I'm doing some research on early Lionel whistles to help someone who has one with "decayed metal" in a 392 tender. A few questions.
Were all Lionel prewar whistles the same mechanism ? The one in my 1936 Flying Yankee looks the same as a postwar whistle except for placement of the mounting holes.
From my reference sources, I think the first Lionel tender whistles were in 1935, an excellent design with a long life.
In a current eBay listing for a 392W, I see reference to "correct banjo whistle...wrapped in paper..." What is that ?
I'm hoping that fellow with the faulty whistle will come to the 4/28 New England TCA meet. We're going to have a repair clinic and ainvite everyone to bring their tinplate (and newer die cast) repair problems to us - Lionel, AF, Marx and other.
