Dashster posted:Lionel put steps on about 1/3 to 1/2 of the 2555s in sets 2101, and 2103, made in 1946. Ditto for steps on the 2458 automobile car. Those were early sets with flying shoe couplers, which I study at length. I have no idea about those same cars in later sets.
I'm interested in your comments on flying shoe couplers. I repaired and sold the 1945 set about four years ago. In the eBay listing, I was able to say that each car had one working flying shoe coupler. Even that was a challenge. I had to buy two other cars to get enough working flying shoes.
I ahd thought that the flying shoe was used only on that 1945 set. From what you say, they were still being sold on cars in 1946. I'm curious as to how much of 1946 production had flying shoes. Do you have any idea of what portion of the 1946 fleet had flying shoes. Was it like 10 percent, a qurter or a third or.... ?
I'm interested in questions like this because I'm trying to define what should be included in a collection that is representative of what we might have seen in visiting a layout typical of the late 40's. Note that using my definition of a complete collection, unusual or rare variations are excleuded.
