Lionel Prewar-O Photo Gallery

javinda · Post by **javinda** » Thu May 23, 2019 7:18 pm

LOVE LOVE LOVE that shades of green above.

winced36 · Post by **winced36** » Sun Jun 16, 2019 12:17 pm

Last week I spent an hour in the shop of a friend rewiring this early example Lionel 259E:

I needed some help unsoldering the 90+ year-old wiring...didn't want to make too much of a mess of it. Got some lessons from a master, which I can put to use on a few other pieces in the project pile.

This having the e-unit, the wiring is a bit more complicated than a manual reverse. Best to either make yourself a wiring diagram before beginning, or methodically unwire/rewire in order. If you just disconnect everything before soldering in replacements, one can quickly lose track of what goes where. It's kinda like replacing the ignition wires on a car...disconnect and replace each wire one at a time, otherwise you risk having the firing order balled up.

Paul II

javinda · Post by **javinda** » Tue Jun 18, 2019 6:18 am

Re-wiring ANYTHING is something I would never try myself--let alone on such a wonderful piece-and even with help. Some people are born with the re-wiring gift---and you certainly are! Beautiful train.

winced36 · Post by **winced36** » Fri Jun 21, 2019 6:01 am

Recently I was having trouble soldering, which I had attributed to my advancing age, diminished dexterity/patience, etc. Turns out my forty-five year-old iron had developed a short which would cause it to occasionally cool while I was using it. Picked up a new pencil iron at Sears the other day and I'm back to soldering like the old days. I've got a few motor rebuild/rewire projects in the queue, so now I'm looking forward to working on them.

winced36 · Post by **winced36** » Wed Jul 03, 2019 6:51 am

javinda wrote:Re-wiring ANYTHING is something I would never try myself--let alone on such a wonderful piece-and even with help. Some people are born with the re-wiring gift---and you certainly are!

Practice is the important thing. Get yourself a decent iron, some quality solder, flux, then find some bits to practice on. Solder some wire onto any little metal scraps you can find. Tinning the tip and learning to "flow" the solder is the important aspect. When I was 14 or 15 I built myself one of those HeathKit stereo amps and a receiver...still had tubes back then, lol. Learned a lot from that exercise. Now I'm a bit rusty because I don't do it that often. Probably most important, don't be too frugal...good soldering requires good supplies.

winced36 · Post by **winced36** » Thu Dec 26, 2019 7:27 pm

A nice Lionel 252, re-wheeled and ready to rock:

: A Lionel 252 in olive green.; Lionel 252.jpg (155.65 KiB) Viewed 51650 times

Manufactured between 1926 and 1935, olive green is the most common color. This one, a Christmas gift from a good friend, will get a run in over the next few days.

Paul

winced36 · Post by **winced36** » Sat Jul 04, 2020 7:19 am

A Lionel 259 from the mid-1930s:

: Lionel 259; Lionel 259 late.jpg (158.33 KiB) Viewed 49810 times

The four-cycle e-unit had been introduced by Lionel years earlier (an adaptation of the Ives unit acquired when Ives folded) and was used in the 259E, yet Lionel re-offered a manual-reverse version in the mid-1930s. Not sure why, perhaps to offer a lower cost version of Lionel's least expensive O-gauge steamer during the tough times of the Great Depression, or possibly to just use up available parts stock.

A simple design, still runs like a champ nearly 90 years later.

winced36 · Post by **winced36** » Thu Sep 17, 2020 4:41 pm

The 1668, Lionel's prewar O-27 model of the Pennsylvania's shrouded K4 Pacific:

: Lionel 1668; Lionel 1668.jpg (221.22 KiB) Viewed 48717 times

This is a late version in gunmetal (the 1668 was also made in black), it's production run 1937-1941. The 1668/1668E was a 2-6-2 wheel arrangement (unlike the prototype which was a 4-6-2 Pacific). There was also a 1688/1688E which used the same boiler casting and trim, but had a 2-4-2 wheel arrangement.

javinda · Post by **javinda** » Tue Sep 22, 2020 4:59 am

Now that's a beauty. Have an opportunity to look at some old train catalogs this weekend at an estate sale this weekend---if I get there first. I will of course post lots of pix if I am lucky.
The guy was a collector of Lionel and Marx.

winced36 · Post by **winced36** » Thu Sep 24, 2020 1:50 pm

A nice little Lionel 629 Pullman found recently:

: Lionel 629; Lionel 629 Pullman.jpg (175.67 KiB) Viewed 48638 times

The copper journals need a good cleaning, and the clerestory window films need to be cemented back into place. Other than that, it's in really nice shape.