Lionel hudson tender

The B&A, the 784, & the 785 ( gray ) all use a direct descendent of the 2426 postwar tender,…..they are indeed the same size as the 2426…

Pat

Here's a 785 gray with a scale tender.

That a custom tender? I thought it came with the semi scale one? I know the 18005 700e from 1990 came with the full scale tender. That 785 looks sweet!

NYCBuffalo:  It’s a die cast two rail scale tender I found at a Cal-Stewart (Pasadena, CA) meet in the early nineties. There are no builder identification markings in or on the tender casting. Heavy body weight makes its scale flange wheels run perfectly on tubular track.

Condition was pristine as the seller had just invested in a professional black repaint. Even knowing I would strip it bare and respray it gray, he sold it to me anyway.

@OddIsHeRU, great job on that gray tender! I'd like to know what lettering you used on it.

By the way, it may be either a Hudson Products tender from the early '80s or a Madison Hardware tender from the '50s and '60s. I've owned both, and I can tell you that the HP tender had very shallowly engraved and easily missed or removed builder's info on the underside of the frame, and the MH tender had no identifying marks at all, inside or out.

Cheers,

- Mike

The letterings are Janice Bennett Dry Transfers

I just found this on the web:

"Dry transfers for Lionel: Janice (?) Bennett (of Bennett Dry Transfers) was a licensee of Lionel and produced dry transfers duplicating PW Lionel; I do not believe Bennett is still in business."

Bennett, not sure if it was Janice or her Dad or husband also offered Collector Color. Hennings is now selling that paint. Not sure if they also picked up the transfer line or not. I used Bennett paint and transfers to restore a Standard Gauge #8 about 40 years ago for a friend.

Pete

In the early nineties, I took both the short gray original Lionel tender and the scale black one to a local paint dealer. He had previously matched a couple household color samples for me quite well. Matching was then done by eye, not yet computer. He declared matching that gray a challenge (to say nothing of its low gloss effect). It must have taken him eight or ten attempts before he gave me the paint you see as “the best I can do.”  I’m sure Hennings paint is much better.

Comparison photo of the tenders behind a 726 type Berkshire postwar locomotive (3158) and a tender that went behind a 783, 784, 785, or in this case a 704 scale Hudson (3447).

One tender is quite a bit larger than the other.