Wow! $25 for that kit of castings, keyword is "castings" - this is not even a complete locomotive. That must have been a fortune back then (1946). Even if this was MSRP and the street price was 40% less, that is still expensive. According to the link below, an average month's rent in 1946 was $35 and the average annual income was $2600. And people say O scale is expensive today; however, in reality, they are practically giving away the O scale trains today .
https://www.afcea.org/content/...-states-1946-vs-2006
Scott K.