I recently picked up a Lionel postwar Black #2332 GG1. Anyone know how many were built back in the day? Also what kind of value would you place on one. Mine has gold strips but of course they have faded over time.
Original Post
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Some of the PW GG1's were painted a very dark green. If your GG1 is in fact black and it is original it is one of six made but bear in mind that some repaints have surfaced. The black GG1 would be rarer than the 5344 scale Hudson and perhaps worth quite a bit of money.
Back in the 1950's Bill Vagel owned one of the largest Lionel dealers in the NY Metro area. He was a business associate and friends with Josh Cowan. One day he showed up at the Hillside NJ plant with 6 GG1 cabs and asked if they could be painted black. Cowan obliged and the GG1's were returned in black with gold striping. Again if the piece has original paint and it is black it is one of six made but first shine a bright light on the cab and confirm that it in in fact black and not a very dark green.
Dennis....I purchased the engine from the original owners son in Las Vegas...He told me the engine was his fathers. Along with the #2332 Black GG1......I also purchased 3 Irvington cars, #2343 Santa Fe, #226e, 6 semi scale prewar freight cars and 15 other misc postwar rolling stock. Everything is in excellent to Like new condition. I found the add on craigslist and purchased everything for $100.....It was the find of a lifetime. The #2332 GG1 is with out a doubt 100% Black. I've had it under bright lights and the sunshine. It also has rubber stamped keystones on the sides........The gold strips have faded the same over the entire engine.
There are a lot more than 6 black GG1's
Posters are mixing the Vagell 2360 single stripe black GG1 of which there were only 6 or 8 as Dennis points above. However there was an entire run(s) of single motor black five stripe 2332 GG1's made in '47. The black paint was a mistake and is well documented.
In my PRR by Lionel collection I have several 2332's. One is distinctly black while the others are dark green with variation in decoration.
How many were in a days production run; how many made it out as black? No one really knows.
The second from the top is most certainly black, under any lighting condition.
Attachments
Thanks John for your explanation...........So the 2332 black GG1s were the very first off the line? Mine also has rubber stamped decals on the sides and decals on the ends......I have also heard rubber stamped 2332 GG1s are few. Is that also true?
All 2332 numbers and stripes should be rubber stamped. keystones may be decals or rubber stamped. As noted about what do you mean "rubber stamp decals" ????
Post a picture or two. I would also suspect the brush plate is red, look under the motor truck and see if the brush plate is red.
Nice to see the red brushplate.
I don't believe the first off the line were black. Dark green was probably in the specs and the first run would have gotten a lot of attention.
I have my uncle’s 1948 GG1 set. Engine is suppose to be green but it is black when you look at it but it is green under a light or in sunlight.
I would bet that most of the black 2332 GG1s were part of a set most likely the GG1 pulling the 3 Madison cars with the same 2625 number but one each named Madison, Manhattan and Irvington. The set I have was inherited from grandfather, father and uncle.
Over the years I have seen a number of black 2332 GG-1 locomotives. Of the 15 GG-1s I have, two are black. To know for sure that the color is really black, the loco really has to be viewed in bright outdoor sun light. I do not know how many black GG-1s were made by Lionel, but it is lot more than many people believe.
Ancient rumor, Lionel produced sets early in the production cycle. GG1 s were new in 1947 so were the sets they were in. My best guess is that the Nlack GG1s were in sets not separate sale. I am sure this was to fill orders for major retailers "Christmas Catalog" orders made at Toy Fair
