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Lionel Trains
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#Post#: 728--------------------------------------------------
General help with 2055 Post-War
By: mille395 Date: October 29, 2014, 8:07 pm
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Hello all. I'm totally new to trains. I spent a weekend
researching for the start of a collection for my son, and chose
to bid on a working 2055 locomotive and tender on eBay. I made
this decision based on era, look, and expense. Now I have this
very cool locomotive (though I wish I would have researched
longer) I need to get all of the other pieces. From my research
it runs on O27 track, but I'm not sure if I should get vintage
O27, O, or, a new O Fast-track. Advice would be great.
I am also concerned about getting the electrical parts I need to
make the track hot. Any recommendations on a transformer and is
there anything else I need? For this year I just want a working
locomotive to run around a Christmas tree. My plan is to add
1-2 cars / accessories each Christmas morning as a tradition.
I'm not looking to fill a room, just buy quality good parts that
will be a nice collection that my son can grow up with and enjoy
as an adult too.
Any help or suggestions is greatly appreciated!!
Thank you,
mille395
#Post#: 729--------------------------------------------------
Re: General help with 2055 Post-War
By: TrainLarry Date: October 30, 2014, 12:10 am
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Welcome to the board and the wonderful world of Lionel trains!
It is a great father and son hobby that can last a lifetime.
The 2055 is a nice locomotive, with plenty of detail, smoke and
a whistle tender.
You can use any track you want, but '027' and '0' gauge
''tubular'' track are being phased out by Lionel in favor of the
newer Fastrack. Most hobbyists would agree that the '0' gauge
track is the best with regard to being robust, especially the
turnouts (or switches as they are called). Fastrack has some
issues at times, one being that the trains sound very noisy on
it, and the turnouts have occasional issues also, due to their
complexity. As you are starting out with what is known as
postwar trains, there are many operating accessories that can be
had to add life and fun to your layout. Some, not all, of these
older accessories do not adapt well to Fastrack, as they were
designed before Fastrack was invented. '027' track is lighter,
and makes a smaller diameter circle, and the larger engines and
cars will not negotiate the turns and switches properly.
For powering up your trains, you will need a transformer, and
lockons to connect the transformer to the track, along with
wire. For a small layout with one locomotive and a few cars, an
older 1033 transformer will suffice. If you are thinking of
upgrading in the future to 2 trains on 2 separate loops, then
you may want to invest in a larger transformer now, even if you
do not have the trains now. A good, used KW or ZW transformer
would be a good choice. Finally, you may wish to locate some
smoke pellets, or liquid smoke fluid for your locomotive to get
it puffing.
This should get you started in your hobby.
You may need to learn how to service your locomotive and tender
to get it into optimum shape, including disassembly, cleaning
and lubrication. Here is the service manual
(HTM) http://pictures.olsenstoy.com/2055.htm
(HTM) http://pictures.olsenstoy.com/2055.htm
for the loco to
familiarize yourself with the terminology, and the internal
workings of it.
Any old or new rolling stock will work with your locomotive, so
you have a vast choice out there.
Enjoy your trains.
Larry
#Post#: 731--------------------------------------------------
Re: General help with 2055 Post-War
By: mille395 Date: October 30, 2014, 7:14 am
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Thank you so much Larry! I really appreciate your help with my
setup. It is such a exciting (and daunting) hobby to enter
without any prior experience with trains. I now have enough
knowledge to make some somewhat educated choices!
One question on the transformers, will a 1033 transformer
operate whistle and smoke on the train, or will I need a KW or
ZW transformer for this functionality? I'm assuming the
transformer operates this, but I also notice some sort of
"switch" located behind the smokestack. Perhaps this operates
the heating element?
It seems I will likely go for a KW or ZW at first glance, to
allow more growth in the set, but I also see they are quite a
bit more expensive (and popular) on ebay. If I choose a 1033
for the first year or two, I just want to make sure I would at
least have full functional capabilities with this one 2055 train
engine.
Again, I really appreciate your help. It's nice to know there
is a community out there to offer support and suggestions so my
son and I can enjoy this hobby and tradition for years to come.
Best,
mille395
#Post#: 734--------------------------------------------------
Re: General help with 2055 Post-War
By: TrainLarry Date: October 30, 2014, 3:18 pm
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Glad I could help you starting out in the hobby!
The left handle on the 1033 transformer operates both the
reverse function of the locomotive, and also the whistle in the
tender, so you are safe to purchase it if you desire. The smoke
operates all the time, and there is no switch to turn it off on
these older locomotives. The lever on top of the locomotive
allows you to either sequence the locomotive direction, or to
lock it into one state. With the e-unit lever (which is what it
is called) in one direction, when you operate the direction
lever on the transformer, or turn the transformer power all the
way off and back on again, the locomotive will sequence to the
next position of the e-unit (an electro-mechanical switch inside
the locomotive-see the service manual for its location and
shape). The locomotive will sequence
Forward-Neutral-Reverse-Neutral-Forward, etc. You need to
operate the direction lever on the transformer, or turn it off
and on to sequence one position. The other position of the
e-unit lever will lock the e-unit in the position it currently
is in. If the locomotive is running forward, stop the
locomotive, move the lever to the opposite position, and now the
locomotive will always run forward, even when you operate the
direction lever or turn the power off and on again. This way you
can lock the locomotive in forward, neutral, or reverse if you
want.
Time to get some track, transformer, lockon and wire and set up
your layout! Have fun!
Larry
#Post#: 736--------------------------------------------------
Re: General help with 2055 Post-War
By: djacobsen Date: October 30, 2014, 4:03 pm
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mille395
[font=comic sans ms]Hello & Welcome to the Forum![/font]
I can't add much to the information TrainLarry has already given
you.
There is a very large contingent of us tubular track
aficionado's out here
running our trains the way a Toy Train is supposed to be run, on
tubular track!
You can get O27 tubular track or O tubular track which has a
larger variety of curve radii.
Don't be snobbish about used tubular track. If its been cleaned
well and tight, it should serve
quite sufficiently. If they're not going to be located where
they're difficult to reach, used manual
switches for tubular track are readily available & reasonably
priced.
Some of the track that I uses is 75+ years old. The rust &
accumulated dirt/dust
I see as Natural Weathering.....
Happy Rails!
Dave
#Post#: 739--------------------------------------------------
Re: General help with 2055 Post-War
By: mille395 Date: October 30, 2014, 9:59 pm
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Wow, I can't say thanks enough for your responses. I am so
excited to get this running I can hardly wait. As you may
understand, I am just trying to gain enough knowledge to get
started educated.
Larry, I appreciate the knowledge about the operation of the
e-unit switch. I think I follow you but will know for sure when
I get it in operation. :) This totally makes sense now because
it does have three very distinct switch locations and neutral
being the middle would make sense.
Dave, I can't agree with you more. I bought this locomotive
because I wanted a piece with nostalgia and history. I'm sure
new trains are amazing in their own way, but I wanted something
that I can enjoy with my son that is more than an iPad on
wheels. I want to teach mechanics, craftsmanship, and play that
electric instead of electronic. I will certainly buy vintage O
tubular because of this.
As a note on this, I have no experience with trains as noted,
but I have some of my best memories at my grandparents playing
with a vintage electric race car track. This is not the kind
that went up the wall like the 80's/90s stuff, but it was
trigger-based electric cars on a track that was probably 8-10"
wide. The cars were huge compared to what I grew up with as a
child in the 80's -- but they were so much cooler! They came
apart in many pieces and you could change wheels and make
"Frankenstein" cars out of parts and pieces. My cousins and I
would make something out of nothing and were happy to make a car
go once around the track. Ultimately, this is the experience I
hope to create with my son in Lionel trains. I don't need the
best train track in the world or locomotives -- just the
experience of making amazing things happen with a little bit of
track, electricity, and toy cars. It just so happens these
trains are so much more amazing than the vintage cars I got to
play with as a child. I am already addicted. :)
#Post#: 741--------------------------------------------------
Re: General help with 2055 Post-War
By: jdlong Date: November 2, 2014, 4:30 pm
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O31 track is an excellent choice. It's cheap and plentiful.
Although Fastrack looks good, it's expensive, noisy, and can't
be cut to special lengths without special surgery. Plus Fastrack
switches are cheesy and major expensive compared to the old
reliable O22 switches for O31 track. An LW transformer is a step
up from a 1033. It's an excellent choice because it is powerful
and economical without spending KW or ZW money.
#Post#: 2932--------------------------------------------------
Re: General help with 2055 Post-War
By: Merrill Date: January 19, 2022, 8:53 pm
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[quote author=jdlong link=topic=339.msg741#msg741
date=1414967409]
O31 track is an excellent choice. It's cheap and plentiful.
Although Fastrack looks good, it's expensive, noisy, and can't
be cut to special lengths without special surgery. Plus Fastrack
switches are cheesy and major expensive compared to the old
reliable O22 switches for O31 track. An LW transformer is a step
up from a 1033. It's an excellent choice because it is powerful
and economical without spending KW or ZW money.
[/quote]
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