rattler21 posted:In September of 1940 my father bought a Lionel 2-6-2 #225(if an error, it is mine) along with the red baggage car, passenger car and observation car. He had two brothers in law, one of whom joined the US Navy during the war. When the USS Hornet was in 'Halsey's Typhoon' her flight deck was crinkled and she was in dry dock on the West coast for a few months. My uncle came home on leave - celebration time. We lived on the second floor of a two unit walk up apartment, the front oak stairs had three steps, then a 90 degree curve of steps, then several steps to another 90 degree curve of steps. The second floor landing was big enough for the stairs, the door to our apartment, the door to the second floor porch and about 10 feet of banister which was about 3 feet from and parallel to the inside of the front wall. With chairs and boxes at the level of the top of the banister, a 4x8 piece of plywood could hold a Lionel track oval which extended a few inches over the stairs. Two uncles, one father, a case of long neck Stroh's and a Lionel train set. During one 'operating session' the train left the tracks and plummeted about 11 feet to the second oak step from the first floor. The cow catcher got a small chip, the draw bar between the cab and tender was slightly bent, the tongue of the tender's box coupler snapped, the roof of the baggage car lost its spring which operated the roof clip. Other than that, the only damage was a depression in the oak step and as of ten years ago, it was still there when I walked through the building when it was For Sale. I ran the locomotive until I sold it to an LCCA member a few years ago. I changed the brushes in the early 1960s and Lionel put in new guts in 1975. I sold the passenger cars on an Internet auction site about twenty years ago. I doubt if today's engines and cars could survive such a fall.
John in Lansing, ILL
Incredible ruggedness and durability.
