my first Lionel train was the pre-war 224 Dad bought as a child under the Christmas tree every year, aaahhhh the smell of ozone and fresh pine , the warm glow of the lights in the tinplate station, diner and houses, the man pops out of the shack, winter nights with a dark purple sky, I've loved these trains ever since! Beautiful layout! Newsflash: layouts are never finished, there's always something that needs....something
I’ve tried to put other trains under the Christmas tree. Last year I put my G scale under it but it’s not even close to the same feeling. Classic Lionel and American flyer will always come out on top
Keep up the good work. Getting back into Lionel myself. Have a 1950 Hudson, its a repaint but thanks to your information it runs like new! Thank you!!!
What a fantastic video my friend. You have a beautiful looking layout packed with action. I really love that you used Plasticville houses. I just subbed to your channel and will be getting caught up on your videos.💯❤️😎
Wow that is impressive, it just goes to show how well things were made back in the day. My two brothers and I all had Lionel trains, I am looking to start a vintage collection myself. It is very cool that you still have a set that your grandfather had.
That's a great tribute to your dad. I have a 1:20.3 G scale layout, but it's still under construction. It's an elevated track (42"), above the ground. I have about 300' of track.
I have my father's Christmas present from 1938, a Lionel 2-4-2 229 and a few old prewar cars. It still runs well, though it has undergone some restoration. . . a new E-unit and some wires, also replaced the center rollers, but aside from that it's all original. I have lots of other Lionel stuff, but most of it I bought second-hand. This engine is the oldest and most original thing I have. Yes, I play with them in memory of my father. I also had the honor of restoring a locomotive from my wife's father. It's the same one you are running here! I had to rebuild it totally though, had some serious water damage. Sandblasted, repainted, re-lettered etc, but actually replaced very little. He thought it was a total loss, but I insisted it could be rebuilt. Funny, at the time he said "Just make it look good!" That was the hardest part! I had the motor running the first day I started working on it. A bit of oil and cleaning and they run forever.
Great job, love the fact you kept the legacy alive. I had my 1st lionel in the 60s, loved it. Now I got a kick out of restoring old buildings, etc. Never gets old.
In our family my Dad got my older brother a 2025 with the nickle/silver wheel rims, smoke and whistling tender. The classification lights on the boiler front broke off and I replaced it in the 70's. I have the original however. I repainted the tender shell in the 50's, but have replaced that with an original shell. The smoke unit is original and works quite well. You have a very nice layout and I like the train you are running with your 2025. There is nothing like an original milk car for some action (assuming it is an operating milk car as opposed to the non operating), though those are actually more collectible. Nice job!
That's one of the loudest whistles I ever heard. LOVE Lionel whistles. Their sound captures the essence of postwar Lionel trains. Thanks for posting this.
The whistles on these old engines can get pretty loud, or well most old Lionel trains are loud, but man these old steamers can move & flex their power by pulling over 19 freight cars, & still have power for another 19! These old engines have plenty of power, but they use a lot of power too. I had a Lionel Powermax plus transformer/what the new sets used to come with back in the early 2000s. When you gave it full it just didn’t have the capacity to run the engine barely at all. Maybe because the circuit breaker is sensitive, but also probably because it just couldn’t keep up. I’ve got a KW transformer that runs my trains, & it’s plenty for em. I’ve noticed that the newer transformers don’t put out the amount of power the newer ones do. I guess cuz there’s a CPU in em whereas the postwar stuff just needs power & it’ll run/it’s stupid simple.
If you ever get a whistle that sounds sluggish or sounds like a coffee grinder, check the brushes and put a small drop of oil on the commutator shaft and blow some clean air into the fan. Might have decades of carpet lint stuck in there
THANKS FOR SHARING!!! Mine was in the attic as well. Had to bundle up in the winter and couldn't stay up stairs too long. Still have my original Santa Fe F-3....GREAT VIDEO!!!
Before my grandparents had their garage built, the only way to access the attic was to stand on the hot water heater and pull yourself through a hatch in the ceiling. Shows how determined my grandpa was to get this done
I’m a old school diesel/car guy but since I was 6 I had a Lionel train set. I’m 18 now, & one thing that was nice abt been into trains since I was 6 & that if you choose wisely you can get engines that don’t loose too much value. The new stuff is cool, but for me I’m not going for the cool fancy stuff. It’s a toy train meant to run, & I’d rather have a train last a lifetime thats taken care of than a new lionchief engine of which I used to have for a period of abt a week. Most of the time I owned it, it was in the mail getting sent to Lionel to get fixed cuz it broke after 5 min of use! I didn’t used to have postwar stuff, I had some last gen conventional trains/late 90s-early 2000s up till 2012. Then one train show I bought my first postwar engine, & from then on, also after the whole Lionchief fiasco I will never buy any now Lionel unless it’s got a full 2yr warranty, then after the 2yrs sell it even if it’s legacy. If it’s got a computer chip I don’t want it. I’ve got 4 of the old cast iron steamers, 671RR turbine, 2035, 2025, 2037. Man I run em hard & they just keep taking it. Well I maintain em, but still. My last steam engine on my list is a 736 Berkshire. I have a total of $270 in my other 4 steamers/what I paid for em. Since I’ve owned em I’ve just done basic maintenance. If they don’t work I’ll fix em, but while they’re running fine they’re great! I’m the type of person that wants 1 of each engine not just a specific type/hoarding the 736s from eBay & not letting someone like me have just 1. They’re beautiful, & it’s kinda rude for people to hoard all of em. I see guys hoarding the Santa Fe Alcoa postwar dsls & they’re the reason why it’s so hard to find any at all anymore, & when you do they’re $$$!
I have a ZW, it was given to me by a lady that thought it was a motor of some kind. I had it refurbished, and the only thing missing is the Lionel emblem on the top. It runs 4 trains on my Polar Express setup with 2 other transformers running 2 other trains. Where could i find that Lionel emblem?, my Lionel dealer doesnt know where either.
I have a locomotive from the 1960s that needs some work, and I was wondering if there was a kit for the reversing rod thingies that you could put on the train, as it doesnt come with one
Awesome to be honest the old Lionel u can't stop them from running my grandpaps set sat in a attic since the 60s untill 85 when my gram gave it to me it worked as soon as I used it then the neibor around the same time gave me her husband's it was rusty sitting in a meatal shed for who knows how long cleaned it up repainted and it runs
My dad's Lionel layout ran the stretch of the basement floor which ran the stretch of the house. You could put five locomotives on the head end and God knows how many cars. After the divorce my bitch of a mom made him tear down the layout. When he died he had very little left but one of the engines she still had was an engine I ran off the table and broke the pilot off. I guess because it was damaged he kept it but I had it oiled up and it runs great.
Back in 2015 the gorernment took our house because the mistook my day for someone else with the same exact first an last name but this guy we found out wasn't paying his Taxes but the government still went after my dad an our family instead an took our house an there was nnothing we could do about it an I ended up loosing my layout I had at the time
Very nice and a great tribute
That's a real nice engine, you did an excellent job restoring
Love the old equipment!!
Brings back memories. Reminds me of the Lionel I had back in the 60s. Just the basic starter set; nothing anywhere close to what you have.
my first Lionel train was the pre-war 224 Dad bought as a child under the Christmas tree every year, aaahhhh the smell of ozone and fresh pine , the warm glow of the lights in the tinplate station, diner and houses, the man pops out of the shack, winter nights with a dark purple sky, I've loved these trains ever since! Beautiful layout! Newsflash: layouts are never finished, there's always something that needs....something
I’ve tried to put other trains under the Christmas tree. Last year I put my G scale under it but it’s not even close to the same feeling. Classic Lionel and American flyer will always come out on top
Great video. I have a 1951 2046 that runs like brand new. Keep up the good work.
Keep up the good work. Getting back into Lionel myself. Have a 1950 Hudson, its a repaint but thanks to your information it runs like new! Thank you!!!
What a fantastic video my friend. You have a beautiful looking layout packed with action. I really love that you used Plasticville houses. I just subbed to your channel and will be getting caught up on your videos.💯❤️😎
Nice 2025!
Thanks for the video.
Linda magueta men
Wow that is impressive, it just goes to show how well things were made back in the day. My two brothers and I all had Lionel trains, I am looking to start a vintage collection myself. It is very cool that you still have a set that your grandfather had.
Very nice tribute to your grandfather. Train on!
Great video and tribute👍
Just subscribed to your channel, nice display you have here, lionel makes some great trains, and yea old 70 year old trains runs great.
That's a great tribute to your dad. I have a 1:20.3 G scale layout, but it's still under construction. It's an elevated track (42"), above the ground. I have about 300' of track.
Nice video. i like the way you introduced your granddad into your story. i also like your narrative style. Keep up the good work.
Well done. I have late 50's era loco's and boxcars packed away. Hoping to build a layout soon in retirement. Had xfmm just like yours too.
Dang bud you sure filled that room up! Love the hole in the wall through the closet.
What a great way to pay tribute to your grandfather… just loved this!
I have my father's Christmas present from 1938, a Lionel 2-4-2 229 and a few old prewar cars. It still runs well, though it has undergone some restoration. . . a new E-unit and some wires, also replaced the center rollers, but aside from that it's all original. I have lots of other Lionel stuff, but most of it I bought second-hand. This engine is the oldest and most original thing I have.
Yes, I play with them in memory of my father. I also had the honor of restoring a locomotive from my wife's father. It's the same one you are running here! I had to rebuild it totally though, had some serious water damage. Sandblasted, repainted, re-lettered etc, but actually replaced very little. He thought it was a total loss, but I insisted it could be rebuilt. Funny, at the time he said "Just make it look good!" That was the hardest part! I had the motor running the first day I started working on it. A bit of oil and cleaning and they run forever.
Great job, love the fact you kept the legacy alive. I had my 1st lionel in the 60s, loved it. Now I got a kick out of restoring old buildings, etc. Never gets old.
In our family my Dad got my older brother a 2025 with the nickle/silver wheel rims, smoke and whistling tender. The classification lights on the boiler front broke off and I replaced it in the 70's. I have the original however. I repainted the tender shell in the 50's, but have replaced that with an original shell. The smoke unit is original and works quite well. You have a very nice layout and I like the train you are running with your 2025. There is nothing like an original milk car for some action (assuming it is an operating milk car as opposed to the non operating), though those are actually more collectible. Nice job!
It’s a treasure , I love it
Great memories, great layout
That's one of the loudest whistles I ever heard. LOVE Lionel whistles. Their sound captures the essence of postwar Lionel trains. Thanks for posting this.
The whistles on these old engines can get pretty loud, or well most old Lionel trains are loud, but man these old steamers can move & flex their power by pulling over 19 freight cars, & still have power for another 19!
These old engines have plenty of power, but they use a lot of power too. I had a Lionel Powermax plus transformer/what the new sets used to come with back in the early 2000s. When you gave it full it just didn’t have the capacity to run the engine barely at all. Maybe because the circuit breaker is sensitive, but also probably because it just couldn’t keep up.
I’ve got a KW transformer that runs my trains, & it’s plenty for em. I’ve noticed that the newer transformers don’t put out the amount of power the newer ones do.
I guess cuz there’s a CPU in em whereas the postwar stuff just needs power & it’ll run/it’s stupid simple.
If you ever get a whistle that sounds sluggish or sounds like a coffee grinder, check the brushes and put a small drop of oil on the commutator shaft and blow some clean air into the fan. Might have decades of carpet lint stuck in there
THANKS FOR SHARING!!! Mine was in the attic as well. Had to bundle up in the winter and couldn't stay up stairs too long. Still have my original Santa Fe F-3....GREAT VIDEO!!!
Before my grandparents had their garage built, the only way to access the attic was to stand on the hot water heater and pull yourself through a hatch in the ceiling. Shows how determined my grandpa was to get this done
@@DeerbrookSouthernRR We had folding stairs...LOL
You have a fantastic layout sir! Keep up the great work!
-Chase
WONDERFUL Job on your layout!!!
Nice! It's interesting to see how people built Layouts back then, great video!
looks great !
Really really really awesome layout! It has the right look.
Nice going! Love your set up!
Very nice
Awesomeness!! 👍
Great Video ,great memories 👍
Nice video!
I'm still running my Lionel NYC F3 diesel from 1953.
You and I must be brothers from another mother (though I would be your MUCH older brother lol). I'm a car/train guy too. New subscriber.
I’m a old school diesel/car guy but since I was 6 I had a Lionel train set. I’m 18 now, & one thing that was nice abt been into trains since I was 6 & that if you choose wisely you can get engines that don’t loose too much value.
The new stuff is cool, but for me I’m not going for the cool fancy stuff. It’s a toy train meant to run, & I’d rather have a train last a lifetime thats taken care of than a new lionchief engine of which I used to have for a period of abt a week. Most of the time I owned it, it was in the mail getting sent to Lionel to get fixed cuz it broke after 5 min of use!
I didn’t used to have postwar stuff, I had some last gen conventional trains/late 90s-early 2000s up till 2012.
Then one train show I bought my first postwar engine, & from then on, also after the whole Lionchief fiasco I will never buy any now Lionel unless it’s got a full 2yr warranty, then after the 2yrs sell it even if it’s legacy.
If it’s got a computer chip I don’t want it.
I’ve got 4 of the old cast iron steamers, 671RR turbine, 2035, 2025, 2037. Man I run em hard & they just keep taking it. Well I maintain em, but still.
My last steam engine on my list is a 736 Berkshire. I have a total of $270 in my other 4 steamers/what I paid for em. Since I’ve owned em I’ve just done basic maintenance.
If they don’t work I’ll fix em, but while they’re running fine they’re great!
I’m the type of person that wants 1 of each engine not just a specific type/hoarding the 736s from eBay & not letting someone like me have just 1. They’re beautiful, & it’s kinda rude for people to hoard all of em.
I see guys hoarding the Santa Fe Alcoa postwar dsls & they’re the reason why it’s so hard to find any at all anymore, & when you do they’re $$$!
Nice !
I can smell this video. The smoke...the ozone...the oil...I can smell it...happy memories.
I have a ZW, it was given to me by a lady that thought it was a motor of some kind. I had it refurbished, and the only thing missing is the Lionel emblem on the top.
It runs 4 trains on my Polar Express setup with 2 other transformers running 2 other trains. Where could i find that Lionel emblem?, my Lionel dealer doesnt know where either.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I have a locomotive from the 1960s that needs some work, and I was wondering if there was a kit for the reversing rod thingies that you could put on the train, as it doesnt come with one
Cozy layout
Awesome to be honest the old Lionel u can't stop them from running my grandpaps set sat in a attic since the 60s untill 85 when my gram gave it to me it worked as soon as I used it then the neibor around the same time gave me her husband's it was rusty sitting in a meatal shed for who knows how long cleaned it up repainted and it runs
I'm trying to identify mine. It's older than this, copper hardware.
My dad's Lionel layout ran the stretch of the basement floor which ran the stretch of the house. You could put five locomotives on the head end and God knows how many cars. After the divorce my bitch of a mom made him tear down the layout. When he died he had very little left but one of the engines she still had was an engine I ran off the table and broke the pilot off. I guess because it was damaged he kept it but I had it oiled up and it runs great.
Back in 2015 the gorernment took our house because the mistook my day for someone else with the same exact first an last name but this guy we found out wasn't paying his Taxes but the government still went after my dad an our family instead an took our house an there was nnothing we could do about it an I ended up loosing my layout I had at the time
Hey, this is great! I love the video and I cant wait to see more videos from your channel. Thumbs up and please count me as a new subscriber.
NO. For sharing.