Last Sunday, I attended the Westchester Toy and Train Show in White Plains, New York, where I purchased a “near mint” 1955 Lionel 1615 0-4-0 steam switcher.
I have been buying only modern scale-sized locomotives since returning to O gauge railroading 21 years ago and building two layouts. Most of my engines and rolling-stock are by MTH, Atlas O, Weaver and Sunset – with only a couple of recent Lionel items. But reading the OGR Forum, Switcher Saturday, and memories of my childhood Lionel trains made me realize that something was missing. That is, a genuine locomotive made by the “original” Lionel Corporation (when it was run by JLC) in Hillside, New Jersey – with a label on the bottom saying “Made in U. S. of America – The Lionel Corporation, N. Y.”
Naturally, I would have liked something spectacular, such as a “mint” pre-war Hudson, but I was not prepared to spend the money that would require, so I began shopping for smaller, less expensive locomotives – such as a switcher. And since I’m particular, it had to be in exceptional condition.
The Lionel 1615 0-4-0 switcher that I came up with last weekend is shown below. One photo compares it, I think very favorably, with my modern MTH Premier 0-4-0 switcher. According to the seller, it had very little run time and had not been run for many years. It was stiff, so I rotated the drivers a bit before giving it a brief test run. I had intended to run whatever locomotive I bought, but his advice was not to do so. I like this little locomotive and it has replaced my beautiful Atlas O USRA 0-6-0 switcher on a siding on my layout. So, I would like the experts at Switcher Saturday to weigh in on whether or not to run it…
One more comment. I have noticed that the rods and drivers operate symmetrically – that is, they are not “quartered” but rather the left and right sides are phased together. Is that correct?
MELGAR
