Yours Truly is fascinated. This summer you could hear whispers through the grapevine how much the new deliveries from LGB Europe were guaranteed to arrive " very shortly". There was so much anticipation that the LGB (market) would continue to offer new locos and cars - after all, the new Märklin/LGB catalog was promising quite a lot - that offers on eBay simply halted for a while. Prices stagnated and there was not much movement in selling locos. Then, by end of summer, activity increased. More offers, more sales, and prices were showing interesting shifts. Some were priced according to their market value, some where completely overpriced and some where pure bargains.
Now we are 4 weeks away from Christmas and eBay shows a complete different face. Boy - have prices gone up!!! Somebody listens to the pros. A lot of really vintage LGB locos are offered and the prices are representing their collector's value. Moguls are still a little bit underpriced. But at the same time, the newer Moguls will never catch up as much in price as those made between 1983 and 1990. Plus, a theoretical collector's value does not necessarily coincide with current market demand. Vintage (passenger) cars have suddenly found their true collector's value as have the older F7 units and manufactured-in-small-volume locos ( under 600 ). Estate sales seem to increase which is mirroring the sad truth that longtime LGB fans/collectors have passed away. After all, when you started this hobby in your mid 50's in the 1980's and carried it on, by now more than 30 years have passed---you do the math... And no, there will be no more young people and children to join into the hobby (in big numbers) -- too expensive, too outdated, too sophisticated, too much discipline required in operating these fine trains. Plus the fact that it is becoming harder and harder to continue the hobby when no new merchandise is offered and spare parts can only be found at your "Famous Klaus" or by going on a scavenger hunt.
The signs are clear: LGB trains ARE collectors items. Let me stress that one more time: LGB trains !!! are collector's items when manufactured before 2006. And NO (!) , my dear friends out there in the G-Scale world, a Hartland loco, no matter how nicely it was made - is NOT an LGB loco. Don't even try that comparison on eBay as a seller.......
Don't quote me literally on " no new merchandise". LGB did ship some new locos and cars. Focus on "some": of 67 LGB locos offered by Walthers (the exclusive LGB distributor in the USA) only 21 are in stock. And what did Yours Truly mean by "too outdated"? Children and young people theses days are growing up in a digitalized world with instant everything by I-Phone,I-Pad, PC, Laptop, e-book, note book, Xbox, you name it. To digitalize a hobby whose Original Archetypes became successful due to the invention of the steam machine is an anachronism already. Figures that there are live steam operators in this hobby. But: once you started - go all the way. And it is with still a year to spare until we will see fully "I-Phone/Pad" operated digital systems for your train layouts. It is the future and it will be cheaper than ever before to control your (LGB) locos. Yours truly does not expect Märklin to be the trailblazer for this new digital operating system... there will be others who are already warming up in the starting blocks. Needless to say that only completely modernized decoders will fit those "new" systems. In anticipation of one of the next blogs' contents: Your Famous Klaus has already switched to this new generation of decoders (ESU+ Lenz) and is installing them into LGB locos as we speak. Fine technology already prepared for the (near) future - something that has been missed (out) by some other German decoder makers.
Back to the growing collector's market for LGB: older and old locos are coming onto the market with price requests that show the growing scarcity of the brand as well as the growing education of the sellers. That said, as of this week the buyers' side has not bowed to these new price levels. In the price range from US$ 4,000.00 to 2,000.00 (representing roughly 25 locos or loco sets) no visible bids were made. And it didn't get much livelier in the category from US$ 2,000.00 to 1,000.00 either.
To all of you dear followers and readers out there: in case you want to know excactly what your LGB train collection is worth, item by item - call Klaus. He does appraisals and valuations (and Yours Truly is helping him a bit) and issues certificates. And when you start to set up your LGB layout for this Holiday Season treat your LGB locos and cars especially nice this year. They might finance your future Christmas(es) to come.... Happy Thanksgiving y'all
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Mikado 1, 2 , 3
The Mikado locomotive has been a greatly beloved loco by LGB fans from the start, being created and manufactured in 2001/2 and manufactured and delivered until 2004/6. It is the most challenging design of the LGB locomotives and the loco with the largest wheels and also the heaviest LGB loco. The engine design requires an articulated drive train. This calls for a fully suspended drive with three kardan shafts.
During the very first production series the kardan joints consisted of a star-like brass gear wheel and a plastic pick-up which would fit this gear wheel. This type of joint was used throughout the whole drive train. The motor carried the brass star wheel connected to a plastic pick-up. At the end of the first axle there was another star-like brass gear wheel being connected to the second axle with a plastic pick-up. At the end of the middle shaft there was yet another plastic pick-up which would connect to the third and last axle that carried the star-like brass gear wheel. Huge worm drives were mounted on the first shaft very close to the motor and on the last shaft driving the first loco axle.
Basically, only the first and last axle of this locomotive were and are actually driven by the motor as the two middle axles are just coasting along, kept in sync only by the side rods. To manage the mechanical load of the drive train two ball bearings (small = 10mm) were used in close proximity of the worm gears.
During the first series problems arose with the first plastic pick-up that was jointed to the motor: the plastic pick-up was basically pressed on the round axle with no further locking feature. This resulted in the loco to stop moving as the motor kept on running. As a consequence the plastic pick-up was improved to have a square pick-up for the axle. And the axle was altered accordingly to fit the new square pick-up.
Next, the first joint between the motor and the first kardan shaft proved to be the weakest part of the design as the plastic pick-up was not able to handle the torque of the motor and carry the mechanical load. Consequently, the joint between the motor and the first kardan shaft was completely redesigned: the star-like brass wheel on the motor was replaced by a rectangular brass bolt. The kardan shaft got a plastic pick-up shaped to fit the brass bolt.
This new design however had a flaw of its own. As the star like connection provided guidance (in the center line) for the first axle the new design did not. As the first axle tended to wobble this wobbling movement was transported to the other end of the first kardan shaft which was only kept in place by plastic guides within the motor block and its top lid. These plastic guides pretty early on wore out giving the axle more play than designed. Resulting in a constant rattling noise from the motor block.
The ultimate and last design called for a total rework of the two motor blocks. The first and last kardan shaft were equipped with two ball bearings that now measured 12mm (compared to 10mm, see above). With the first axle being properly guided the rattling noise was completely eliminated giving the whole drive train an exceptionally smooth operation. Production numbers of the first designs vary between 500 and 800. That means that there are a lot of Mikados out there that already do or will produce one of the following failures:
As you know by now: Do Not Fear- Klaus Is Near! In his workshop he reworks Mikado motor blocks, converting axles to the two-ball-bearing design. This is a precision reworking since it requires a computer controlled mill (CNC mill). Klaus - of course - has and works on a CNC mill in his workshop as well as (on) a CNC lathe.
During the very first production series the kardan joints consisted of a star-like brass gear wheel and a plastic pick-up which would fit this gear wheel. This type of joint was used throughout the whole drive train. The motor carried the brass star wheel connected to a plastic pick-up. At the end of the first axle there was another star-like brass gear wheel being connected to the second axle with a plastic pick-up. At the end of the middle shaft there was yet another plastic pick-up which would connect to the third and last axle that carried the star-like brass gear wheel. Huge worm drives were mounted on the first shaft very close to the motor and on the last shaft driving the first loco axle.
Basically, only the first and last axle of this locomotive were and are actually driven by the motor as the two middle axles are just coasting along, kept in sync only by the side rods. To manage the mechanical load of the drive train two ball bearings (small = 10mm) were used in close proximity of the worm gears.
During the first series problems arose with the first plastic pick-up that was jointed to the motor: the plastic pick-up was basically pressed on the round axle with no further locking feature. This resulted in the loco to stop moving as the motor kept on running. As a consequence the plastic pick-up was improved to have a square pick-up for the axle. And the axle was altered accordingly to fit the new square pick-up.
Next, the first joint between the motor and the first kardan shaft proved to be the weakest part of the design as the plastic pick-up was not able to handle the torque of the motor and carry the mechanical load. Consequently, the joint between the motor and the first kardan shaft was completely redesigned: the star-like brass wheel on the motor was replaced by a rectangular brass bolt. The kardan shaft got a plastic pick-up shaped to fit the brass bolt.
This new design however had a flaw of its own. As the star like connection provided guidance (in the center line) for the first axle the new design did not. As the first axle tended to wobble this wobbling movement was transported to the other end of the first kardan shaft which was only kept in place by plastic guides within the motor block and its top lid. These plastic guides pretty early on wore out giving the axle more play than designed. Resulting in a constant rattling noise from the motor block.
The ultimate and last design called for a total rework of the two motor blocks. The first and last kardan shaft were equipped with two ball bearings that now measured 12mm (compared to 10mm, see above). With the first axle being properly guided the rattling noise was completely eliminated giving the whole drive train an exceptionally smooth operation. Production numbers of the first designs vary between 500 and 800. That means that there are a lot of Mikados out there that already do or will produce one of the following failures:
- the engine runs slow or stops while the motor is audibly still working ( the first plastic pick-up turns on the axle)
- the engine simply stops with the motor running with grinding noise ( first plastic pick-up is worn out)
- rattling noise in the drive train ( plastic guides are worn out )
As you know by now: Do Not Fear- Klaus Is Near! In his workshop he reworks Mikado motor blocks, converting axles to the two-ball-bearing design. This is a precision reworking since it requires a computer controlled mill (CNC mill). Klaus - of course - has and works on a CNC mill in his workshop as well as (on) a CNC lathe.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
A Fall Sampler
Yours Truly is a steady observer of eBay related LGB trains and parts activities. We are also keeping an eye on the German market in Germany and on the English/British market. We have seen quite some interesting changes lately. LGB stock is in "remission" to put it politely. Everything made before 1999 is becoming hard to find. Stock made before 1989 is almost not available anymore neither at auction nor in estate sales here in the United States. Sometimes one wonders were all the LGB stock went or is kept these days after it was sold all over Europe and the USA for more than 20 years in quite big quantities.
Now, do not turn to wrong conclusions. Locos made after 2000 in China are NOT worthless. A fine example is the Mikado which was created by LGB in 2000-2002 in Germany but then completely manufactured in China. However, some locos were assembled in Germany and stickers on a Mikado loco saying Made in Germany refer to that. All in all some 7000 Mikados were manufactured. Their value has not moved much. They were sold for approx US$ 2,000.00 and they are still worth that much. No new Mikados have been issued since then and it is highly unlikely now that Märklin/LGB will present a "new" Mikado. If getting the collector's bug make sure to take very good care of your box and the Styrofoam cast inside. It makes for 20% of the loco's value. Another good example for rising value is the yellow Capito and the MOB Ge 4/4 III which are increasingly sought after currently.
Your Famous Klaus is doing more and more appraisals and valuations these days and it is a joy to come across stock that is very well kept and dates back to 1979. Cars, long time the foster child of the LGB collector and resale market have become quite valuable if made before 1998. We have also seen some freight cars that went from being sold for US 25.00 a few years ago to an asking price of Euro 250.00 (equals roughly US$ 300.00-330.00). Here, again, it is important to have the matching box and the additional parts like coupler & spring to maintain full value.
One word from Yours Truly right out of the "Master's" workshop: please watch when giving your loco/tender to a mechanic somewhere out there. Obviously a lot of well meaning folks cannot distinguish left from right once cables are removed from their plug/stocko connector. To prevent short circuits, no sound, and other "phenomena" take a photo before you start dismantling any cables. That way the reconnecting will be a safer bet and less expensive.
And on a similar note: contrary to general opinion additional traction tires can cause harm. So can additional weight put into a loco to "improve" traction. With that you change the load on the motor which then sends an "overload signal" to the decoder and will make the loco stop. In addition it will overload the plastic gear wheels mechanically thus leading to their early demise. The motor being run in overload will heat up and will eventually heat up the worm drive which will eat the plastics gear wheel even more effectively. So, to improve traction first, last, and foremost check for well laid, even, and clean tracks. - And in case the damage is done call Klaus. He stocks German made Bühler motors and all kinds of gear wheels to keep your LGB trains running.
Now, do not turn to wrong conclusions. Locos made after 2000 in China are NOT worthless. A fine example is the Mikado which was created by LGB in 2000-2002 in Germany but then completely manufactured in China. However, some locos were assembled in Germany and stickers on a Mikado loco saying Made in Germany refer to that. All in all some 7000 Mikados were manufactured. Their value has not moved much. They were sold for approx US$ 2,000.00 and they are still worth that much. No new Mikados have been issued since then and it is highly unlikely now that Märklin/LGB will present a "new" Mikado. If getting the collector's bug make sure to take very good care of your box and the Styrofoam cast inside. It makes for 20% of the loco's value. Another good example for rising value is the yellow Capito and the MOB Ge 4/4 III which are increasingly sought after currently.
Your Famous Klaus is doing more and more appraisals and valuations these days and it is a joy to come across stock that is very well kept and dates back to 1979. Cars, long time the foster child of the LGB collector and resale market have become quite valuable if made before 1998. We have also seen some freight cars that went from being sold for US 25.00 a few years ago to an asking price of Euro 250.00 (equals roughly US$ 300.00-330.00). Here, again, it is important to have the matching box and the additional parts like coupler & spring to maintain full value.
One word from Yours Truly right out of the "Master's" workshop: please watch when giving your loco/tender to a mechanic somewhere out there. Obviously a lot of well meaning folks cannot distinguish left from right once cables are removed from their plug/stocko connector. To prevent short circuits, no sound, and other "phenomena" take a photo before you start dismantling any cables. That way the reconnecting will be a safer bet and less expensive.
And on a similar note: contrary to general opinion additional traction tires can cause harm. So can additional weight put into a loco to "improve" traction. With that you change the load on the motor which then sends an "overload signal" to the decoder and will make the loco stop. In addition it will overload the plastic gear wheels mechanically thus leading to their early demise. The motor being run in overload will heat up and will eventually heat up the worm drive which will eat the plastics gear wheel even more effectively. So, to improve traction first, last, and foremost check for well laid, even, and clean tracks. - And in case the damage is done call Klaus. He stocks German made Bühler motors and all kinds of gear wheels to keep your LGB trains running.
Monday, September 24, 2012
What it's Worth - evaluating an Original LGB loco
Klaus had a clinic at the St. Charles NGRC 2012 about evaluating your LGB loco. Unfortunately, not a lot of LGB'lers could come or did know about it. So- for all of you who are interested in this subject, please find a "rerun" of the clinic contents below starting with a little historical review:
LGB started as Lehmann Patentwerk in Berlin Germany in 1881.They manufactured tin toys. If you click on the link below, you can see some of the toys they made
LGB started as Lehmann Patentwerk in Berlin Germany in 1881.They manufactured tin toys. If you click on the link below, you can see some of the toys they made
The original price of a toy was around 1.00 REM, which equals US$ 20.00 in present spending power. Today's auction prices range from EUR 900 to 1,200 (US $ 1,200 to US $ 1,500).
After WWII, the Lehmann family was dispossessed in the Russian sector of Berlin, fled and found a new home in Nuremberg. In 1950 a cousin of the Lehmann family opened a tin toy factory in Nuremberg. His sons, Eberhard and Wolfgang Richter, took over in 1958. Then in 1968 the first LGB train was presented at the Nuremberg Toy Fair: loco #2 of the Austrian STLB railroad nicknamed “Stainz” (2010). Click on the link below for a nice look at the Original Loco
After the Stainz loco proved to be a huge success these locos were, in historical order for LGB manufactured next: the "2060" Schoema Diesel, in 1971 the "2030" series, in 1974 the "2080" Harz, in 1977 the "2090" Diesel Köf and in 1983 work started on the "2018/ 2019" Mogul. That same year, your "Famous Klaus" joined the LGB team. Starting in 1968 all locomotives were numbered under the basic system: 2 0 x x
“2” for engines
“0” for series 0 – 9
“xx” last two digits define the loco type.---A "2019" equals a “Mogul” coal fired
4-digit numbers were used until 1992 being extended by a letter in the 1980s. 5-digit numbers were introduced 1993. Unfortunately, LGB left their own numbering system quite often.
Klaus and Yours Truly have spent the last years - thanks to the wonderful and time consuming work and help by Klaus Baumann - to complete year-by-year listings for LGB American locos. Now we can actually tell by the loco number (best from the original LGB box) when she was made, where she was made, how many were manufactured and when and taking into account the condition of the loco, what is the loco's worth and value. To evaluate the condition
we look at these characteristics:“2” for engines
“0” for series 0 – 9
“xx” last two digits define the loco type.---A "2019" equals a “Mogul” coal fired
4-digit numbers were used until 1992 being extended by a letter in the 1980s. 5-digit numbers were introduced 1993. Unfortunately, LGB left their own numbering system quite often.
•Year of manufacturing:
Before 1999; manufactured in Germany.
2000 until 2006: manufactured in China
and 2009 until today; New Märklin/LGB. Next we look at these conditions:
•Marks of wear: dirt, smear, color fading
•Marks of tear: scratches, aged surface, broken decorative parts, missing decorative parts,
•Worn operational parts: power shoes + carbon brushes, wheels, axles, motor block housing (bearings), gear wheels, motors, cables, couplers, sound boards
•Broken operational parts: motors, body parts, smokers, sound board
•Original packaging and additional parts: condition
--
To summarize we evaluate the loco
according to
•Year manufactured
•Country of Origin
•Volume manufactured
•Demand and popularity today
--- see example below
•Restorability
•Willingness to respect the value
--- see also example below
•eBay…
--- should not be used to evaluate the true value of your loco
•Insurance and Certification
--- may be needed in places were natural disasters happen more often
Following are two examples of evaluating a Forney. One is an old German made type, quite valuable actually but you would not see that mirrored on eBay. The other Forney is a beloved Wild West type with values asked for on eBay that range way above its actual value for insurance and replacement.
Example: mint condition 20252 Forney LG&B (Lake George & Boulder) #25
Manufactured 1995
In Germany
Assembled in Germany
Volume produced 1,991, very low volume (!)
Sales price in 1995: DM 765.00 to 850.00 (approx.$ 950)
Value today: (adjusted for inflation and cost of living)
Insurance value: US$1,200.00
Achievable market value : US$ 650.00 to 800.00
Consolidated (future) collector’s market: US$ 1,400.00+ incr.
Manufactured 1995
In Germany
Assembled in Germany
Volume produced 1,991, very low volume (!)
Sales price in 1995: DM 765.00 to 850.00 (approx.$ 950)
Value today: (adjusted for inflation and cost of living)
Insurance value: US$1,200.00
Achievable market value : US$ 650.00 to 800.00
Consolidated (future) collector’s market: US$ 1,400.00+ incr.
2nd Example: mint condition 24251 Forney Wild West
Manufactured 2005
In China
Assembled in China
Volume produced 650, extreme low volume (!)
Sales price in 2005: US$ 475.00 – 525.00
Value today: (adjusted for inflation and cost of living)
Insurance value: US$ 500.00
Achievable market value : US$ 475.00
Consolidated (future) collector’s market: US$ 475.00 + incr.
Manufactured 2005
In China
Assembled in China
Volume produced 650, extreme low volume (!)
Sales price in 2005: US$ 475.00 – 525.00
Value today: (adjusted for inflation and cost of living)
Insurance value: US$ 500.00
Achievable market value : US$ 475.00
Consolidated (future) collector’s market: US$ 475.00 + incr.
(note: asking price on eBay in mid August was 650.00 for a little less than mint condition with 2 days to go and 8 bids already posted.)
Contact us for any further information you would like to see here or valuations you'd like to receive on your LGB train collection.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Back from Chicago NGRC
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Yours Truly and your Famous Klaus have just returned from the 2012 NGRC in St. Charles near Chicago. We had the pleasure to stay with a friend and enjoy his beautiful layout. He was on the Open House Tour List as well and had 2 Open Houses to accommodate all the interest in his layout. The weather was great and everybody had a lot of fun. Contact us if you want to know more about it or want some pictures. Shown above is the water feature layout part, displaying 3 water features alltogether. Below is "bridges and mountainous terrain".The layout streches alongside the terrace of the house and alongside the added garage, approx 30 yards (rough estimate)..jpg)
Meanwhile on the spare parts side we learned that Märklin/LGB will not furnish (as in after market spare parts provider) all new locos and mostly none of the old locos with all required spare parts. They will choose at will what will be offered. Also, Bühler has decided to manufacture their motors in China. In addition a new provider does offer similar motors made in China for LGB locos. In case you like to run Original German made motors in your LGB locos, contact Klaus. We have plenty in stock due to the fact that we could lay our hands on a truly big stock of German made Bühler motors last year.
Also NEW: Klaus will start in September to buy/purchase from you damaged/broken/half-burned/flooded or otherwise completely "kaput" LGB locos. We will have more information on that right here as well as on our web site.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Mix Multiple Manufacturers in Your LGB Engine
The problem: a pulsed smoker and a
sound decoder only work in unison pulse if the sound decoder was made by the same
manufacturer as the pulsed smoker.
The Task: to combine different
manufacturers in pulsed smoker and sound decoder – so you can choose from
different manufacturers for the best fitting sound for your loco and for the
best working smoker – no matter who makes which one.
The Solution: Klaus has created a board
that makes the pulsed smoker from ANY
manufacturer compatible with ANY
soundboard/decoder on the market. With Klaus Mix-Multi Board any pulsed smoker
will work in perfect unison pulse with any sound decoder. No more nerve-racking
steam sound whereas the smoker delivers ½ a minute later. No more “Arrrgh--- I
bought this smoker a year ago and forgot who made it, now I have this fine,
fine sound from a completely different company.” All done with-- Now you can combine any sound decoder with any
pulsed smoker out there. Buy the product that best fits your needs, your
purse and your LGB loco – no matter who makes them. Stop worrying to be forced
to stay with one manufacturer for all times just so the products are compatible
in your LGB engine. Now you call Klaus or send him your loco and the Mix-Multi
Board will take care of it.
What to do
next: Look
at your pulsed smoker unit and jot down the manufacturer name, the item name
and the Voltage, then look at your sound decoder and get the manufacturer and
version # from that sound decoder. Then look at your LGB engine and jot down
the LGB number from your LGB original box in case you still have that. Then
call Klaus at 770-886-6670 and provide the data you jotted down. This gives
Klaus a very good idea of the work scope involved. Klaus will then give you
advice for the next steps.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Twitter - Facebook- Linkedin -- to be or not to be
Yes - Klaus is doing fine. His eyesight is wonderful and his workshop is really humming!!! Yours Truly has also been busy collecting more and more historic data about Old Original LGB locos in preparation of "Famous Klaus" clinics at the Chicago 2012 NGRC. One clinic, on Saturday, August 18, 2012 will be about the value of your personal LGB loco and how LGB train collections change/evolve in value over time.
In the past we have repeatedly stressed that eBay.com is not necessarily a good site to tell you properly about the true value of your LGB engine. We have, however observed that asking prices on eBay for LGB Moguls and other fine OLD LGB locos have been increasing. Yours Truly has also noticed that asking prices for high-end priced LGB engines such as the Orient Express sets, the Asters or similar, are gaining on eBay and getting closer to their values as collectors items. Those are very good signs for the evolving collector's market for Old LGB engines made before 1999.
Spare parts supply for original LGB locos whether mechanical parts, motors, gadgets or decorative parts will stay sparse and some may be hard or impossible to come by. That is sad for very old analog locos where the oldest soundboards will come to their life's end and just give up. There are no replacements of that kind anymore. However- some German suppliers like Uhlenbrock have taken note and are manufacturing soundboards that can be installed and run in very old LGB locos without being operated in digital mode.
Your Famous Klaus spends quite a fair amount of time searching for and purchasing old and oldest LGB spare parts and looking for adequate, re-engineered parts that he will utilize for his restorations, repairs and installations. If all fails, Klaus then will re-manufacture the part in his workshop - if you want him to.
Why - you may ask- isn't there a better supply of spare parts? Like there used to be? Motors for 59.00 dollars? 10 bulbs for 5 dollars and so on? You might still find some of these items being sold to you for the old prices. Grab them!! The truth is, in a market where (in a defined term) 400 engines are sold compared to 4,000 or more 25 years ago, spare parts are not manufactured in 10,000'er bins but in 500. That volume has the term "not profitable" written all over it with the consequence that they are not made anymore or prices go up steeply. The LGB market has been declining for years now. From a factory with 150 employees and more in their heyday, 3 (!) of the original crew have survived all the changes.
The good news in that? If you have Old LGB trains dating from before 1999 - you have collectors items on your hand. If you are a diehard LGB fan wanting to increase your collection your answer lies in estate sales. There are many now and Klaus knows who is reliable. And of course, Märklin/LGB manufactures again. In small numbers. Most Forums, newsletters and what not will tell you about them. Which brings me back to the headline.
Klaus wants me to tell you: he doesn't twitter. He is not on Facebook. No Linkedin, no MySpace, no forums. Nope, none. He appreciates deeply when you think of him and invite him. But no- thank you. He will not do it. And there is one simple reason - Klaus wants to spent his (workshop) time on YOUR engines. Period. Whether it is repairing, or restoring, or installing or making parts or evaluating - and sometimes recruiting parts for your engines. That's it. And when the workshop day is done, Klaus will sometimes tell Yours Truly little stories from his workshop.......and -after a while -you get to read them here!
In the past we have repeatedly stressed that eBay.com is not necessarily a good site to tell you properly about the true value of your LGB engine. We have, however observed that asking prices on eBay for LGB Moguls and other fine OLD LGB locos have been increasing. Yours Truly has also noticed that asking prices for high-end priced LGB engines such as the Orient Express sets, the Asters or similar, are gaining on eBay and getting closer to their values as collectors items. Those are very good signs for the evolving collector's market for Old LGB engines made before 1999.
Spare parts supply for original LGB locos whether mechanical parts, motors, gadgets or decorative parts will stay sparse and some may be hard or impossible to come by. That is sad for very old analog locos where the oldest soundboards will come to their life's end and just give up. There are no replacements of that kind anymore. However- some German suppliers like Uhlenbrock have taken note and are manufacturing soundboards that can be installed and run in very old LGB locos without being operated in digital mode.
Your Famous Klaus spends quite a fair amount of time searching for and purchasing old and oldest LGB spare parts and looking for adequate, re-engineered parts that he will utilize for his restorations, repairs and installations. If all fails, Klaus then will re-manufacture the part in his workshop - if you want him to.
Why - you may ask- isn't there a better supply of spare parts? Like there used to be? Motors for 59.00 dollars? 10 bulbs for 5 dollars and so on? You might still find some of these items being sold to you for the old prices. Grab them!! The truth is, in a market where (in a defined term) 400 engines are sold compared to 4,000 or more 25 years ago, spare parts are not manufactured in 10,000'er bins but in 500. That volume has the term "not profitable" written all over it with the consequence that they are not made anymore or prices go up steeply. The LGB market has been declining for years now. From a factory with 150 employees and more in their heyday, 3 (!) of the original crew have survived all the changes.
The good news in that? If you have Old LGB trains dating from before 1999 - you have collectors items on your hand. If you are a diehard LGB fan wanting to increase your collection your answer lies in estate sales. There are many now and Klaus knows who is reliable. And of course, Märklin/LGB manufactures again. In small numbers. Most Forums, newsletters and what not will tell you about them. Which brings me back to the headline.
Klaus wants me to tell you: he doesn't twitter. He is not on Facebook. No Linkedin, no MySpace, no forums. Nope, none. He appreciates deeply when you think of him and invite him. But no- thank you. He will not do it. And there is one simple reason - Klaus wants to spent his (workshop) time on YOUR engines. Period. Whether it is repairing, or restoring, or installing or making parts or evaluating - and sometimes recruiting parts for your engines. That's it. And when the workshop day is done, Klaus will sometimes tell Yours Truly little stories from his workshop.......and -after a while -you get to read them here!
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Happy Easter (Eggs)
Yours Truly needs to vent. About decoder installation by some out there. Folks, a decoder is not a light bulb. Really. A decoder is an electronic device. To put it on the lowest level. So, if you install one you need to know how it works and what its general "characteristics" are, so you don't "screw" things up. So here's a little reminder of the general types of decoders out there and their basic installation requirements:
Phoenix sound decoder: it is solely a sound decoder producing an excellent sound. But it requires an additional driving decoder to operate a loco digitally. Here's the catch: the Phoenix sound decoder covers the same CV range as most driving decoders do. So, while programming e.g. the driving decoder you would be programming the sound decoder at the very same time, too. Unless: (like a knowledgeable installer will do) one provides 2 switches to separate the decoders - for future programming. Otherwise, you guessed it, you program the driving decoder while you actually only want to program the sound decoder. Or vice versa. Fortunately, Phoenix is going to move their CV range to be separated from the driving decoder CV values.
Uhlenbrock Intellisound: like the Phoenix is a pure sound decoder that requires a driving decoder. The CV's for the Intellisound decoder are set separately from any driving decoder following NMRA standard. The Intellisound decoder is plugged into the driving decoder via SUSI bus connection. Uhlenbrock has a great sound library and provides really good sound.(see our price list for further detail)
ESU Loksound decoder:sound and driving decoder on one board and their functions are separated by the set-up of the decoder, namely the sound decoder CV's are separated from the CV's of the driving decoder. The sound library is growing plus you can load your own sound into the decoder. The sound decoder characteristics are VERY good.
Lenz : makes driving decoders, only. Has excellent slow speed operation , by the way.
Your Famous Klaus supplies all of the above decoders and installs them for you - naturally according to the old German LGB standards. He says, Uhlenbrock and Lenz driving decoders are very fine decoders which make for easy installation due to their SUSI bus. Klaus is currently testing new/updated (sound)decoders that were announced at the Toy Fair. We will have the results on our web page in April/May. You already do find our product/price list on our website at www.traincraftbyklaus.com
Massoth XLS + LS sound decoder: sound and driving decoder on one board and their functions are separated by the set-up of the decoder, namely the sound decoder CV's are separated from the CV's of the driving decoder. S decoder is plugged into the driving decoder via SUSI bus connection. The driving decoder(s) lack performance in slow speed operation. The sound library focuses on European sounds. The sound performance is good.
On another subject.
We have been asked in the past to open an opportunity/place where LGB locos would be sold with Klaus' stamp of approval (for condition) and value estimate on it. Friends and fans, we are not there yet and are still thinking about it. A few days ago we received a call from a longtime LGB fan whose life changed within the last year to where he has to sell his LGB collection. As you can imagine he is going through some hard times right now. He didn't ask for any help but Klaus and Yours Truly felt he deserved it anyway. He has a Mikado LGB # 23872 that comes in the original LGB box with Original old LGB sound. It was altered to allow operation on track and on battery drive. Please see if any of you who operate on track and battery power as well would like to place an order with the gentleman. You should email Klaus and we will, without any further ado, forward your email to that gentleman. Thank you for your kind support!
Phoenix sound decoder: it is solely a sound decoder producing an excellent sound. But it requires an additional driving decoder to operate a loco digitally. Here's the catch: the Phoenix sound decoder covers the same CV range as most driving decoders do. So, while programming e.g. the driving decoder you would be programming the sound decoder at the very same time, too. Unless: (like a knowledgeable installer will do) one provides 2 switches to separate the decoders - for future programming. Otherwise, you guessed it, you program the driving decoder while you actually only want to program the sound decoder. Or vice versa. Fortunately, Phoenix is going to move their CV range to be separated from the driving decoder CV values.
Uhlenbrock Intellisound: like the Phoenix is a pure sound decoder that requires a driving decoder. The CV's for the Intellisound decoder are set separately from any driving decoder following NMRA standard. The Intellisound decoder is plugged into the driving decoder via SUSI bus connection. Uhlenbrock has a great sound library and provides really good sound.(see our price list for further detail)
ESU Loksound decoder:sound and driving decoder on one board and their functions are separated by the set-up of the decoder, namely the sound decoder CV's are separated from the CV's of the driving decoder. The sound library is growing plus you can load your own sound into the decoder. The sound decoder characteristics are VERY good.
Lenz : makes driving decoders, only. Has excellent slow speed operation , by the way.
Your Famous Klaus supplies all of the above decoders and installs them for you - naturally according to the old German LGB standards. He says, Uhlenbrock and Lenz driving decoders are very fine decoders which make for easy installation due to their SUSI bus. Klaus is currently testing new/updated (sound)decoders that were announced at the Toy Fair. We will have the results on our web page in April/May. You already do find our product/price list on our website at www.traincraftbyklaus.com
Massoth XLS + LS sound decoder: sound and driving decoder on one board and their functions are separated by the set-up of the decoder, namely the sound decoder CV's are separated from the CV's of the driving decoder. S decoder is plugged into the driving decoder via SUSI bus connection. The driving decoder(s) lack performance in slow speed operation. The sound library focuses on European sounds. The sound performance is good.
On another subject.
We have been asked in the past to open an opportunity/place where LGB locos would be sold with Klaus' stamp of approval (for condition) and value estimate on it. Friends and fans, we are not there yet and are still thinking about it. A few days ago we received a call from a longtime LGB fan whose life changed within the last year to where he has to sell his LGB collection. As you can imagine he is going through some hard times right now. He didn't ask for any help but Klaus and Yours Truly felt he deserved it anyway. He has a Mikado LGB # 23872 that comes in the original LGB box with Original old LGB sound. It was altered to allow operation on track and on battery drive. Please see if any of you who operate on track and battery power as well would like to place an order with the gentleman. You should email Klaus and we will, without any further ado, forward your email to that gentleman. Thank you for your kind support!
Friday, March 23, 2012
A Mixed Bag of Goodies
With Spring around the corner and some of you getting outdoors to get to the (train) tracks again, here are some completely unrelated thoughts and facts. No-- make that opinions.
Yours Truly is observing the eBay web site about once a week, looking for "just posted", "highest price", and "ending soonest". In my humble opinion, the market for LGB products is starting to show more realistic values in the high end and higher end area for locos. Mikados, Aster, Pullman sets and Mallets seem to be priced according to their values. The same holds true for F 7 See Through/ clear locos. Moguls on the other hand show all kinds of prices; from $ 400.00 for a Mogul made in 1990 or 1993 (value is approx US$ 1,200) to US$ 1,000.00 for China crap - ...quoting Famous Klaus...- (mint condition value will not top US$ 600.00). Similar realistic prices show up for cars that are rare like the # 35355 DB Passenger car or the 35350 DR Passenger car (around US$ 500.00 with a tendency to increase), but finds are still possible for old 1993 or older tank cars, Swiss "Mohrenkoepfe"( marshmallows?) and similar.
Yours Truly and the two Klaus' (your Famous Klaus and Klaus Baumann) believe that the market will consolidate within the next two to three years. This goes only for the existing LGB locos and cars being built between 1970 and 2006. If any of you owns an LGB loco or car or toy made before 1970, hold on to it, care VERY well for it and name it in your will! Yes, it will show up at a Sotheby or similar auction in about 5-10 years from now.
On another subject:
Klaus Baumann is currently working on Mallet and Forney data so that we can provide better information about those loco values and value development. One of his finds during this operation was that so many different Forneys were manufactured that LGB Nuremberg had to extend the series number from 5 digits to 6 digits for a certain time frame. So, in case you come across an LGB box with a 6-digit number on it and a "25" in it, we'd be interested in a photo. At the same time, so many Forney sets were made for specialty groups that -alas !- a Forney set was made for Florsheim Shoes. How 'bout that?!!
You have read about this subject here before, the lifetime of Buehler motors. Since we had quite a lot of questions about this, let me reiterate and add some, too. All LGB locos have Buehler motors in them except two:
One: The Porter which was made in Korea by PIKO and came with a Korean motor in it. To Klaus' knowledge no motors are available once the Original Korean motors are defunct/ kaput.
Two: a very very early LGB loco that had a Siemens motor in it. Klaus is currently working on more information about that loco or locos(?). If any of you have any information about that, Klaus would more than appreciate your information and contacting him.
A Buehler motor for LGB locos has an approximate life span of 15-20 years. At the time they were first utilized in LGB locos it seemed incomprehensible for the technical crew in Nuremberg that anyone would "play" with an LGB loco for either that long or that excessively to reach the end of that lifetime. To see some of those older Buehler motors still running is a nice confirmation for the old "Made in Western Germany"- Quality.
Sometime in the mid-nineties (1996-1998?) Buehler decided to change the design of the motors - recognizable by an all-silver colored body and no replaceable brushes.At the very same time Buehler also decided to outsource the LGB Buehler motor production to the Chech Republic. This turned out to be a problematic move. The motors did not have the same quality and lifespan as the ones made in Germany, so Buehler placed production back into Germany. These motors made in the Chech republic can go kaput without warning. Unfortunately there is no way to tell where a Buehler motor was made. But all in all the Buehler motors are the most reliable possible for the LGB locos.
Buehler motors for LGB locos are currently undergoing a price change. Where they will end up eventually is still to be seen. Unfortunately we heard more than one rumor that the new retail price will be close to US $ 150.00. We will keep you updated on this subject. Fortunately, Klaus has a sufficient number of motors available for his repairs and restorations, so your locos are safe with him.
Yours Truly is observing the eBay web site about once a week, looking for "just posted", "highest price", and "ending soonest". In my humble opinion, the market for LGB products is starting to show more realistic values in the high end and higher end area for locos. Mikados, Aster, Pullman sets and Mallets seem to be priced according to their values. The same holds true for F 7 See Through/ clear locos. Moguls on the other hand show all kinds of prices; from $ 400.00 for a Mogul made in 1990 or 1993 (value is approx US$ 1,200) to US$ 1,000.00 for China crap - ...quoting Famous Klaus...- (mint condition value will not top US$ 600.00). Similar realistic prices show up for cars that are rare like the # 35355 DB Passenger car or the 35350 DR Passenger car (around US$ 500.00 with a tendency to increase), but finds are still possible for old 1993 or older tank cars, Swiss "Mohrenkoepfe"( marshmallows?) and similar.
Yours Truly and the two Klaus' (your Famous Klaus and Klaus Baumann) believe that the market will consolidate within the next two to three years. This goes only for the existing LGB locos and cars being built between 1970 and 2006. If any of you owns an LGB loco or car or toy made before 1970, hold on to it, care VERY well for it and name it in your will! Yes, it will show up at a Sotheby or similar auction in about 5-10 years from now.
On another subject:
Klaus Baumann is currently working on Mallet and Forney data so that we can provide better information about those loco values and value development. One of his finds during this operation was that so many different Forneys were manufactured that LGB Nuremberg had to extend the series number from 5 digits to 6 digits for a certain time frame. So, in case you come across an LGB box with a 6-digit number on it and a "25" in it, we'd be interested in a photo. At the same time, so many Forney sets were made for specialty groups that -alas !- a Forney set was made for Florsheim Shoes. How 'bout that?!!
You have read about this subject here before, the lifetime of Buehler motors. Since we had quite a lot of questions about this, let me reiterate and add some, too. All LGB locos have Buehler motors in them except two:
One: The Porter which was made in Korea by PIKO and came with a Korean motor in it. To Klaus' knowledge no motors are available once the Original Korean motors are defunct/ kaput.
Two: a very very early LGB loco that had a Siemens motor in it. Klaus is currently working on more information about that loco or locos(?). If any of you have any information about that, Klaus would more than appreciate your information and contacting him.
A Buehler motor for LGB locos has an approximate life span of 15-20 years. At the time they were first utilized in LGB locos it seemed incomprehensible for the technical crew in Nuremberg that anyone would "play" with an LGB loco for either that long or that excessively to reach the end of that lifetime. To see some of those older Buehler motors still running is a nice confirmation for the old "Made in Western Germany"- Quality.
Sometime in the mid-nineties (1996-1998?) Buehler decided to change the design of the motors - recognizable by an all-silver colored body and no replaceable brushes.At the very same time Buehler also decided to outsource the LGB Buehler motor production to the Chech Republic. This turned out to be a problematic move. The motors did not have the same quality and lifespan as the ones made in Germany, so Buehler placed production back into Germany. These motors made in the Chech republic can go kaput without warning. Unfortunately there is no way to tell where a Buehler motor was made. But all in all the Buehler motors are the most reliable possible for the LGB locos.
Buehler motors for LGB locos are currently undergoing a price change. Where they will end up eventually is still to be seen. Unfortunately we heard more than one rumor that the new retail price will be close to US $ 150.00. We will keep you updated on this subject. Fortunately, Klaus has a sufficient number of motors available for his repairs and restorations, so your locos are safe with him.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Nuremberg Toy Fair 2012 - My LGB Report
Our man at the Toy Fair - Klaus Baumann, a name you should keep in mind since you'll be hearing a lot about and from him in the near future specifically re his expertise in LGB loco values - send the "GARTENBAHN profi" magazine to Yours Truly which is the base for the following "news". In case any of you like to go to the original article please look for pages 6 - 15 in The "GARTENBAHN profi 2/2012 - Wieder Gas geben" ( meaning: stepping on the gas again). Taking the liberty to condense the contents dramatically here is what one German press is thinking about LGB this Spring.
Not much is new at LGB this year. It's more a "re-animation" of things well known, tried-and-true. The RhB series are shown in different colors. The Toy Train program got re-instated with a battery-driven, RC-controlled "Harlekinzug"(=Clown Train) for toddlers and an ICE, the German high-speed train. Within the RhB series the "Bernina" is a 3-part rail-car which is currently not available. Production is planned but a clear delivery date has not been set, with earliest delivery suggested to happen in 2013. (Yours Truly heard rumors that the German dealers are extreemly upset about the new Marklin/LGB policy to NOT publish information about possible delivery dates. Yet, they started selling by promoting pre-ordering. Yours Truly thinks that neither policy will help much to improve the new LGB image....). A Saxonian 1K loco was displayed at the fair in an unfinished housing, not yet motorized.
Available locos and cars have a hefty price tag this year . The RhB Gea 2/4 (No.211) is listed for Euro 600.00 ( approx. US$ 800.00 - in Germany!), the RhB Ge 2/4 in green (No. 202) will be Euro 550.00 (or US$ 730.00) in Germany. Quite a few cars have been re-manufactured some in new colors which will not necessarily support the collector's intention of supplementing their layout.
A really new LGB mold for a loco is actually a Marklin loco (E 10, a German Express Train Loco from the 1950's) and will be manufactured in the newly planned "Mix-and-match G-scale" and will NOT match the Old German LGB (version) standard. This is supposed to be a "counter-offer" to the new PIKO models. - Why - the Old LGB was a standard in itself...! A few more German locos are listed to be available sometime, as the VT 133 and the Niki S.
The US market gets the same treatment as the German customer: quite a few announcements and no specific delivery date include the Mikado in New York Central colors , the Porter steam loco (with no spare parts or spare motors available on the US or German market), and a White Pass Diesel engine No. 4 - 2-axle. Car-wise are scheduled (?) a Conoco tank car, a transporter with 2 muscle cars (Cobra and Corvette), and a 3-car Union Pacific live stock car set.
An opinionated Yours Truly believes that selling something someone does not have at hand is a bad thing in the long run. Promises are broken, contracts cannot be kept as traded in the first place, money is spent and goes where it does not belong. The looser is in the end the manufacturer because the customer will go where his wishes are fulfilled. For the Old German Standard LGB enthusiast that will be more and more the collectors/auction market or the estate market.
And now to something completely different.... a note from "the editor": Klaus' web page is growing. He would be tickled if you keep reading at www.traincraftbyklaus.com. He put an interesting "lemon-list" on it. You will find it under "Repair".
Not much is new at LGB this year. It's more a "re-animation" of things well known, tried-and-true. The RhB series are shown in different colors. The Toy Train program got re-instated with a battery-driven, RC-controlled "Harlekinzug"(=Clown Train) for toddlers and an ICE, the German high-speed train. Within the RhB series the "Bernina" is a 3-part rail-car which is currently not available. Production is planned but a clear delivery date has not been set, with earliest delivery suggested to happen in 2013. (Yours Truly heard rumors that the German dealers are extreemly upset about the new Marklin/LGB policy to NOT publish information about possible delivery dates. Yet, they started selling by promoting pre-ordering. Yours Truly thinks that neither policy will help much to improve the new LGB image....). A Saxonian 1K loco was displayed at the fair in an unfinished housing, not yet motorized.
Available locos and cars have a hefty price tag this year . The RhB Gea 2/4 (No.211) is listed for Euro 600.00 ( approx. US$ 800.00 - in Germany!), the RhB Ge 2/4 in green (No. 202) will be Euro 550.00 (or US$ 730.00) in Germany. Quite a few cars have been re-manufactured some in new colors which will not necessarily support the collector's intention of supplementing their layout.
A really new LGB mold for a loco is actually a Marklin loco (E 10, a German Express Train Loco from the 1950's) and will be manufactured in the newly planned "Mix-and-match G-scale" and will NOT match the Old German LGB (version) standard. This is supposed to be a "counter-offer" to the new PIKO models. - Why - the Old LGB was a standard in itself...! A few more German locos are listed to be available sometime, as the VT 133 and the Niki S.
The US market gets the same treatment as the German customer: quite a few announcements and no specific delivery date include the Mikado in New York Central colors , the Porter steam loco (with no spare parts or spare motors available on the US or German market), and a White Pass Diesel engine No. 4 - 2-axle. Car-wise are scheduled (?) a Conoco tank car, a transporter with 2 muscle cars (Cobra and Corvette), and a 3-car Union Pacific live stock car set.
An opinionated Yours Truly believes that selling something someone does not have at hand is a bad thing in the long run. Promises are broken, contracts cannot be kept as traded in the first place, money is spent and goes where it does not belong. The looser is in the end the manufacturer because the customer will go where his wishes are fulfilled. For the Old German Standard LGB enthusiast that will be more and more the collectors/auction market or the estate market.
And now to something completely different.... a note from "the editor": Klaus' web page is growing. He would be tickled if you keep reading at www.traincraftbyklaus.com. He put an interesting "lemon-list" on it. You will find it under "Repair".
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Turntable - Part 2 and other News
After my last blog about the Original LGB turntable I received some very nice emails from one of the blog followers that he allowed me to publish here. He pointed out that in addition to the original LGB turntable with 100 pieces made there are more in use today like: (some editing for concentrating on the subject)
"...Pola made their G 1946 turntable (I think in 1996) that, if my memory serves me right, has "LGB" molded into the underside. It is not visible from the top so I cannot confirm this.
My memory has gotten pretty bad but as I recall I talked to someone at LGB of America at the time and I was told that Pola molded "LGB" into the turntable without authorization from LGB and Pola was told to stop so marking their turntables.
I can see how others might also be confused and think their Pola turntables might be "LGB turntables." ---He continues.....I looked at the top of the turntable and did not see any markings but I do still have the (black) box it came in which is marked: Exclusiv Modell - 2,900 Exemplare weltweit - Numerierte und begrenzte Auflage
I don't understand German but I used the internet which translated it to: Exclusively model- 2.900 copies world-wide -Numbered and limited Edition. I have no idea how many might have the "LGB" markings on the underside.--He continues further...
I have always thought that LGB and Pola were made for each other. The turntable box is marked 1:22.5 scale and the Pola items always seem to perfectly compliment LGB products.
Unfortunately I think the turntable was one of Pola's not very well designed products as I gave up years ago trying to get it to work with its electric motor. Even manually rotating the turntable is problematic but it really does look great and fits very nicely with their Shunting (train) Shed. Fortunately I don't use it often and it adds greatly to the visual appearance of that part of the layout.
...and he found this....
While sorting through some old LGB Telegram issues I ran across the very 1st issue and on page 12 I found instructions on how to make "An American Turntable."
Of course this is not the LGB turntable Klaus is talking about but the instructions are copyrighted by E. P. Lehmann. That in itself is interesting in that this issue of the Telegram was published by E. P. Lehmann while newer issues were published by Buffington Publishing ."
This kind blog-follower asked not to be named. If you'd like to 'chat' about this issue, please email to klaus@traincraftbyklaus.com and Yours truly will forward your email.
On other news: our webpage has come to new life and is worked on now on an almost daily base. We invite you to follow and read at www.traincraftbyklaus.com
The next blog will continue reporting from the Toy Fair which closed its doors on Feb 6.
"...Pola made their G 1946 turntable (I think in 1996) that, if my memory serves me right, has "LGB" molded into the underside. It is not visible from the top so I cannot confirm this.
My memory has gotten pretty bad but as I recall I talked to someone at LGB of America at the time and I was told that Pola molded "LGB" into the turntable without authorization from LGB and Pola was told to stop so marking their turntables.
I can see how others might also be confused and think their Pola turntables might be "LGB turntables." ---He continues.....I looked at the top of the turntable and did not see any markings but I do still have the (black) box it came in which is marked: Exclusiv Modell - 2,900 Exemplare weltweit - Numerierte und begrenzte Auflage
I don't understand German but I used the internet which translated it to: Exclusively model- 2.900 copies world-wide -Numbered and limited Edition. I have no idea how many might have the "LGB" markings on the underside.--He continues further...
I have always thought that LGB and Pola were made for each other. The turntable box is marked 1:22.5 scale and the Pola items always seem to perfectly compliment LGB products.
Unfortunately I think the turntable was one of Pola's not very well designed products as I gave up years ago trying to get it to work with its electric motor. Even manually rotating the turntable is problematic but it really does look great and fits very nicely with their Shunting (train) Shed. Fortunately I don't use it often and it adds greatly to the visual appearance of that part of the layout.
...and he found this....
While sorting through some old LGB Telegram issues I ran across the very 1st issue and on page 12 I found instructions on how to make "An American Turntable."
Of course this is not the LGB turntable Klaus is talking about but the instructions are copyrighted by E. P. Lehmann. That in itself is interesting in that this issue of the Telegram was published by E. P. Lehmann while newer issues were published by Buffington Publishing ."
This kind blog-follower asked not to be named. If you'd like to 'chat' about this issue, please email to klaus@traincraftbyklaus.com and Yours truly will forward your email.
On other news: our webpage has come to new life and is worked on now on an almost daily base. We invite you to follow and read at www.traincraftbyklaus.com
The next blog will continue reporting from the Toy Fair which closed its doors on Feb 6.
Monday, February 13, 2012
LGB News from the Toy Fair
Here is the link to view the newest LGB catalog 2012
www.lgb.com
then go and click on "Neuheiten 2012" and then you should be able to download the new catalog.
The new catalog is in German and English. Most of the locos and trains they show are models you are more or less already familiar with. I still think they have done a nice job. There is a "new" Mikado in the catalog as well as a "new" Porter. However, none of these new locos are available right now. Marklin was pretty reserved when our "man at the Fair" asked when he could buy and take home one of the new engines. We will keep you updated. Prices seem to go up for the new engines and that combined with the current Euro/US$ exchange rate will make them sort of expensive again here for us in the US.
Last time I promised you a story about the turntable. Doing research for that story I learned that only about 100 turntables were made by LGB - all of them literally by hand by an artisan craftsman by the name of Herr Diller at the LGB factory in 1979. The LGB # was LGB 1400. If you know somebody who has an old LGB turntable, please let them know that these turntables are very valuable, no matter what condition they are in. Here's a comparison: a do-it-yourself turntable set for 0-scale goes for Euro 700.00 or roughly US$ 950.00. And a very nice 0-scale turntable ready-to-use goes for Euro 1,700.00 or US$ 2.200.00. That brings the value of an LGB turntable easily to US$ 1,500.00 even though it is operated manually. Klaus has motorized two turntables in the past with great success. If you have an LGB turntable and want to clean it- please be very careful and do not use harsh household cleaners. Specifically do NOT USE household glue on it to "repair" something. That for sure destroys a great part of its value. Better, you contact Klaus for advise.
On other news, we are following the development of DCC by I-Phone/ I-Pad and will keep you updated.
Yours truly also wants to point out that all the new decoders that your Famous Klaus is going to utilize and offer for sale are ALL mix-and-match"able" with your existing decoders that are to NMRA standard like NCE, Phoenix, Lenz, Massoth or others.
One thing you will see me write more about in the future: If you own LGB locos that are made before 1999, list their numbers somewhere, take a photo, store them on a CD and make sure they are covered by your household insurance. If you need a certificate re their value, you may contact us- we are certified to do that.
www.lgb.com
then go and click on "Neuheiten 2012" and then you should be able to download the new catalog.
The new catalog is in German and English. Most of the locos and trains they show are models you are more or less already familiar with. I still think they have done a nice job. There is a "new" Mikado in the catalog as well as a "new" Porter. However, none of these new locos are available right now. Marklin was pretty reserved when our "man at the Fair" asked when he could buy and take home one of the new engines. We will keep you updated. Prices seem to go up for the new engines and that combined with the current Euro/US$ exchange rate will make them sort of expensive again here for us in the US.
Last time I promised you a story about the turntable. Doing research for that story I learned that only about 100 turntables were made by LGB - all of them literally by hand by an artisan craftsman by the name of Herr Diller at the LGB factory in 1979. The LGB # was LGB 1400. If you know somebody who has an old LGB turntable, please let them know that these turntables are very valuable, no matter what condition they are in. Here's a comparison: a do-it-yourself turntable set for 0-scale goes for Euro 700.00 or roughly US$ 950.00. And a very nice 0-scale turntable ready-to-use goes for Euro 1,700.00 or US$ 2.200.00. That brings the value of an LGB turntable easily to US$ 1,500.00 even though it is operated manually. Klaus has motorized two turntables in the past with great success. If you have an LGB turntable and want to clean it- please be very careful and do not use harsh household cleaners. Specifically do NOT USE household glue on it to "repair" something. That for sure destroys a great part of its value. Better, you contact Klaus for advise.
On other news, we are following the development of DCC by I-Phone/ I-Pad and will keep you updated.
Yours truly also wants to point out that all the new decoders that your Famous Klaus is going to utilize and offer for sale are ALL mix-and-match"able" with your existing decoders that are to NMRA standard like NCE, Phoenix, Lenz, Massoth or others.
One thing you will see me write more about in the future: If you own LGB locos that are made before 1999, list their numbers somewhere, take a photo, store them on a CD and make sure they are covered by your household insurance. If you need a certificate re their value, you may contact us- we are certified to do that.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Working Title
Folks, folks folks...Yours Truly has seen Moguls this December in Klaus' workshop... You can't be serious. One Mogul dated from 1994, everything original on it. BUT: it was "repaired" on by someone who had no clue, never cleaned properly and instead of having a value of US$ 1,500 the best offer would have been $600.00 if at all. Another Mogul from 1998, still fully made in Germany was so dirty and filthy that I didn't even recognize it was by LGB. Now- of course what belongs to you is yours to treat. I understand that. So how about a nice New Years resolution: You look a bit more after your nice and specifically older LGB locos and Yours Truly provides more maintenance tips.
Starting with: to put on new traction tires on your loco keep in mind that the Original LGB traction tires are no rubber bands. They can not really be stretched. Klaus says a screwdriver is a good tool to help the traction tire onto the wheel. Start by putting the traction tire on a part of the wheel, lead it around as far as you can go, then, holding it in place with one hand, use the screwdriver to help lift the traction tire completely onto the wheel. If the traction tire gets strechted too much, and a little more than 1/8" would be too much, it will break/split.
About power shoes: If they are too run down and used up on your loco they can actually hurt the value of your loco and wears out your tracks.
Most importantly: If you need to "glue something back on" to your LGB loco, puhhleeeze email Klaus first to make sure you're using the correct glue and not something from your grandkid's school supply kit. That (Gilmer's) glue can do a lot of harm to the LGB plastic. And never EVER use hot glue!
On other news: our lawyer advised us to put to your attention, dear reader, again this matter: the email contactusa@massoth.com DOES NOT lead to Klaus' PC (strike through by Yours Truly for protection of our readers). We don't know what happens to those emails, we don't know what happens to your email address when you use this address. Please use caution and use klaus@traincraftbyklaus.com or klausstork@earthlink.net. THANK YOU!
On a lighter note: The Toy Fair in Nuremberg, Germany will open its gates on February 1, 2012. We will have our very own "Our Man in Havanna..., ahh Nuremberg", at the Fair to report directly from the Fair; and will have the hottest topics right here on this blog.
Starting with: to put on new traction tires on your loco keep in mind that the Original LGB traction tires are no rubber bands. They can not really be stretched. Klaus says a screwdriver is a good tool to help the traction tire onto the wheel. Start by putting the traction tire on a part of the wheel, lead it around as far as you can go, then, holding it in place with one hand, use the screwdriver to help lift the traction tire completely onto the wheel. If the traction tire gets strechted too much, and a little more than 1/8" would be too much, it will break/split.
About power shoes: If they are too run down and used up on your loco they can actually hurt the value of your loco and wears out your tracks.
Most importantly: If you need to "glue something back on" to your LGB loco, puhhleeeze email Klaus first to make sure you're using the correct glue and not something from your grandkid's school supply kit. That (Gilmer's) glue can do a lot of harm to the LGB plastic. And never EVER use hot glue!
On other news: our lawyer advised us to put to your attention, dear reader, again this matter: the email contact
On a lighter note: The Toy Fair in Nuremberg, Germany will open its gates on February 1, 2012. We will have our very own "Our Man in Havanna..., ahh Nuremberg", at the Fair to report directly from the Fair; and will have the hottest topics right here on this blog.
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