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Lone Star 000 rubber bands


Neil

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Last year I became the lucky owner of a pair of Lone Star Derby Sulzer type twos (class 24 to the younger generation) destined for my toyshop in a display cabinet. Now while I have no plans to run the locos I need to source suitably sized rubber bands for the drive from motor to axles to stop the wheels falling out each time I pick the engines up. Any suggestions?

 

Many thanks.

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I've used Rivarossi N gauge traction tyres for mine*. I assume other makes would do as well. If you don't intend to run them, a short piece of wire will keep the wheels in place.

 

* My stock of these could well have perished by now. I bought them in Italy a long time ago.

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Hi Neil,

 

If you have no joy with actual traction tyres as drive bands...

 

Visit your local fihing tackle shop!

 

You are looking for the bands that are used to secure fishing flaots to the fishing line.

 

These come in a wide variety of sizes and you need to go through them to get a matching size.

 

Thanks

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The bands need to be smooth, fairly soft and flexible, rather like the drive bands used in 'Walkman' cassette players and nowadays in DVD drives, but these are probably too big even in the smallest size.

 

A search on eBay found these (no idea if they work).

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LONE-STAR-TREBLE-O-LECTRIC-/130885687888?pt=UK_Trains_Railway_Models&hash=item1e79651a50

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At the factory, Lone Star made the bands from 1/2" dia. neoprene tubing. A length was mounted on a wooden mandrel in a lathe and 1/8" wide slices were cut off using a razor blade.

 

If you do run the locos and find they have a lack of power and get very warm, it's likely the magnets have become demagnetised.

 

Mark

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The chances are my aunt sold it to her! She used to work in the toy department in Debenhams. they stocked Lone Star OOO then!

 

For drive bands, how about the bands the sheep farmers round here use to chop lambs' soft squidgy bits off??

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My Lone Star F unit had no engine at all! I remember buying it in Chelmsford in the late fifties.......actually my Mum bought it as a sop for going shopping with her....

 

Best, Pete.

 

Presumably the push-along one from the earlier series?

I have one of these in my display cabinet on my desk/test track/dumping ground for part finished models - silver with red stripes. I remember this and the Mk I coaches were the only things that would stay on the die-cast track.

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The push-along "F unit" was actually a 1/2 size replica of a Tri-ang Transcontinental diesel, which itself was a fairly loose approximation of a US cab unit. All the push-along models had a "relationship" to the contemporary Hornby-Dublo & Tri-ang ranges... Even the push-along gauge was 8.25mm.

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YQITkSzpZlw/TKLHK1PySOI/AAAAAAAAABg/xU9Alfl6piU/s1600/Lone+Star+Locos+Diesel.jpg

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6204/6136582137_314d6d541f_z.jpg

 

The later Treble-O-Lectric F unit is fairly faithful F7.

 

Mark

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The push-along "F unit" was actually a 1/2 size replica of a Tri-ang Transcontinental diesel, which itself was a fairly loose approximation of a US cab unit. All the push-along models had a "relationship" to the contemporary Hornby-Dublo & Tri-ang ranges... Even the push-along gauge was 8.25mm.

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YQITkSzpZlw/TKLHK1PySOI/AAAAAAAAABg/xU9Alfl6piU/s1600/Lone+Star+Locos+Diesel.jpg

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6204/6136582137_314d6d541f_z.jpg

 

The later Treble-O-Lectric F unit is fairly faithful F7.

 

Mark

 

Interestingly there were 2  versions of the F Unit one with a more round nose and headlight. The rare model is, a motorised version of the model shown above in light blue!

 

I will dig my models out and post some photos - The most unusual is a a dummy Derby Class 24 in a BR mounted on a F unit chassis and it was manufactured like this!

 

XF

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The Tri-ang range seems to have been copied quite faithfully - the 'Rovex' shortie coaches, first type 9" Mk Is, 3F & 3MT tanks and 'Princess' and various wagons - open, van (G)WR brake van and LMS cattle wagon plus The F7A and the TC coach and vista-dome*.

There are probably others too, but those come to mind

 

*The TC coaches even had the same silver livery with the red window stripe. The metallic colours used on the locomotives were rather weird though.

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Even the track is cast representation of the original Triang Standard Grey track.  I now remember that even when I was a young lad and saw the original unpowered models in the local toy shop I was struck by how they seemed to copy Triang and Hornby models.

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The introduction of the Treble-O-lectric saw new loco models that weren't copies of existing proprietory models, the Derby and English Electric Types 2s. Even the American diesel was replaced by a proper F7.

But the Mk1 coaches and American coaches were the same.

 

Don't forget the "Impy" range of push along Lone Star winch was N gauge rather than OOO and used plastic track with totally new geometry. This was sold mainly in Woolworths in bubble packs! For 2/6 a pack if my memory serves me correctly?

 

XF

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These had the 000 version of the tension lock IIRC (they even copied the awful couplings!)

 

I must check what I have, but I did get a BR goods set (unfortunately the outer box got destroyed by damp but the inners are OK) and a job lot of the American - UP coaches and locos and mainly B & M box cars.

 

The track is well overscale (Wrenn style but plastic) and fine for running Liliput Austrian NG.

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