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I have a Lionel 626 GE 44 Ton Switcher that is missing steps at one end. It is on the truck with the roller pickups, not the power truck. Close examination does not reveal any sign of broken or cut off situations. It just looks ike their were never any steps molded into this truck?? Has any one seen this as a variation? I know of 5 other variations on this engine, but not this one?

Paul 

Last edited by Paul Lansing
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I have not seen "no steps" as a variation on a 626.  Is it possible that what you have is a non motor truck from one of the later post war NW 2 locos?  Trucks on these locos are not easy to change, so I do not want to tare one of my locos apart to try it.  The Lionel center cab locos are made up mostly of parts from other Lionel diesel locos.  I think the trucks are mostly from the 600 series NW 2 switchers. But the 600 series locos have steps riveted to the frame, not on the trucks. 

You may be right about the fact someone used a NW-2 pick up truck on the 626 however I looked at 4 of my NW-2 switchers and found they were all non-operating coupelers on the pick up truck. Also the metal steps on the NW-2's were actualy part of the Chassis, just bent up. The steps on  the 626 are indeed riveted on to the pick up truck. Mine has no rivet holes so I think its a different truck.The variations I presently know about on the GE 44 ton Switchers are";

. Non-operating coupelers on some units or 1 end

. No headlights(bulb and socket) , just lenses in the shells

. wrong color frames from the common colors . . 2 axle Magnatraction instesad of one.

These variations come from botht "Greenberg's Lionel Trains" and "David Boyles book of Lionel Trains"

Paul

IMHO, the frame "variation" listed in the Greenberg book is simply a listing error, which was propagated in the Doyle book.


As far as I know, the 627 did not have any lights, the rest had a headlight on one end only.


Some models had operating couplers, others did not. I am not aware of any 44 ton engines that were known to have a operating coupler on one end, and a dummy on the other end. To the best of my knowledge, each model left the factory only one way.
It is very easy to swap operating and non-operating couplers on most switchers. Just as it is easy to swap trucks.

Last edited by C W Burfle

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