bigindoortrains.com

It's a little dirty, and the roof is scuffed up, but otherwise in decent shape. Love that little brass knob on the door...Lionel dropped that on their version and went with a pressed indentation, not nearly as nice.

Paul

Lionel 1664 with 1689T tender:



Same boiler as the 224, 229, and 1666, with a 2-4-2 wheel arrangement. Manufactured 1938-1942. This locomotive tends to be a bit top-heavy and unstable. It usually came in sets with the Lionel-Ives style O-27 freight cars (1677, 1679, 1680 and 1682).

Paul

Lionel 249 from 1936-37, here mated with a 2225T tender (should be a 265T): Another great runner.

Paul

Nice. I like the retention of the valve gear on a less-than-first-tier engine.

Not sure if I should post this here or on the MTH thread...a Lionel Corp (MTH) 254E:



Finding a nice, original 254E is tough. I looked for a long time...saw a deal on an LC set headed by a traditional (non-Protosound) 254E and jumped on it. The locomotive ran poorly when I first got it, but after an extended run-in period it has begun to run nicely. It can comfortably pull a half-dozen 800/2800-series freight cars.

Paul

I almost bought a basket case 254E on eBay once with the idea of restoring it, but someone jumped the bid way up at the last minute. Probably someone who knew what to do with the thing, so he probably saved me some frustration.

The 256 was top of the line for O-gauge electrics in the prewar period, but the 254/254E/4U was right up there. That said, they seemed to have taken a dreadful beating in their youth. You can easily find a nice 248 or 252 in decent shape...maybe because they made a bzillion of them so more decent ones have survivied. You can find a decent 254 at York if you look long enough, but they go for a premium price. This one will have to do for me until I can find an original that's not off-the-charts price-wise.

Paul

I love it all!

Another pic of the LC 254E blasting out of the Lionel 305 bridge with a drag of original Lionel 800-series freights:



Paul

Great shot, Paul. May I borrow it for a title page?
- Paul