Ive had this relic in my garage for quite some time now (read, my whole life) and would like to make a buck off of it. It is a 1950’s era Santa Fe Superchief which I have been told is “O-gauge”. Can I fetch a good price on this or is it just a piece of old scrap metal?
I can’t make out the numberboard, but I think that might be a 2243. It and other F3 models like it are among the few Lionels that are actually to scale. The 2243P A unit paint looks pretty bad. Look underneath in the middle to see whether there is damage from someone’s leaving the battery in. The A unit should have one motor and, in my experience, a very good quality drive train.
The B unit looks like its paint is in much better shape. It is just a plastic box; but, in any decent condition, it’s worth as much as several hundred dollars. There is demand for these 2243Cs because they are the only Santa Fe B units that match other A-A sets that Lionel made and are sought after to expand them to A-B-B-A sets.
I’m sure both units are worth putting on E-bay.
Can you verify the number? And take a look at the ladders molded into the plastic under the doors of the cab. I think yours are flush. But if they protrude, you have an earlier and slightly more desirable version.
Thanks for the help. I have used this before on my friends track and know it works fine. What would be a reasonable starting bid if I sold these as a set?
I am not sure what you mean about the ladders but they do protrude slightly. Also the model number is a 2243
If it’s a 2243 single motor AB set you should be able to get at least $200 -$250 for it. The scars on the A unit knock the value down quite a bit. I didn’t realize the B unit may be as valuable as Soni says because I picked one up for $125 at a retail store to go with a 2383 AA set I have.
On Ebay in that condtion with no boxes you would be lucky to get $175. My father inlaw just picked one up last summer for $150 at the local train show.
I just took a look at Ebay; and it does look like 2243 prices have come down quite a bit since I bought the B units for my 2383. I should have waited a while.