Your Favorite Postwar Lionel Loco?

[Terry]

We have people that come in and look at the forum but then leave. Maybe this will interest you. . .

I don't collect postwar, but have some. I have my dad's GG1 and 622 switcher sets, and a NP geep set like the one I had a kid. Those are sentimental trains.

My favorite is this 2331 black and gold Virginian. I don't know why. I was in the original owner's garage with the loco in my hand and I decided to keep it.

What's your favorite postwar loco?

[starfire700]

I agree that the black/gold Virginian FM is a beauty to behold......but it is so hard to choose a favorite.
Here are a few of my favorites.

[starfire700]

I also collect the earliest or most unusual variation of postwar items.
The key to my interest in the SF and NYC 2333 F-units and the 622 is in the size and placement of the GM decal.

[starfire700]

The 671 and 2020 PRR Turbines have the early horizontal "Atomic" motor and smoke bulb. Also the 2020 has a printed keystone. not the usual decal.
The Irvington and Manhattan cars, though not locos are worthy of interest as they have brown paper type window strips.

[Terry]

My dad's 622 has that GM decal placement. We never noticed, it was just the loco from his childhood.

The F3s are neat.

I have a NYC aba. 2354 A units and a 2344 B unit.

I like the turbines. I have a 682, but have been considering converting a smoke bulb unit to the regular heater for runnning purposes. I'd do the RS keystone like you showed.

[starfire700]

Although I am primarily a prewar collector, I also collect some postwar. The 2338 Milwaukee Rd GP7 was the first Lionel loco that I received in childhood, so I have several 2338's and like this style loco so also have several other road names.

[starfire700]

The 2338 I received at age 5 or 6 was the standard black cab variation. I have several 2338's including 1 that is the orange cab variation.

[rogruth]

I have two favorites. A 221 grey with the light blue and silver passenger cars because it is a replacement for my first train from 1946.
Then I was able to get a 675 @ 1950 and it was just a great running loco. The loco I have now is also a replacement.

[starfire700]

The 675 and 2025 Pacifics are some of Lionel's best running locos, smooth and reliable. The 675's and turbines are some of the best smokers, also are good runners.

[Terry]

I have a 675 loco I put aside a while back because it was drop dead gorgeous, but missing the smokestack.

I just got the smoke stack in the mail from John at East Coast Trains.

I put six wheel trucks from a 2671W tender onto a prewar 2224W tender so I have a slightly bigger tender.

The 2035 is the same as the 675/2025, but with magnatraction. You don't get the neat rims on the baldwin disc drivers so it's much cheaper.

I want to put together a smoke bulb turbine with a later smoke unit. I like the way the early turbines look without the e-unit lever, but don't like the way the smoke bulb units clank and fail to smoke. Until then I have a nice looking, but touched up 682.

Anyone running postwar should have a 2025/2035/675 and a turbine.

I once ran a turbine 13 hours a day for over a month. I had to put new brushes in every few days. I think the miles worked out to be about 1350. That's THIRTEEN HUNDRED and FIFTY MILES.

None of these new trains would last that long.