Lionel #224 Engine drawbar types

On one hand, I have reason to believe my 224 is a mismatched tender and engine. Some 224's (and maybe all) were connected directly to a slot in thebody of a tender, not by an extension from the tender. The 224, unlike other post war engines does not have a smooth sided drawbar, but rather it has "nubs" at the bottom the end of the drawbar - at least mine does.

 There may not be answer here - jsut more observations. Mine is shown below:

One other thing on the 224 - it is just about the smoothest runner of all the post war engines.

The drawbar connection where the bar drops through an oval slot in the tender frame appeared only in the first postwar production in 1945 . As a lucky little nipper I got one for Christmas 1945 but it was always a chore to couple the engine and tender and probably why it was replaced so soon. That first postwar set also had the first go-round in coil operated couplers that was very fragile for those same little nippers. The couplers also projected a shorter distance beyond the car body so that so that the distance between cars was more prototypical. For 1946 this was all revised so something closer than what we have today. My Christmas set has done Christmas tree duty for 63 years now with almost all the trucks replace as well as the 3rd (?) tender shell which is not fasten down to facilitate coupling up.

 

william j

I have a Lionel #224 engine with the long draw bar...

Bill

Does your engine have a rounded, or straight cab floor?

What color are the hand rails on the loco & tender?

The answers to these questions will determine the proper year(& tender) for your loco & drawbar.

Rob

Hello Rob, I have two 224"s. They both have the rounded cab floor and one has black handrails and the other has nickel handrails.

 

Bill

Forgot to mention the handrails on both tenders are nickel.

Bill

I was also one of the little nippers that got one for christmas but it was christmas of 1947. I do remember getting mad cause I couldn't get the drawbar in the oval hole in the tender frame. Also don't remember the railings being black. I don't think they were. Probably the big problem for alot of little nippers at that time.

Bill

I find it curious that the replies to this post assume that the #224 engine in question is post-war.  I've got a pre-war version that resembles the photo posted by Frank52, but the tender has pre-war trucks & a box coupler.  Similar engine to tender hookup, as near as I can make out from the photo.  My tender is stamped as 02666W on the underside, which according to Greenberg's would be a mismatch with the 224 pre-war engine, but this pair were purchased new by my Dad before I was born.  Still have the OB,s, although well worn.  Just to add to the story, this tender has a rotating metal tab (connected to the rivet that secures the front truck assembly) with both a slot (which accepts the drawbar tab from the engine) as well as an oval hole ahead of the slot.  Lots of variations out there!  No one explanation will explain all.     Zephryx

william j

Hello Rob, I have two 224"s. They both have the rounded cab floor and one has black handrails and the other has nickel handrails....    Bill

 

Both are definitely Postwar.  The black handrails are wrong with the rounded cab floor, though, unless very early 1946 production can be confirmed.  All rounded floor 224's need the regular short drawbars to meet the regular postwar type tender drawbars.

How would I confirm this? All I  know is the man I got this from had this engine (black hand rails) and 2466W tender with flying shoe trucks,  the 2458 auto box car, 2555 tank car, 3559 dump car and 2457 caboose, all with flying shoe trucks. This was a set #2103. Thats about all the info I have.

 

Bill 

william j

How would I confirm this?

Bill 

 

I'll have to modify my statement above.  Interestingly, the  set #2103W shown in Doyle's book on sets shows a rounded cab 224 with black handrails, & no mention of it in the narrative.  It looks like you have a genuine 1946 2103W.

He does mention sets 2100 & 2100W could come with black handrails and the 1945 coupling, & that sets 2101 & 2101W always had silver handrails.

Rob

 

I have both a post war & pre war 224, the pre war 224E has a straight back on the engine cab area, the post war has a rounded back to the cab area. I have the original tender for the 224E and it is a 2224, no whistle unit, it has holes for what look like a little stick-up knob or pin on the engine like the pre war 249E has and the rectangle slot for the 224E to use. Don't have the original tender for the 224.

The flying shoes that somebody else mentioned are for use with the electric solenoids for either uncoupling or unloading features as on the 3659 or 2653. If your pre war cars had a one as the first number you had manually opened couplers.

Lee F.