Comment on Lionel 1615

Melgar, does it run? 

The 1615 was in my first set received from Santa Claus for Christmas 1955.  I think you are spot on with your comments!

For the price point at which these sold ($19.95 for the set, I believe), they are very well built and had enough rod detail to amuse any kid. 

This engine, along with the rest of the set I received long ago; still sees time around one of our two Christmas trees each year.

Curt

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

Melgar, does it run? 

I power it up every so often and let the motor run and the wheels turn for a minute.

MELGAR

I have admired the 1615.  I will probably add one.  I need a good line-up from the 50's.  Lately I've been drooling over prewar cars on the 'Bay. 

MELGAR, if I can drive my 1955 Ford up north for family reunions, you can make that jewel earn her keep.

Bill

Odenville Bill posted:

I have admired the 1615.  I will probably add one.  I need a good line-up from the 50's. 

MELGAR, if I can drive my 1955 Ford up north for family reunions, you can make that jewel earn her keep.

Bill

Thanks, Bill.

My 1615 earns its keep when I admire it every time I'm at the layout. I'm sure you drive that '55 Ford gently too. I would.

MELGAR

I bought a 1615 at a show last January that was frozen solid for $5.00.  No tender .  Probably why it was $5,00.   Spent about 30 minutes clean, lube, chk e-unit, etc.  Runs very smooth.

Does yours have a copper cover riveted over the tongue of the drawbar?

I have a 1615 I received for Christmas in 1955. It is a fine runner. The strip on the drawbar is to improve the connection to the tender so that you have a better ground for the locomotive which has a short wheelbase.

Jeff2035 posted:

I have a 1615 I received for Christmas in 1955. It is a fine runner. The strip on the drawbar is to improve the connection to the tender so that you have a better ground for the locomotive which has a short wheelbase.

Thank you so much.

aussteve posted:

Does yours have a copper cover riveted over the tongue of the drawbar?

Yes. You can see it in the second and fifth photos that I posted, and also this one. I believe this is indicative of the 1956 and 1957 versions. The 1955 version supposedly had a black drawbar.

MELGAR

MELGAR, good looking switcher, the 1615 is a great runner. I have one.

I have a 1615 too, but more often run the 1656 steam switcher, which I prefer because the 1656 has the ringing bell as it runs and the light on the tender when going in reverse. Arnold

This one's for you, Melgar, the 1615's older brother, the 1656 pulling box cars from New Enland railroads, including State of Maine, New Haven and Rutland boxcars:

Arnold

I have the 1615 also. It was part of my first Lionel set back in 1955. It has been running all those years with no service at all. Last year I sent it to Hennings for a good cleaning and service. It should be good for another 60 years or so.

I've got a 1615 that I bought back in the Seventies.  A great -- if way too fast -- runner.  I have never run it very often, since, to my eyes, those big drivers just look very strange on what's meant to be a representation of a small switching locomotive.  Yeah, I know, it's a toy train.  But it still looks wrong to me.  And Lionel should really have put an illuminated tender on it.

It's easy to add a light to the slope-back tender.  My dad did this with our little MPC-era 8300 when I was a kid.

The 1615 is loosely based on the PRR B6 or A5; as such it's slightly LARGER than 1:48 scale.  The body may be close to Q-scale (17/64" to the foot.)

I've been waiting 30 years for someone to offer a slow-speed retrofit for Lionel's 4- and 6-wheel parallel plate motors.  I know for a fact that a couple different folks have come up with something like this for American Flyer steam.  Why not Lionel!

Lionel redesigned these motors at least five times since 1970, and took the easy way out every time.  Yes, I know they're "toy trains."  But these 0-4-0's have a high center of gravity, and many examples bear the scars of a trip off the table.  I'm not a kid anymore, and I would enjoy it more if it ran slower, especially for those of us with small layouts and sharp curves.

Maybe Neil Young will read this, and make a 'Signature Line' version of the 1615 with Legacy features and performance (as he did with the Texas Special F3 some years ago.)  I doubt it, but I'll never give up hope!

Ted S posted:

It's easy to add a light to the slope-back tender.  My dad did this with our little MPC-era 8300 when I was a kid.

The 1615 is loosely based on the PRR B6 or A5; as such it's slightly LARGER than 1:48 scale.  The body may be close to Q-scale (17/64" to the foot.)

I've been waiting 30 years for someone to offer a slow-speed retrofit for Lionel's 4- and 6-wheel parallel plate motors.  I know for a fact that a couple different folks have come up with something like this for American Flyer steam.  Why not us!

Lionel redesigned these motors at least five times since 1970, and took the easy way out every time.  Yes, I know they're "toy trains."  But these 0-4-0's have a high center of gravity, and many examples bear the scars of a trip off the table.  I'm not a kid anymore, and I would enjoy it more if it ran slower, especially for those of us with small layouts and sharp curves.

Maybe Neil Young will read this, and make a 'Signature Line' version of the 1615 with Legacy features and performance (as he did with the F3 some years ago.)  I doubt it, but I'll never give up hope!

 

Agreed, and let's have good smoke and sound too.

I wonder if the LC+2.0 steam switcher with front and rear electrocouplers in the latest Lionel catalogue priced at about $250 will be like this. Arnold

Ted S posted:

It's easy to add a light to the slope-back tender.  My dad did this with our little MPC-era 8300 when I was a kid.

Yes, it's a fairly straightforward job.  I did that to mine, and installed Lionel plastic-frame archbar trucks at the same time.  Also relettered it "Pennsylvania."  Improves the looks quite a lot.

I've had mine for a couple years, and though she has some paint chips, she is (or was when packed away when I lost my old workshop) one of the most reliable engines on the fleet, and for a small engine she can defiantly hold her own, that engine has walked off with 25 heavy weight freight cars and a caboose without even a wheel spin. Bought her a little friend in February, a prewar 0-4-0, can't wait to eventually see if that little baby can match her!

That engine looks brand new .  Where did you find it and what did you have to pay for it.?    I get a big kick out of seeing something like that still in such nice condition.  I agree about Lionel building solid products back then.   Nice find.  

@Phil McCaig posted:

That engine looks brand new .  Where did you find it and what did you have to pay for it.?    I get a big kick out of seeing something like that still in such nice condition.  I agree about Lionel building solid products back then.   Nice find.  

Phil,

Are you referring to the engine pictured in my original post?

I purchased that engine almost two years ago at the Toy and Train show in Westchester County, New York. It is exceptional but, as nice as it is, I think I paid too much - $200. It seems to have very little run time on it.

About six months later, I found another one at a show in Connecticut for which I paid $100. That one is also in excellent condition but has been serviced and is the one I run more often. See video.

I'm actually not a collector or operator of traditional Lionel trains. These are the only ones that I own. Perhaps that's evident by the prices I paid for them. I bought them because I wanted to have examples of a classic Lionel locomotive that was "Made in USA" - like what I had back in 1949. My main interest is 3-Rail scale model railroading with modern trains, although I only run conventional.

MELGAR

I have the 8635 from a more recent time and I love it. It's a little trooper. 

Did the 1615 have a heavier tender than the 8635? I find the locomotive pulls but the tender wants to jump the tracks because it's light. 

@BillYo414 posted:

I have the 8635 from a more recent time and I love it. It's a little trooper. 

Did the 1615 have a heavier tender than the 8635? I find the locomotive pulls but the tender wants to jump the tracks because it's light. 

It's just as light.

I put weight in mine.

 Have the 1615. Can run it fr hours at Houston Tinplate and never gets hot.

The old 1615 is a real winner. Great looking, great runner, too. One of Lionel’s PW gems.

The 1615 has a very light weight tender. Due to the lite weight, I found out quickly that it was prone to derailing on my O27 curves. I put rocks in the tender back in 1956. Those rocks gave it some weight, and are still in there. Has worked fine since the weight was added about 65 years ago.

Jeff

@MELGAR posted:

Phil,

Are you referring to the engine pictured in my original post?

I purchased that engine almost two years ago at the Toy and Train show in Westchester County, New York. It is exceptional but, as nice as it is, I think I paid too much - $200. It seems to have very little run time on it.

About six months later, I found another one at a show in Connecticut for which I paid $100. That one is also in excellent condition but has been serviced and is the one I run more often. See video.

I'm actually not a collector or operator of traditional Lionel trains. These are the only ones that I own. Perhaps that's evident by the prices I paid for them. I bought them because I wanted to have examples of a classic Lionel locomotive that was "Made in USA" - like what I had back in 1949. My main interest is 3-Rail scale model railroading with modern trains, although I only run conventional.

MELGAR

I had one I bought several yrs ago, then after reading this thread, I decided to buy a 2nd one.  They are good runners. Gotta be careful when buying a 1615, make sure the front marker lights are intact.

I bought this engine a few years ago. I remake of the 1615 from the MPC era I guess. Nice little 0-4-0, runs great too. I upgraded the light in the tender to an LED and wired it to the e-unit so it only lights when the engine is in reverse. 

Now I need to find a 1615 I guess

The tender is very light but I run mine on the O-72 loop, so it seems to be OK. I also like it because it doesn't have traction tires!

MELGAR

I used to have a modern era 1615. It had a can motor in the place of the AC motor of the 1615 but otherwise the same configuration. I was able to cram early ERR Mini TMCC and a Sound Commander in the tender.

Pete

Melgar, great topic, I’ve always liked the 0-4-0 steamers with the slope backed tender, possibly pictured new in the 1955 Lionel catalog, near the 2338 Milwaukee Road GP7 or GP9 switcher. Those were the days my friend, hopefully they’ll never end. In 1973 I purchased a used 1646 steamer (similar to the 1615) at a local LCCA meet with the sloped back bell ringing tender for $75, thinking I made a super deal. We took it to my home, years ago, a different time in my life, placed the engine on the layout, ran it, every time it tried to go through a switch, (Gargraves)  it would fall over, Duh? It had a Marx motor in it, with gears down to the bottom of the drivers. I had a local dealer renew the engine and it was a fun to run switcher, the bell would run ring ring. I later ran into a deal on the 1615 Steam switcher and really liked it. Now, I wish Lionel would re-make this 0-4-0 switcher with all the bells and whistles in their Legacy command control version. With a metal tender with rear backup lights, whistle steam, sounds, the whole enchilada.... Great thread, you have a super nice layout. Stay safe, stay healthy, Happy Railroading Everyone 

I bought my 1615 in the early 70’s for 25 bucks essentially new. I also have the 1948 version with a pristine tender from East Coast train parts. I hope at some point to put in a horn relay in the older one so I can uncouple from the transformer. Great little engines.

@mowingman posted:

The 1615 has a very light weight tender. Due to the lite weight, I found out quickly that it was prone to derailing on my O27 curves. I put rocks in the tender back in 1956. Those rocks gave it some weight, and are still in there. Has worked fine since the weight was added about 65 years ago.

Jeff

I used fishing weights in play-dough as a kid haha my RS3 needed some weight over the powered truck. We 

ANYWAY! I'll have to get some weight once I get done adding upgrades.