Found an old 4.5 volt moc that needs to be fixed

[Legoboy22]

Hi everyone,

I have dug around in my parents bouse and i found a 4.5 volt train moc from when i was a young child. The only problem is that oneof the magneta is missing. Is there anywhere i canget a few more for cheap? I would really like to show it but some misc bricks are missing and i will have to put in new batteries . I would just like your advice on how to refurbish it properly never having done so my self. I am going to post pictures soon when i get everything fixed.

[engineer003]

When you say magnets, I am assuming that you mean coupler magnets. If that is true, I just purchased a few from a seller on bricklink for cheap and they worked just fine. I have 2 train sets from the early 80's when my son was a kid and have refurbished each. I also found the build instructions in .pdf format which was helpful in identifying the missing bricks and other parts. Do you know the set numbers?

[Legoboy22]

I have no idea because it is a moc. I remember my parents always encouraged me not to keep my sets together so i have lost any record of what trainit was. The moc has a yellow 4.5 volt motor with a black battery box and 3 normal 4.5 volt cars and one larger car

[zephyr1934]

If you had a black battery box (in particular one that does not have integrated wheels and sort of looks like a boxcar, e.g., this) then there is a chance you never had a train set. The yellow 4.5 v motor only came in universal builder sets. For some reason the last version of the stand alone 4.5 motor set came with train wheels in the US even though trains had not officially been available here for almost two decades by that point. If you did have a lego train in the US and it wasn't imported special for you by a relative or friend, then it was most likely 7720, which did see limited distribution in the US in the early 80's. This is just sketching out a likely history of your parts, of course if you never had 7720 but have a loop of gray track or remember playing with lego trains as a kid then you probably had something else, thumbing through the 4.5 v trains might turn it up.

In any event, the magnets from that era are expensive and the magnet holders are even more expensive (see inventory of 7720 and links from there). If period perfection is not critical, you might be able to update it cheaper with contemporary train magnets. In any event, you should be able to find any bit of lego you want at bricklink... but old/rare often have a high price.

[Rail Co]

Well the yellow motor ONLY came in 3 sets throughout any 4.5v era (1966-1989) and those sets were all universal building kits and as zephyr said it came in it's own small kit aswell.

744

http://www.bricklink...e?S=744-1#T=S={}

912

http://www.bricklink...e?S=912-1#T=S={}

404

http://www.bricklink...e?S=404-1#T=S={}

which all consist of a lot of yellow parts so I don't know if you can refurbish/put this se back together as there is nothing to build really. They all have a black battery box as well

but if you post pictures I may be able to help a little more.

Good Luck!

-RailCo

Edited July 2, 2016 by Rail Co

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

Are the magnets red & blue or black?

[Legoboy22]

They are red and blue. I also have a second battery box with a black 4.5 motor of the same design as the yellow one. I also have a very sizeable amount of blue track. There are also 3 other train cars with the same prebuilt base and one with a longer prebuilt base.

I am pretty sure I did have a train with the black 4.5 volt motor. Ps I found a 744 box with pieces probably dispersed everywhere in my Lego collection

I am pretty sure I did have a train with the black 4.5 volt motor. Ps I found a 744 box with pieces probably dispersed everywhere in my Lego collection

[Rail Co]

is the plug and socket 2 leads or is it 1 full connector in gray if that is the case that narrows it down to 2 sets but if not then that will be hard to track down.

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

Could be the lego set 171?

[Rail Co]

It would really help with pictures to be honest. Also if you find any sticker pieces or printed pieces this can be a huge indicator like a piece with "171" would immediately tell you the exact set so look out for those.

Please post some pictures if you can.

-RailCo

[Legoboy22]

Right now i can not post pictures because i am on holiday visiting my brother for 3 weeks so keep an eye out here. but i was looking at it before i left and concluded that i probably had 171 because there are alot of pieces that indicate it such as the 2 by 4s with holes in them and the 3 freight cars and the pieces in the coal hopper. I also have alot of black gate pieces and blue tracks. I also probably had 107 because of the black motor and very large diameter tires with no wheels and the same battery box

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

To search for the missing pieces you can participate to an ebay auction, using the words: lego train vintage.

Maybe this method is less expensive than bricklink

[Legoboy22]

Thx, I just looked and the prices are cheaper so I probably will do that