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So I have two little boys, and my father-in-law just sent two full classic Lionel train sets for us to explore. I suspect I'm not alone in this hobby space...

The more recent one is a 1947-48 #2065 steam engine and tender with hopper, milk car, auto transport, and caboose, plus a ton of accessories... this was his childhood trainset from the 1950s. The other is a post-1933 prewar set with a 262 locomotive and tender, Pullman passenger cars, and a selection of freight cars, which was apparently HIS father's train set... my boys' great-grandfather's trains! Both work pretty well, although there's some rehab needed, especially on the accessories. Everything needs to be rewired, new light bulbs, maintenance, etc., and the track needs to be cleaned up. But it was a fun unboxing!

Anyway, Dakka, you are my hobby people... is there a subforum here or a model railroad forum elsewhere you'd recommend? I was going to post a list of both kits and some photos in Painting & Modeling, but there may be a better place. I'd love to talk shop and get some guidance on the project. Thanks!

I don't know about good online sources. We had a model Railroad shop in the city up until a few years ago, but sadly it's gone now.

I did just find out that Sir Rod Stewart has an amazing RR set though. Not that it helps for supplies, but it's pretty inspirational, imo. https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-50403561

That's an awesome layout, and a fun bit of celebrity trivia... like Vin Diesel being a DnD'er or Henry Cavil painting 40k.

So not many rail fans here? Surprising, but I guess other forums get that attention. I did get both trains up and running. I'm partial to the prewar tinplate trains, but the postwar plastic ones may be more in line with my skills set if I choose to restore them. If the new year brings lots of free time, I may post some details just to see if anyone is interested.

I figure Painting & Modelling?

https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/forums/show/8.page

These two forums have alot of Lionel knowledge.
https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/

https://www.modeltrainforum.com/

They've been helpful to me. None my Lionel is anywhere near that old so I can't be of any assistance personally, but if you can't find an answer on those forums I'd be very surprised.

Best of luck with the rehab.