A New Stainz - Well new to me.....

[James Day]

Getting on for 40 years ago I acquired my first LGB loco - A green Stainz 2020. For a while it was my only loco and saw a lot of use. It cost around £40 as best I recall.

Over the years it has has two new motors, one new set of gears, a new set of wheels, new wheel brushes, several sets of skates and springs, a few bulbs, a straight smoke stack instead of the non smoking spark arrestor one.

It has also acquired a new front buffer, two or three cab roof whistles, as the old ones were broken, cab lighting, an EPL Magnet and a new rear chassis block to allow it to be fitted with modern reversible couplings.

Apart from that, it is virtually as new!

Seeing the sheer enthusiasm that exists on this group for the Stainz loco, from Sparky, Stainzmeister and many others I thought it was time to look at getting my Stainz a mate. It had a short lived relationship with a brown cabbed growler, but this was sent away in disgrace. I have always felt guilty about that...

My chum Brixham who knew of my ambition was ordering some stuff from Grootspoor and found they had several virtually new basic 20211s for just €79 each.

In real terms I think this is less than I paid back in 1976/7.

The loco was delivered today and it was great fun comparing it with my old Stainz. I really don't think that any two parts are the same or interchangeable! The check code underneath reads 901058 (I think that is 1st May 1998?) so this is no spring chicken, but is barely used. There is nothing fancy about my Stainz - No sound, smoke or lighting socket, but I never use those features on most of my locos anyway.

The first difference is obvious when you pick the new loco up, it is far heavier than my vintage Stainz - Around 240g more at 1862g. I like the plug in type bulbs. I get quite annoyed fiddling with LGB LES type bulbs that seem to be designed to slowly work loose. I like the white rear light instead of the rather annoying red one on my old loco, (Does anyone know a source of a lens I could obtain to replace the red one?), the cab lighting and the facility to fit a front coupling hook, which will be very useful.

Eventually I aim to compare it with an even newer loco, say 2016 vintage one. I have that scheduled in for sometime 2056, when I will be 95.....



The loco on the left is the newer one. The one on the right is my much used and heavily rebuilt original.

James

 

[Frank Gallagher]

Well done

 

[Zerogee]

Some excellent comparison photos there between old and new Stainzes, they would be useful in explaining the history of the locos to newcomers to the hobby!
You should be able to get a clear lamp lens for your old one from Modell-Land, but you don't want to pay 18 Euros postage on it.... look out for the next time anyone on here mentions they are ordering, and piggy-back onto the order.
Great to hear your old one is still in such good running condition, even though your description of its various new components does make it sound a little bit like "Trigger's Broom"....
Personally I think the most glaring thing when you see new and old side by side like that is just how bulky (and frankly, ugly by comparison) the current plastic motion is compared with the old metal type.

You are right about the gold date sticker, that is a 1998 manufactured loco (first and last digit give the year, 98).

I think you'll find that a 2016-built version is virtually identical to your '98 model - I recently picked up one of the Wolfgang Richter commemorative ones (just, well, because...) and I don't think that anything has significantly changed.

Jon.

 

[sparky230]

Glendale stock lenses, http://www.glendalejunction.co.uk/LGBParts_lamps.html

 

[Zerogee]

Glendale stock lenses, http://www.glendalejunction.co.uk/LGBParts_lamps.html

OK, so that's going to be a lot cheaper than getting one from Germany!
I do tend to forget that Brian has a decent stash of commonly-used bits like that.....

Jon.

 

[sparky230]

The other decent stash of common spares is Peter at Chalk's

 

[James Day]

OK, so that's going to be a lot cheaper than getting one from Germany!
I do tend to forget that Brian has a decent stash of commonly-used bits like that.....

Jon.

Thanks to you all for the comments and the reccomendations. It looks to me like a spare clear lens for this newer loco will fit my old one, so I will speak to the good folks at Glendale.

Sadly I am terrible at taking images, the ones with the article are the best I can do!

The loco was probably ex-set, so effectively unboxed, but I do like to have boxes for stuff...... I had a spare tatty old 3000 series lift lid LGB stock box lying around, so inserted a taller home made cardboard sleeve inside and that is where my loco will live when it is not earning its keep on the GCR. An EPL magnet has just been fitted, so all I need now is the weather to clear and it can do a few laps.

It has to be said I am very pleased with my Eco-Stainz!

James

 

[James Day]

Dear All,

I thought I would just add that today some parts arrived from Glendale including part CL000001 which is the large clear lens for the Stainz. £1.25 each!

I withdrew the bulb holder from the rear light, inserted the curved handle of a small pair of pliers to apply pressure to the inside of the old red lens, which duly popped out. The new clear lens was offered up (and make sure the recesed rim is facing in, as this rests against the white liner), and that was it. My original Stainz now has directional white lights front and rear!

I am about to run it outside, along with the new one!

James

PS: Didn't expect the lighting on my 'new' "economy" Stainz to be non-directional, but it is!

Not that this matters and I can easily remedy it, if I wish: but does anyone know how this 'feature' was fitted? Even my poor late lamented growler had directional lighting!

 

[Zerogee]

.................PS: Didn't expect the lighting on my 'new' "economy" Stainz to be non-directional, but it is!

Not that this matters and I can easily remedy it, if I wish: but does anyone know how this 'feature' was fitted? Even my poor late lamented growler had directional lighting!

Your "economy" Stainz may not have much of an internal circuit board at all, whereas a normal "full-featured" one has a board inside the boiler with a plug-in interface for a decoder and plug-in connections for motor, lights etc.
The directional lighting has, I think, always just been taken care of by a couple of diodes - lattery on the main PCB but on older locos on a simple little separate circuit board.

Jon.

 

[James Day]

Your "economy" Stainz may not have much of an internal circuit board at all, whereas a normal "full-featured" one has a board inside the boiler with a plug-in interface for a decoder and plug-in connections for motor, lights etc.
The directional lighting has, I think, always just been taken care of by a couple of diodes - lattery on the main PCB but on older locos on a simple little separate circuit board.

Jon.

Thanks Jon,

I think that you are right. On my mid 70s Stainz there is no actual PCB either, but the diodes are in a little red box!

Thinking about it further, I think that the oldest locos that I have with PCBs are the 2033 Electric Works Loco and my 2036 Old Time Tram, both originally came in modern style lift lid boxes, but with non-reversible couplings (1978/9?). All my earlier locos: 2060, 2050, 2071 and 2034 (Green/White Steeple Cab) are all PCB free zones!

James