LGB Mini Croc 2045

T

Tizaker

Registered
Hi all,
Just been to a local toy fair and bought an LGB 2045 Loco. Very nice condition almost new but has two small switches added to roof. Switches allow choice of power from track or overhead pick-up, one switch seems to allow you to choose direction- cab&headlight or total isolation! Runs well on test track. Loco is boxed (bit of damage to sides of box). Paid £200. Comments appreciated on how this loco performs etc and will it run OK on R1 radious?.

Regards
Rob
 
Sounds like you got a bargain there Rob!

They run well and like all LGB locos, it'll handle R1 curves as the motor bogies are articulated....
 
That's a great buy, Rob - you could easily have paid twice that for a nice one! As Gizzy says, it'll handle R1s fine - all standard production LGB locos from the very start have been built to Lehmann's "Prime Directive", the "R1 Rule" - which says they must be able to physically negotiate R1. Some larger locos of course may LOOK a bit silly doing it, but these are mainly the "rigid" ones - articulated types like your croc will look fine.

Hope you enjoy your new acquisition, any pics of her?

Jon.
 
Hi all,
On closer inspection my great buy may/is not as new after all. At both ends of the loco two of the three headlights have been professionally removed and coach work repainted. Being a novice I've only noticed these alterations when compairing the loco against the box picture. It's still a stunner but I expect the work carried out on it will have effected it's higher valued price tag.

regards
Rob
 
Well, if you've bought her to run rather than as an "investment", then if you're happy with her then that's all that matters!
As long as the motors and gearboxes aren't knackered (which is very unusual, even with old LGB locos) you'll get lots of fun from her. I presume she runs well with no jerking or odd noises?
I assume the paintwork has been well done rather than bodged, especially if it wasn't immediately obvious? I wonder why anyone would remove some of the lights.... can any of the RhB fans on here confirm if the LGB three-light setup is prototypically correct, or if someone might have removed two to make it more accurate?

Still a VERY good buy at the price, I reckon, so don't be downhearted about it. :bigsmile:

Jon.
 
Cheers Jon,
Bought to run when I start on the garden work/construction. Runs smoothly and sounds good to me.
I've shown some pics for comments from the more knowledgeable forum members (than me).
Regards
Rob

dbd8636a84164e2ba97f8a0a9e85ec88.jpg
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@zerogee - three headlights have been Swiss standard since ever so long ago.

Slightly surprised that the person who modified it thought that new switches were necessary to move between o/h and track pick up and to change the lights according to direction . The 2045s have always been equipped with one of those straight from the factory. (These are located inside the cab and maybe the previous thought that it was easier to fiddle with roof switches rather than open the cab door.)

Still - a bargain - a new analogue croc would set you back about £700 and a good second hand one about £500.

GH

PS If you ever tire of it, I'd be tempted to pay you £200 just to get hold of the spare power bogies...
 
Ah, right, we've been talking at cross purposes - it's not a Croc, it's a Choc Block! ;)

I thought you meant one of these, which is what most folks refer to as a croc....
http://www.champex-linden.de/lgb_pr...0467cf6/6634135cf3a1f76bc12568ee0037753e.html < Link To http://www.champex-linden...bc12568ee0037753e.html

Still a very nice loco - one of these can easily fetch £300+ in good nick, so I'd say you still got a bargain. I guess the repainting was just to personalise it for a previous owner's railway (wonder whether it's named after his wife or girlfriend... ;) ).
Still got no idea why anyone would do that to the lights - it looks like they've removed all the standard ones and screwed on a single US-style lantern each end (as the hooded light suggests).

Jon.
 
well thats a swell loco-one of my favorites because of the fancy gear drive
looks as tho someone tried to make it a bit US-ala pennsy or new haven or the like with its single large headlamp

have always wanted one of those -i think the brown is a splendid color with almost any color coach
just old looking and odd-not unlike , in a way, the cog electric imho

well-let us know how it runs
i might also suggest that once you get some proper LGB grease, that you carelfully remove the bottom plate, and sparingly apply a pea sized dab to each axel gear- i do this with every LGB loco i pruchase, new or used-can pay in spades sometimes if the drive lube is very old and dry

and now,
should you like it back to stock-the stock versions have three headliths lit running forward, and a the single lower right hand lighted on the back end, per how thing are done in switzerland

if you like, you can peruse ebay eventually find the original lamps and lens, and perhaps even a roof, hopefully for a song

let us know how it runs -great find
 
Hi...as soon as I read the first line of post #1, I knew what was coming....
In 1999 I heard of an auction with a huge amount of LGB for sale, somewhere on the south coast in Hampshire? I'll try and remember where...which will pin down the auctioneer. The sale was in a venue over the road from the auctioneers office if that helps anyone. I requested the catalogue, and was interested in a couple of items which I hoped I might be able to bid on and win. LGB even then could be expensive second hand.
So I drove down, and had a good look, being interested in mainly Europen outline, I didn't look at anything else. There were loads of EBT hoppers sold in batches of 4 or 8, with knuckle couplers, not ( then ) my cup of tea.
The auctioneer told me that the collection was from a deceased persons clearance, initially he went in his estate car to collect, but after 2 return journeys, he decided to rent a van.
Come the time for the auction, there was so much stuff to sell, and so few bidders, items were going for a song. A long red RhB coach which was around £160 new, would sell for £70 ish. And the same for the locos, some of which were bog standard, some of which were modified, including several 2045 locos like yours. I know, because I have one, which was running a couple of months ago. Mine had the couplers cut short, and cowcatchers fitted and in the same 'Peach Bottom Railway'. Think mine is 205
The strange twisted wire on the front is a multiple working jumper cable. I have since made a coupling extender and removed the additional wiring, and replaced the diodes for the directional light. The original owner may also have used a battery wagon, as I think the skates were missing from mine.
After the auction, I paid for my goods, which only just fitted into the car. As smaller stock was lotted in multiples of 4, I did swap some things in the carpark with another purchaser.

I know that one of these locos was bought by 'Wheels of Steel' who have a shop in central London. It was still for sale after a year or so, but then dissapeared from the shelves on a later visit.

Enjoy your purchase!

Malcolm
 
I think I can shed a bit of light on the modification of the lights. In doing some research in building the back story for my own Freedom Central, I have been digging deep into the annals of the railway history of Western New York State as well as Harrisburg-West in Pennsylvania. Peach Bottom was one of the many attempts to build a competing railway with the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) in the late 1880's and into the early 1900's.

Both "railway" and "railroad" were used by different lines: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peach_Bottom_Railway & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peach_Bottom_Railroad

I'd theorize that this proto-freelance Peach Bottom Railway eventually worked with the PRR, hence the use of a European locomotive that bears a passing similarity to one or two Pennsy jack-shaft juice-jacks.
 
Looking at the above two links, the East Broad Top was very close to the Peach Botom railway, which would explain the large number of EBT bogie coal wagons at the auction. Maybe there were other PBR reliveried items in the sale. There was also quite a bit of euro stock, multiple tankers, flat wagons, hoppers, RhB coaches, and a couple of the limited edition metal LGB locos. Much of this was mint boxed.

Ten years ago I had a ride on the EBT, and also on the nearby trolley ( tram ) museum. I would like to have stayed longer, but our schedule didn't allow for that.

Malcolm
 
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