Who Runs Postwar locomotives

Awesome!

Yeah, the 999 was (and still is!) a solid performer, quite ubiquitous, which came with quite a few Marx sets. The drawbar is compatible with Lionel equipment, so you could have used a Lionel tender to pull a Lionel consist, but it's hard to assign much value to engines without matching rolling stock.

I got stuck on Marx equipment when my grandfather (a retired PRR signal engineer) put together a very nice layout for me as a Christmas present, with Marx rolling stock and accessories. The layout disappeared years ago, but most of the rolling stock (sans engine and observation car) resurfaced several decades ago. When I started my first permanent layout a few years back, I went on a "mission from G*d" to reassemble the full original rolling stock cast. That meant buying the missing observation car for the passenger consist, and figuring what engine came with the original freight set. I finally found the set in a catalog:



From *that* clue, I found I needed an 1829, and since then, I've bought and/or resurrected several, including my two current mainline smokers.

I only own/operate Lionel PW. Hard to pick a favorite loco. Favorite F3 gotta be the 2321 jersey central. Favorite "geep" gotta be 2338 M/R solid orange stripe. F/M 2331 VA Yellow/black. GG1 2330 drk grn. 5 stripes. Berks.. 746 long stripe. Hudson '50 773, also 3 window "50 2043 silver numbers with small letters on tender. Turbines..671 with back up lights on tender and also 682 white stripe and oiler linkage. Rolling stock, many to choose from. Super speedliner congressional/Super chief. 6464-1 red letters.. 6464-100 WP O/W Blue feather w/o date. '54 type 1. 6464-325 sentinel..Many oil tankers.. Original black 2855 sunoco. Also a gray 2855. Misc log/coal dumpers. green 3461 log car. The 773 pulls 8 green 3461s plus plus 8 black 2855 tankers. Looks really cool. 6430 piggy back (fruehauf) 6414 auto loader with number on wrong side. 2420 lighted work caboose. Misc stock cars. Been collecting since '50. Dont really know how many items I have. I like PW cause I can fix them myself. No fancy electronics. Little touch of solder once in awhile. Maybe change brushs once a year. Dab of grease on the Growlers gears. Drop of oil. Good to go. Im lucky I can run a computer. Never mind an fool with a electrical board. Teaching the grandkids how to run them is a real challenge. They all want to "go faster grampa". Gots to love em. PW holds up to crashes also. Had to put guardrails up. The 3 FM's are fast no matter how long the consist is.

Have not heard from you in a while.

Post by armyranger on 21 minutes ago
I only own/operate Lionel PW. Hard to pick a favorite loco. Favorite F3 gotta be the 2321 jersey central. Favorite "geep" gotta be 2338 M/R solid orange stripe. F/M 2331 VA Yellow/black. GG1 2330 drk grn. 5 stripes. Berks.. 746 long stripe. Hudson '50 773, also 3 window "50 2043 silver numbers with small letters on tender. Turbines..671 with back up lights on tender and also 682 white stripe and oiler linkage. Rolling stock, many to choose from. Super speedliner congressional/Super chief. 6464-1 red letters.. 6464-100 WP O/W Blue feather w/o date. '54 type 1. 6464-325 sentinel..Many oil tankers.. Original black 2855 sunoco. Also a gray 2855. Misc log/coal dumpers. green 3461 log car. The 773 pulls 8 green 3461s plus plus 8 black 2855 tankers. Looks really cool. 6430 piggy back (fruehauf) 6414 auto loader with number on wrong side. 2420 lighted work caboose. Misc stock cars. Been collecting since '50. Dont really know how many items I have. I like PW cause I can fix them myself. No fancy electronics. Little touch of solder once in awhile. Maybe change brushs once a year. Dab of grease on the Growlers gears. Drop of oil. Good to go. Im lucky I can run a computer. Never mind an fool with a electrical board. Teaching the grandkids how to run them is a real challenge. They all want to "go faster grampa". Gots to love em. PW holds up to crashes also. Had to put guardrails up. The 3 FM's are fast no matter how long the consist is.

ArmyRanger, I am right there with you – I run exclusively early Lionel PW equipment (majority prior to 1958). I enjoy electronics/ technology, but have never ventured into it with regard to the trains. I read through your partial inventory above and caught some really nice pieces. The PW stuff is fun to run. One quick story that I was reminded of when you mentioned about guard rails.
I had just acquired a gently used 2056 in great condition. I put it on the tracks and let loose on the throttle. Somewhere on the East side of the layout (the 72 radius section) there was momentary silence, then a horrifying thud. I was sure the loco left the track and took a flight off the layout. I was on my hands and knees looking for the wreckage (saying many uncomplimentary comments about myself). I could not find the loco. I was so caught up in the disaster, that I did not check the layout surface. It had made the Southside track, and just went over. No damage. Phew!

You have got some nice heavyweights. You have a classy S2 Turbine. What I lack is a FM TM.
Alfred - old man running old trains

Alfred:  I typed 2043 instead of '50 2046 in silver!  They say the first thing to go is the mind!  hahaha  Nice weather around here lately. Spend most of my time outdoors.  We dont get the snow we used to, so I sold my snowmoble.  So when the snow is deep and flying around I run my trains.  The 2046 is my very first train set in '50. Set #1475WS. Still have the set box and all boxes. Its one of my favorites. Still runs like brand new. I should take an inventory. I operate everything. Even the "rare" ones. No good to me in a box. That 682 turbine is a powerhouse. I have a 2671W 12 wheel tender with the lights, behind it. I know its not the right tender but it looks really cool behind the 12 wheel turbine.  Another old man running old trains  regards Rob

I have a few Post War and a couple of "Modern" locos and
rolling stock that dates from 1956 (my first electric train)
to the mid 1970s (some early Jerry Williams) that I run on
occasion. I prefer the Pre-War (both 1 and 2) tinplate of
my older family that has been passed on to me.

Really WILD to think that plastic trains are now 70-some
years old! Who would have thought they would last that
long and still be running well.

I don't think that most of the "New Tech" electronic stuff
with computer boards, delicate non-rebuildable can motors,
rectifiers and software will stand the ultimate test of time
or endurance like the older toy/semi-scale stuff has. The
Pre and Post War and Early Modern trains were built to be
PLAYED with, thus are more durable and rebuildable.

The "New Tech" trains are more adult museum-grade things
meant more for "looking at" rather than "playing with".

Sure, no problem:



[Pease pardon the poor quality -- the trains haven't been run in a few days and were a bit cranky!]