Which Post-War Lionel Steamer?

The postwar Lionel trains library steam locomotive department might be a good place to start narrowing it down.

Pete

Sorry Bob. The only ones close to scale are the 773 Hudson and maybe the 1656 0-4-0 which might pass for a PRR A5 if you squint.

Pete

Nothing wrong with wanting to run postwar. I like the 2035 steamer. A great diecast engine that truly exemplifies the postwar era. Built like a tank.

There are a lot of Hudson types non are scale. Except the 773

Then you have the Berks, 726 and 736

And the turbines 2020, 671,681 and 682.

Close to scale are the F3s and GPs.

Since its the only PW Steamer I have, I'm a little bias, but I agree with Joe, the 2035

1: Yes, pretty much (I imagine there's an exception to everything).

2: Only the 773 was scale proportioned.  But others are very good-looking locomotives, with attractive size and weight.  You say you won't have a Belpaire firebox, so the 675 is out.  I know you also say you don't want a Hudson, but the 2046 is a hard locomotive to beat in the postwar world.  And there's also the 736, probably Lionel's highest postwar achievement.  Either will serve you well.

Thanks for the responses so far

I looked on Ebay at the 2035 (and at Pete's link to the Lionel list for reference) and the prices/conditions varied somewhat.

I haven't ruled out any engine yet, just set some preliminary preferences.

I really haven't had much dealings with older Lionel engines other than cleaning a box full of them for a co-worker back in the 90s.  He had some nice engines, that once all the animal hair and carpet lint were removed, ran great.  I had to replace a couple of headlights but that was it.

But just the act of reaching down into that box and pulling out a heavy steam engine was enough to get the juices flowing.  The guy has since past (he was fairly young when he died, probably in his 40s if that), no telling what happened to the trains.

I'm pretty good with working on these things so anything short of a basket case would be OK by me, as long as most of the parts are there.

Are parts easy to come by?  I attended a train show in VA Beach a few years back and purchased some parts for my Scout (1060).  When I got home they didn't fit (still have them in the packages).

Here's a photo of the tender I got when I bought the Scout:

Not sure if this is the correct tender or not.  Was this tender used with any other engines?  I bought a shorter, sloped-back tender which I currently have on the Scout.  This long tender has no whistle or any electronics at all.

Can a MTH Z750 be used with these post-war engines?  The only other transformer I have (that's not being used) is an old American Flyer No. 1A unit made by AC Gilbert.

IMHO, that tender could have come from the factory with your 1060. I notice it has two different style trucks.
It also came with some more expensive engines. I have a couple of 2018's that came with that style tender (matching plastic trucks). I think the lettering is the same.

Here is a reference

I will admit at the outset that I am very biased in favor of the 736 Berkshire.  Other than the 773 Hudson I think it was the best looking steam locomotive Lionel produced during the post-war period.  It not only looks good pulling a long freight consist but it also pulls that load very well. They are usually good smokers and that post-war air whistle can't be beat.  Throw in a whiff of ozone and you are back in the 50s.  Go for the Berky. The 2046 Hudson would be second on my list.  

There are many smaller Hudsons like the pre war 224E style that carried over to the post war time. A nice engine to get is a 225 or 226 steam engine, pretty close to scale. Some of the tenders had a whistle in them but not all as some were lower priced units without the whistle, the 224 came either way from the factory but had a different tender number underneath the tender.

Some of the scout engines(I did not say all scout engines) from the 1960's were pieces of trash, like the 235 to 237. They had built-in center rail rollers that were no good and wore out fast, also the motor was very difficult to repair as in a leaning of it, not difficult to re-assemble but fussy to work after re-assembly.

Lee Fritz

CW, Good catch on the tender trucks, never noticed that until now.

The Scout I have is noisy to say the least, I don't think a new motor would make much difference.

Keep those suggestions coming!

A Z750 will run most PW locos. I used one and a CW80 before I got my ZW.  I had a small layout back then (3X7) and the locos ran fine. 

For me my two PW 2020 engines are the best work horses in my PW collection and I have ten of both steam and diesel variety.  I have the same tender for one of my 2020s and it has a whistle. You can get replacements from Jeff at the Train Tender, a very good resource. They are easy to install. All my PW engine s have just under gone a complete cleaning and lubing; comprising of about three hours each and they all run strong. I use two PW ZWs to power the layouts.

There is just something about the PW layouts, their look, sounds, accessories, and performance that brings me back to my first days of Lionel trains. I have two PW layouts and I am currently designing the third.

IMHO, go for it and enjoy…

jeff

The only PW steamer I have is the 2035.  Matt

I'll make one more pitch for the 773 Hudson.  Not only is it scale but due to its gearing, it is the only Postwar Steamer that runs at a scale speed.  <45 mph at high voltage and as low as >5-10 mph at low voltage.  In my experience all of the other Postwar steamers, including the 736, run at very high revolutions unless you cut the voltage way down at which point they have no power.  The 773 will run correctly at 18 volts so you can run your command controlled engines at the same time.   It is also a very powerful steamer and will pull a boat load of freight cars behind it.  I am uncertain of the current pricing but when I found mine they were a little expensive but with patient research you can find them fairly reasonable.  I have seen them priced up to $15,000.00 but I paid around 5% of that number and got an undiscovered gem...  I regularly run my 773.  It fits well with my 50's 60's time frame.

The 773 is definitely out, way too much for what I'm looking for, my most expensive modern engine cost only $600 new.

The 2035 seems to be in my price range, something I can tinker with and run without bringing down any wrath from all the collectors in the group.

Thanks guys for all the help!

Bob, the 2035 is a good choice not only for the looks but as said before it's built like a tank. I got mine for Xmas 1949 and after being packed up for about 40 years, I took it out, cleaned and lubed it , put it on the track an off it went. Everything worked as if it were new and without putting any pellets in, it started smoking just as I remembered. The tender whistle also sounded great. They don't make them like that anymore.

I usually don't correct anyone but in 1949 it would have been a 2025.

The 2035 came out in 50 and 51 with magnets.

I have a 726 with a 2426 die cast tender which is a smooth runner,been in the family since 1948.

That's not a 2035.

quote:

The 2035 seems to be in my price range, something I can tinker with and run without bringing down any wrath from all the collectors in the group.

Rest assured, most collectors don't care what you do with your property. Don't worry about the few that do.

If I may add my 2 cents, I prefer the 2025 (and it's #675 identical twin from "O Gauge" sets, vs. the 2025's "O-27") to the 2035.  The only differences are the 2025/675 had the single axle trailing truck with frame, and the non magne-traction "Baldwin Disc" drivers.  To me, it is the quintessential Postwar steamer, and my copy is the only Postwar engine that survived my switch to all scale equipment.  I love it too much to sell it.

I'm with Wowak. I love my 675. It's the only PW steamer I own. It's a replacement for the 675 that went to my sister(along with all the rest of the Lionel trains) when our dad died. She still runs them on occasion. 

Wowak, that is a nice looking engine.  I'll add that to my list of possibilities!

Looking on Ebay the prices are all over the place, anywhere from $40 to $200.  Some of the photos they have are clear enough to see minor warpage/damage while others are not so clear.  The not so clear photos tend to make me shy away from placing a bid.

Missing parts seem to be easy to replace, would broken castings be the main thing to look for?

Watch out for the bar that runs across the back of the cab on the bottom. Those bars are often bent or broken off.

On the 675/2025/2035 the marker lights are often missing. Fortunately, they are part of the boiler front casting. Reproduction boiler fronts are available

+1 The finest looking Post War steamer in my book and runs like a watch. The spur gear engines can't compare.

Pete

The 2025/675 are my favorite ones & run great. 

The 1666/2026/224 are also great looking engines that run very well. 

I have about 20 postwar steamers & they are all great. 

Even on the 'scout' side, a 2034 or 1130 have the better motor

the 2037 is a nice middle of the run steamer as well

quote:

the 2037 is a nice middle of the run steamer as well

IMHO, the 2037 is one of the best running steamers Lionel made in the Postwar period. They typically have very strong magnetraction, and smoke well. And they tend to stay on the track.
In my experience, the 675/2025/2035 are a bit top heavy, and are less forgiving when you take a curve too fast.

I have yet to run across a Postwar Lionel locomotive that I didn't like

I've never considered postwar as going up to 1969 - 25 years or so seems far to long for post.  I've always felt into and through the '50s.  But whatever the definition, I have a few and love them, but the only one discussed here is the 2035.  I prefer to run modern (Legacy, etc.) engines though: they just run better, even conventionally.

I really like the 'baby' Hudsons.  I have a 2056 and it is a nice engine but definitely not scale. Also, make sure you pick an engine that has smoke, not all have smoke.  A 224 is a great engine but has no smoke, just a headlight.  The turbines are nice but only have the one connecting rod, so there is not much action when they are running. 

Here is what I would look for in a Postwar engine:

smoke

whistle in tender

3 postion e unit

jewels on the front

headlight

more extensive connecting/side rods, valve rods etc.  

A good review of the Tandem Assoc postwar catalog will really help pick out the one you want.  With York just a few months away, you have plenty of time to pick two or three then go searching at York.  

Enjoy the journey!

Of all the responses so far, I like the following engines:

675

726

2025

What I like is the look of the see-thru drivers

Why no true 4-6-2 Pacifics?  Can one of the 2-6-4 types have trucks changed out to make it into a 4-6-2?

The trailing trucks with different size wheels isn't very appealing to me, same size wheels would look better.

Understand

I do recall reading about the different size wheels on the trailing trucks, so no problem with why, just still doesn't look good to my eye on the model, the photo you posted looks great.

Since I'm using 054 and 072 curves, a 4-wheel leading truck would be alright, as long as I could get it to pivot where it should and clear everything under the chassis in the process.

Of course I'd just leave the engine alone for a while and see how she ran

I don't normally correct anyone either however, the 2035 was part of the 1950 catalog and was available for Xmas '49.

OK I accept that, but it was a 1950 engine. I will research it as for Christmas 1949 my set came with a 2025.

Jim, I can confirm L to L. My 2035 came in Christmas of '49. I think the catalogs for the following year came out around October or November. It also came with 6466WX tender with extra handrails. Likely early production.

Pete

Thanks Pete, for a moment I thought my parents told me a fib. 

Sorry, Wowak...my bad...it's a 2055.  Matt