Lionel Legacy ESE Mercury Hudson. Was/Is it correct after all?

Not too surprising. Staufer's Thoroughbreds mentioned is was common for the NYC to mix driver styles though I had not seen that picture before of the Mercury.

Pete

Agreed Pete. When these were released most felt the spoked driver may have been a mistake. As opposed to the more commonly seen mix of scullins and boxpoks ,which Lionel offered on the pt tender versions.

I honestly thought Lionel may have had some error in manufacturing and substituted the spoked drivers. Even the catalog image showed boxpoks for this model.

Apparently Lionel has also seen this photograph. It took me nearly two years to find it myself.

The spoked driver may be correct (drivers got changed out; the Mercury "ESE" didn't always have them), but the colors of Lionel's loco are incorrect for this service - see the prototype photo. Gray and black.

The loco with the #3 spoked drivers was not "silver" anywhere except the stainless fluted piece under the running board, which was left after easier firebox access was established.

The Lionel loco should be gray and black all over (except the remnant stainless) at this point. So far as I know the spoked drivers were never on the loco during its later silver/black pre-gray/black days. The silver spokes look pretty silly, and I have never seen a photo of these drivers in silver. (Certainly I have not seen all photos.) 

RICKO, Could you please share the title of the book where the photo of the ESE #5426 came from.

I'd like to get a copy.

Cheers

Al

Al, this is the book the others have mentioned.....it pops up on the bay sometimes...........Pat