Since 1959 I have had a Lionel Alco marked Erie, I'm sure you know the one. Well, tonight I bought a refurbished 224 Prairie I am now waiting for. So, what is the small lever for on top of the boiler? I see videos of them operating forward and reverse on youtube just like my diesel, so, I'm guessing it is not for reverse, or is it? Depending on type of transformer? Next, I need to get a tender, #2466W or 2466WX, this one is a 1945 loco, so by rights it should have a 2466W, but I am not too concerned about that, a good 2400WX would be fine with me, in my searches I see locos with long coupling tabs, and short, the same with the tenders, long or short coupling tabs. My loco I'm getting has the short coupler tab, or bar, and it looks like a tender with a short coupler will work, and not hit the cab on curves. That would be my preference as I like the tender up close to the cab as on a real train, not way the heck and gone back there. I know a long and long will work, or a short and long, but will a short and short work? Thanks, I'm happy I found this place.
The lever stickin' out of the top of the boiler is to the "E" unit. Depending, all the way to the right will give you the forward-neutral-reverse-neutral sequence of operation, all the way to the left will give you forward only.
I say depending 'cause it depends which way you're looking at it. On the other hand, I just bought a vintage 2018 2-6-4 and the operation sequence is neutral-reverse-neutral-forward. Actually, I kind of like it that way. I love the buzz of "E" units!
Slap whatever tender you want on there, I think they'll both work.
And we're glad you found us! Welcome aboard!
Thank you very much for your help!
FNRN and NRNF are the same operation: Every other state is neutral. The states that aren''t neutral alternate between forward and reverse.
If you shut off the e-unit when running forward (or after stopping from running forward), you get forward thereafter until you turn the e-unit back on. But, if you shut it off when or after running in reverse, you get reverse only, not forward. And, if you shut it off when or after being in neutral, you get neutral only, not forward.
Bob Nelson
Hey, you're very welcome!
If you have a 1945 224, the downward tab on the drawbar was very short (3/16ths inch vs 5/8ths inch) with nubs on either side, and fit directly into an oval slot in a tender that had no drawbar. If the spacing is important, you won't be happy until you get a 2466w with an oval hole, because a normal tender drawbar will move the tender farther away from the engine.
First confirm you have a 1945 224. Besides the unique drawbar for 1945 only, The 1945 224 had the same casting as the prewar with straight, (non-rounded cab) floor and also black handrails, but . . . leftover prewar castings and black handrails were used up in 1946, and by themselves don't necesssarily indicate 1945 production.
The Drawbar to the 1945 224 is shorter than the prewar version, but longer than the 1946 version. Pairing a short engine drawbar and short tender bar works fine as that was the arrangement for 1946 production.
Dan Eskeldson
Thank you Dan, I have not received the engine yet, but from pictures, it has the squared off cab, a black very short looking draw bar, (shorter than the roof of the cab easily noticeable) but I do not see tabs on the end of the draw bar. It should come today, I will soon know for sure, I hope.
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