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I am quite new to the standard gauge part of the hobby and just purchased this beautiful #392e!  I am however puzzled by the valve gear and linkage.  As beautiful and intricate as it is, it does not seem to match other pictures I have seen of the "standard" linkage found on most Lionel SG steamers. 

Who was the manufacturer of this linkage and was it made to supplement or "upgrade" the engine?  Depending on what I find, I might keep it on or replace it with the "original" linkage.

Thanks, Greg

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Ah, now we are getting somewhere!  Thanks Harry- you are correct about the screw hole...in fact, there IS a screw hole for the linkage, but it is further back on the frame than the "normal" placement.  Upon further examination, the frame has a "protrusion" as part of the casting for the screw hole!   I just took more pictures for further documentation.  I LOVE finding pieces like this....it's SO interesting!

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Last edited by Gregcz1

Well, I finally got around to further delving into the "mystery" of this rare linkage and interesting frame of this #392E.  I have disassembled the entire unit and took plenty of pictures in the process for documentation.

First off, here is a picture of the entire engine.  It was missing the cab roof when I purchased, but that is an easy replacement:

Here is a close up of the valve gear: (note-the sliding piston off of the steam chest is missing a part)

When I removed the linkage on both sides, I discovered that one "piston" seemed to be missing a part.  Does anyone know of a replacement part?  It looks like it will still work without the missing piece.

I don't know if this is normal.  The wheels are original and have the "The Lionel Corp. New York" on the inside rim, but they seem to be made of brass and specifically fitted to take the eccentric crank as well as a regular screw.  In this picture, you can also see the "nub" the juts out from the frame above the first driving wheel.  This is for a screw to keep the upper part of the linkage in place.  (Notice it too seems to be made of brass!)



Here is where things start to get REALLY interesting:

Once I removed the piston bars from the steam chest, this piece was revealed and also seems to be made of brass:

Once I removed everything off of the frame, I wanted to know if this piece was "molded in" like the "nub" or was it affixed to the frame:

The answer seems to be the latter as you can see two "tabs" on the inside of the frame:

As I stated in my original post, I am fairly new to the "standard gauge" part of the hobby, but could tell this was something a bit out of the ordinary. (Other than pictures on-line, I have no other 392e with which to compare LOL!)  If anyone has further information on this piece or needs to correct my discoveries as I may have misspoken, please let me know.  I am having a blast restoring this beauty and can't wait to get it running!

Thanks in advance for your input.

Greg

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Last edited by Gregcz1

I am excited to report that I have completed the restoring of my "special" 392E!  Scroll to the top of this post if you want to see the "before" pictures.  I am quite pleased with the way it turned out.  Unfortunately, I am having a hard time finding a replacement roof  for the cab.  So it obviously has an "incomplete" look to it!  (Know anybody who has a spare roof I could buy?)

Enjoy!

GregIMG_8659IMG_8660IMG_8661IMG_8662IMG_8663IMG_8664IMG_8665IMG_8666IMG_8667IMG_8668

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