Will the real 2026 please stand up!!

[Chris F]

The boiler castings for both 2026's originated with the 224/1666/229/1664 casting first used in 1938. The first two also were available for a couple of years after WWII.

The early 2026 (48-49) casting had a rounded cab deck, rather than square, and a box in front of the smokestack instead of a small stack (vs. the prewar 2026).

The casting was changed in 1950 to produce the 2036. Material was removed from the mold to add air pumps to the side. The 2036 also featured Magnetraction and a 4-wheel sheet-metal trailing truck, but it lacked the extra drive gear and handrails.

During the Korean War, there was a shortage of Alnico magnet material, so Magnetraction was eliminated from steamers (but not diesels). These steamers typically reverted back to the numbers they used before Magnetraction was added (e.g., 681 to 671RR, 736 to 726RR). That's what happened to create the later 2026. Since it was considered a low-to-mid-priced product, Lionel elected not to go back to the 2-wheel die-cast trailing truck, nor add back the extra drive gear and handrails. There was no way they were going to go back to the original casting, which would have required adding material to the mold - very expensive.

The 2037 replaced the later 2026 in 1953. Magnetraction was added back and the die was modified one more time to add a whistle housing.

The last Postwar steamer to use the die was the 2029 (64-69). IIRC, the die was sent to Japan, and Lionel had a hard time getting it back when production was started in Michigan.

[1688torpedo]

Hello All! Jim- Lionel made that change in 1950 when they added more cast in detail to the 224/1666 tooling which made the early & later versions of the 2026 look so different. Don't forget. when Lionel made a Tool they made it to accomodate four or six wheeled mechanisms or in the case of the 226E Tooling they redesigned that during the war for the 726 Berkshire. Also, Before the War. Lionel used the 1666 Tooling to produce the prewar 1664/229 Engines & the difference between these two is that the 229 used Small baldwin drive wheels. (Smaller than a 675) with Pickup Rollers & The 1664s used the 12 spoke Drives Wheels that Lionel came out with in 1938 that they also used on their other 0-27 Steam Engines as well. This way Lionel spread out the cost of their tooling over a wide range of engines as well to reduce costs & insure profitability for the product line. Take Care. P.S. the 1664s used the slider shoes for the third rail pickups as did the other 0-27 engines

[Jumijo]

Keith,

If you look at the two versions pictured on the site John linked to, the side details are completely different in the shell's castings. Not just handrails. The later version actually has more molded in details right over the big drive wheels.

Jim

[1688torpedo]

Both the early & later versions of the 2026 were made with the same tooling casting. The early ones looks so different because of the handrails & the Front Cowcatcher were from the 1666s of the pre-postwar era & after 1950 the casting was changed & the handrails were no longer used & the front cowcatcher was enlarged to accomodate a different size Smoke Generator that used a piston assembly that was connected to the siderods as previous 2026s had a cam on the front axle that was connected to the piston in order to puff out smoke. Hope this helps

[lionelsoni]

Try putting the 2-6-4 on level track and see if it doesn't tip forward and backward. Lionel got the idea to enlarge the middle drivers in an attempt to make the magnetraction work better. Then they didn't use magnetraction because they couldn't get magnets during the Korean war.

A further oddity about the later 2026 is that there was never an American prototype for that wheel arrangement. Some were made here for export; so sometimes a 2-6-4 is called an "Adriatic".

[Anonymous]

A small number of early 2026's were made with Baldwin Disk Drivers(like the 224 and 675, to name 2). I've been looking for one of these for months on eBay and train shows with no luck...maybe York next month? Joe

[Jumijo]

If you look at the 2 examples on the page John linked to, not even the boiler castings are the same. Two different locos, same number.

Jim

[msacco]

I will agree on the earlier version. Far superior in looks and detail. Even the tender was the better.

Mike S.

[1688torpedo]

Hello Bobby ! Yes, The Rollers are a definate improvement over the slider shoes.However, for looks the 2026 your father handed down to you is second to none! Hope you enjoy it for many years to come. Take Care.

[BobbyDing]

Thanks all,
I should have Googled it. I would have found my answers. The only improvement I see on the later models are the roller pickups. Am I correct in assuming that these are preferable to the sliding shoe?

Thanks,

Bobby

[Roger Bielen]

Hi Bobby, I looked in Greenberg's and it appears both are correct, just different vintage.

1948-49,1951-53 ....sliding shoe pickups, drive rod, connecting rod, eccentric crank...
(B)1951-53 ...no eccentric crank; roller pickups, spoked sintered-metal wheels......

My GB is a 1995 printing and at that time there were no differences in value between the two.

[dwiemer]

Bobby, I suggest you get one of the "Greenberg's Guide to Lionel Train Repair 1945-1969". This is a great resource to teach you both the difference of your engines, and diagrams to clean/repair your trains. Post War trains are wonderful and are easy to work on. Between this forum and the book above, you should have all you need to keep your trains running for many years.
Dennis

[csxt30]

Bobby, check this postwar site out, it mentions the parts are not interchangable in th years they made them. Hope this helps, & others will be along with more info !
http://www.postwarlionel.com/cgi-bin/postwar?ITEM=2026
Thanks,

[BobbyDing]

I have 2 Lionel 2026's. One was handed down to me from dad. The other was purchased at a show. At a glance they look similar, but they have many differences, and I'm wondering why? The unit handed down has the following:

Boiler Handrails
Extra Rod Linkages (moves when running)
Metal tab center rail pickups (other has rollers)
Main Drivers have machined silver spokes (show units spokes not machined)
2-6-2 (other is a 2-6-4)

Since the handed down version came from my dad, who got it new as a kid in a set. I am 99% sure it is all original. He actually was not that interested in trains and would not have made any mods to it. The one handed down is nicer looking than the show unit hands down, but I just saw another 2026 at a local shop and it was the same as the one I got from the show. I know units go thru some improvements as time goes by, but most of these differences seem only cosmetic? Anybody know what the deal is with these? Did Lionel make different versions of this loco?

Thanks,

Bobby