Hi, I picked up a lionel 224 engine. It has dark handrails and the black paint on the engine seems kind of odd colored. It's black, but a weird black, if that makes sense. Were some of these made this way? The unit looks old and original, nothing fresh at all.
Just wondering.
Thanks,
Matt
Replies sorted oldest to newest
From what i recall, the #224's were either painted a dull black, from 1939 on, or, in 1938, came with a shiney metalic grey. 90% of the 1938, grey engines had a sheet metal, box type tender. A few came with the die cast tender and are rather sought after and probably worth more.
Any other colors or shades of color were probably repaints.
Paul Fischer
The #224 engine w/ blackened handrails was only made for 1 year in 1945.
The tender was a 2466w also w/ blackened handrails!
As for the black color, who knows!
Does it have a squared-off cab floor and a long drawbar?
Those are the 1945 models.
As for the black paint, we're out of guesses. When the factory went back to producing trains, apparently they used whatever was at hand in those first few weeks until they could resupply. If you have a 1945 model, it may have been painted with whatever black was left from their war work.
In addition to what's been said already, the drawbar does not have a hook. It has a crescent shaped end that fits the slot on the tender referenced previously.
There was a Greenberg article years ago on this locomotive and the rest of the set since it was LIONEL' first postwar set. The tender and cars used a sliding shoe electrocoupler.
Thanks for the input. It does have the longer drawbar with the crescent shaped hook. The paint is well described above as "dull". More so than I have seen on other locos. All this is just out of curiosity. I found I have a few 224's so am thinking of selling this one. The others are the newer version with silver trim etc.
Thanks,
Matt
Just curious: Do you have the matching tender, which has no drawbar, and an oval hole in the frame to accept the engine's drawbar?
If so, what sort of trucks / wheels does it have?
There are a number of variations especially with the wheels.
pics would be nice
By the way, I've owned several 1945 224 locomotives. I never noticed anything unusual about the black paint on the locomotive.
Just curious: Do you have the matching tender, which has no drawbar, and an oval hole in the frame to accept the engine's drawbar? Yes.
If so, what sort of trucks / wheels does it have? Same side frames and wheels as the 6466W.
There are a number of variations especially with the wheels.
C.W., I don't know anything about variations with the wheels or anything else for that matter. I recall reading the article in the Greenberg book about LIONEL's first postwar set and realizing, primarily based on the blackened handrails and coupler, that the set my next door neighbor had given me was the set described in Greenberg piece.
Access to this requires an OGR Forum Supporting Membership
