Different Styles of Diesel Locomotives??

Since you appear to be speaking about diesels only, what the h*** is an 040?  I think I understand what you mean by the sleek, bullet-nosed engines (F units?), I'm also not totally sure what you refer to as a boxy switcher?  If you are only talking about GP units and FM Trainmasters, have you considered engines like the SW or NW switch engines, or electrics like the GG1, or boxcabs?  Not all post-war engines are easy to find, but they are out there.

Chuck

 well Lionel was in transition from the 1960's to the 1980's so Not much in NEW models came out. You did have the following:

Lionel GE U36B

mini switcher locomotive

YEs everything else was the Lionel EMD F3 or ALCO FA types

FM Trainmasters

EMD GP7/9

EMD NW2 Switcher locomitve

PW,

040 means an 0-4-0 engine.  Like the mini-switcher shown above.  Sometimes the small diesel switchers are 0-6-0, and they don't run too well for me either.

What do I mean by big, boxy rectangular switchers?  Go to Ebay, and search diesel engines, 1950s,  60s, and 70s.  Basically, they all look the same.  Take a look at the big Sante Fe switchers from that era, and you will see the body style I am talking about.

I will say, however, the Lionel GE U36B shown above by Horseshoe sure looks different though.  This is the kind of info I am looking for.

 Thanks

Mannyrock

@Mannyrock posted:

PW,

What do I mean by big, boxy rectangular switchers?  Go to Ebay, and search diesel engines, 1950s,  60s, and 70s.  Basically, they all look the same.

Mannyrock

They all look the same to you.  

To most, there are many differences among hood units, whether yard switchers, general purpose road switcher units, and modern road freight units built by several real locomotive manufacturers.

Well you are seeing the affects of mass production on an assembly line.    There was then, and still is not nearly the variety in diesel-electric locomotives as in steamers.     Steamers were often built to RR designs and specs and each RR knew what they wanted for their lines.    So steamers were basically very custom compared to diesels.    Also steamers were often ordered for specific jobs/assignements and the design was modified for that. 

Diesels came along and once established were built on assembly lines.   Options were available of course but mostly hidden.    Gearing on traction motors could be changed, ballast in the frame might be changed, which end was front might be changedm but these things were basically not visible on the outside.     Small differences that were visible might radio antennas/train phones, fuel tank size, Horsepower indicated by different louvres or stacks, dynamic brakes and added steam generators for passenger service would be visible but not blatantly so.   And EMD perfected this with their experience on the assembly for autos.    They built diesels the same way, just much longer cycle times in station.    The only big differences visible from RR to RR was in fact the paint job.    Pennsy freight diesels by the way should not be black, they were painted DGLE (Dark Green Locomotive Enamel) which is a very very dark green that may look black  until put next to something black.

Now for Lionel, during the times you are shopping, they did make representives of EMD F units and Alco FA/FB  units.    These are the bullet nosed ones  you mention, I think.    The Alcos were aimed at O27 curves and much undersized.    The prototypes were really much same size as the EMD F units.     Look at them and  you will see a lot of difference.

Lionel also did was they called a GP7 and GP9 which is a road switcher with the cab offset from the midde to one end.    Actually they are all representive (based on the doors on the sides) of GP7s with and without brakes.    Then they  used the same basic design to make a "gp20" which has a low short hood and looks different from the 7 and 9.

Lionel also did a very stylelized center cab thing based on a GE switcher (44T or 60T maybe?)   This is much much different than anything else in the line.

Finally Lionel did a version of EMD NW2 switcher.    This is an End Cab unit that looks much different, at least to me, from the GPs or the GE unit.      The end cab really sets it off.

Lionel in that era did not do Baldwin or other Alco models that I am aware of.

I will leave the electrics to someone else to describe.

The 3RO diesels that you see offered by the model RR companies are, for the most part, accurate scale models of the real thing, past and present.

Maybe railroads are not for you.

I have heard the comment in the hobby that "...I don't like steamers - they all look alike, except maybe the streamlined ones". True, actually. Same for the diesels. It's a matter of personal filters.

They are the Williams BL2, 627 or GE 44 ton, NW-2, ALCO, F-3, GP 20, SD 18

Marx 1998 or ALCO S-1

All will run on O27

Charlie

@Choo Choo Charlie posted:

The are the Lionel BL2, 627 or GE 44 ton, NW-2, ALCO, F-3, GP 20, SD 18

Marx 1998 or ALCO S-1

All will run on O27

Charlie

Lionel BL2???  There's no such an-ni-mule.

Rusty

If you want an education into the different prototype diesels, pick up a Diesel Spotters Guide. There are several editions available. Much of what has been described above is explained and includes pictures.

Chris

LVHR

This is a Lionel PWC (Post War Celebration) very close copy of the Lionel PW NW2:

At a very young age the aesthetics of these end-cab EMD switchers struck me. Their shape feels just right to me even now all these years later. Some people think the '57 Chevy is perfect but for me it is the end-cab EMD Switcher.

Thanks to everyone for drawing my attention to the other models.  I especially like the  EMD NW2.  Now that looks very different and interesting.

(Geyser, I love that black Gulf tank car.)

Mannyrock

You can check http://postwarlionel.com/motive-power/ for what was produced. The NW-2 and 44-tonner (which looked more like GE's 80-tonner) might interest you.