Can anyone tell me the value of 2353 santa fe F3s in VG condition without boxes as of 2008?
Looking at a pair but cant find my price guide…
It’s hard to pin point since perceptions of “VG” vary. I wouldn’t pay more than $250 for them.
The engines have no broken or missing parts. No cracks or dents. There is a visible scratch on one engine front along with another loss of paint on the side. Other than those two spots there are only a few nicks here and there. Decals are in good shape.
Inside of powered unit looked all together, clean, and well cared for. Havent seen inside the dummy yet.
They run well except a lot of sparking under front truck of powered unit. The rollers are replaced, but they said it is because “the engines are trying to draw as much power as possible”. Wasnt sure exactly what that meant but the wheels and trucks also looked clean. Do a lot of F3s spark due to the duel motors drawing so many amps?
Will check the horn and battery compartment tomorrow.
I would say that this is a C-6 rating on ebay…being “very good”. Not buying it from ebay, but thats the only scale I have avalible.
From your description, sounds like a $250 engine give or take depending on how noticeable the scratches are. If the guy wants $300 or $350 for them and you want them bad enough or you think they are worth it, then pay it. The sky won’t fall. I wouldn’t pay $350 personally. If you’re careful, you may be able to buff out the scratches a bit with Softscrub or polishing compound/wax designed for fiberglass Corvettes. It won’t remove them but should make them less noticeable. The trick is not to remove too much of the good paint. The sparks are probably from the rollers or roller pins being dirty. It could also be loose wiring, lack of lubrication, dryed out lubrication, or a rotating assembly that is binding somewhere The rollers can be fixed by buffing them with a track eraser and giving the pins a shot of Atlas Conducta Lube Cleaner. Amazing stuff. A good cleaning and lubing of the motors and gear boxes would do justice I’m sure. With mechanical binding, oftentimes people will re-install the bearing blocks inside the trucks with the taper facing the wrong way. That will overwork the motor and cause it to use excessive amperage. Every postwar engine I buy gets a complete teardown, cleaning, and lubrication. Not only is it good for them, you never know for sure where they’ve been.
Thank you for the help. They want 395 for them. I thought it might be a little on the high side…figured they were valued around 350 but wasnt sure. Ill take another look at them and see how deep the scatches are. My brother is very good at buffing scratches out of cars so I figure he could figure out a toy train.
They seemed like good guys and garuntee a great running product. Ill give an update tomorrow after I get back.
Im planning on bringing a battery with me for the horn. Do they take regular C or Ds or do you need a special type?
All of the 50’s diesel engines I have take one D cell. Bring both just in case. Jack
I didn’t see any mention in the responses about the engines’ “roof mold dimple”. Does this feature or the lack thereof have an effect on the value?
They take D size batteries. Maybe they are nicer than what I am imagining. $250 is what I’ve I seen VG go for at shows. I paid $450 to a retail store for a set of 2353’s in excellent condition, no scratches, with origional boxes a couple years ago. I felt that was a little on the high side. When buffing, be sure to test in a inconspicous spot to test. Some polishes leave a white haze. Your brother probably knows this.
I remember seeing something on the pricetag about that. Also, the motors were horizontal, not vertical. This means they are from the early production of the 2353s. Not sure if that matters either…
I cleaned/polished my 2343s with white Turtle Wax polishing compound. The kind that says safe for clear coats on the can. Oh mumma, did they come out nice! It worked on both the red and silver paint. Just be careful. That old Lionel paint is easily rubbed through.
Jim
they are worth what ever you are willing to pay for them.
Are you saying they want $395 for each one or is it $395 for the set of two? Is it a set of AA, one powered and one dummy?
Also, the motors were horizontal, not vertical. This means they are from the early production of the 2353s.
All 2353s had horizontal motors; Santa Fe F-3s with two vertical motors were numbered 2383, and had black truck sides, closed portholes, etc., all of which which differentiate them from the earlier horizontal-motor 2333, 2343, and 2353.
All 2353’s have horizontal motors unless someone swapped shells. The 2243 was first to feature a single vertical motor followed by the 2383 with dual vertical motors. The horizontal motors are lower geared and noisier (more moving parts) than the vertical motors but they pull well. 2243’s and 83’s have black trucks and filled in portholes. They don’t look as good as 2353’s.
Don’t get too engrosed with this particular set. They are all over ebay and you might find a better deal.
Jim, will the polishing compound work on my PW silver passenger cars, or will I risk damaging the paint?
don
Don,
I’ve used the Turtle Wax Clear Coat polishing compound with great results on my 2400 series post war silver painted plastic passenger cars, as well as my 2531 aluminum observation car. Just take the precaution of always trying a new (to you) product or technique on an inconspicuous area, like the inside of a loco shell or car. Polishing my 2400 passenger cars really made them shine. And use a moist tee shirt or soft cloth to apply the polishing compound. The moisture will help keep the polish from burning through the paint. Wipe clean with a dry cloth.Go easy until you get the knack of it.
Jim
Just my two cents, Santa Fe F3’s are out there to be had the right price for you. Of course their cosmetic appearence will play a role in the cost as will boxes (if they mean anything to you). My advice is to decide what that price is and to have patience. I cannot speak for sure about the horizontal vs vertical motors but the 2353’s horn is in the non-powered unit while it is in the 2343’s powered unit and the 2353 does not have the grab irons on the nose of each A while the 2343 does. By the way, I do believe that the 2353 has portholes as did the 2343 but the type of porthole is different. My preference would be the 2343 if I was looking for Santa Fe’s. I have NYC 2344’s instead and paid $322 with shipping for a pair in excellent condition, no boxes.
Mike
Hey Jim,
I’d like to try something on those NYC F3’s I showed you. I’m surprised that polishing compound didn’t do any harm. Even when I was just cleaning up the F3’s the white stripes were pretty delicate. If I remember from my “car” days, compound of any kind takes some amount of paint with it even if it is polishing compound. What brand did you use? I’m inclinded to go with a clear coat of some kind.
Mike
Turtle Wax Clear Coat polishing compound, Mike. The only delicate areas I came across on the 2343s were the rubber stamped red, yellow, and black stripes. I’m sure that the white stripes on a 2344 are also rubber stamped and need to be handled carefully. And yes, the compound does remove a small amount of paint. It will remove a lot of paint if one isn’t careful. I’d leave well enough alone as far as your 2344s go. They are too nice as is.
Jim
Jim,
I think I’m with you on that one. I’m going to leave well enough alone. Thanks for bringing me back to my senses! (I thought I felt a slap to the back of my head. It must have been you typing your reply)
Mike