Fair price for a prewar Lionel 225E

[healey36]

I've been hunting around looking for a decent (C-6), Lionel 225E in black. Loco-only sale works for me as I have a nice tender in inventory. Problem is, I can't figure out what a fair price for one is. Looking at Dave's favorite site, asking prices diverge wildly, as does condition. The guides, which I put little faith in as they seem intended for "investors", put one north of $200. That's crazy. Maybe somewhere in the $125-$130 range, or is that insulting? I was hoping to run one down at York, but that's off for another seven months.

If you have any thoughts, let me know.

Healey

[jlong]

North of 200 for a nice one seems reasonable depending on which tender as far as I'm concerned. 130 puts you in the 224E price range. It's all about condition and what you're willing to tolerate.

[healey36]

Okay, so maybe not so crazy? I've seen nice prewar 224Es well below $100. What pushes the 225E so far north? Motor quality? Production volume?

[ScaleCraft]

I have a bunch of 225E's...well, at least boilers so you can't tell.

I watched a lot of them on the bait. WAY too high, bent cab roofs, rear truck support broken off, nicked, scratched.
Missing lead and/or trail trucks.
150 is about right with all the bits, clean and reasonably unscratched, tested, and WITH the short cast tender (realistically). Gotta look close for glued on class lights, wrong trucks (engine and tender) missing valve gear bits, and anybody who says "we aren't train people, so not tested" yet ask NIB collector prices......Run, Forrest, Run.

[healey36]

Dave,
Sent you a PM...check it out.

Thanks,

Paul

[ScaleCraft]

3 or 4 months ago there was an abundance of 225E's on da bait a whole lot cheaper than that one.
That one is nice enough (disregarding current paint and possibly repaint) but for that price it needs the cast tender, not the tin one.

I am fortunate in that stuff I just think about eventually falls into my lap for little or nothing.
Like the 225E on the bench with a 675 parts loco for rods and valve gear. Have the nose done, with coupler, I'll get the rest someday.

[jwse30]

Two years ago I bought a nice gray one with a whistle tender (with postwar trucks, but the original prewar ones were included...) for $180 at York. He wanted $200, I started at $150, we settled at $180.

I still think they are the nicest proportioned engine they made in the prewar era. That is likely because of my fondness for the 600 series freight cars though.

J White

[healey36]

Thanks, J White. I have a 2235T tender that needs a loco, so a loco-only deal will work. I was figuring a nice (C-6) orphaned 225/225E would be the trick, but I wondered what a fair price would be. These tenders go for $50-$75, so I am hopeful to find it a mate for $100-$125. I might be low-balling it, but then I'm not looking for perfection, more like operator quality.

Proportionally, I think the 226E is sharper, but that's just me, and folks expect stupid money for one of those. Probably too big to manage the tight curves on my layout anyway.

I have a 225E in gunmetal with a waffle-top coffin-style tender. It's in pretty rough shape, but I figure it cost me less then a hundred bucks. Someday I'll get around to fixing it.

[ScaleCraft]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Prewar-Lionel- ... 4713595389

Loco only, still bidding at $46. Two days left. Looks nice.

[chuck]

something about the prewater heater on the front, "the brow". It looks off? like it took a header off the table and landed on it? Nice Baldwin drivers.

[healey36]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Prewar-Lionel-225-Steam-Engine-Only/254713595389

Loco only, still bidding at $46. Two days left. Looks nice.

Okay, thanks...jammed it onto the watch list. Needs an e-unit, though.

[ScaleCraft]

something about the prewater heater on the front, "the brow". It looks off? like it took a header off the table and landed on it? Nice Baldwin drivers.

Still has all the factory sander marks on the FWH. The angles are camera, I think. No real damage, and the class lights line up. ALWAYS nice, those Baldwins. I am impressed with the rods and moving bits. No rust.

As far as needing an e-unit, I know I can see the lockout lever, so it's there. How hard can it be? A four-finger, two-finger, and drum? I've done so many of those over the years....

[healey36]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Prewar-Lionel-225-Steam-Engine-Only/254713595389

Loco only, still bidding at $46. Two days left. Looks nice.

Okay, thanks...jammed it onto the watch list. Needs an e-unit, though.

It went for $80. Threw a bid of $75 on it and let it go. Presumably there'll be others.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Probably a shill and you'll see it again next week..............

[ScaleCraft]

Probably a shill and you'll see it again next week..............

You never know. I may have to quote you on that...periodically.