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TheRWBYRailfan posted:

It aint much, but these are my little pieces of Postwar Paradise.

I first got into Postwar Lionel when I volunteered at a train show (needed hours for school) in San Antonio in 2016? I think. I met a guy selling postwar and I helped sell some stuff to local patrons including a Bucyrus Erie, a scout starter set and a few other things. At the end of the day I got my first Postwar from him, a 1949 6465 Tank car along with the original box. The next two PWs were eBay purchases, a 6468-1 B&O Double-Door and a 6356 NYC Stock car. My next purchase would not happen until April of 2018, when my family and I traveled to Vegas for Spring Break. I managed to visit a train store (shoutout to Westside Trains Las Vegas if ya'll are here!) and leave with a 681/2046 PRR and a 6357 Lighted SP Caboose. The train runs well and the light in the caboose shines bright as ever! My next purchase were also ebay, fall 2018; a Gray Lehigh Valley 6456 with a crack in the shell. The last one would be the grandest purchase yet, a B&M 6464. This was bought off ebay in January I think.

I've stopped collecting Lionel for a bit because the ever-so-apparent problem of space is now making an occurrence. That, and now im looking into HO Trains as well. However, with the holidays around the corner I will be prepping my O-Gauge stuff for the layout under my bed and eventually under the tree.

I also have a few PW-Celebration and PW inspired cars. I have two 6464 stand-ins (A Central of Georgia Boxcar with a box labeled Southern for some reason and the MPC #9420 B&O Sentinel boxcar), the PWC #6561 Flatcar W/ Cables, a 1990's "2460" Bucyrus-Erie Crane Car and the four Great Lakes Express Passenger 027 coaches. Every now and then I also toss in one of my #84722 N&W Hoppers as a stand-in for the coal-dumping N&W hopper.

I myself don't have a layout, nor will I for quite some time. However, when I rest my head on the living room floor and watch the little 681 whiz by it takes me to my own little paradise. One where the problems of life are non-existent and I am at the controls of one of the greatest models to have ever been made.

So true.  For me the post-war simplicity is so relaxing.  As a carpenter, I am and always was a stickler for detail and preciseness.  The simplicity of post-war Lionel trains takes me into my own little world.  Away from the stress of dealing with clients and $$$$$

Dan Padova posted:

So true.  For me the post-war simplicity is so relaxing.  As a carpenter, I am and always was a stickler for detail and preciseness.  The simplicity of post-war Lionel trains takes me into my own little world.  Away from the stress of dealing with clients and $$$$$

Personally I kinda am a stickler for both details and simplicity. I like the traditional line because it allows me to transport myself to the fantasy world of Lionelville USA but the stickler for details because one day that little bar saying "BUILT BY LIONEL/SKU NUMBER" will eventually become too bothersome for me.

                                                                                                                                                                       Around 30 years ago while I was assigned to a location just outside Philly, I encountered a 2344C NYC "B" unit at a hobby shop for a very cheap price.  Knowing that the B is more rare than the A units I picked it up with the expectation that I would eventually buy the AA to go with it.  Well, life intervenes as we all know and that never happened but I carried that B around through 8 or 9 more moves and just this October, for my birthday, my wife bought me the matching AA units.  They run like champs and pull like mad.  They are the 1950 ish vintage 2344's  with the "chicken wire" vents which just happened (circumstance) to match my B that I have been moving around the country for 30 years.  So that I my piece of Postwar Paradise today.

Don

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  • mceclip0: 2344 A B A Consist with small pw passenger cars

Tncentrr and Don, thanks for the compliments.  I paid for it with some money from various part time jobs (most of the money was earmarked for college). Among the odd jobs that helped pay for the layout was baby sitting.  As you might expect, as a guy, the only kids I got were the ones no one else would deal with. 

  When I set up the trains one of the things I did was invite my charges (and their parents) over for a train running/watching session.  Time and again the parents would come in with their kid and stare down into the rec room in shocked amazement. In spite of my charges less-than-desirable home behavior, most of the time they were well behaved and both they and their parents had a good time.  There were, of course, exceptions.

  In 1967 I remember one woman in particular whose son was an absolute ****-on-wheels with respect to lack of good behavior and this lack extended well beyond the confines of the family home.  She came over with her son and rang the doorbell. I answered and ushered them into our house and we headed for the stairs.  From the top of the steps (the vantage point of the picture) his mother caught sight of this layout, yanked her son backwards, wrapped both arms firmly around his torso so he couldn't take another step, refused to go any further than the top of the stairs and, in a very loud voice repeated over and over, "How much does it cost? How much does it cost?"  Needless to say the running session was rather brief.

There were some recent posts on another thread about the mechanical superiority of the Lionel Postwar 2025 and 2035 steamers. Unfortunately, after initially seeing these posts yesterday, I was unable to find them so I decided to return to this thread to share these locomotives in action.

I will start with the 2025. Since it has no Magnetraction, it was probably made in the late 1940s, and I never thought much of it because it is not a great puller due to the absence of Magnetraction. However, as someone else recently mentioned, it runs like a Swiss watch, is mechanically outstanding, and reeks of quality:

Next is the 2035, which has Magnetraction, is a better puller because of that, and was probably made in the early 1950s:

Both the 2025 and 2035 are peppy little engines.

I love Postwar Lionel of the late 1940s and the early and mid 1950s, much more than the late 1950s and the 1960s. Arnold

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Here’s two of my postwar engines. 2035 was my late fathers train that was handed down to me many years ago. Excellent engine that has never let me down and is a great puller. (Currently has a missing classification light on the boiler) Recently just added a 2026 earlier version with the side rails. I think both engines look great together. Considering getting a prewar 2224w tender with all the added rails to compliment the engine railing.

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Richizzle07   Great pictures and video.  Hey maybe put that Pennsylvania tender behind the 2026 and the slope back behind the 1060?  I think the 1060 came with a slope back originally (at least that is what mine has).

Don

Thanks Don! You’re correct. I was just mix matching them for the past 2 weeks. My 6466wx tender that came with the 2026 is having issues at the moment. The Pennsylvania tender came from a 8020 but that’s also not running. Apparently I’m realizing I have a repair list to tackle. 😂

@Leroof posted:

i have to find some decent heaters for the concrete refrigerator I call my basement. It's starting to get cold up here in Maine. What I may do is move the three tables upstairs for winter this time around. I may never go back to the dungeon! Lol. I do store the trains upstairs where it's a normal temperature.

Leroof,  I've been watching a show called Holmes on Homes on TV and they use a lite glue I think to attach 4x8 sheets of interlocking foam to basement walls and floors.  Then they attach interlocking sheets of plywood and attach it to the concrete with anchor screws.  It makes sort if a beer cooler.  You lose 1.5 to 2 inches depending on the material thicknesses you choose.   Then your normal flooring is installed on the plywood like the rest of the house.

Do people do that up in Maine to insulate their basements better?

I'm building a shed with a slab floor for a trainroom/storage room in the Midwest and I'm thinking of doing that to isolate the cold floor influence during the winter there.  Not as cold as Maine for sure. but im wanting to get every advantage I can thermally.

Actually, this may be Pre-War Paradise:

20221018_103143

I love, love, love this Lionel #115 City Station. This one has the 2 sconces at the front entrance as shown above, and the automatic stop, start feature,  which is so cool.

I have another 115 Lionel City Station without the sconces and the automatic stop, start feature:

20221013_100445

This one does have an interior light.

I plan to keep them both on my layout. Arnold

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Last edited by Arnold D. Cribari

Arnold in case you didn't know your second "115" station without the sconces and stop/start feature was actually made that way by Lionel.  It is a 112 station, offered between 1931-1934.  It looks almost exactly like the 115 but without those features you mentioned.  The 2025 does not have magnetraction but if the motor sides are non magnetic aluminum and not black it dates from 1947-1949

Don

Arnold in case you didn't know your second "115" station without the sconces and stop/start feature was actually made that way by Lionel.  It is a 112 station, offered between 1931-1934.  It looks almost exactly like the 115 but without those features you mentioned.  The 2025 does not have magnetraction but if the motor sides are non magnetic aluminum and not black it dates from 1947-1949

Don

Don, did you mean to say the 115 station with the sconces and automatic stop start feature dates from 1947-1949?

@Leroof posted:

Arnold, I won’t be at YORK (committed to scheduled work, so much for retirement!)

but I have postwar paradise fever! Guess I will run my 2321-1 which should be here end of week! It only took me five plus decades to own and run a FM train master!
celebrating in postwar paradise anyway.

great thread continues!

Good to here from you, Leroof. Will take photos at York and send them your way.

Arnold to clear up an earlier post and my poor communication skills:

112 station - no stop/start and no sconces 1931-1934

115 station - dual sconces and stop/start feature 1935-1942 Note building same as 112.

2025 locomotive  1947-49, 1952  Note '52 version has black side plates on motor others are aluminum colored.  Changes from

'47-49 can possibly be traced from the number / color of the keystone on the boiler front.  If you post the configuration of the keystone, I can try to find that information for you.

Sorry for any confusion:

Don

@Leroof posted:

Fendermain! Hey buddy. I Will post my FM! Gonna have to clean, lube and whatever comes my way.
That is a nice video of the three switchers I love the most!
layout Expansion did you say? Exciting! Is you plan a secret surprise? We will all be waiting for the inaugural run.

all my best…

Leroof my friend,

I’m sure you will have that FM running in top form.

The expansion will provide some switching activities that have been lacking to date.  It is in a skeletal form currently and not presentable.  This will probably take several months to complete, but that’s ok. Presently working on a small backdrop…. “happy trees” and such!

Later…

Last edited by Fendermain

My bud Fendermain! Looking forward to your layout expansion process. Switching in 3 rail Postwar paradise  never really worked out well.
In my remake of my old layout, I eliminated the fourth original table (pictured) with all the sidings and accessories. Kind of miss all the fun…but the live catenary was definitely a challenge as the switch layout was Inside the overhead Loop. Lots of catenary repairs and difficulty enjoying and operating the accessories.

This table was separately ZW powered located directly behind the NH EP5 (in front of the guitar postal box). Kind of inconvenient to operating the rest of the layout where controls were on opposite side a ways down at table #2. ZW under table. Seen in second photo.

i never got to a backdrop for the former layout, nor the simplified revised one!
a finished heated basement would have been a nice start! Lol.





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