Hi all, just joined the forum and have a question about a recent purchase. I just received a Lionel 232 New Haven ALCO off of eBay and seller claims it's "original postwar", built only in 1962, when I look on the under side of the loco on the power truck it states LIONEL DIESEL SWITCHER- THE LIONEL CORPORATION, N.Y. MADE IN U.S. OF AMERICA. The "SWITCHER" part has me concerned, does anyone know if Lionel was putting ALCO shells on switcher chassis' back then or did someone else put the 232 shell on a switcher chassis? It has a 2 position E-unit and Magnetraction like a 232 is suppose to but I'm sure lots of locos back then also had that including many switcher engines. If anyone else has this engine and can verify it says this or has knowledge of this being the case, I would be grateful!
The Alco and switcher bodies are not interchangeable, they ride on different chassis'.
The 232 did come with a two position reverse.
"IT's GOOD TO BE THE KING",by Mel Brooks
Charter Member- Tardis Train Crew (TTC) - Detroit3railers- Detroit Historical society Glancy Modular trains- Charter member BTTS
It sounds like you are all genuine there.
The 232 has the 600 series motor with AAR sideframes. The lower bearing plate tooling has the lettering as you describe, it was used in all locos with that motor.
The Alco shell would not even come close to fitting on a switcher chassis.
Rob
Thanks for the info guys! I feel better now.
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