Wonderful!

[healey36]

What was Lionel thinking?

It was all about getting the cost down and preserve the margin, pure and simple. By 1960 it was a life-or-death struggle for the company. Things really went to hell after Roy Cohn, who had gotten control of the company in 1959, took over as president in March, 1962. He replaced an honorable guy, retired army general John Medaris who Cohn shuffled off to be vice-chairman.

[Roy]

It was all about getting the cost down and preserve the margin, pure and simple. By 1960 it was a life-or-death struggle for the company.

Yes, but the Scout motor was introduced in 1948. Cheap is one thing, but shit is something else. And, by calling it Lionel Scout, they were still associating the Lionel name with it. Lionel should've made the 2034 mechanism instead, in 1948. They could've made a simple, functional two-position reverse, like Marx and Gilbert had. As it is, Lionel will never overcome the stain to their reputation, for making that easily shattered, throw-away Bakelite motor.

[v8vega]

I have a prewar 1664 2-4-2 it has a metal motor, wire handrails, enclosed trailing truck and full valve gear. It must be one of the best 2-4-2's.

[Roy]

I have a prewar 1664 2-4-2 it has a metal motor, wire handrails, enclosed trailing truck and full valve gear. It must be one of the best 2-4-2's.

Those used the same boiler shells as the 224 and 1666. It should also have the swinging bell.

[healey36]

The 1664 was a great little prewar 2-4-2, using the same boiler casting as the 1666 (2-6-2). I have a couple of them.

[Roy]

Here's the O gauge version of the O27 1664. It's the 229:

[ScaleCraft]

I always got a kick outta them double-bend main rods.

[healey36]

Sarge flipped me a note. Sounds like the 2034 and an ad hoc set will be heading off to a local disabled kid...couldn't think of a better home for it.

Healey

[Roy]

Sarge flipped me a note. Sounds like the 2034 and an ad hoc set will be heading off to a local disabled kid...couldn't think of a better home for it.

Do kids today actually like these things, or do they just sell them to the local pawn shop?

[ScaleCraft]

I dunno for sure. For years we would put together entire train sets for disadvantaged families.
Don't think I've seen them on the bait yet!

[Roy]

The Lionel O gauge 204. Along with the O27 1684, this was the first version of the boiler casting that Lionelers call the Columbia.



Any steamer with a 2-4-2 wheel arrangement is a Columbia type, properly speaking. And Lionel made several 2-4-2 engines with different boiler types, like the previously mentioned 1664 and 229.

The 204/1684 shell was later used for the postwar 1654, 1655 and 1101. The last time this version of the shell appeared was 1949. In that same year, a new version was introduced, with modifications to mount the Scout motor. It was this modified version that was used on the 2034.

[healey36]

I have both an O-gauge 204 and an O-27 1684...always liked the proportions for these, the smallest of the prewar diecast steamers. The 1684 was the first prewar Lionel I acquired, bought to head a set I put together for my daughter who wanted to keep up with her older brother (he’d gotten a new modern era Reading set one Christmas). Ironically, she has maintained some interest in the trains, while her brother lost it.

The 204 runs like a banshee. The only way to keep it on the track is to load it down with a decent consist.

[Roy]

I have both an O-gauge 204 and an O-27 1684...always liked the proportions for these...

Yes, Lionel did a fine job, on this design. It's quite realistic. It suggests a selectively-compressed Mikado type. And, it looks great, with Lionel's 3/16-ish rolling stock.