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 Posted - December 06 2012 : 07:46:29 AM
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was watching a Lionel AEC Hustler this week, and won it for $36. Those darn little guys sure do sell high! Luckily no one else seemed to want to bid higher. So for about 45 I'll finally have one of these swell diesels. I have the HO Radioactive car, so this would be fun to DCC and run around at a show.  That's my eventual goal, anyway, and maybe a special caboose to go with it for the crew. Anyway, here's an Ebay pic of it.
I should have asked what the OTHER side looks like, oh well. 
Jerry
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
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Posted - December 06 2012 : 08:09:01 AM
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Looks like an AWESOME score Jerry! Hopefully, you got it for a good price!
~John
Many have tried to, and failed, ya just can't repair stupid...
Do NOT try to Idiot-Proof anything!!!! God, will simply create a better......IDIOT!
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Posted - December 06 2012 : 10:25:19 AM
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Neat little engine! A whole 1950's era Atomic themed train would be pretty cool 
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Posted - December 06 2012 : 10:30:14 AM
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Hey Jerry:
She's definitely. "the Bomb"!
Nice catch.
-Gareth
"A is A"
-Aristotle
Law of Identification
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Posted - December 06 2012 : 3:38:28 PM
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quote:I should have asked what the OTHER side looks like, oh well.
Jerry
Originally posted by AMC_Gremlin_GTÂ -Â December 06 2012Â :Â 07:46:29 AM
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No doubt professionally touched up by his 4-year-old daughter with mom's pink sparkly nail polish....maybe even a Tinky Winky sticker...
Nice catch...
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Posted - December 07 2012 : 10:15:20 PM
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"and maybe a special caboose to go with it for the crew"
Special caboose... you mean this one?
 
Bought her for scrap parts but decided it was too different to cut-up or part-out. I've had interest in an AEC hustler, but not yet enough to go after bidding for one. Any ideas on how to fix the paint? Or should I sell this one?
I know I've been bad with wanting to sell stuff and falling through on it.
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Posted - December 07 2012 : 11:00:25 PM
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quote:
Special caboose... you mean this one?
[
Bought her for scrap parts but decided it was too different to cut-up or part-out. ... Any ideas on how to fix the paint? Or should I sell this one?
Originally posted by Islanderh93Â -Â December 07 2012Â :Â 10:15:20 PM
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Sometimes it's just best to leave well enough alone and leave it as is. Paint looks dirty in the picture, but the graphics are crisp, is the paint flaking, or just dirty? There was a complete train set of the AEC, I didnt' think about the caboose, just getting an engine is a major score in itself these days. If you decide you want to sell it, let me know.
Jerry
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
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Posted - December 07 2012 : 11:45:47 PM
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When i first washed it with dish soap, there appeared to be a bit of an oily-aire to the car. Kind of like ceilings in kitchens that do a lot of frying. The paint pealed out of the middle of the letters when I cleaned it, but hasn't flaked since. There remains a residual look, but not feel on the car. I had though of bleaching it, but that sounds dangerous for the plastic.
The car I must admit is a bit... apart. The underbelly is odd compared to most athearns. The trucks are mounted as to not be removable from the girder-frame, which is missing a coupler box at one end. The screw holes (which go through the girder frame at a point near the coupler box, and into the floor) appear to have stripped somewhere, as the original screws fall out. The weight is loose because of the screw failure. As with all athearns the smoke jack is gone.
The trucks are nice though, which is why I bought the car, and almost took it apart to make a skeleton log car; I'm glad I didn't. Does everyone start out with equpiment this 'for hunger'?
I was going to rig a new coupler box to floor to match where the lost one would go, and fill hot-glue in the screw holes to allow a new grip surface. I have no idea if that would work. The weight I may glue down to the floor. Such repairs have yet to take place.
Can this thing be said to be worth $20 in its current state, and would repairing it depreciate the value of 'all-original'?
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Posted - December 08 2012 : 08:06:08 AM
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quote:
The trucks are nice though, which is why I bought the car, Does everyone start out with equpiment this 'for hunger'?
Can this thing be said to be worth $20 in its current state, and would repairing it depreciate the value of 'all-original'?
Originally posted by Islanderh93Â -Â December 07 2012Â :Â 11:45:47 PM
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Many guys, including myself, buy stuff for parts or re-use elsewhere. Especially if you get it cheap enough. :) I'm glad you hesitated on parting this piece out, as it's rarity makes it worth keeping it as is in my opinion. Missing stack can be replaced, and the other flaws overcome to make it usable again.
I'd venture to say that as hard to find as that caboose is, it would probably bring 20 on an auction site. The whole set would probably sell for several hundred, I'm sure. As far as repairing, if done "right" ( ie, not a messy repair ), I don't think it would depreciate the value much. I think filling the stripped holes with round styrene stock and gluing them in, then re-drilling,would be a much neater appearing repair than hot glue. Not quicker, but nicer. If you are going to sell it, I'd do nothing to it and just list the faults. Collectors probably prefer the original damage to a non-professional repair, so unless you can perform it to a high degree of perfection, I'd leave it to someone else. Just my thoughts.
Even the lost paint around the graphics can probably be restored with a toothpick and a lot of patience to fill it in slowly. Again, I'd leave it as is, and do nothing if you are not a highly skilled modeler, which I am not . You have a very hard to find piece of HO history, I'd tend to want to fix it right, or leave it as is on display.
Jerry
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
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Posted - December 08 2012 : 08:33:53 AM
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dish soap? heh I didn't use that when I washed off one of my Tyco ATSF cabooses with PLAIN water Somehow the clearcoat came off!
& yeah I is jealous of your find, AMC hehe
Especially yours, Islander93
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Posted - December 08 2012 : 2:18:52 PM
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Nice find AMC. All you need now is a Heljian nuclear power plant kit!
ChessieRR
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Posted - December 08 2012 : 3:47:57 PM
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Well I just picked this one up in a trade:
Needs work, but thats OK I got all the needed parts to clean it up!
~John
Many have tried to, and failed, ya just can't repair stupid...
Do NOT try to Idiot-Proof anything!!!! God, will simply create a better......IDIOT!
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Posted - December 08 2012 : 4:34:05 PM
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EM-1, funny you should post that B&O, as I just got one today at a TCA show at a Kena Shriners temple. Fact is, I spent well over 200 at this one vendor alone, he had the most HO there, and prices were reasonable to dirt cheap ( 2.50 each for Tyco triple-truck tankers? C'MON!....) I couldn't resist.
I'm gonna have to hide all this stuff in the basement, as this might be divorce material if she finds out I bought THIS much stuff ( she'd been on me to get rid of stuff, so here I am buying more and more ). My AEC engine just came in the mail, too :
  
The other side is just as nice (whew! ). Very clean little engine. It IS missing the bottom Lionel plate, oh well.
Jerry
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
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Posted - December 08 2012 : 7:08:41 PM
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Looks great, Jerry. It's in great condition for the price. They are usually missing horns or have broken steps, so that was a steal.
I use Windex or another type of glass cleaner and a toothbrush to clean up locos, and find it gets off more dirt than dish detergent or soap. I haven't had any paint issues with it, but I'd be careful with that lettering as you said some has already flaked away.
Glass cleaners should be kept away from American Flyer dry transfer lettering, too.
I have a good collection of MDT's myself, including a few in B&O.
The Tyco Depot
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Posted - December 08 2012 : 8:38:18 PM
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Thank you for the advice, I wouldn't consider myself a profesional modeler, but maybe a bit more than "novice" with identification. Still not as expert as this forum, but the fools at the flea market know me because I know exactly what they are selling.
As for lucky, microbus, I can't even begin to explain how great that purchase was. I will explain it with pictures as its own topic.
I'm going to keep that AEC caboose in its current condition for now (maybe fix the smoke jack), so that I dont' ruin it. I have the desire to sell off my stuff to prevent hoarding (family tradition), but I realize at 19 I'm not in a money pinch, and it sounds like it'd be hard to find another one. The upcoming train shows bring potential of making a set out of this.
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Posted - December 08 2012 : 8:47:38 PM
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saaayyy What'd be great for these is that Lionel Radioactive flatcar
Put it between the caboose & loco & get a string of them Radioactive flatcars
Isn't it funny that since that was pure fantasy that its happening NOW??
Trucks & trains transporting nuke waste today 
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Posted - December 09 2012 : 12:27:31 AM
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Microbus, you gave me an idea. Here would be the best looking consist that would combine these cool AEC cars with some modified athearn cars to make a unique matched set that's true to the prototype, and gets that nuclear flavor:
--AEC hustler, with nervous engineer figure, safety flags/lamps + FBI agent-looking man in suit reaching for his earpiece
-a 40' flatcar, as an idler
-radioactive car, red lenses
--a 40' gondola, custom painted AEC/utility/chemical co, with barrels of low-level waste
-a standard tank car, for "heavy water", custom w/ hazard placecard, matching the gondola
-radioactive car, green/yellow lenses
--a 40' idler flat with tool box (work caboose minus the caboose part)
--AEC caboose, with a dude in a hazmat suit on one plateform, 2 headed conductor on other
Did the AEC set include more than a Hustler, caboose and radioactive flat?
A whole slew of radioactive cars would look coolest, but in real waste transport, most waste isn't very high level. The gondola offsets the fantasy element enough while still fitting in, and the idler flats hold together the anxiety the crew would have (would you want your cab next to that canister car?) Finally the figures just spice up the humor of it all.
How would that sound to ya'll?
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Posted - December 09 2012 : 05:19:48 AM
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quote:Microbus, you gave me an idea.
A whole slew of radioactive cars would look coolest,
How would that sound to ya'll?
Originally posted by Islanderh93Â -Â December 09 2012Â :Â 12:27:31 AM
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Sounds about right to me! Oh, here's the ENTIRE set from an expired auction, view the contents while you can :
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lionel-HO-5719-AEC-Switcher-Set-Set-Boxed-C-8-/110953174080?nma=true&si=PK22GSAW9sYaiH3MhtKmzKLj6iw%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
Has a Missile launching car and a helicopter launching car. No radioactive car. Set #5719
Oh, and there's a SECOND set, different box, different colored cars :
http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/1388535
Very interesting. I have 2 of the radioactive waste cars. I'll be building my own consist for this. I have a couple Western Maryland gondola's that are white with red lettering, they'd go perfect with this set-up for barreled waste.  Might be ROCO cars.
Jerry
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
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Posted - December 09 2012 : 08:40:24 AM
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I got my B&O DDT from a friend that brought to it me in trade for whatever I had to offer him in trade that interested him so.....I think, he got it for a B&M gondola so......As it needs work (motor is missing and weight in it) But, I have all the needed parts for it so.....
~John
Many have tried to, and failed, ya just can't repair stupid...
Do NOT try to Idiot-Proof anything!!!! God, will simply create a better......IDIOT!
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Posted - May 22 2014 : 11:22:01 AM
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Any idea where I could get AEC decals? As much as I like the Hustler, I think something a bit more powerful like a GP9 would look better with this long of a consist.
There's no reason a Hustler couldn't pull this model train is there? I mean like all those cars I mentioned up a 3% figure 8?
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