Lionel 2355 Western Pacific Confusion

See this thread. TrainWorld was offering Western Pacific shells in 1980, maybe earlier too.

I have pics in A 1990 Greenberg Guide to Post war Lionel Trains  that shows these came with and without Grab bars on the front . Other than that I cant tell, It only shows a side angle of the two. One with and one without. The one without does have the black ladder under the front window that is separate where yours is cast in and painted Silver.

The one with the grab bars is the earlier 2345 not the 2355. All 2355s were without grab bars. Both the 2345 and 2355 had the separate black ladders on the sides.There are many other differences between the 2345 and 2355.

The most obvious giveaways on these shells are the lack of louvers cast into the nose detailing, the horns, and the molded-in side ladders. They are later repro shells.

Jim

If, these two beauties are reproductions, then whomever did them is an artist.

They look factory made, a fantastic job!

Ralph

There have been and still are many talented individuals doing shells such as these. The terms repainted or repro do not usually infer any lack of quality or appearance as compared to originals.

In some cases, the repros are actually better than the originals. Many operators prefer to run repros.

....but, they are not originals - which says it all for a collector.

Jim

The other sure-fire way to detect WP repros is the lack of the heat-stamped lettering of the originals.  

They belonged to your father, keep them. Give them to your kids and they will eventually become a family heirloom.

I have a room full of my father's stuff, the kids and their kids want nothing to do with any of this, therefore they all will go to someone that will appreciate them for what they are.

Thanks for your suggestion.

Bum