42 PM
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Posted - October 12 2011 : 5:42:12 PM
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They are seriously cute, like Dwarven E33's!
OK, Sean gotta ask, once you have one really good example, why more?
I mean no second pint ever tastes as good as that first one at the Pub.
-Gareth
"A is A"
-Aristotle
Law of Identification
Edited by - romcat on October 12 2011 5:45:16 PM
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 Posted - October 12 2011 : 5:52:11 PM
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quote:OK, Sean gotta ask, once you have one really good example, why more?
I mean no second pint ever tastes as good as that first one at the Pub.
-Gareth
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My wife has been asking that very same question for years now. I guess it is like fishing... You never can stop at just one, can you? I just don't seem to be able to.
I guess there are worse things to obsess over. For example, I tell myself after each New haven locomotive.."OK, No more New Haven Locomotives!" ... a few weeks pass by and i see a couple nice examples listed, so I bid on them. Can't tell you just how many of the pretty rare Athearn black red & white RDC New Haven units I have, but it is more than I have in the Rectifiers for sure. Yet.. I if see them even now, I still bid. It is like a sickness, I guess. With NO foreseeable cure...
Sean
"If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!" - Mario Andretti!
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Posted - October 12 2011 : 6:09:41 PM
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M&T,
Those Rectifiers are really neat and they're about as prototypical as Tycos GG1s. I need to try to get one of those, built on the Hi-F GP9 frame.
I'm guessing the two PRR exapmles are the rare ones?
Sou,
Yours is so mint and grd too!
Alco Fan
Edited by - Alco Fan on October 12 2011 6:11:19 PM
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Posted - October 12 2011 : 6:12:41 PM
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Hey Sean:
Always just as an interogatory thing curious in myself and others about the relationship between collecting and hoarding and in what way we differ from chipmunks for example!?
I like to resist the urge, and have often successfully come up with rationalizations for it.
Maybe your Mrs. could say when asked, her hobby is asking Sean/My Husband about his! The McGinnis thing is kinda understandable. You should get your mailbox custom painted? Actually I was going to redo a Computer Tower case in PRR Tuscan with the five stripes and Keystone! :)
-Gareth
"A is A"
-Aristotle
Law of Identification
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Posted - October 12 2011 : 6:37:31 PM
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quote:
The chassis fits, provided the coupler pockets are widened on the shell. The newer chassis have a wider coupler mounting tab.
Originally posted by Mustangs_n_Trains - October 12 2011 : 5:41:24 PM
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Thanks Sean, just what I wanted to know.  -Thomas
Edited by - Redwoods on October 12 2011 6:37:58 PM
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Posted - October 12 2011 : 8:27:35 PM
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quote:Hey Sean:
... You should get your mailbox custom painted? ...
-Gareth
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Gareth,
This is my mailbox:
It took me about 1.5 hours to make - start to finish. This is just after I painted it the first time:
How much more custom do you want from me anyway?
It is now all black. I thought I had a picture, but I can not find it.
I built this toybox for my kids around the same time:
Sean
"If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!" - Mario Andretti!
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Posted - October 12 2011 : 8:39:51 PM
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Hey Sean:
But they aren't VARNEY!!!
Did you get my email about the three chassis???
-Gareth
PS: No Mustang mailbox!?
"A is A"
-Aristotle
Law of Identification
Edited by - romcat on October 12 2011 8:57:28 PM
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Posted - October 13 2011 : 11:34:34 AM
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quote:Hey Sean:
But they aren't VARNEY!!! |
Actually I blieve the topic is the E33 rectifier, if I am not mistaken. I don't want the topic police coming down on me after all...
quote:| Did you get my email about the three chassis??? |
Yes, but everything I have is packed away right now. We are undergoing a major home (entire second floor) addition. I have some stuff set out to list, but have had no time for that either.
quote:
Actually thought about it and want to, but have never gotten to it...yet. You know, I have two.. One '69 & one '67, both fastbacks.
Lovely electric Virginian locomotive Larry! Thanks for posting it!
There now, back on topic. Phew, wasn't sure if I was going to be able to get that in. LOL!
Sean
"If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!" - Mario Andretti!
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Posted - October 13 2011 : 1:17:57 PM
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Sean you sem to have Rectified the problem!
-Gareth
"A is A"
-Aristotle
Law of Identification
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Posted - October 13 2011 : 1:56:03 PM
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There is one on ebay right now from renowned Athearn collector Peter Markman (Athearnpcm). It is a mint never assembled Hi-F drive one with original yellow box. 99 dollar starting bid.
Larry
PS the Athearn made ones (including for Lionel) only came in Virginian. Lionel continued selling them with their own drives in PRR and NH
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Posted - October 14 2011 : 10:02:37 PM
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Mustang N Trains,
Can you tell me anything about your PRR rectifiers? I looked at the '98 edition of the Athearn
Collectors Guide and the PRRs aren't listed.
Was the 4th one back on the left stripped and the Brunswick job a custom?
Thanks
Alco Fan
Edited by - Alco Fan on October 14 2011 10:05:14 PM
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Posted - October 14 2011 : 11:05:28 PM
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Let's just pause and be grateful for one un-Spammed thread on the forum tonight! 
-Gareth
"A is A"
-Aristotle
Law of Identification
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Posted - October 14 2011 : 11:27:49 PM
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The Rectifier was a joint venture between Lionel and Athearn during their year long partnership in 1958-59. Lionel actually made the shell tooling and designed it to fit Athearn's existing GP7 chassis and drive. Most of them - including all of those sold by Lionel (assembled and painted by Athearn) during this time period had the rubberband Hi-F drive. Athearn itself sold geared versions but they are very rare. After the partnership officially ended Lionel created their own bastardized tooled "GP9" (again really a GP7) copying Athearn's tooling save for the cab. Their early versions had type B trucks instead of blombergs as well and were gear driven. Lionel used the drive from this to continue making Rectifiers for their own line and added NH and PRR at that point. The two companies still had some dealings and Athearn still had license to continue selling the Rectifier as well and did so (only in Virginian )until about 1964-1965. Lionel stopped making them altogether in 1966 when they exited the HO market for awhile.
Larry
Edited by - SOU2645 on October 14 2011 11:30:39 PM
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Posted - October 16 2011 : 09:05:31 AM
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quote:Mustang N Trains,
Can you tell me anything about your PRR rectifiers? I looked at the '98 edition of the Athearn
Collectors Guide and the PRRs aren't listed.
Was the 4th one back on the left stripped and the Brunswick job a custom?
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Hi Alco Fan,
Since I am not a Lionel collector, I can not give you any info regarding the PRR origins, other than I believe them to be lionel. Larry did give some great info here though.
The gray unit was in primer. The black one just behind it was stripped using brake fluid. The red PRR unit is all original and the green unit in front is a custom painted unit. Quite nicely done too.
@ gareth... You are just too much!
Sean
"If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!" - Mario Andretti!
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Posted - October 19 2011 : 05:47:53 AM
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Larry,
Thanks for the interesting info. I can't imagine why I never noticed these in print or at shows, they're unique. Great VGN example!
Mustang_n_Trains,
I think the PRR custom is interesting on many levels. It's a rectifier and it's an early custom. Thanks for your pic and reply.
Alco Fan
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Posted - October 19 2011 : 07:52:15 AM
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When I Posted my compliment, I was the 4th person to comment. now there is 22. WHAT DID I DO?
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Posted - October 19 2011 : 09:30:29 AM
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| nice mailbox & toybox Mustang I think I'd rather have a caboose as a mailbox in Cascade Geen with BN on it hehe
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Posted - October 20 2011 : 07:57:09 AM
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There are two at the local hobby shop in Roanoke VA for sale. Hi-F drive near mint 100 bucks each.
Larry
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Posted - October 20 2011 : 9:08:59 PM
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Larry,
I'll never have one unlees it's a beater and I get it extemely cheaply or trade something. :(
Alco Fan
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