Your Favorite Postwar Engine and Why

773 and 2321.  

They just keep running.

 That would be my 681. I got it 65 years ago when I was 6.  I still have the set displayed on the wall.  Every once and a while I get it down to run. A lot of memories in the engine.

Although I had Flyer as a boy, I can certainly appreciate the Lionels mentioned here.

Earlier this year I came across a treasure trove that a man in our area had as a boy - 4 or 5 original sets including the 746 J Class in LN condition, Texas Special Alco set in LN and both with boxes. Also this 50th Anniversary Set that lit up & ran beautifully after sitting in a box for he said 50+ years. Although the cabs are bowed, everything else is very nice. These are highly represented of early PW Lionel.

My personal favorite Lionel locomotive is the 726 Berkshire with the nickel rims and die cast tender. Have had a couple but not the 1946 model. The ones I've had were smooth, quiet runners and I can just imagine what an amazing 'toy' this would have been  to a small boy. It's size and heft must have been amazing. The iconic Hudson seems to me to be a little too large for a typical PW layout with 031 curves however. The several Berks and the 646/2046 were much better sized for the smaller layouts IMO.

 

 

 

My favorite postwar engine was the American Flyer bell ringing C. and O. diesel. I forgot to say why this locomotive was my favorite post war engine. The paint job and the ringing bell.

My favorite 1948 Berkshire with die cast tender and three Madison Cars I got for Xmas.

Mikey

My favorite is the 671 Turbine. I grew up with this engine. I still have it and run it on the floor for the grandchildren! The first and still the best! 

1946 Marx 999. Not many made with this style of pilot.

Or my Dad's '46 2020 with original smoke bulb, if this is a Lionel only thread.

D&H 65 posted:

I have a fondness for steam engines, but after careful consideration, I have to say my favorite Postwar engine has to be any of the FM Train Master diesels starting with the maroon roof Lackawanna in 1954(?). It was way quieter than my 2343 "growlers" and would pull anything I could hook up to it even around 0-31 curves. Grades didn't seem to phase them either; they were also easy to work on and maintain.

The fact they were pretty much "scale' in dimensions didn't hurt the equation either.

The PW Lackawanna FM Trainmaster is also one of my favorites for the same reasons stated above, but my preference is the one with the gray roof:

Why do I prefer the gray roof? Because the gray roof locomotive is more economical than the one with the maroon roof, and that appeals to an operator who doesn't want to spend too much money like me. The gray roof locomotive enables me to afford the exact same awesome engine except for the color of the roof. What a great deal!

I mention this to give hope to those of us who need to economize in this hobby like me.

Arnold

2037. Because it was my first. Because it is a sharp looker; appearing to nearly be in motion at a standstill. Because if one existed in North America it would likely have been a booster truck experiment. And finally because the magnetraction allows very high speeds without tipping . It is the fastest loco I've ever owned in that respect. I just wish it had a feed water above the boiler vs on the pilot. I like the "bull horns hood ornament" look of the high mounted Elesco.

Lionel Post War 2065, It was my fist Lionel!!!

 

Popi posted:

Lionel Post War 2065, It was my fist Lionel!!!

 

My first too: a Christmas gift around 1955 when I was 4 years old, that still runs beautifully 63 years later.  A fine baby Hudson. Arnold

Great thread, guys. Keep 'em coming!

Strummer posted:

Good question. I remember reading an older issue of "Railroad Model Craftman". There was an article about Chuck Brasher, who had an extensive Standard Gauge collection. He was asked basically the same thing (without the PW factor, of course). He said something to the effect that his favorite piece was whatever he was holding at that moment. I always thought that was a great answer.

Personally, mine would be either my 1666 or my American Flyer 310. 

Mark in Oregon 

Hey Mark - You may be the first other person I've encountered who had the 310 K5!  Santa brought me a simple freight set for Christmas 1949 with one that I still have. Was only 5 1/2 at the time and later obtained a 312 with smoke & choo choo...

handyandy posted:

1946 Marx 999. Not many made with this style of pilot.

Or my Dad's '46 2020 with original smoke bulb, if this is a Lionel only thread.

No Lionel limitation here, Andy. Postwar Marx and American Flyer are also most welcome.

c.sam posted:

Although I had Flyer as a boy, I can certainly appreciate the Lionels mentioned here.

Earlier this year I came across a treasure trove that a man in our area had as a boy - 4 or 5 original sets including the 746 J Class in LN condition, Texas Special Alco set in LN and both with boxes. Also this 50th Anniversary Set that lit up & ran beautifully after sitting in a box for he said 50+ years. Although the cabs are bowed, everything else is very nice. These are highly represented of early PW Lionel.

My personal favorite Lionel locomotive is the 726 Berkshire with the nickel rims and die cast tender. Have had a couple but not the 1946 model. The ones I've had were smooth, quiet runners and I can just imagine what an amazing 'toy' this would have been  to a small boy. It's size and heft must have been amazing. The iconic Hudson seems to me to be a little too large for a typical PW layout with 031 curves however. The several Berks and the 646/2046 were much better sized for the smaller layouts IMO.

 

 

 

Postwar American Flyer locomotives and accessories look and run great. A few years ago I started buying them on the Internet and running them, but struggled with the wiring for reverse loops. I find Lionel 3 rail approach to be much more user friendly, simple enough for a child to put together.

Sam, yesterday on YouTube I saw the iconic Lionel 773 Hudson racing through sharp 031 curves and 022 switches on a layout pulling about 10 Postwar cars. It looked to me that if the track work is done well, it can easily handle those sharp curves. Arnold 

c.sam posted:

Hey Mark - You may be the first other person I've encountered who had the 310 K5!  Santa brought me a simple freight set for Christmas 1949 with one that I still have. Was only 5 1/2 at the time and later obtained a 312 with smoke & choo choo...

Really? That's interesting.

I also have a 312, which runs great and smokes like crazy...although I must tell you, I pulled out the ol' 310 just yesterday, and am once again amazed by how quiet and smooth it runs. Without the "choo choo" mechanism, it barely makes a sound. Wonderful item.

Some other comments about these post-war engines being like "sewing machines" is a good analogy; so many PW appliances had that same "feel" to them: robust, heavy, durable...like these trains. 

Mark in Oregon

OK, here is a odd one...an "orphan" in train land. It's the American Flyer postwar (1946-50) 4-piece Atlantic engine. This is a detailed metal little "gem" that does not smoke or choo-choo. By later turning it into a non-detailed one-piece metal, then plastic "cost saver", Gilbert turned it into a "toy". I get my enjoyment out of just looking at them, and for $60.-$75. in great condition...what a deal! 

 

Strummer posted:

c.sam posted:

Hey Mark - You may be the first other person I've encountered who had the 310 K5!  Santa brought me a simple freight set for Christmas 1949 with one that I still have. Was only 5 1/2 at the time and later obtained a 312 with smoke & choo choo...

Really? That's interesting.

I also have a 312, which runs great and smokes like crazy...although I must tell you, I pulled out the ol' 310 just yesterday, and am once again amazed by how quiet and smooth it runs. Without the "choo choo" mechanism, it barely makes a sound. Wonderful item.

Some other comments about these post-war engines being like "sewing machines" is a good analogy; so many PW appliances had that same "feel" to them: robust, heavy, durable...like these trains. 

Mark in Oregon

Yes, my father had an electric drill from the 1950s that purred like a kitten it was so smooth. It was probably made with superior materials and was perfect mechanically. Arnold

My Father bought me two Lionel engines. One in 1948, a 2026 freight set and the second loco in about 1956. It was a 1615 steam switcher. I wanted the switcher for Christmas because of the working couple in the front. I could double head my two engines with it. When we lived in Los Angels a train shop had a small layout that really impressed me. Number one was the Gargraves track and number two was the 0-4-0 switcher. It was an early one before the 50's but I thought it was the coolest thing Lionel ever made. When they remade it I had to have one. Still have both engines. Don

Arnold said:

"What a great line, Andre, 'Lionel's Berk is the continual Siren Song to me . . .' "

Well, thank you for the kudos. Though I have an attraction to many PW items, the Berk is the most alluring. Frankly, I have a weakness for all of the traditional-sized Hudson's. IF I would allow myself, I would have a Berk, and one each of all the number variations on the traditional Hudson's.

John (trains) said:

"Have always had a soft spot for the FA Alco AA locos. Something about them just screams Lionel PW for me. The UP Anniversary AAs are a classic and I also love the Eries..."

Agree 100% with your view on the Alco's... especially that handsome Erie scheme! Though the Alco's call to me as well, it's the PW steam engines that are more tempting. BUT... if I caved-in and purchased PW steam, you also can bet I would cave-in again and get some Alco's, too! In fact, I even like many of the stamped frame Alco's!

A few years ago, I had a set of Erie's that I picked up very reasonably, then cleaned them up for Christmas tree duty. Here's a before/after pic of them:

Before...

After...

They cleaned up great!

OH, and don't get me started on some of the KMT FA's! They offered some GREAT paint schemes. I always thought their shells could possibly be mounted onto a Lionel cast frame. Unfortunately, I would want the KMT's in pairs... so can you imagine the cost to obtain the KMT engines (for the shells) and then corresponding cast frame Lionel FA's as frame/mechanism donors? There's some silly money represented right there.

In retrospect, I really should not have sold my last indulgence of 3-rail equipment. I had a great looking baby Hudson, those Erie FA's and some passenger (Pullman Green Baby Madison's) and rolling stock. Should have hung on to all of them and let them serve under the Christmas tree until a time that I may have called upon them to serve on a possible future layout.

Ah well!  Too many things vying for my funds!!

Andre

Popi posted:

Lionel Post War 2065, It was my fist Lionel!!!

 

I recently acquired a 2065 loco in like new condition with boxes and liners for the loco and tender.  Yes, I do plan to run Them on my Christmas layout carefully.  This may be a new "favorite" for me.  I love the looks of that loco with its illuminated marker lights

Andre, I wanted the Erie A-A set so bad when I was a kid. There was a furniture store in Mill Valley were we lived after 1953. Up stars was a wall of Lionel trains that seemed out of place. I guess they only sold at Christmas. I would go up there and look at the trains for hours sometimes. They had a long row of Madison cars from 1950 and many older Lionel engines. But I really wanted that Erie set. Never had enough money to buy it but I did scrape together $9.95 to buy one Madison car. Don

Speaking of what we wanted the most as kids, for me it was the 2350 New Haven EP5:

Why? Besides the Maguiness livery being intrinsically gorgeous, my mother took me on the NH passenger train pulled by the real NH EP5 from the downtown Mt Vernon, NY station to Grand Central Station and back, to go shopping, often to Macy's Department Store in NYC where we saw their Lionel layout in the toy department. And Telly's Hardware Store on Gramatan Ave. in Mt. Vernon had this Lionel EP5 for sale, which was too expensive for my parents.

So nice to finally have one. Arnold

SCALE RAIL said:

"Andre, I wanted the Erie A-A set so bad when I was a kid. <snip: interesting childhood anecdote>"

As you saw above, I fully understand your infatuation with them!

I'm a bit of an oddity: I didn't have Lionel as a kid. I was fortunate to be able to play with a friend of mine that did have Lionel. (Said friend's dad was a railroader for the Rock Island and kept son Lee in toy trains!) And I was able to have a TON of fun alongside him.

Make no mistake: I wanted a Lionel set, but it fell to HO to get me into the hobby. Yes, I do have fond memories and feelings of nostalgia for the Lindberg Line in HO, which set mine was. I even have a nice collection of Lindberg Lines products to fuel my memories and nostalgia... BUT...

I would never in a million years use vintage Lindberg Lines engines to power a nostalgia HO layout. Simply put, there are MUCH better options now for HO. (The little Lindberg Lines engines run like crap to me now.)

HOWEVER... when I think of the possibility of dabbling with O scale, I think only of 3-rail and within that only of PW and "traditional" sized trains. Go figure! 

INHO, once cleaned and serviced, nice examples of PW trains run pretty stinkin' good "as is".

IF I knew I could be okay with the operational limitations of PW, (they're kind of high on start speeds and don't run as steadily at slow speeds/etc) it would be even more tempting to consider PW as a viable adjunct to my HO modeling. (For those times I simply want to play trains and not do tedious work/etc in HO.)

Andre

I'm with Adriatic on this choice.  My favorite Postwar locomotive is the Lionel No. 2037 2-6-4 "Prairie" steamer.  Strikes my eye as optimally proportioned without appearance "noise" from decorative or operating parts.  Smooth runner, too.  No memories or emotions involved.

Well, I did not grow up with Lionel trains.  I bought a Tyco HO F7 set when I was about 12.  I saved money for a long time to get that.  However, I can say that my favorite postwar is my first postwar engine.  It was given to me for Christmas, but not by my parents or grandmother.  It was given to me by my oldest daughter for Christmas 2013.  It was a 2026 probably from 1953.  She got it and the whole set at  thrift store for a whopping $10!!!!  So, though I am not really into postwar trains, I would never give this one up...unless it would be to her child...If they ever have any children!  

My favorite is the Lionel #2055 4-6-4 Hudson with the #6026 whistle tender.  My grandpa gave me one in 1954.  I still have it.  I had it refurbished and repainted.  It still pulls my Polar Express passenger cars around my Christmas tree.  Matt

Lionel 1950 773. Scale size, large Pullmor motor and die-cast tender. 

BOIN106:

NICE looking repaint, there!

Andre

For those of you who love the 2065, here's mine:

I believe this is the best engine to get a young child started in the hobby:  It's very rugged and reliable. It's smoke unit and whistle in tender give it good play value. Its weight makes it a good puller, and if it still has some Magnetraction, it's a very good puller. And this engine and tender in good condition is quite economical.

Yes, I love my 2065s -all 3 of them. had 6 but had to get rid of 3 when I moved. But there are about a half dozen other engines I like too so I can't narrow it down to just one.

I think the Southern was one of Frank Sinatra's favorite Postwar engines. I remember seeing it in a train magazine article about his layout. 

Lehigh Valley 627 44 ton switcher, like others it was my first train.

Lionel Postwar 44 tonners are among my favorites too. Below is the 626 B&O, purchased around 1961 from Telly's Hardware Store in Mt. Vernon, NY:

Arnold

The Berkshire 726/736 is my all time favorite...

Oh yes !!  Have the early 726 & a 736. Love them.

Me too (736):

See it easily and smoothly pulling about 10 Postwar cars and caboose through sharp 031 curves and 022 switches at a nice slow speed. I think it may be geared down:

I checked on e-bay and it looks like most go for about $350. Arnold

I prefer smaller engines, so I would say my favorite is Lionel’s 1666. Rugged little buggers, ran the wheels off of one. Wish I still had it, but sometimes you really just can’t account for the unexpected.

taycotrains posted:

The Berkshire 726/736 is my all time favorite...

<snip: more good pics>

Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' 'bout!!

BERKSHIRES!

Andre

... Y? ... because we like you.