Is the Lionel Berkshire in the very first run of The polar Express sets (modified pilot aside) the same as the Berkshire in the Lionel Pocono set?
Original Post
I'm not from Lionel but here is my take: The locos are made from the same molds ("castings") except for the modified pilot.
The locos in the first run of Polar Express sets used a very small can motor that tended to burn out if and when it was overloaded. To address these complaints, Lionel shoehorned in the larger Mabuchi RS-385 motor (with a very tiny flywheel on top) in subsequent releases of the Polar Express, and other Berkshire Jr. models.
The Pocono set was catalogued in 2015. The exploded diagram on lionelsupport.com shows it to have the larger motor, which is better. I'm not sure about any of the electronics, command boards, etc. Maybe someone from Lionel or one of our resident electronics gurus will chime in with that info. Hope this helps!
