TRAIN WRECK | Can this DESTROYED Visionline Train be Restored?!?!

[@RetroMikado]

"HAMMOND YOU IDIOT, you've destroyed the Visionline Challenger!" So satisfying seeing you bring something like this back from the brink. Awesome job dude!

[@SidsTrains]

😂😂😂 Thanks John!!!

[@mikeyanello3664]

Good video Sid

[@MatthewTheRBXMan]

You’ve done a marvelous job restoring this Beast back to her former glory

[@herbertplaire6599]

You have done a beautiful job restoring her to her former Glory, Great job 👏 👍

[@michaelstrains4014]

The red paint on the locomotive does have some sort of resemblance to real life, as Challenger 3985 had a few details picked out in red for a short time on the lubricators, valves, and the latches for the front access doors on the pilot. But that was it, and it actually looked good. Unlike whatever this previous owner was trying to do. Always love watching folks bring dilapidated models back to life.

[@varrunningtrains4112]

Very nice job! I’m an ho scale guy but whenever I see a vision line engine run with the sounds and smoke it feels really tempting to convert!

[@trainwild]

Nice work restoring this beautiful engine Sid. Well done my friend! 😀

[@railchief74]

I bought a bunch of crappy engines over the years that needed replacing. You not alone in that argument man. Me and my dad will be going on Friday the 21st, hope to see some of you guys at the orange hall this year

[@funwithtrainscomputersands2654]

Amazing you found all the parts, including the drop plate and hinges..

[@scpvrr]

To me the “red” is no worse than graffiti or weathering done on nearly any rolling stock. I can’t comprehend it, and don’t like it, BUT in this hobby, we firmly believe in “to each his/her own”.

[@JohnHuntt]

thanks for the happy ending and show what you had to do. Nice to see it in all its glory and what it shows look like.

[@texaseagletrains]

Great job Sid! Really glad you were able to restore that Challenger to her awesome glory! -Ricky

[@realtoytrains]

Dude you literally saved a steam engine from the scraping torch!! Great work Sid.

[@SidsTrains]

Thanks Brian!!!

[@otakurailfan]

That is crazy, imagine spending all that money on a visionline then utterly destroying it!!! Glad it got in your hands and it's in better then new condition. Also...REDDDDDDDD

[@SidsTrains]

Reddddd!!! Yeah it makes no sense for such an expensive model.

[@katherinemorey6517]

I agree with all of this except for the red. I LOVE red! Even on a black engine I do it to my wooden railroad toy train engine even if it is as nice as the locomotives you have on your layout. I already have. Cory Mears

[@katherinemorey6517]

@@SidsTrains In many cases, if they covered silver with black I would think BLAAAAAAAACK!!!!👎I am not a fan of that color. Cory Mears

[@otakurailfan]

@@katherinemorey6517 Red does work on a locomotive don't get me wrong (same goes for blue, like R&N 425) but In this specific case it being a challenger, red doesn't really belong on it, makes it look toyish.

[@catgirltransit]

I follow you on Twitter lol

[@WIPEOUT_Trains]

Holy cow it looks like a horrible nightmare! Thankfully, it’s in the great hands of Sid!

[@marinebulldog739]

Great job at restoring this beauty job well done

[@johnmessina9721]

Just curious if you knew the condition of the engine before you bought it?

[@SidsTrains]

Yes I did

[@joegabuzda976]

Sid, you are a genius in train repair. All those wires scare the hell out of this old guy hahaha. Glad U R around

[@bearowen5480]

Nice job, Sid! See you at the York Meet and Greet on the 22nd.

[@joegennari395]

Fantastic!!! Great job, thanks for sharing!!!

[@murraykallen7388]

Loved your video!

[@ozarkmidlandsouthernrailway]

Wonderful job, Sid! Your restored Challenger looks beautiful! It has finally found a good home. Bill B.

[@12rwuewewu]

Great Job Sid! Impressive!

[@SidsTrains]

Thanks Scott!!!

[@Shipwright1918]

"More money than sense" springs to mind. At least in the end it could be restored, there are some parts Lionel just doesn't stock anymore for their modern engines.

[@thavvolf9157]

Kinda looks like someone wanted an allegheny with PRR Livery

[@danielhemple8649]

Nice job look for you Friday

[@williamkolina3988]

I don't understand.all my high end engines are treated like new born infant.visionline is not the place to experiment.

[@TomzTrainzandAccessories]

Outstanding Sid!! I’m very impressed. You did a great job on this. The sounds of this locomotive are robust and amazing. Watching your videos, and seeing other KZbinrs talking about your restoration work, I’m probably going to touch base with you on a couple of things I need help with.

[@Cyberjjc]

I think you should make a whole playlist of restorations and tips. Right now, my delima is trying to figure out how to make the best power draw on my 4x8 layout and eventually my 5x10.

[@RaysTrains]

Hope to see you at York sid!

[@SidsTrains]

I will be there!!! See you at the show Ray!!!

[@GoldStandardTrains]

Nice work Sid. Id hate to know what you think of my VL Challenger and VL big boy after the things I've done to them. I didn't go red crazy on mine, but I dd add some red to valve handles that I noticed were hidden and I painted the wood decks on the tender wood tones. My VL Big boy I also added White walls to match the existing 4017.

[@SidsTrains]

I have nothing wrong with customization. I personally just like them done with a little bit of taste and possibly some realism. Red on every nut and bolt isn't realistic nor tasteful in my honest opinion. At the end of the day people may do what they want with their models, but for me personally I don't like seeing them destroyed.

[@mattstrainroom]

What a great job, Sid! I'm a believer in the thought of "if you own it, you can do whatever you want to it" even if that does seem like some choices owners make are insane....I can't imagine what this thing went thought. I've added a few minor paint touch ups to my engines, a select few only and minor ones at that, like painting a bell gold when it was painted in the stock colors. I also have a few that I've put a drop of paint on the front coupler so I know what is the front (like on a GG1 or a subway car). I've seen some pretty beat up trains in this hobby but this is a whole new level. Always nice to see someone put in some quality work. As I've said to my soon to by retired train store owner, I don't care where I can buy them, I care about someone competent and reliable to fix them! Great video!

[@RonnyTheEngineer]

Hi Sid's Trains, my name is RonnyTheEngineer. I have a question for you. I have a Lionel Lionmaster Challenger #3983 4-6-6-4 Union Pacific. I got the body shell for Christmas and I don't know how to get all the parts I need to get it up and running but I don't know how to do it. I could not afford a brand new one, because I can't spend that much and it was the cheapest thing I could find. I only ask because I am autistic.

[@RonnyTheEngineer]

Not only that, I can't even afford a vision line Challenger #3985.

[@PainesvilleRailfans]

Classic chop shop. I can see painting red the handles on the water hatches, but not the bunker where the volume control is, stirrups etc. As for the drawbar and electronics. That seems to be a nightmare.

[@jimmelchin1531]

Looks amazing Sid...if anybody could do this restoration, it would be you. Top shelf work ! 👍

[@SidsTrains]

Thanks Jim!!!

[@muir8009]

Looks good now, but in saying that you did rather fortuitously luck into a modded high end loco that didn't need much to get it back to a state that you wanted it and it wouldn't have cost nearly anything like a clean example would've cost so really you should be thanking the previous owner for the mild modifications done so that you could benefit quite nicely. Worked out well for everyone: the previous owner got what they wanted because they don't answer to anyone regarding their own locos, and you got what you wanted for a decent outlay that with a bit of elbow grease works for you. For me the big wrong is the amount of people here saying it was nearly a write off and nearly destroyed which is utter rot. People here are commenting that the previous owner shouldn't be allowed into trains: why? Because they're not allowed to do what they want to something they own? Since when should anyone feel they have the right to dictate what others should want to do. It's not whomever made the mods to the loco that's the idiot; it's the commentators here that are way over judgemental and can't bear the thought that it's a personal hobby. You did an amazing job cleaning it up

[@rabbitstrainroom6327]

Not sure why anyone would do that to that or any visionline engine. At least ya saved her.

[@joegennari395]

HAPPY EASTER!!!

[@darkkennight]

Hi Sid I to starts learning to fix and mod my trains were would be a good video or place to start learn how to do that.

[@huntercoleman460]

Amazing work Sid.

[@vipershockvipershock3387]

I really want to upgrade my Lionel MPC Hudson with TMCC and a fan driven smoke unit so it can be more like that. Do you have any tips or resources on where to start?

[@northpennvalleysteamrailroad]

Amazing video Sid!!

[@bobconrad5632]

Beautiful job! You did a great job on the restoration.

[@therosejewelrailroad489]

I was amazed at the way that locomotive was butchered. Did you acquire this from the original owner?

[@pjasyl]

SHOCKED AT THE VERY LEAST damage done to this engine, ESPECIALLY to this VERY EXPENCICE engine to begin with!!

[@henryszubielski8601]

You did a fantastic job Sid! Enjoy it.😊

[@davejohnson7678]

The Challenger Whistle is cool, it challenges BB's whistle! Nice work on the restore, maybe the person that did all the damage was just trying to make it into a Frankenstein.

[@richseverino3054]

Sid ,your the man great job!!

[@everettreacts4366]

Beautiful work

[@doctordeath.5716]

Whoever had that fishing line Challenger totally butchered it hopefully you can get another drop plate on it that's going to take a lot of work

[@ChrisHiblerPinball]

Well done. If you really want to get into things that folks can really mess up, start working on pinball machines. I’m interested in the electronics. A tour of the guts of this engine would be interesting. How many boards? What do they do? Etc. BTW-I had to chuckle. After the red-rant, I noticed that your water tower is red. Needs to be black. LoL. :-)

[@philliprowe2656]

All he would have to do is shut down the smoke units,no need to remove them and trash the smoke control board.

[@larrygreineder7114]

Where do you buy your electronics? I have a MTH Proto 1 and would like to upgrade it. Thanks, Larry

[@Jokers_Trains]

Great video Sid. Fantastic work on fixing this. Kinda seems like it came for some guy on long island 😂. Im happy my challenger is not trashed like this one was.

[@davidjohnson4918]

Great Work Sid

[@SidsTrains]

Thanks David!!!

[@KandRCustomModels]

You can fix anything!

[@Calebro4]

I have the Rio grande model. It didn’t come with smoke deflectors. Do you know if I could install them myself if I bought some?

[@SidsTrains]

If it didn't come with them from the factory holes would need to be drilled.

[@hessxpress3016]

RBP trains would be proud. i think hes local to york also

[@mikesamericanflyertrains]

Wow! What an awesome restoration Sid! Can you share how long it took for you to complete the work once you got started? You must have an extraordinary amount of patience in addition to incredible skills.

[@johnh.toytrainfanatic5300]

that is truly sad to see such a high end , very desired model destroyed in the hands of irresponsible owners . Amazing work getting it back to factory condition

[@lifewithroscoe6513]

It has a good home now.

[@tomrogers5516]

A very impressive job well done, Sid! Can't begin to understand what the previous owner was trying to accomplish with all those 'modifications'. You've been able to right all those wrongs very nicely. The whistle has a very awesome tone to it, really deep and powerful and the exterior restoration looks magnificent! Thanks for the experience of seeing this great model in full bloom once again.

[@SidsTrains]

Thanks Tom!!! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@chuckhunter328]

O the humanity😮

[@MattyCtrains]

I dont think anyone can understand how people neglect and abuse such a hi end outstanding model, glad you were able to prevent it from being lost to history! REEEEEEEEEDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!

[@keithbeadling3847]

Do you repair engines for other people?? I have a Big Boy that my grandson droped. It slipped out of his hands. It was in the box. The thing is it went down the basement stairs. Nothing works, do you think you can help this engine?? Would know about how much it would cost to rebuild this. Thank you for your time

[@HarvesterE]

I can imagine the painting end was a kid telling their parent where and what to paint the fitting is just…that person isn’t human

[@joeystrains.9316]

Red! Red!😊😊

[@frankierailfan4014]

I almost had a stroke when I discovered I burnt the batting in the smoke unit on my only locomotive, how could someone be so careless on something like a visionline locomotive

[@anfieldroadlayoutintheloft5204]

good vid

[@odice2589]

I have a jlc big boy I need some work done on how do I get in touch with you?

[@PrinzEugen176]

It looks like, with all the red paint, they were, attempting, big attempting, to recreate the red accenting that UP applied to some of 3985's valves and latches to mimic the looks, just poorly

[@VintageRenewed]

I wouldn’t do it to a vision line engine But at some point I do want to see if there is a way to take a modern o gauge engine and convert it to have a postwar motor and e unit

[@wolf_among_sheep7875]

Awesome Job Sid! Are the elephants ears clipped on or does the Challenger have to have predrilled holes to install them? I would love to add them to my VL Challenger.

[@herbertplaire6599]

Are you looking to sell her?

[@greenbeacon394]

I feel your pain Sid, this has been a thing in our hobby for decades, People making changes and modifications only to make the model worse or outright destroy it

[@string1235]

The person who owned this clearly was like filthy spoiled rich. It to them is probably like a postwar Hudson to us

[@ironhorsehistorian9871]

Not an O scale modeler but I wouldn’t dare do what the original owner did to their challenger to any of my N scale locomotives, my Big Boy especially. It’s way too valuable and awesome to me, especially it’s idling noises. I swear you must have a magic touch or something being able to fix all these engines.

[@curtishoman7867]

Unbelievable. Not only that someone would do all that but YOU were able to bring it back to the original state. Kudos to you. You are a true model train enthusiast and a top notch tech. Congratulations.

[@coreymitchell3900]

This is random but do any British locos exists for Lionel or at least able to run on the same track like ho and oo can

[@RailRide]

Lionel made a _Hogwarts Express_ set, and later released the same set in a different paint scheme. However, the Mk 1 coaches are undersize. MTH made a scale-proportioned/detailed _Princess Coronation_ locomotive with scale BR coaches in both 2 and 3-rail. They're quite hard to find nowadays, and the tooling was sold to the EU-based company that distributed MTH's European trains in that territory (their name escapes me right now. I do know they have stated they have no intention of resurrecting the 3-rail versions).

[@michaelmejia3822]

How did you acquire this? You did a fine job. Don’t assume it was a teen that decided to make it their own. I like “Stock” myself.

[@LoneStarRails]

Wow, according the lionel product line it is $1999.99! Why would anyone buy a black Rolls Royce then spray can paint the door handles, the trim, the hubcaps, and the bumpers with red. Then tear out the dash and wires to remove the radio instead of turning it off cause you don't want to listen to it.

[@MatthewTheRBXMan]

It sucks I have the same road number

[@ChargerusPrime]

Um.. actually, if im not mistaken, tiny red parts are all over various parts of the running gear and around the engine. On the tender, not so much obviously but yeah no, on the locomotive there are varios red knobs and valves everywhere.

[@OddHunter5504]

I will never understand why some people decides to “modify” O gauge stuff. OO/HO stuff is expensive and stresses me out enough when i have to fix it, O gauge mods would probably give me an aneurysm

[@rystrains.6405]

i lost so many brain cells on why person would destroy a really expensive engine

[@daivdwalker2374]

Whoever did that specially to a Challenger shouldn't even be a Train owner

[@lorrainedimmock4096]

Yeah a good restoration, there are a great deal of electronics inside , compared to the British outline models....but don't like the 3 rail pick ups ... Hornby Double o did this in the 50s and dropped it, in favour of the modern 2 rail system we have today.....

[@betsy662]

You missed taking the red paint off of the airhose on the pilot! otherwise, you did do a great job on it, a little light weathering would make it look more realistic however!

[@Sams_Trains]

"RED!!! REDDD!! AHHHHH"

[@SidsTrains]

The drama is real 😂😂

[@Ian-qs3fz]

well I don’t agree with what the guy did to it with all that red paint I can kind of understand why he would I’m the kind of person who likes to personalize my engines and make them have distinguishing features that make it obvious that they’re mine but I would never do it to a locomotive this expensive but it looks really good you did a great job, man

[@buecomet831]

Why would someone destroy an expensive engine ?

[@LS_trains]

Cuz they got a tiny brain

[@James-Railyard]

You should’ve seen the HO scale PCM Reading T1 when I got it. The engine and tender were gutted of OEM electrical items. The boiler weight was gone and replaced with a 15mm socket, A 15MM SOCKET! Headlight was a 3mm led just floating in free space and the taillight was the same but glued into the shell. The previous owner obviously had no idea that the engine was already DCC ready and just said screw it. I got parts from a local shop and it was mostly a new locomotive. So rebuild wen through and I made a $150 model into a $350-$400 model.

[@buecomet831]

@@James-Railyard yikes

[@ThebigEngineer1801]

It’s probably gonna get a dish destroyed in a different way. I would’ve suggesting it. I would’ve suggestion, throwing it up against a wall.

[@dennis2494]

I wonder if a young teen or a pre-teen received that engine as a gift and just didn't appreciate the beauty and the cost of what he had so he tried troubleshooting the engine and adding his custom paint job to it. Your restoration came out great and you were very fortunate that Lionel was able to supply you with the correct parts that you needed. After all that work I'm sure that's an engine that you will hold on to and enjoy for many years to come.

[@SidsTrains]

I sure will enjoy it!!!

[@frankiecrocker]

Unless this locomotive was a poorly conceived gift to a adolescent, I can't understand why anyone would abuse and neglect it to such an extent.

[@shermanhorn3069]

Not sure why anybody would destroy that nice engine. You did a good job restoring it.

[@caboosech]

I think I'm going to get sick

[@walteranderson5090]

Wow You were literally handed a basket case. How anyone could trash such a fine model.....🤯 Great work on the restoration. I particularly like the blow down and dynamo smoke effects. I have a Challenger also😊, they are fantastic engines. Thanks for doing a great job.

[@royd.mercer1727]

Now, postwar engines need a drop of oil here and there...I guess these chinese engines only need oil on the PCBs. 🤣 The only thing you didn't do to it was install a pullmor motor. I'm disappointed. 😁

[@ThebigEngineer1801]

Poor steam engine

[@davidfortney2970]

Amazing work Sid, why someone would do that to a very expensive eengine is beyond me.