I am currently in the process of assembling pieces and parts of five pre-war Lionel tin plate locomotives.
First is a 154 missing a frame and motor:
Second is a 252 missing frame and motor:
Third is a 253 missing a motor and one end of the cab:
And finally I have two 150 bodies in need of frames and motors:
Small parts such as bells and pantographs seem to be available from parts dealers but body parts and motors can be tough to find. I’m hoping that someone here might have (or be) a source for these things. Also I’m having a hard time finding out which motors go with which
Honesty, you may be better off purchasing an almost complete engine, with motor, frame and body,that needs to be restored and start that way. Waiting to find a motor, and then the frame it will add up in the end, much more then purchasing a complete or almost complete engine.
That way you can use what ever body is better then sell off the one you don’t use.
Unless you like to savanger hunt, which is fun, and search all over which sometimes may take years to find just the right motor or frame.
If you don’t have one, you should get a Greenburg repair/operating manual. I agree that finding donors is a good idea. The examples you post are really parts more than a train that needs parts. They look like they were stripped for parts. Some of the parts have not been reproduced or not available for seperate sale. Even if you know what goes where, finding used parts often requires a lifetime extensive search for everything you need. You might get lucky and find complete engines with bashed in cabs. An alteranative would be to make your own chassis or hack up an original chassis and make them to fit a pre or postwar 2 axel steamer motor.
