Feuriger Elias (LGB 2050) - Fiery Elias

Henri

Henri

refuses to grow up
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Yes! My second engine! I love the looks of this little 'tram' engine. Romantic is written all over it!!
I think the driver is looking the wrong way?
Made an offer to some advertisements on a Dutch marketplace website. Couple of 30cm straights and a right hand point (first gen(?), with the 'cube') for a very good price again. Oh excuse me, my Dutch habit for getting bargains... ;-)

It will look great on my garden railway (when I've finally put down some track... ;-)

$_85-6.JPG$_85-7.JPG$_85-8.JPG$_85-9.JPG
 
A good purchase....

Occasionaly, the driver will turn round to check that his train is still running alright!

I think this is quite an early model...no pickup skates..so needs really clean track. It's also a 'screamer' motor block....

Malcolm
 
That's another collector's piece, Henri - really, really old again, probably the same vintage as your Stainz and (I think, from the underside photo) probably another Growler mechanism....

Jon.

Edit: Malcolm posted while I was typing, saying basically the same thing!
 
yup another growler, same mech, basicily stainz in disguise, a lot of the tram parts are also common to the stainz, same boiler for a start.
 
clamshell.jpg
Look for this mech this is later Clamshell mech with skates and wheel pickups
 
According to Greenberg that looks like a 2050(B) model from 1969/70.
 
muns said:
According to Greenberg that looks like a 2050(B) model from 1969/70.
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i'd concur certainly not a very early one as it has gold lettering and the early ones were plain, and pre 71 as has a growler mech
 
Henri said:
Geez, another growler??? Oh my.... How do I do that??
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Specialise. Also that way SWMBO will feel at home :D
You are right though, the driver is on the wrong side of the cab and should be looking forwards.
Another easy way to spot these very old LGB items is the coupling, yours has a D shaped coupling rather than the usual rectangle. I also had a Fiery Elias with a D coupling which constantly derailed the coach behind on one bend on the very branchline I bought the loco for, it turned out the hook on these old couplings can't move side to side enough and catches in the coupling of the coach. I removed the hook (and tiny spring holding it - put them somewhere safe to refit when you sell the loco) and just had the hook on the carriage, that nearly did the job, but the bend was at the top of an incline and the hook slipped under the D so I had to put a piece of wire the same shape and size just under the D. Of course you won't have any of these problems :wondering:
 
pugwash said:
Specialise.
Another easy way to spot these very old LGB items is the coupling, yours has a D shaped coupling rather than the usual rectangle. I also had a Fiery Elias with a D coupling which constantly derailed the coach behind on one bend on the very branchline I bought the loco for, it turned out the hook on these old couplings can't move side to side enough and catches in the coupling of the coach.
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I faced similar issues when I converted to reversible couplings in the early 1980s and all my older locos had to be modified.

Chassis extension blocks were available from LGB to replace the ones with the built in old style couplings. They do sometimes come up on e-bay, although usually they seem to be in America these days.
eBay item number: 301951323883 for example.

lgb rear chassis block.jpg

These were intended for the clamshell type mechs and allowed a modern coupling to be screwed on to the moulded in mouting. The rear of the body will need opening up a little to accomodate the wider coupling shaft, but this is barely noticeable.

Although I have never tried it, I imagine that careful surgery could be used to reduce an old style rear chassis block from a clamshell mech enough to take the modern coupling. I imagine using one of the low style coupling mounts suplied with the Bachmann Thomas series as the mounting point. I have used them elsewhere and they are very good. I guess that would be the option if it was impossible or prohibitively expensive to get the correct part.

The trouble is that there is no easy way to modify a growler chassis and I imagine that most of us would recoil at the very thought of it. Growlers are now heritage and will soon be 50 years old. They command a premium for thier status.

I like the wire loop idea mentioned above. It is probably the only way to use this loco with stock fitted with reversible modern couplings. See if you can add it without irreversible surgery.

James
 
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Henri, if you want an easy, reliable engine to actually use, look on eBay for a good, clean "modern" Stainz - there are dozens of them around, with the mid-green cabs and plastic motion rods - many of the ones that came in starter sets even have a rather basic but nevertheless quite acceptable "chuff" sound system - look for one that has a cylindrical housing inside the cab roof, which is where the sound unit and speaker are fitted. You should be able to get a nice, good condition and unabused one for well under 100 Euro......

Jon.
 
Zerogee said:
Henri, if you want an easy, reliable engine to actually use, look on eBay for a good, clean "modern" Stainz - there are dozens of them around, with the mid-green cabs and plastic motion rods - many of the ones that came in starter sets even have a rather basic but nevertheless quite acceptable "chuff" sound system - look for one that has a cylindrical housing inside the cab roof, which is where the sound unit and speaker are fitted. You should be able to get a nice, good condition and unabused one for well under 100 Euro......

Jon.
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You could then put the chassis in your Steam Tram and flog off the second Stainz with the Growler Chassis in it. Quite likely making a profit on the deal! What fun.
JonD
 
dunnyrail said:
You could then put the chassis in your Steam Tram and flog off the second Stainz with the Growler Chassis in it. Quite likely making a profit on the deal! What fun.
JonD
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Nice idea but In think this would not work on two counts:

I am uncertain if a modern Stainz chassis would be a direct fit into a body designed for a growler - but I have never tried it.

The Stainz will have wheel and axle assemblies with bosses to support the valve gear. The Steam Tram needs plain wheels to screw on the seperate axles.....

That said, I have just bought a virtually as new modern Stainz (without sound) from Grootspoor for a massive 79 Euros, which in real terms is probably less than my first one cost (£40) in 1977.

James
 
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Be fun to
James Day said:
Nice idea but In think this would not work on two counts:

I am uncertain if a modern Stainz chassis would be a direct fit into a body designed for a growler - but I have never tried it.

The Stainz will have wheel and axle assemblies with bosses to support the valve gear. The Steam Tram needs plain wheels to screw on the seperate axles.....

That said, I have just bought a virtually as new modern Stainz (without sound) from Grootspoor for a massive 79 Euros, which in real terms is probably less than my first one cost (£40) in 1977.

James
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Be fun to try though on a wet day.
JonD
 
If you want a small, inexpensive diesel, Henri, just look for an old LGB 2060 Schoema - they have been made for decades in dozens of different colours and guises, and are ALMOST as plentiful second-hand as Stainzes are...
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=L...KlYnNAhVG1xoKHRnKCTIQsAQIHA&biw=2177&bih=1185

Safest thing is to look for one with pickup skates - then at least you'll know it won't be another growler! ;)
Actually I'm not sure whether any 2060s were made with growler gearboxes or not, but the skates are a good way to be 100% sure....

Jon.
 
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