I picked this Lionel 1666 on the Bay last year for A very low price ,was missing the tender and someone had put a 4 wheel truck in the back.I know they have a reputation of not being able to pull much but I put a MPC plastic framed non -whistle tender behind it and some MPC era and MTH box cars with a 6257 Caboose and it has no problem pulling the consist.The Locomotive is geared for speed so you have to back off the voltage but it runs very smoothly and you can hardly hear the E- unit so it is a welcome addition to my Locomotive roster .
They were built like Sherman tanks, solid, rugged and reliable! I've got a post-war 224 of just about the same vintage and it's a solid runner as well.
So heavily made yet the drive wheels can be moved by hand easily .
Flint ,do the honors! https://youtu.be/9qfts4RrDO4
https://youtu.be/9qfts4RrDO4
There you go!
OOOOOO, nice!
One of the best proportioned boilers Lionel ever made!
Same me, different spelling!
Very cool!
Rob
Thanks for the assist Rob!
I have noticed that since I have been running it a lot more often,the voltage required to get it moving has dropped significantly.Just goes to show that disuse can really impact performance!
An interesting phenomenon I've noticed with those old post-wars is they may start off slow and need a bit of power to get rolling but once they "hit their stride" you can back off on the power. It's almost like they need to "warm up" before they perform their best, kind of like an old tube radio or TV set.
Very true ,I have to reduce the power as she really starts to fly !
My 2035 is the same. I have to run it "light" for awhile after it's been sitting before it can pull even light cars. It does better when shelved compared to sitting on rails. I suspect the steel rails act like an antenna for today's microwave saturated atmosphere and do something to the mechanicals that didn't exist in the era they were built in. So I store on wood and somehow things run better.
Yes they do seem to have a mind of their own!
pennytrains My 2035 is the same. I have to run it "light" for awhile after it's been sitting before it can pull even light cars. It does better when shelved compared to sitting on rails. I suspect the steel rails act like an antenna for today's microwave saturated atmosphere and do something to the mechanicals that didn't exist in the era they were built in. So I store on wood and somehow things run better.
Interesting! I can't say I've ever noticed that but anything's possible. I shelve mine on rails as the shelf wood's unfinished and I don't want any possible moisture leaching from the wood and onto the wheels.
Yes but it is a characteristic of my Locomotive!
Flintlock76 I don't want any possible moisture leaching from the wood and onto the wheels
Oh, I NEVER let them sit long enough for that to happen!
pennytrains Flintlock76 I don't want any possible moisture leaching from the wood and onto the wheels Oh, I NEVER let them sit long enough for that to happen!
I wish I could say the same! But in the winter it takes two-to-three hours to warm up the Chugger Barn so they only get used on weekends. Oh well, warm weather's coming!
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