This comes up from time to time. If your 224 has a rounded cab floor, it is a postwar(1946) 224. The 224 and 224E were both made prewar.
If your 224 has black handrails, it is a 1945 model.
Left over Black handrailings from 1945 frequently show up in early 1946 production, both on the 224 and 1666 engines. 1945 224s had flat rear cabs, but left over inventory also show up in early 1946. Left-over prewar 1666s with flat rear cabs also show up early 1946. 1945 224s not only have flat cab floors and black hand rails, they also have a long black drawbar with a small oval on the end. In 1946 production, 224s & 1666s, the drawbars are black and have no oval attached to the drawbar.
Just a tip for missing classification jewels. If there's a craft store in your area like a Michaels or an A.C. Moore both places sell Swarovski crystals in various sizes. The three millimeter size is a perfect fit in the Lionel sockets. A couple of bucks for a dozen or so, and they come in different colors. I actually prefer the Swarovskis as they're a bit brighter than the original Lionels and reflect light better. I'm not a purist as far as the jewels are concerned.
I don't know the price, as I am just getting into the tinplate side myself, but the knuckle coupler was a later addition. The engine was produced before the war, when Lionel was using the box coupler. Some dealer might have had leftover stock after the war he added the knuckle coupler to to get it sold, but I doubt that. Any chance we could see photos?
further update is that they are gray in color and that the tender has a knuckle coupler. Since I am the original owner, I wonder if I added that coupler in the past and forgot about it while it sat for 40 years before I started the hobby again or if it came that way. The boxes are long gone. I did have the E unit replaced within the past year or so. Any idea of the price when this came on the market?
Insofar as I know, 225E was made before 1940 (Mebbe 1939), 225 was after. Lionel dropped the E designation around that time, as it was assumed at that point that if it was a Lionel, it had the 'famous' Lionel reverse (acquired through Ives).
I have a 225E and the 2225W tender. They were purchased by my uncle for me in 1939. I have two green gems on the front mounted a little above the headlight and to the sides.. Where should those other 2 go?
Ernest Kraus
What type of track you looking for if you want some O guage or O-27 contact me will give to you just pay shipping is all I ask
Life's hard, even harder if your stupid John Wayne
http://rtssite.shutterfly.com/
Are you sure the lamp is good in the searchlight car? You said the wheels are plastic? That must be a newer model than the 1939 engine you have. Would it work if you took a wire from the transformer to each of the wires coming out of the searchlight? One wire should go to the center rail roller, and the other should go to one of the pressure points (which I assume is a little copper strip that presses against two axles of a truck?)
Do you have a number on that searchlight car?
J White
Hello,
having read this thread I don't see an answer to the track question. Did you get an answer? I just bought a 225e 1939 Lionel. I have purchase O gauge track and the train runs fine. However, the light on the search light car is not working. The contact hits the track. But there are two pressure points under the wheels (plastic) that don't hit anything.
I am new to collecting and this forum. We had a 1666 that ran under our tree all my life. This replaces that one. So i know a little, but not much.
thank you
sheryl
Earl, nice hat. Now I don't really know if the gift of this engine and tender was as great a gift as I thought, but it's a start. Reading the forums just reminds me of what "Noobs" Bill, Dennis and myself are. But some of the pictures of the sets are really something. Would like to see more.
Next questions will have to be in a new post. Thanks to you all.
gabylee Don, I am sorry about calling you Bob, no offense Bob. But it is interesting to know what you are at the controls of. Anyway, once again, thanks. I will check out the site for the lamps, as it seems to be much better than Ebay.
Don, I am sorry about calling you Bob, no offense Bob. But it is interesting to know what you are at the controls of.
Anyway, once again, thanks. I will check out the site for the lamps, as it seems to be much better than Ebay.
Riding "Fireman" on an Amtrak Acela during a photo assignment.
Not many photos of a speedometer like this in the U.S.
Don U. TCA 73-5735
phillyreadingA differance that I have noticed is on the 224E verses the 224 steam engine is at the rear of the cab, the 224 has a rounded end sticking out and the 224E is straight across right above the tender draw-bar. Not sure if this is the same on the 225 version or not.
Rob
The 225E is an excellent runner. It is the smoothest running prewar or postwar engine that I own and I have a lot of them.
Earl
On a Real Railroad it would be green or white for "Classification Lights". Red "Markers" are for the rear of a train.
With that said, most 225s are found with green all around. BUT the catalog pictures show green forward and red on the side facing class lights. They must have had some made that way. Red, green or yellow "rinestones" are sold by most dealers in repair parts.
I missed a Ebay buy for $10.00 to buy 4 green ones
Be glad. Those "gems" are generally called jewels or rhinestones. I buy them for $1.00 per dozen. One of my favorite parts dealers sells them for 25 cents each. 700E-164 are red, 700E-166 are green, and 700E-167 are amber.
Here is a link:
http://www.ttender.com/index.htm
Once again, it is really great to find this site with all you guys(and Gals) helping all us old guys out. We have many more questions than answers at this time. Dennis and Bill(neighbors) do not exactly make up a club, but we are game to get the old sets running again. Some have been in storage for 40 yrs or more.
Too bad my 225E doesn't have smoke. Dang. But if I figure out how to post pics to those of you that can help, it wiil be awesome. I'm going to look on the net to see if there is a Lionel club in Monterey County to just help out locally. If any of you want to come out to Monterey/Seaside Ca. and catch some fish, be my guest.
I have some bids on Ebay to get some track and a few other things to get a track going. We are combining our tracks to get a better unit operating. Not sure our wives are ecxtatic about us doing this, but it is a whole lot less expensive than a trip to Vegas!
Don, your two 225E trains, do they have all four "gems" on the front? I missed a Ebay buy for $10.00 to buy 4 green ones and now I kinda regret it. I have seen some pictures of the engine with combinations of all 4 being green and then 2 greens and 2 reds. It is all I need to put my engine back into original shape, I think. I was missing the whistle mount on the engine but bought one and put it back on when I cleaned the engine. Came with a spare if anyone needs one.
Anyway, thanks to you all.
Edit: And Bob, what controls are you at in your avatar?
My favorite locomotive, the Lionel 225. Based on the New Haven I-4 Class Pacific with its double air compressors on the left side and a Feed Water Heater ahead of the stack. I remember the real thing as a kid.
Numbered 225E when introduced in 1938, it was gray with a "waffel top" tender (2225T). A few were made with the 2235T cast tender in gray, very valuable!
Production continued in 1939 to 1942 in black with the cast tender. All had "E" unit reverse but smoke had not been invented. From 1939 and on, the train sets no longer listed the "E", just 225. When listed in the catalogs as a separate sale item it still has the 225EW name.
Both my 225s are black and say on the name plate "225E Lionel Lines".
Does my 225E have smoke capabilities?
Sorry, your 225E was made prior to World War II, before Lionel came out with smoke. As far as I know, there actually isn't any difference between a 225 and 225E.There was a period of time before WWII when Lionel appears to have almost randomly used the "E" at the end of locomotive numbers. All 225 locos have "E" (reversing) units.
In prewar Lionel, the "E" indicates electrical reversing, using--the E-unit! They discontinued the practice of selling locomotives in versions without the E-unit after the war, and therefore dropped the "E" from the model numbers.
Lionel generally used the body of the locomotive as the headlight return, both prewar and postwar. The same goes for illuminated cars.
Bob Nelson
OK, now that Larry has my neighborhood getting back into Lionels, I have a few questions that I can't seem to find online. What is the difference between a 225E and a 225? Does my 225E have smoke capabilities? When I cleaned up the motor I only found one wire going out of the top of the engine to the light. And by the way, cleaning up the motor armature did wonders. Can't wait to get the bigger xformer.
Now I am in search of track.
This could put me in the poor house.
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