Postwar L1-s Mikado...Lionel

Classic Toy Trains Forum
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L1S Mikado1 TheOldCurmudgeon Flickr
L1S Mikado1 TheOldCurmudgeon Flickr930×468 49.7 KB

All Lionel postwar, except pilot steps. Guess how I did it 40 years ago?

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Now that’s neat!

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How?

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My guess on how you did it is: the shell and rear truck from a prairie, chassis from a turbine, rods from a semi-scale NYC Hudson (646/2046), and a square tender with a water scoop from a streamlined tender added underneath.

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Dave, been thoroughly enjoying your work, I’ll take a crack at this one. Wish me luck.

OK, it looks like we have a chassis from a 726 Berkshire to start, and the trail truck, shell, and boiler front look like they began life as a 2025/675/2035.

The whole pilot and steps up to the boiler walkways look mostly or entirely scratch built, I reckon a mix of sheet metal and conveniently sourced wire. Pilot truck doesn’t look like a stock 726 or 675 pilot truck, going to guess it began as a 675 pilot truck and was modified somehow to fit the tight clearences. Hard to tell for sure if the boiler was lengthened or not, but I think the firebox was cut down a smidge. Front marker lights look either scratch built, or maybe American Flyer K5 style markers? No longer on the boiler front like a 675 at any rate. Bell looks like what you’d see on some prewar and early postwar engines.

Tender looks like it began as a 6466 style ‘square body’ tender, given a new and improved coal bunker and some trim detailing

A truly impressive machine… enough praise can never be stated!

-El

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Just reading this, and I think you’re right about the chassis. My guess of a Berkshire chassis probably wouldn’t fit the shell, which doesn’t clearly appear to have been lengthened.

-El

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I don’t know but you’ve got a LOT more guts than I do! I’ll do a repaint but that’s as far as I’ll go.
OK, I did a Mike of my own but I used a 736 Berkshire and swapped the four wheel trailing truck for a two wheel one.

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Before there were forums, when I used to favour PRR, research indicated the PRR standardized the boilers on K4 and L1s.
I was developing a stack of 675 boilers from my 225E boiler conversions…but I needed parts!
I used to go to Trash Collectors…errr…TCA meets with my buddy, told everyone I was going to find a turbine chassis, drivers, rods, motor and e-unit, no trucks, smoke or boiler, for ten bucks.
Next meet…exactly that…BUT…1946 jackshaft unit…bonus!
Friend was a retired Boeing machinist/toolmaker, full machine shop and gunsmith shop in his garage…milled the bottom out of the 675 firebox/cab until fit was right…milled front of chassis for steamchest.
Lots of filing and fiddling…ended up for PRR we didn’t like steps…did those…figured Lionel could have…front coupler…had a smokebox front with class lights gone…obtained new lights placed them back on smokebox in PRR practice. Cab back, which most of my engines have, broken caboose bodies…windows and rivets. Whistle and bell properly placed.
Sweet running. “Visiting Loco” status on NP!
TOC
Just to prove the point Lionel could have done this in 1946.
I’ve done 726/736 conversions, just didn’t look right without moving cab forward, so put them back.

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Curmudgeon, you’re a BRAAAAAVE man!

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Once you kill your “collector” mindset, hacksaws become very inviting!!
But it took a house fire for me.

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It’s getting easier with each passing day as the prices drop on “Less than mint!” I haven’t gone the hacksaw route yet… :thinking:

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