I am not sure I understand what you want to do (and Lionel had the streamlined 4-4-2 Hiawatha locomotive in the 1930s, so I am not even sure we're thinking of the same locomotive), but it sounds like you'd like to put some reasonably realistic looking wheels under the shell so that it can be a static display, not a running model (or a pull toy on the floor).
There are a number of wood trains that one sees at hobby and toy stores, some of which are in the nature of 3D wood puzzles. They have spoked drivers, cylinders and side rods and such, ranging from elaborate to simplistic. However I cannot tell what scale all of them are. For example there is an all wood version of the Harry Potter locomotive that if it is the right size, or close, might be very helpful to your project.
I Googled "Wooden train kit" in Google Images and it came up with all sorts of stuff. I have seen some at surplus stores that could supply usable drivers as well.
Of course it would also be possible and fun to make this a DIY project using Ball jar lids for drivers with spokes of BBQ skewers and other household products from kitchen and medicine cabinet as raw materials. For example the discs that you turn on deoderant containers might make passable wheels for pilot and tender.
Dave Nelson
Hi
i have A Hiawatha Steamliner shell and want to simulate trucks using wood blocks and my artistic ability. Something will come available eventually but I want to get it on the wall. I'm third generation maintenance of way for the route from Minneapolis to the SDakota border. 85 years combined service by my father and grandfather. I rode in all the trains with the most memorable being the snow plows when my snow was too deep for my dads track car: "What an Experience"!!!
Im looking for some wheels to simulate the workings of the Steamliner Hiawatha by Lionel. I'd like to make it 2-6-2 and not the 2-4-2 setup that Lionel had to do to make it work on the tight curves of their track.