old Lionel engine body question

During the MPC era, Lionel made some of their postwar K-4 (675 or 2025) mold engines in plastic. I believe they all had DC only motors in them, and were for starter sets. Don't have any model numbers for the plastic ones off the top of my head. I don't think they were 4-6-4s, more likely 2-6-2.

Rivarossi made a few plastic bodied steam engines as well, though they weren't powered.

Hope this helps,

J White

The Aeolus was pure streamlined; even the boiler jacketing was covered in streamlining panels.  I would imagine that with the work involved to do that on an existing body shell you could just get whatever Hudson model as appropriate, ditch the existing body shell regardless if its die cast or plastic, then just fabricate an entire new shell out of styrene/brass/modelling compound and mount that on the frame.

Unfortunately for us O-gauge 'bashers, steamers are expected to be die-cast metal or formed brass. There are no plastic steamers in O, really. (old AHM items, sure).

The Aeolus was a fairly typical "envelope" streamliner; would a deeply modified

Weaver Reading Crusader do?(4-6-2, but you can change that). They are brass, so

that makes things a bit easier. They are not cheap, so that makes things, well,

not cheap.

How about the MTH CNW E-4 Hudson? Similar shape, an actual Hudson, available

for a few hundred, well-made (got one)...silver styrene fluting on top of the existing

shell?

I don't have photos of either at hand, so the little particulars I don't know.

Marx made a plastic-shelled 4-6-4, the 1829.  It was the largest steamer they made.  Although it is larger than the 333, I believe that it shares the same excellent running gear.

There are currently 3 of them on eBay - 2 at reasonable prices, one outlandish.

I've got the Indiana harbor 0-8-0 kit...unpowered though.

...I'll have to go recheck under marx...thanks.

Thanks for the input gentlemen...really, I do appreciate it.

I figured there was a plastic bodied version out there somewhere, and I would like to lean towards that one in hopes I could glue onto it...if that failed then a diecast would be the better choice for the weight. Seeing as there are so many diecasts I suppose I should just grab one of those - It'd be better for traction if I could keep the weight and build over it.

Bob

Oh no! I have that shell being unused..it could have been included. I will be sending you an e-mail with the directions etc shortly.

Bruce

I think this would be the way to go.  It is a very basic shape with few complex or compound curves to bend - a good scratch building project.  If I was taking it up I'd be tempted to see if I could just leave the existing metal shell on the loco and cover it with thin sheet styrene sheet body. That would give me a heavy diecast weight and means I could pick a modern loco in good condition for the conversion - a plus.  I think, perhaps with a bit of grinding of metal here and there, that would be the way to go.  Certainly where I'd start . . .

Good luck - interesting project.