Question - Postwar New Haven AA Alco #209

[statistician]

Hello there, 

I am thinking about ordering the LCCA remake of this set, although it looks as if the original was used as a stand-in for the photos posted.  LCCA specified that Lionel would reproduce this set from the original tooling where possible, however the specifics are lacking. 

Does anyone know if the original #209 New Haven Alcos had plastic or diecast trucks?  I can't tell from any of the pictures.  Although they state that the passenger trucks will be diecast. Also, the metal frame Alcos look to be somewhat taller than the earlier postwar Alcos that rode on diecast frames.  Is this true?  I actually like the taller profile Alcos anyway though...

If anyone can answer these, I'd certainly appreciate it!

[csxt30]

There is some information here, though it may not be perfectly accurate or enough. Someome will probably be along with more info !

  http://www.postwarlionel.com/cgi-bin/postwar?ITEM=209

John

[steinmike]

According to "Complete Service Manual for Lionel Trains" (reprinted by MDK in 1982), the 209 New Haven Alco was made in 1958 with two magnetic axles, a three-position e-unit, and no horn.  The trucks for the Alco FA's made from 1957 onwards were made from sheet metal with plastic side frames with very little detail (these engines were intended for starter sets).  MPC was still using the same trucks on FA's up until the introduction of the "new" trucks that have a can motor mounted in them.

It will be interesting to see what they can do with the passenger cars.  The original 2400 series cars had a plastic body into which a metal frame was inserted.  The trucks and lamps were mounted on the metal frame and the roof was fastened into the frame by two screws that looked like roof vents.  The cars had open vestibules that provided some nice detail.  The MPC (and all subsequent) re-issues of the 2400's use a single piece plastic body without the internal frame, the open vestibule, or the roof vent screws.

I'm all for nostalgia, but would need to see a lot more detail about what you're getting for the money.  

[statistician]

Thanks for the responses guys.  LCCA claims the set will be a close copy of the original, so i just wanted to confirm how the original was built.  

steinmike: I do know that Lionel will unfortunately not be re-releasing the Postwar 2400 series as they originally appeared for this set.  The open vestibule, sheet metal, roof mounted screw features apparently cannot be reproduced.  I suspect the cars will resemble the MPC area versions, with the exception of metal trucks.  The roof vents will also be there for decorative purposes, however the screws will not actually mount to the frame.

I did some digging around and apparently there were a number of questions similar to mine on the other O-gauge forum regarding this set.  Either way, I like it, and will probably take a chance on buying it.  But it would be great if they could provide more detail, especially given that they want money up front to produce it.