I will be purchasing a beautiful lionel prewar standard gauge 381e State Set that has a three position E motor (vintage piece that was probably replaced 50 years ago) rather than the standard 2 position pendulum unit. The seller is willing to restore it back to the 2 position unit. Which is more valuable?
I would think that once something has been modified it would effect the value at the time it was done. Restoring it to original condition at this point is a matter of personal preference in my view.
What do you mean by “three position e motor”?
Was the coversion done by swapping out the entire motor assembly, or was an E-unit conversion done?
Is the seller offering to install a complete, correct, original 2 position pendulum reversing unit motor?
You asked which would be more valuable? - IMHO, the locomotive in its original configuration is worth more than a modified one.
Has it been repainted or touched up?