Nice collection of Lionel steam engines. They are the heart and soul of many kids when in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. It wasn’t till a couple years of playing with my steam engine that I got an Alco 027 diesel train for Christmas as a little kid.😊😊 Back in the 50’s quality “O” gauge Lionel trains were serious money for a family budget. 027 was more affordable. Lionel today definitely not marketed towards kids with costs only collectors will pay. Seeing many of your videos featuring 027 along with some “O” gauge is the way it actually was when we were kids having fun just running them. No regards for size or scale mixing “O” and 027.
the 2035 is a less fancy version of the 675. They use the same boiler casting. I have two 675s and a 2035 I bought as a basket case and rebuilt it. Also the 2055 uses the same engine assembly as the 2035. I don't usually buy steam locos from dealers who sell the tenders separately and expect full price for the loco. The tender is part of the loco. Just another pet peeve like no cabooses. :-)
I too purchased a 2035 a couple of years ago, it is a very good runner. I also have a 2065 that pulls 14 cars around my 5x8 layout at 12 volts it is a good runner ands smokes very good.
You're right on the mark about the usefulness of MPC cars and long consists. Also you can mix them with postwar cars just remember heavy cars at front of train lighter cars to the rear. Love the MTH auto carrier flat cars too. Run them whenever you want, beancounters be damned. Never give up on the idea of "toy trains." They're what keeps the hobby fun.
Nice collection. I had to do a double take on the Novas. You almost had me convinced they were Chevelle's. I had a 68 Chevelle SS 396 in high school. Regarding the K4 Pacific's that the Pennsylvania railroad used. Their primary use was actually used for high-speed passenger service, not freight. In fact, they could reach speeds as much as 100 mph and had some of the largest drive wheels at 80". Steam engines with the larger diameter wheels and less torque were used for high-speed passenger service. They could attain very high speeds but would struggled to pull heavy freight loads by themselves. They lacked the torque or power necessary for that kind of tractive effort. Steam engines with smaller diameter wheels and more torque were used for freight and weren't known for attaining the higher speeds required for passenger service. That was the reason for round houses so an engine could be selected to put on the mainline depending on the task at hand. The Pennsylvania railroad just used them as a work horse to a fault probably because they were such a durable and reliable do all be all engine in plentiful supply that they themselves had built and maintained from their own shops untill the end of steam. One of the most successful dual role steam engine designs used for passenger/freight service was NYC Mohawks known as mountain type by the other roads. The issue of needing specialized engines for different tasks is just one of the many reasons diesel won out in the end and why the railroads don't need round houses anymore and everything is now linear and they have less track to maintain. Before diesel they used 4 track mains. Two for freight and two for passenger service.
What Steam Locomotive should I add to pull Pennsylvania & LeHigh Valley Coal cars? The 675 Lionel with it's 2-6-2 is closer I guess than the 2035. Suggestions are certainly welcome. On the Nova's the HOOD reminded me of Chevell's
@htssoutboardsboatstrains9784 OK, but I'd grab a cup of coffee and a seat. Keep in mind that I'm no expert, and some information may be speculative. This information seems somewhat elusive, probably because the Pennsylvania railroad at the time of steam was the largest road in the world. At one time, with an annual budget of the US government and they had a looooong history with steam that spanned over 100 years before it ended and they did their own thing anyway necesary to get the job done and make a profit. The modern steam engines produced at the end were absolutely the pinnacle of that design with all the latest innovations and refinements, so finding an era can make a difference. The modern steam engine was a truly remarkable finely tuned well-oiled machine with all the latest innovations but the Pennsylvania railroad were dedicated to using the K4 Pacific's to the end. While it is possible that they used them on occasion to pull freight it's not likely they were used to pull long heavy coal drags even double headed. The wheel slip would have been epic unless they were fitted with different drive gear. Providing premiere passenger service at that time was their primary focus for revenue with their Broadway limited directly competing with the NYC 21st century limited with their Hudsons. I belive the likely engine they used for heavy coal drags is the 2-10-0 I1s, Decapods later refind and known as Hippos. They seem to be the most likely as they had a long service life and they certainly look capable.These were powerful beastly looking engines, referred to as Holly Terror. I know, good luck finding that model. They do exist if you're made of money. I would just use the K4s.The Broadway limited passenger service was actually the pride of the company and coal was just a dirty job that needed to be done. As for Lionels renditions of the K4 Pacific's they never got the wheel arrangement correct in the postwar models. The early models 675 and 2025 from 46 to 49 which are the best looking and running IMHO, were given the wheel arrangement of a prairie 2-6-2. Oddly when they reissued that same boiler design in 1950 with the 2035 along with magnetraction they gave it the wheel arrangement of an Adriatic 2-6-4. All three models share the same boiler casting. Lionels numbering system at that time for steamers denoted whether it was an 0-scale or an 027 model. 3 cab numbers indicated 0-scale while 4 digit cab numbers were 027 models eventhough they were identical. I believe the only 8 wheeled driver Lionel produced for both is the S-2 681-682 /2020 which is another obscure Pennsylvania exclusive design of a steam turbine. Ironically it also has the largest quantity of wheels for a single model at that time to be produced for an 8 wheeled driven engine. It has a 6-8-6 wheel arrangement and was produced as both 0 and 027. I agree that the hood of the Nova also mislead me. My Chevelle's hood had cowl induction with 2 distinct bulges like reverse hood scoops but no external chrome louvered intakes. It was an awesome car. I should have never sold it but it got about 8 mpgs on 75° day in 4th gear with a feathered throttle. It was designed to go really fast in one direction for a quarter mile but then again gas could be had for 25 cents a gallon back then.
Novas...
Those are Novas. I drove 68 for years.....
The 2035 is a bargain. It can pull as much as a turbine and almost as much as the 736.
Nice collection of Lionel steam engines. They are the heart and soul of many kids when in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. It wasn’t till a couple years of playing with my steam engine that I got an Alco 027 diesel train for Christmas as a little kid.😊😊 Back in the 50’s quality “O” gauge Lionel trains were serious money for a family budget. 027 was more affordable. Lionel today definitely not marketed towards kids with costs only collectors will pay. Seeing many of your videos featuring 027 along with some “O” gauge is the way it actually was when we were kids having fun just running them. No regards for size or scale mixing “O” and 027.
the 2035 is a less fancy version of the 675. They use the same boiler casting. I have two 675s and a 2035 I bought as a basket case and rebuilt it. Also the 2055 uses the same engine assembly as the 2035. I don't usually buy steam locos from dealers who sell the tenders separately and expect full price for the loco. The tender is part of the loco. Just another pet peeve like no cabooses. :-)
I have the same smoking PRR work caboose.
Me likem that there box car, she be looking good on me Marx layout, me thinking she`s plenty nice. I`ve got me Pappy`s Lionel 224 in attic since 1960.
👍👍
🤔 Steam trains? Without cabeese? What are you doing? 🤔
The postwar engines , I think make a layout look larger. I really like my 2035 , the 2035 evolves into the 2055
I too purchased a 2035 a couple of years ago, it is a very good runner. I also have a 2065 that pulls 14 cars around my 5x8 layout at 12 volts it is a good runner ands smokes very good.
You're right on the mark about the usefulness of MPC cars and long consists. Also you can mix them with postwar cars just remember heavy cars at front of train lighter cars to the rear. Love the MTH auto carrier flat cars too. Run them whenever you want, beancounters be damned. Never give up on the idea of "toy trains." They're what keeps the hobby fun.
Nice collection. I had to do a double take on the Novas. You almost had me convinced they were Chevelle's. I had a 68 Chevelle SS 396 in high school.
Regarding the K4 Pacific's that the Pennsylvania railroad used. Their primary use was actually used for high-speed passenger service, not freight. In fact, they could reach speeds as much as 100 mph and had some of the largest drive wheels at 80". Steam engines with the larger diameter wheels and less torque were used for high-speed passenger service. They could attain very high speeds but would struggled to pull heavy freight loads by themselves. They lacked the torque or power necessary for that kind of tractive effort. Steam engines with smaller diameter wheels and more torque were used for freight and weren't known for attaining the higher speeds required for passenger service. That was the reason for round houses so an engine could be selected to put on the mainline depending on the task at hand. The Pennsylvania railroad just used them as a work horse to a fault probably because they were such a durable and reliable do all be all engine in plentiful supply that they themselves had built and maintained from their own shops untill the end of steam. One of the most successful dual role steam engine designs used for passenger/freight service was NYC Mohawks known as mountain type by the other roads. The issue of needing specialized engines for different tasks is just one of the many reasons diesel won out in the end and why the railroads don't need round houses anymore and everything is now linear and they have less track to maintain. Before diesel they used 4 track mains. Two for freight and two for passenger service.
What Steam Locomotive should I add to pull Pennsylvania & LeHigh Valley Coal cars? The 675 Lionel with it's 2-6-2 is closer I guess than the 2035. Suggestions are certainly welcome. On the Nova's the HOOD reminded me of Chevell's
@htssoutboardsboatstrains9784 OK, but I'd grab a cup of coffee and a seat. Keep in mind that I'm no expert, and some information may be speculative.
This information seems somewhat elusive, probably because the Pennsylvania railroad at the time of steam was the largest road in the world. At one time, with an annual budget of the US government and they had a looooong history with steam that spanned over 100 years before it ended and they did their own thing anyway necesary to get the job done and make a profit. The modern steam engines produced at the end were absolutely the pinnacle of that design with all the latest innovations and refinements, so finding an era can make a difference. The modern steam engine was a truly remarkable finely tuned well-oiled machine with all the latest innovations but the Pennsylvania railroad were dedicated to using the K4 Pacific's to the end. While it is possible that they used them on occasion to pull freight it's not likely they were used to pull long heavy coal drags even double headed. The wheel slip would have been epic unless they were fitted with different drive gear. Providing premiere passenger service at that time was their primary focus for revenue with their Broadway limited directly competing with the NYC 21st century limited with their Hudsons.
I belive the likely engine they used for heavy coal drags is the 2-10-0 I1s, Decapods later refind and known as Hippos. They seem to be the most likely as they had a long service life and they certainly look capable.These were powerful beastly looking engines, referred to as Holly Terror. I know, good luck finding that model. They do exist if you're made of money. I would just use the K4s.The Broadway limited passenger service was actually the pride of the company and coal was just a dirty job that needed to be done.
As for Lionels renditions of the K4 Pacific's they never got the wheel arrangement correct in the postwar models. The early models 675 and 2025 from 46 to 49 which are the best looking and running IMHO, were given the wheel arrangement of a prairie 2-6-2. Oddly when they reissued that same boiler design in 1950 with the 2035 along with magnetraction they gave it the wheel arrangement of an Adriatic 2-6-4. All three models share the same boiler casting. Lionels numbering system at that time for steamers denoted whether it was an 0-scale or an 027 model. 3 cab numbers indicated 0-scale while 4 digit cab numbers were 027 models eventhough they were identical. I believe the only 8 wheeled driver Lionel produced for both is the S-2 681-682 /2020 which is another obscure Pennsylvania exclusive design of a steam turbine. Ironically it also has the largest quantity of wheels for a single model at that time to be produced for an 8 wheeled driven engine. It has a 6-8-6 wheel arrangement and was produced as both 0 and 027.
I agree that the hood of the Nova also mislead me. My Chevelle's hood had cowl induction with 2 distinct bulges like reverse hood scoops but no external chrome louvered intakes. It was an awesome car. I should have never sold it but it got about 8 mpgs on 75° day in 4th gear with a feathered throttle. It was designed to go really fast in one direction for a quarter mile but then again gas could be had for 25 cents a gallon back then.