ALL ABOOOAAARRRRD!!!

One of the things that I was very happy to bring home with me from Grandma's house was an American Flyer S-gauge train set built in 1953. While I am sure that it was originally purchased for my older brothers, I fondly remember playing with it as a child. Below is a picture of the engine.

Unfortunately after I unpacked it it was clear that the cord to the power supply/transformer needed to be replaced as it was literally crumbling. After disassembling it, soldering the wires, etc I plugged it in and there was power to the track. Then the train proceeded to hum, click, spark and do everything but move. Following a little bit of internet reseach I found a fellow in New York that was more than happy to correspond with me a few times and give me a some pointers on what may be wrong and how I might get it working again. He also emailed me a copy of the original 60 page instruction manual on how the train worked that was extremely helpful. With this info I proceeded to do a thorough cleaning of the track and metal electrified wheels, and then take apart the engine so I could clean, lubricate and fix a couple of pieces that were broken. If you look a the video below you'll see the fruits of my labors.

There is something very soothing about sitting in the middle of the track and watching it go round and round. My family thinks I am crazy. My next thing to do is buy some more track and switches on ebay and set up a layout on a 4'x8' ft sheet of plywood. Hopefully I'll get it done before Christmas so I'll have something to do with my train crazy grandson. Ah, retirement is sweet.