616 & 617 Santa Fe NW2's. Are they considered O-27 or O. I can't seem to find this info.
My 2046 "mini hudson" is O-27, right?
(If the NW2's are O, I might look for one in any condition to be a "good enough" dummy unit to run with my Legacy Santa Fe zebra stripe GP-7.)
Thanks
Jim
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I have a 617, bought 1963 as my 2nd engine.
I would look at it this way......After 1958, instead of saying O27 and O, you would say O27 and Super O. the 2037 and 637 steamer is an example of this.
616 was featured in 2 cataloged Super O sets 1961 and 62, and, was available for separate sale.
617 was featured in 1 cataloged Super O set in 1963 and was available for separate sale. It is a 616 with a bell and radio antenna added.
So, in their era, they were Super O engines.
Peter
The numbering system was just cataloging and marketing designations for the type of track that came with the set the locomotive was in. Even then, it wasn't consistently applied.
It really had no bearing on whether the locomotives or cars were "scale" or not. The EP5's, 646's, 736's weren't scale and came in O and Super O sets. While the 602 Seaboard and 611 Jersey Central NW2's came in O27 sets.
After all a 646 would still make it around O27 curves even though it was a "O gauge" locomotive. Most if not all locomotive could make it around O27.
Imagine my surprise when I was a young'un when I discovered my "O gauge" 2343 Santa Fe F3's would run fine on O27.
Rusty
The number won't give it away as to being 027 or O gauge, that has always been a false-hood for Lionel. There should be a small data plate on the bottom of the engine that has either 027 or O gauge stamped on it.
If not, the next best way to tell is by what type of center rail pick-up it has, either a roller wheel style(O gauge) or a slider shoe(027). 027 has always been the lower cost side of Lionel products.
Lee Fritz
EBT Jim,
The postwar 600-series NW2's were pretty close to 1:48 O scale dimensions. Many years ago a friend of mine converted his 624 C&O NW2 to 2-rail, It looked (to me at least) to be in good proportion next to his freight cars which were all scale O cars built from All-Nation and Walthers kits. Don't know if I've answered your original question, I thought the size of the loco was what you were asking about rather than the numbering system.
My Dad had the 616 as his second set in the early 60s. It came w/ super O
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