Power for pre war Lionel General Locomotive

What do you run your modern trains with?

(BTW, that engine is POSTwar, not pre.  The war in question is WW II.  (I only say this as the title might deceive or confuse some potential posters.)

I use the the wall power adapters that come in the sets, I have several.  When I put my vintage on the fast track it takes off wide open and derails, so I know it runs, but I can't control it.  And yes I meant post war.

For a simple "around the layout" transformer, look on Ebay for a Lionel model 1033 or its slightly younger equivalent the 1044.  They run about $15 to $30 in good condition.  Maybe a member here will offer you one so that you can get going.

You'll want to arrange the wiring with a simple "either-or" switch or a couple of plug/sockets so that you will be able to choose which power supply to use. The modern trains are probably not compatible with the older transformer.

Agree with Arthur. My grandfather ran his 1960 General using a 1033. Reliable, no muss/no fuss postwar transformer. I've got it and the General set now. If you've got modern Lionel Lionchief sets, you CAN use a 1033 or other postwar transformer. We run my youngest Thomas the Tank Engine with postwar transformers instead of the fixed voltage wall wart that came with the Thomas set.

Yes.  ANY AC transformer with variable output can run all of your Lionel trains.  The aforementioned 1033’s are good... but if you have an eye to building a larger layout, a KW or ZW might be in order.

Jon

Thank y'all for those tips and options.