I did some looking for the Lionel Southern Railway 6-18044, found it in the book, and it has a VERY strong resemblance to the Lionel B&O “President Washington” I’ve got, both from the same time period. About two years between the two.
My B&O 4-6-2 is a great runner and I’ve never had a problem with it. The Southern version should be just fine, assuming of course it’s never been abused.