600 or 800 Series Cars With 255E & 263W ?

According to my references, the 255E & 263W/TW were paired with the 812, 814, and 817. This was described as set 275W in the 1935 and 1936 catalogs.

Hope that helps you!

Thank you for the information.

The 263W tender is about the same length as the 600 series freight cars (the 800 series cars are 2 inches longer). Do you think the 600 series cars would look OK with he 255E & 263W loco & tender?

I have somewhat limited display & layout area.

Thank You

The 600 series cars might look a little small as they were paired with the smaller locos like the 249e and 265e, but this is tinplate, so scale proportions are out the window anyway. If you like how the 600 series cars look, go for it. 

John

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Go with what gives you the enjoyment this hobby brings to you. Everyone has an opinion and there own likes and dislikes. You ultimately have to be happy with and enjoy what your running. 

Ken:  I have the opposite problem...I have some nice 800 series cars but have never been able to acquire (for a price I can afford) a "large engine" like the 255 /263 tender combination.  So to let you know there is another one out here that runs the mixed sizes, I run my 800 series cars behind by 259/258 small engines.  Like one of the other fellows said...its "tinplate" the amazing thing is that after nearly a century they are still running at all!! so link 'em up and let 'er rip

Don

Ken, don't sweat the details - if you think the size difference between the locomotive and cars you have described is an issue consider this consist (Bing live steam ca 1908). 

So I am thinking that the longer 800 series freight cars with the shorter 600 series caboose would result in a train with the best proportions.  The 800 series caboose is as long as the cars....but real cabooses are shorter than train cars.

Thanks

Ken

Ives used their shorter caboose with their longer freight cars. They never had a longer caboose of their own.

After the bankruptcy they used the longer caboose from both American  Flyer and Lionel.

As was said earlier this is tinplate, and these are your trains.  If you like the way they look, do it. Its your world in miniature. 

Northwoods Flyer

Greg

Also, Lionel made 800 series cars with four wheels on two axels attached to the frame. They also made the eight wheel cars with trucks. The four wheel 800 series are numbered 80x and the eight wheel are 81x or 281x. 

George

The Lionel 1936 catalog says Car Nos. 651, 652...659 are for use with locomotives Nos. 238E, 249E, 253E, 259E, 264E  and 265E.   Car Nos. 810, 811, 812...820 are for use with locomotives Nos. 238E, 249E, 250E, 255E, 263E, 264E  and 265E.   

I suspect their idea was that smaller 259E and 253E locomotives would n't look right with the larger cars and larger locomotives 250E, 255E and 263E wouldn't look right with smaller cars.

249E looks like the small category.

238, 250, 264 and 265 were streamlined engines that didn't look right with any kind of freight car.

There was a similar statement for three different groups of passenger cars.  I think it is rather a mess.

Well I agree with Mr. McLaughlinn...”it’s a mess”. On the other hand, these guys are     80+ years old so I would say if they run...run em!! Personally I just like to watch (and hear) those tinplate cars and loco’s rattle around. 

Don McErlean

I agree about running what looks good to you.  I think that Lionel was clever in designing their product line so that you could buy a whole train that looks right at several different price levels.

But I'm not a runner, I'm a fixer - get my fun by fixing the wrecks and selling them to those of you who run them.

The coupler heights will be a problem for you.  Better to stick with cars as cataloged for operations sake. There are some crossover locos that were equipped with tenders that could handle the different sized cars (Like the 225, 229) but they are few.... and the tenders have numbering to help with this... So some learning is in order.

Specifically for the 255 and 263, 81X or 281X Cars work/look best. These cars were cataloged with these locos.

Rob there is no question that you are correct however...I have handled that problem in two ways.  One is to create a "transfer car" which I have done with an old flat car that I can affix different couplers on each end.  Note- this also works in order to pull my Marx cars with Lionel engines or just the opposite.  Or sometimes, more roughly, I find that a length of soft solder or wire can work the transition problem, at least for a few circles around the track.  I know , kind of crude, but I like to see them run and sometimes I just don't have the right "combo"

Don McErlean posted:

Rob there is no question that you are correct however...I have handled that problem in two ways.  One is to create a "transfer car" which I have done with an old flat car that I can affix different couplers on each end.  Note- this also works in order to pull my Marx cars with Lionel engines or just the opposite.  Or sometimes, more roughly, I find that a length of soft solder or wire can work the transition problem, at least for a few circles around the track.  I know , kind of crude, but I like to see them run and sometimes I just don't have the right "combo"

 

 

Don, I have - from time to time - done the same sort of thing.

It sounded to me like the OP wanted to collect the right cars for display. That why I didn't mention....alternate solutions.