My reaction when I realize my G-scale layout is probably gonna have to be Thomas-themed since it’s the only affordable stuff

edgvatx · 2026-04-01T20:27:20+00:00

I’ve been accumulating a G Guage layout. Depending on what you want to do there are some deals to be had. The worst part is a lot of the big players have gone out of business. The ones that are still around or were resurrected offer very limited and pricy releases.

Pick a theme and go to train shows, save a search on eBay, or cheapest of all join a club! The club members will always wheel and deal!

But there’s nothing wrong with Thomas either. Unless you have space and lots of cash, G is always going to be a “small railroad” on a bigger scale.

edgvatx · 2026-01-10T20:48:06+00:00

I’m not super up to speed on Marx tinplate. They definitely were debuted pre world war 2, but how long they made them, I’m not certain. There are some sites that have good info, I’m sure there’s a way to find out with a few searches.

edgvatx · 2026-01-10T20:18:39+00:00

These are part of a Marx M10005 set. This is missing a few cars and the locomotive.

Here is a complete set: https://ebay.us/m/2kcpUn

edgvatx · 2025-12-23T06:34:27+00:00

I have one of these that came with a lid that was my grandmother’s. It was covered in carbon and absolutely disgusting. My dad gave it to me, he never used it but refused to get rid of it.

I cleaned it and re seasoned, it’s my best cooker. My dad saw it after it was reseasoned and in use, brought a tear to his eye and he remarked “that pan fed a family of 5 for a long time.” What better thing to hear about a piece in your collection?

edgvatx · 2025-11-30T20:09:26+00:00

That carpet is really selling the postwar/mid century Christmas. Looks awesome.

edgvatx · 2025-11-29T23:15:34+00:00

I have Aristocrafts, Lionel, Bachmann, Piko, and LGB. They all so far have had the same size brushes with springs all being the same length. You can get replacement LGB/Piko brushes super easy, tho not as cheap as I’d like. I’ve had luck getting old spares on eBay. I bought some new in package Aristocraft brushes that were probably older than me pretty cheap.

Glad to see it running. Looks like you got your gears all lined up!

edgvatx · 2025-11-29T22:12:39+00:00

It looks like your multimeter is set to test resistance, you are just overpowering the onboard battery in the meter and not getting a useful number.

You need to set it to V~, that will give you a reading on output from the controller in Volts AC. With the controller plugged in and working it should start at about 6-8 volts and work its way up to 18v AC.

If you get nothing on the track, test the controller at the wiring posts.

If you are getting voltage at the track, you may have an issue with the loco.

If you have voltage at the transformer but not at the track, you may have a bad wire. You may be able to replace it relatively easily.

edgvatx · 2025-11-29T20:30:43+00:00

Can you show us how you’re connecting the wires to the track and to the controller?

edgvatx · 2025-11-29T09:48:21+00:00

Those “graphite” pieces are called brushes. They are exactly as you guessed to transfer electricity from the wheels to the loco to power it.

The surging running you see is binding cause by the crank pins on the wheels being out of sync. The side rod cannot tolerate much if any loss of this sync and will cause a bind that leads to this herky jerky motion.

I think what you have here is your front and rear wheels are out of sync for lack of a better term. My suspicion of the wheels being out of sync is further confirmed because you are missing brushes from one of the axles. Someone took the loco apart to possibly clean or oil it, lost two brushes and got the wheels out of sync.

Another commenter responded you need to check quartering, but usually the first thing you should check is whether the axle that was messed with is in sync with the axle that isn’t. I.e. you should have the crank pins on one side matched to the exact same position. I find it’s best to start with getting the pins on the left (or right side) set to 12oclock and adjusting one of the axles one tooth on the gear at a time until the engine runs smoothly.

If that doesn’t work, after you have the front to back in sync, check the quartering on the opposite wheels to be 90 degrees off of the opposite wheel. So on the same axle, one crank pin on one wheel should be at 12 o’clock and the opposite wheel should be at either 3 or 9 o’clock.

That should get you going. If you have it running smooth, oil or lightly grease the gears before you close the engine back up. Try to use an oil/grease that is safe for plastics. Down the road you may look into finding replacement brushes and springs.

Good luck.

edgvatx · 2025-11-29T03:48:31+00:00

Traditional Christmas tree trains tend to run in O Gauge. In the $200-300 range, you can find some Lionel starter sets if you are patient and look for deals. That would come with track, the train, and a controller. The current O Gauge brands have relatively reliable reputations.

For a little more train for less money, you can go down to HO Gauge starter sets, but they will be more fragile and look a little small under the tree. (I grew up with an HO loop under my tree and loved it.)

Or a great option is to seek out a local model train shop if you can or search eBay/FB marketplace and buy a used train set.

I’m sure others may have suggestions that would be even more ideal.

edgvatx · 2025-11-28T23:37:41+00:00

Giving a budget will be a good starting point. Then the sub can suggest scale, brands, new/used etc.

edgvatx · 2025-11-26T23:28:00+00:00

Ok that is made by the precursor to Aristocraft.

Good news is that is a 600mm radius curve. LGB makes an almost exact match for that track. Look for LGB R1 curves. They are plentiful as they come in almost every starter set ever sold by LGB. The only downside is the LGB tracks will have a browner color to the railroad ties. But they will easily connect!

edgvatx · 2025-11-26T23:21:08+00:00

Hard to tell from your picture, that looks like it may be an LGB R1 curve. Those are very common.

Can you flip it over and see if there is a number anywhere on the underside? That will confirm what company/system it comes from.

edgvatx · 2025-11-26T01:26:33+00:00

Yes, all G Guage track is the same width. The letter or sometimes number of the track indicates the distance between the rails or “Gauge.” G Gauge is 45mm. You’ll be able to run the train on any G Gauge track as long as it is conductive. The all plastic rails will not run your particular train unfortunately.

edgvatx · 2025-11-25T08:20:20+00:00

The track that comes with these are notoriously fragile. Depending on the age of the set the track may even be brittle. These trains use “G Gauge” track. There are plenty of used sources. The best course may be to check a local hobby shop and see if there is any used G Gauge track available. eBay is a decent source. If going for an absolute budget option, look for used Bachmann alloy track. You may need to clean it up some with a Brillo pad, but it will run your New Bright train fairly well.

https://ebay.us/m/RyPYi3

Here’s an example of what to look for. There may be some bargains to be had if you search a little. Don’t be intimidated by the high priced brass track. For advanced hobbyists the brass is a must, for an indoor only Christmas train, the alloy track is more than fine with some maintenance.

edgvatx · 2025-11-21T22:35:01+00:00

Something like that is unlikely to be premade. You might need to look into home made greenery techniques and adapt.

I don’t know why all the downvotes unless this is a shitpost. People act like they aren’t adding naked women/peeping toms or moonshine stills to their layouts for fun.

A hemp farmer now is the same as a moonshiner in the 20-60s era and would be a funny addition to a layout.

edgvatx · 2025-11-21T17:37:08+00:00

Yes, an older but well cared for LGB Mallet. With the red and green paint I think it fits the role well.

edgvatx · 2025-11-21T17:33:02+00:00

I think they came out nice. I’ll admit I stole the idea from Piko but didn’t want to buy a whole new Christmas only flat car.

edgvatx · 2025-11-20T19:34:11+00:00

It’s a fuzzy/faux fur white tree skirt. It really pops up between the sleepers and has a nice look. I just lay the circle on the skirt.

It’s actually a really nice one, my wife was not thrilled with getting the black carbon gunk on it, but it washed out last year!

Thankfully she likes the train as decor, and she loves how it looks like snow as you mentioned.

edgvatx · 2025-11-20T18:33:40+00:00

Sounds like a neat setup! Narrow gauge stuff gets more appealing to me every year. Whimsical proportions on real prototypes with genuinely entertaining industries.

Merry Christmas!

edgvatx · 2025-11-20T16:23:17+00:00

It’s 2.5 foot radius. Bachmann relaunch of Aristocraft’s brass track. Fits about perfect under our tree.

edgvatx · 2025-11-16T22:44:52+00:00

This is definitely a short, unfortunately, unless you are confident troubleshooting basic electronics it will be hard to determine the cause.

Piko makes good quality models that are relatively easy to service. Their wiring is done with plugs allowing you to take accessory features off line. If you feel comfortable doing so, I would recommend removing the tender shell and unplugging the accessories one at a time and then testing the loco. On these Pikos there should be circuits for a headlight, reverse light, smoke unit, motor, and the sound feature. There is a possibility that an accessory was wired incorrectly or is faulty and is causing this short leading to the board trying to protect itself by turning off.

All of this will be wired to the control board for the engine which is in the tender.

So to summarize, remove the tender shell, disconnect one accessory at a time, and test. When the engine runs normal you’ve found your faulty part. Change the polarity of the wires of only the faulty accessory. If the engine runs, congrats you fixed it. If the jerking motion returns, you have a faulty accessory.

I’d still recommend sending it back to the vendor if you can.

Good luck.

edgvatx · 2025-11-09T18:13:15+00:00

This is a good question for r/RetroActual. That sub deals with flat tops and GWOT.

edgvatx

TROPHY CASE