If your going for the full blown 1950 Lionel ATSF Super Chief, then you need the 2343 ABA F3 set with the alum Silver Dawn series cars. The 43's will fill the room with wonderful ozone from the dual Pul-mor motors. A clean set with nice cars can be had for resonable money these days. Yes the F3's have been remade in modern times, but nothing beats the growl of the horizontal motored versions from the early 50's. Definately iconic running under the American Christmas tree. Mike
Silly NT's, I have Asperger's Syndrome
The website Flintlock posted is a great resource for Post War trains in general! Definitely worth a look for keeping track of the different kinds of Post War O gauge trains.
Shock Control, this 'site will give you a good tutorial on all those F3's the Leverette Railfan mentioned.
Don't worry, it's not as overwhelming as it seems.
https://www.tandem-associates.com/lionel/lioneldiesels.htm
This is the complete website:
https://www.tandem-associates.com/
Folks are right... it can be a dangerous game buying off the 'bay. Shipping charges are troublesome for sure.A show is always the best place to look for trains, in my opinion. Maybe not for the price you want, but depending on the size of the show, you'll likely at least see almost everything you could possibly want. Many AT&SF "warbonnet" F3s have been produced over the years- they were indeed popular, and still are. If you want a "classic", most would regard the dual motor F3s from the '50s as being the best. The 2343 and 2353 have the earlier drive system which is enjoyed for it's "motor growl", a fair substitute for any sound system. They're also very capable pullers, with their magnetraction and all wheel drive (on the power unit). The 2333 is virtually the same as the 2343, but because it predates 1950 it lacks magnetraction. All later postwar F3s to bear the AT&SF warbonnet scheme use the later drive which is less noisy. The 2243 and 2383 are significantly less detailed models, and the 2243 only features a single motor drive, but both have magnetraction. The 2243 was the only Santa Fe F3 in the postwar era to be sold as an A-B set (B-Units were available prior, but only as a seperate sale item, or within a set in an A-B-A combination).If you don't need an authentic vintage piece, there are plenty of reissues of the warbonnet F3 by both Lionel and other manufacturers- as has already been mentioned. MTH, Williams by Bachmann, K-Line, Atlas O, most recently Menards has tested the waters of producing a locomotive with their limited production run of a warbonnet F3a (good luck getting one those, though!).Plenty of options to opt for, varying from "vintage classic" to "modern replica".For the record, Lionel also produced an HO warbonnet locomotive in the postwar era... but it was an ALCo FA, not an EMD F3. Lionel also produced O gauge Alco FA units in the warbonnet scheme.-Ellie
"Unless bought from a known and trusted dealer who can vouch otherwise, assume every train for sale requires servicing before use"
I concur with HCF, try hitting a train show in your area if any are up-coming. Santa Fe "Warbonnets" (Super Chiefs) aren't all that hard to find, they made lots of 'em! If there's any train shops around check them too, especially if they take in used trains.
Be warned though, prices on vintage Lionels range from reasonable to ridiculous. So look around and "Get your eye in."
And Lionel isn't the only outfit that made "Super Chiefs," MTH is another that springs to mind, along with K-Line and Williams. All are good.
You might be too late for this year, but there's always next year.
You're an HO guy? That's OK, nobody's perfect!
Most definitely. Shipping costs are often jacked up it seems. Its even a problem when ordering online from some dealers/train shops.
I find the biggest problem with buying on the bay, not the price as much as it seems people have padded the sale with the shipping cost. Shipping a lot of times is out of this world.
Yup, a Super Chief under the Christmas tree certainly is an iconic image.
I'll agree with HCF - while you can find the occasional deal on the 'bay, you will also often pay a premium for convince.
Don't get one on the bay. I definitely paid too much for my super chief. I definitely think it's possible to get one for a cheaper price at a train show/fair.
...I am also a devotee of mid-century modernism, and few mid-century Christmas images are as iconic as a Lionel Super Chief running underneath a tree.
I have long been tempted to spring for one.
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.
Get the Classic Toy Trains newsletter delivered to your inbox twice a month