On going goals:
STR is currently dedicated to providing all the Sales and Services necessary to keep each customer's QSI electronic systems in operating condition, and to enhance the operational experience when ever desired with upgrades developed since the original purchase.
Since 1979, STR has been providing mechanical and electronic hardware and services to enable customers to enhance their trains so as to upgrade tinplate products into their Hi Rail environments.
STR will publish on the website, evaluations of all new electronic products that affect current and past QSI products.
Purpose
STR was created for the purpose of offering products that made some of the available toy train offerings more realistic.
1979: Offered Upgrade kits for the first and second issue of Williams Aluminum Passenger Car Kits. These were mechanical improvements including fast angle wheels and better center roller contact, and a push for harder rollers. Andy Kriswallis was Jerry Williams' last straw to get it done.
1982: Offered Gamet Engineering's re-gearing of Lionel Locomotives. The goal was to get the toy train rocket speeds of upwards of 200 scale miles per hour down at least 30%, and in some cases down 60%. The conversion to more prototypical speeds moved the power curve down so that slower trains were unerringly moved.
On side geared steamers, an aluminum block was made and fitted with a bushing to replace the flat plate that held the armature on the non-brush end.
On diesels, one must look at the relative diameters of the brass side gears compared with standard production. Some had a new worn and spur gear. One had to look inside to find tat. A very few have both upgrades installed, making some Jeeps real crawlers.
Bob Immergluck terminated the regearing work for STR when he realized that all Lionel motors from the postwar period had sloppier manufacturing tolerances that were required by his precision gearing. All gear pins had to be pulled from the motor blocks, the holes filled, and the frame redrilled accurately which adding significantly to the labor of conversion.
You will occasionally find these converted locos as collections are sold, as they are prized performers.
Gamet Engineering also provided STR with being able to offer corrected single axle rubber tired wheel sets. At that time, Lionel had introduced rubber tires for improved traction, but put them 1 each on both axles of the powered trucks on the non geared wheel. Since they were on the same side of the truck, it produced a rotating torque which under the conditions of a heavy load caused the truck to rotate any time the truck hit a track with plastic rails, such as switches and crosstracks.
The other effect of having both tires on the same side also caused problems with non-derailing switches. If the lead rubber tired wheel was to ground the insulated rail, it may or may not work, depending upon which part of the wheel (rubber or metal) contacted the metal rail.
The conversion process put both rubber tires on one axle, which was placed in board, and the all metal wheelset was placed outboard. This enabled activation of the non-derailing feature every time, no matter which way the engine faced.
With Lionel locos, it required obtaining cast metal wheels, with and without gears and gloving half of each type.
Shifting the rubber tires around was easier with the early Williams diesels, as the wheels and gears were separate pieces on the same axle. A simple pressing them off and rearranging the pieces and pressing them back on solved the problem.
The only thing that wasn't solved was to rearrange the 6 wheel trucks center wheels to be blind, hereby eliminating the excessive overhang and sometimes fatal falling of the inboard end's blind wheels that occasionally slipped off the track on tight curves. Fortunately that flaw was corrected by other manufactures in later years.
1982: Started a relationship with QSI by suggesting to Fred Severson that he might be able to develop an electronic reverse unit.
1983: Offered custom painting of aluminum passenger cars painted in a more prototypical way.
Made arrangements with Tomar Industries, at that time located in San Jose, to make drumhead photos in a size that was half way between O and HO gauge. This size fit into the rear observation doors of the Williams and Lionel passenger cars.
A limited number of films and opaquely painted doors are still available. The light bars are no longer available. Grain o Wheat lamps are recommended instead.
1984: Started selling the first ACRU design.
1986: Involved in the developed of the DCA which was used in the first issue of the Williams Pacifics and Hudsons. This was shortly incorporated into the ACRU, creating the beginning of QSI's DCRU series.
QSI introduced an upgraded Williams Pacific with precision motor and flywheel, accurate working valve gearing, steel tires, ACRU with companion DCA, and much more that I don't remember, custom crafted to order by Vic's Hobby Shop, Portland, OR. Very rare.
This is where we learned how to prevent motor overeating which was the bain of William's first 3 brass loco offerings.
His instruction insert stated to run the loco no more than 15 minutes at a time and allow at least 15 minutes to cool before running again. The ACRU with DCA solved that problem and gave cool running for an indefinite length of time. The combining of these 2 pieces resulted in the patented DCRU.
1987: Offered Constant Voltage Lighting kits for passenger cars, with optional battery back up to prevent winking during power interruptions. The lights typically stayed on for 15 minutes or more after power shutdown.
1989 Created the Brass Club with Fred Severson. We were able to obtain
Williams 3-rail locos with the his 2 rail detailing for the 1989 and 1990
runs. The commonality for identifying is the leaf springs on the frame
behind each driver (all locos) and the driver brakes (after the GS-4).
Most tenders had an air brake piston. Most locos were of very limited
production. All were supplied with DCRUs, making them ready for the QSI
After Market Sound Systems. More than a few were ordered with the then new QSI Train control Sound System, QS1
The Brass Club introduced Pittman motors and precision flywheel upgrades for early Williams steamers and diesels.
This combination cut current consumption in half for the same power output and eliminated the vibration that was inherent in the unbalance flywheels and armatures of these locomotives, as well as cutting the current consumption in half for the same power applied to the wheels.
These upgrades started by STR are carried on today by Timko's Train Depot. See: STR Support Services: STR Service Centers
The Brass Club introduced a 2 filament Mars Light by QSI for the Williams GS-4, and the Williams Aluminum Observation cars.
A very limited number are still available by special order.
1990: STR introduced Walt Cotton's B-C diaphragms to the toy train world, by offering them on the then new K-Line heavyweights cars and on the Phoenix Railway's extruded aluminum passenger cars.
They fit the K-Line cars perfectly, presenting just enough compression when coupled that the last car did not jerk for and aft while traveling. All cars were snugly locked together. The metal contact plates allowed for easy slippage of the diaphragms faces over each other.
Ron White of Phoenix Railways, relocated his car's trucks so that the B-C Diaphragms would just touch when being pulled, eliminating the excessive gap that Lionel had built into their cars way back in the '50s.
Williams offered (with some encouragement, courtesy of Andy Edleman) his heavyweight cars with about the same reduced spacing.
STR offered an extensive custom upgrade to the Williams GS-4 brass loco to create a highly accurate rendering of the prototype. this included shot weighting the skirts to increase traction, not to mention making the skirts much stronger, replacing the wing decals with prototypically correct ones, and various paint additions to put the glamour back into an other wise stark loco, adding a bell, a Mars Light, drive wheel brakes, blow down tubes. One of items offering is still available, the brake shoe sets.
Started offering consulting services for QSI customers on
installations and on how to set up and adjust their sound systems to their personal preferences.
STR offered jeweled incandescent marker lights for all of the Williams steam locomotives. White and Green for the front, and Red and Green for the rear. A few marker light sets and a number of jewels are still available.
1993: STR offered a ball bearing modification for solid Lionel wheels, to reduce the standing and rolling friction of all aluminum passenger cars, enabling a locomotive to double or even triple its car pulling capacity. This also eliminated the wearing effect of the fast angle wheels in the aluminum side frames which eventually resulted in a gouge being worn enough in the side frames to allow the car to drop to the rails.
These offerings resulted in various manufactures dramatically and economically improving their products in the following years.
Bill Benson, owner of Right-of-Way, provided ball bearing wheels in his passenger cars that were so good that they would move with just a gentle push of a breeze.
Lionel solved it with Delron inserts that required a brush on the axle for grounding.
MTH solved it with bronze bushings in the side frames
1997: Became the authorized customer consultant for QSI 3 rail products, to add to the QSI support of sales, installation and trouble shooting.
2004: Became the QSI Service Station for all 3-rail products.
Started offering ProtoSounds1 upgrades for:
Note: QSI had started offering the QS2p upgrade in 1996, and the QS-3000 in 1999
2) 2nd coil coupler
3) Auto Battery Off in the 1994-95 production
2005: Developed the power supply enhancement solutions to memory scrambling of QSI 3-rail engine mounted products.
2008: High motor current operation
Two latent discoveries prompted the offering of these 2 upgrades on a wide scale.
2010: Yet to be determined.
With profound respect and gratefulness for the hobby,
Art Boynton, President, STR, LLC.
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