After working on my postwar F3 and still having it sound like a coffee grinder,(athough I do love postwar Lionel F3s so don’t get me wrong) it’s really nice to run a 2025/675.
I am always amazed at how silent and smooth these puppies run. What I don’t understand is how come other postwar spur locos don’t run this smoothly and quietly. Really postwar Lionel at its finest[:)]
I think this is my favorite postwar steamer. How many have and enjoy one of these?
Mike Sacco
I have a 2025. It is a sweet running engine. I wish mine smoked a little better. I have Lionel 2033 AA Alco’s and they are so noisy.
I have a 675.
I tweaked the E-unit in mine so to reduce the buzzing, so mine is nearly dead silent. It’s wonderful to run such a smooth and quiet engine.
Plus, it’s heavy enough and the gearing is such that it coasts very well when you cut the power. Depending on how fast it’s going and how many cars, mine will sometimes coast a foot or two before it comes to a stop. That’s a whole lot better than most can motors with flywheels.
With the Balwin Disks and aluminum stack, it’s a classy looking engine, too.
Although I do have a 681, I enjoy running my 675 just as much.
With the Balwin Disks and aluminum stack, it’s a classy looking engine, too.
Although I do have a 681, I enjoy running my 675 just as much.
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Nice to hear guys! Ben I have the Disks and silver stack version as well. REally, really nice. I have heard that the later 2035 magnetraction models of the same engine are not quite as smooth running.
Wonder what changed. Don’t have one of these later ones so can’t confirm this.
I also love my 681 as well but it doesn’t run as slowly around my 031 curves as well as my 2025 does.
Mike S.
Supposedly the tolerences got a little bit worse after the Korean war. Nearly all pre-Korean war spur-geared steam engines have the same silky-smooth drive train as the 675/2025.
By the way, Mitchell, I removed a turn from the heating element in my 675’s smoke unit, and it smokes incredibly well now.
This was my first engine (from 1952), and I still have it and run it. I could have cried when I read that Lionel chopped up the original dies a couple of years ago. With a little luck, maybe Williams will make one.
I cannot believe the tooling for this engine is gone. Indeed it is very sad. That explains why I have never seen a reissue. What the @#@#$# would make them do that?
Mike S.
Here in Christchurch, New Zealand, I run my 2025 at our annual trainshow. We just don`t have any of the modern electronic marvels here, preferring toy trains as they used to be. With its whistling & smoking we say this is latest development in toy trains - of 59 years ago! Great locos!
I have an early 2025 with Baldwin disc drivers and the aluminum stack. It’s such a good looking locomotive. With Ben’s help, I was able to get the correct smoke unit heating element for it. Thanks, Ben.
The tooling was destroyed. I believe the last time it was used was for a plastic-bodied DC powered version about 20 years ago. As someone has already mentioned, I wish Williams would create a replica of this engine. It’s easily my favorite of the post war era.
Jim
The believe the tooling was destroyed because it was no longer repairable/worn out. The die had been modified to make the Bellpaire fire box (it had actually been modified several times over the course of its use). The castings were getting pretty bad.
I love the early 675/2025 as well, BUT, they aren’t the worlds best pullers. They are prone to wheel slip under load.
I also have a 2025 and it runs very smooth.my 2020 (1946 light bulb smoker) ran jerkey, tore it down to remove the 60 year grease and old smoke pellets. it is now the smoothest post war loco I own and I try to run it every day.[:D]…tony
Got all of these and they all run great, just need a little TLC and they are off to the races. These are the reason I stick with Post War verses the new stuff with all the sounds and boards. You just can’t beat them.
Dennis
I love my 675! It’s a smooth, quiet runner…and smokes like crazy. Unfortunately, it’s in the repair shop due to an internal “short”. Looking forward to getting it back. Joe
Actually, the mechanism–in fact, the whole engine–is largely PRE war. . . . .
Nice to hear guys! Ben I have the Disks and silver stack version as well. REally, really nice. I have heard that the later 2035 magnetraction models of the same engine are not quite as smooth running.
Wonder what changed. Don’t have one of these later ones so can’t confirm this.
I also love my 681 as well but it doesn’t run as slowly around my 031 curves as well as my 2025 does.
Mike S.
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Mike I have 2035 and its not as smooth as 681 that I own my screen says it all[;)]
According to some sources, the 2035 and Korean War era 2025 doesn’t run as smoothly because of relaxed tolerances. But I’ve seen a few of those that run incredibly smooth and quiet.
Jim
What E-Unit tweak did you do? I was thinking of putting a electronic E-Unit it mine to quiet it down, but if I can tweak it, that may be another idea to try first. Mine is that noisy, but at times it buzzes and its too bad because its really a very quiet engine other then the usual buzz.
My 675 runs much better than my 671. Smokes good.
If you carefully bend the pawl out slightly, the e-unit will typically get dramatically quieter. It might take some experimenting, but it has always worked for me.
In regards to 675 v. 681, I love my 681, too. I rescued my 681 from the junk bin and rebuilt it. Mine runs extremely well.
Even so, there’s an inherent difference in the 681 drivetrain and the 675 drivetrain. The 681 uses a horizontal worm-drive train, not unlike the early F-3 train(without the idler gears). This gives is a bit of a “coffee grinder” sound. The 675, by contrast, use a transverse spur gear arrangement. The spur gears are much quieter and smoother than worm gears, so the whole things runs much more smoothly.