My main questions are:
* what kind of reputation does the 1664 have ?
* does it use a unique type of motor-mechanism ?
I have a boiler-shell for a prewar Lionel 1664 which is in pretty good condition, except a rear corner of the cab is broken off. I could possibly repair that. What I find somewhat curious is that the die-cast shell is quite thick and bulky, leaving a smaller than typical space inside for the motor mechanism. I have some miscellaneous old motor mechanisms, but none that fit this shell.
I understand that the prewar 1664 shell was the pattern for postwar Scout steam locos. I have a number of postwar Scout locos so it's probably not worth much effort to restore this similar-looking 1664. I have a lot of old wheels and misc parts so I may fix this 1664 shell up for shelf display.
This photo of complete loco is from internet; I have only the boiler shell.
A search tells me "229 is the O gauge version of the 1664"