Here's a bunch of the same loco body in different versions:
First version is all black comes with no reverse as 261 shown with the diecast 8-wheel 258T tender.
The same loco but with hand reverse lever in cab is 262 shown with diecast 4-wheel 257T. Oddly when Lionel cataloged the 262 with 4-wheel cars it came with the 8-wheel 258T.
Then in 1933 or so there was a special 262 with orange stripe. I think they still made the other locos above. This is uncataloged and rare.
In 1934 the 262E was shown in the catalog with brass trim for separate sale with a 261T. Came in sets with terra cotta 613 cars and with 800 series freights. Same loco as the first 262 shown but with a 8-wheel tender.
In 1935 the 1934 picture was shown in the catalog as a 261E with brass trim for separate sale with a 261T. It was also shown in a set with nickel trim and matching 650 series freight cars. They downgraded the loco from the top of the line cars it pulled in 1934 to smaller cheaper cars.
1935 261E in nickel trim with 261T tender. We call this color black Satin. Black locos from here down are like this.
During 1934 and 1935 there were many versions of the 261/262 made as Lionel reconfigured the loco into the 249E. Larry's loco is one of those, and would go here in the chronology.
A few locos are found from this time period. There are mixed trim versions with brass plates and some nickel trim. The photos I'm posting here are from when I sold the collection. I kept at least two of the satin colored mixed trim locos, and they haven't been unpacked yet. I bet Jim can post a few versions.
A 262E in full nickel with the pipes in opposite directions from the center dome. I don't know if the 261E can be found this way.
In 1936 the loco became the 249E, and was shown in gray with nickel trim. The 249e always has the two pipes going in opposite directions. Here's the major versions of the 249E:
The 249E in black with 265W tender doesn't appear in the catalogs. It's another one of the odd locos like the 262 that Larry posted. As far as I know there are no variations of the black 249E loco.
1936 249E gray with 265T loco. Came in cataloged sets with 650 series cars and 607/608 2-tone green cars. In 1937 it came with the same freights and with the red 600 series cars.
The 249E was not cataloged after 1937, but came in uncataloged sets. Either with a 265T tender having a latch coupler or with a 2225W as shown above.
If you go back and look at the pictures, the black 249E and the later 249E with the 2225T tender have thin rims on the drivers. I'm not really sure where the black one goes. The thin rim drivers were first shown in the catalog in 1936.
