Yes the post title was meant as a come on. The new Lionel legacy consolidation was numbered 701 as delivered.
Lionel's newly released consolidation is a Southern Pacific engine, but it does make a decent stand in for the C&O proper G7 class 893, (not ex Hocking Valley) 701.
C&O rebuilt many of their G7s changing cylinders and valve gear to outside amongst other things. But at least 2, the 893 and 894 retained their canted cylinders and inside valve gear until retirement and scrapping.
see C&OHS Archives (cohs.org) and search for 893 and there are several pictures. These engines were assigned to the Dillwyn (Va,) branch based at Gladstone and running to Bremo and Dillwyn.
Lionel numbered their release as the 701 which is preserved in Clifton Forge Va and famous for powering the Hot Springs mixed (to the Homestead resort) in Hot Springs Va for many years. The 701 is a larger engine and while I know why the release was numbered what is was the differences were more than I could take so I did something about it. I had planned on this since ordering.
I removed the numbers and renumbered as 893 with Microscale decals, blanked off the front cab windows, changed the headlight (and LED) to a visored version mounted slightly above center per the prototype, added a low water alarm form a Ps4 parts shell, changed the air compressor as Lionel left the intake filter off and finally changed the running board to add a walk over for the air compressor.
It's not perfect, knew it never would be. But it now is a pretty fair representation of a true C&O engine as it existed until retired and scrapped in the late fifties.
Gray Lackey
