Lionel 2034 Scout Custom Repaint inquiry, Mint asking Price for Locomotive (Not Train Set, Track or Controller) will my work pay off?

Classic Toy Trains Forum
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Hello, I’ve been wanting to repaint a 2034 Lionel Scout Locomotive into another Example into Henry The Green Engine from Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends heavily insipred by a Parody Series I Love, I have been getting requests not to do this because the Zamac 2034 scout is a Postwar Example and I’d understand the statements but to clairfy I’ve had a Hunch that this is one of Lionel’s Low end Locomotives designed so people who had little money could buy it cheaply from the factory,

1st Question 1: is it worth repainting a Non working exaple like mine redoing it to look like Henry since the E unit didn’t work and the Paint was chipping off horribly, will that decrease value? I’m scared to look up ebay because I know that prices will be inflated heavily

2nd Inquiry: I need to know the Best price possible for a Mint or restored 2034 Locomotive, No Freight Cars, No Track, No Controller, I bypassed the E unit Because I wanted to simplify things with an AC on/off/on Toggle Switch eventually and hide it in the cab so it acts like a Throttle but really it would change direction,

3rd Inquiry : I rewired the Locomotive so It only goes in the foward position, hopefully! I’m not sure that this would work so I need input, its only Temporay untill I can get a DPDT Switch as mentioned before

I stripped the old bad paint off the locomotive to prep it for the green paint

Lionel Scout Chassis

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The Standard Catalog of Lionel Trains 1945-1969 by David Doyle, 2004 printing says:

"2034: In 1952, Lionel produced a die-cast 2-4-2 that was of a bit higher quality than most of the engines that size. Its boiler, which was painted black with silver rubber-stamped lettering, housed a metal motor with a three-position E-unit. The design of this E-unit was such that its lever pointed down, so that no E-unit lever slot was needed in the boiler casting. It had an operating headlight and came with a 6066T tender.

Values: VG: 15, EX: 35, LN: 60, rarity 2 (On a scale of 1 to 8 where 1 represents the most common of items and an 8 indicates the most scarce.)

What matters most? Do you want to do it. It’s your locomotive, that’s all that really matters. It’s not a rare or super valuable locomotive. But even if it was super valuable, in the condition you describe you wouldn’t get high dollar anyways. So do what you like! It’s not worth losing sleep over!