So new Saturday night project, Lionel 2025. Want to remove boiler front, need to change bulb as well and investigate further.
is this front part clipped into the boiler? Is there a screw to release the boiler front?
does this necessitate removing the loco boiler from the mechanical chassis?
any help appreciated.
thank you.
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Hello Leroof
The #2035 has clips which secure the boiler front. Work a finger nail, or a thin bade into the small crack between the boiler body and the removable boiler front and prey gently on one side ...that should do the trick.
good luck ... This 1950 vintage locomotive is about 73 years old, well built, and durable.
John N.
in the mean time my Saturday night project highlight was vintage carbon relief! Flakes of carbon removed from wheels and drivers were polished. Well worth the time. She is a strong smooth runner with a temperamental E-unit. Tomorrow given the opportunity I will clean the tender and tweak up the tender whistle.
btw, the head light bulb does work with that vintage yellow glow, the kind I used to watch while operating on the living room floor level.
I had a 675 back in the day. This 2025 is rapidly becoming one of my favorites. Diligence with speed on my 031 curves will keep her safe. I dig watching her coast when the power is shut down!
Thank you John for the useful information and guidance. It is a #2025. It’s fascinating to me that the intricate design was the main stay of prewar technology carried over to this postwar unit.
The 2025 front is just clipped on.
A gentle tug removes it easily.
Note the notches in the boiler casting for the clips on the boiler front.
Hope this helps! 
Mitch
You might want to put a dab of grease on those tabs to insure the front doesn't sieze to th boiler when closed.
Looks as if the boiler needs a cleaning, send her to the 'roundhouse'.
@WT.Co. posted:Looks as if the boiler needs a cleaning, send her to the 'roundhouse'.
Heh. In my copious spare time. I swear I'm busier NOW than I was BEFORE I retired...
Mitch
I'm surprised no one has advised against the biggest NO-NO! of all on a PW steamer of this boiler front design:
Those marker marker/classification lights cast into the boiler front of this style of PW steamer (2025, et al) are NOT...repeat: NOT...the handles with which to pry the front free from the boiler!!!!
In general, John was right in his o/a assessment of the 2025 saying, "This 1950 vintage locomotive is about 73 years old, well built, and durable." But those highly vulnerable marker lights proudly standing atop the boiler front often, sadly, did not fare well at all...either through dives, drops, and corn-field meets, or being employed as handles for accessing the bulb!
Since I never had the pleasure of unwrapping one of these beauties for the first time on a Christmas morning, of course I would not have had Lionel's instruction/maintenance sheet before me to read about properly accessing the bulb...and maybe a caveat about those tiny, non-beefy marker castings!?? Anyone better equipped with a genuine 1950's instruction sheet before them to comment??? Just wondering.
Maybe a very small tad of some lube on the sheet metal spring surfaces that engage the boiler interior would help future removal of the boiler front???...as well as smoothing the boiler interior cast surfaces where the front spring arms engage? Just a thought.
Ah, the care and feeding of those durable PW treasures... A solemn, loving, enjoyable ritual on a par with others of the season...IMHO, of course.
KD
@dkdkrd posted:I'm surprised no one has advised against the biggest NO-NO! of all on a PW steamer of this boiler front design:
Those marker marker/classification lights cast into the boiler front of this style of PW steamer (2025, et al) are NOT...repeat: NOT...the handles with which to pry the front free from the boiler!!!!
Especially on the originals! In my case, that's a repro boiler front; this was a barn (or show) find junker...
Ah, the care and feeding of those durable PW treasures... A solemn, loving, enjoyable ritual on a par with others of the season...IMHO, of course.
Hear hear!
Mitch
It has been stated on this forum many times that the early post-war O27 2025 and its O Gauge cousin 675 were some of the smoothest running engines made by the old Lionel Corporation. Totally silent runners and as an earlier Poster stated great fun to watch as they silently coast into the station. I'm running a vintage 675 on my Christmas layout as I post this. Nostalgia at its best.
I agree and always loved to run my 2025 and the “cruising” into the station was always fun to see. And it was a great smoker as well! I sold it a few years ago to make room for other trains. I still have my 675 that has always been my favorite and is proudly displayed on the shelves in my office,
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