Lionel Pennsy S-2

[eightyeightfan1]

A friend from work asked if I could take this apart, clean it up and lube it. He thought that it was missing some part, mostly the drive rods. When I saw it, I had to explain that it was a model of the Pennsy S-2 turbine, and they looked like that.
   
It was his fathers and he remembers it going around the Christtmas tree. Searching the net, this model was offered between 1946 and 1949. There were three models, and reading two differnet websites, they both jived on the "spotting features" of each model year. This one is the run from 1949, and is suppose to have a "sound" tender with it.
   
My question is, what was the object of putting a Pennsy keystone with "6200" in it rather than the loco's number of "2020"?
Is it a "counterfit" mark like G.I. Joes left thumb? Are all the Lionel Pennsy models the same with the same keystone?
   
By the way, this loco is in pretty good shape. The drivers rotate freely, and the boiler is pretty fair with "normal" handling damage(scratches, few dents. The thing is a brute! I almost got a hernyia picking it up. If you have one, or know someone that does, this loco, in this shape is worth $250.00
Watch for an article on disassembly amd repair in the up-coming issue of the E-mag.

[BR60103]

The first issue of Toy Trains that I had (ca. 1955?) had an article on servicing the S2.
I wonder if the keystone was added later?
I think one of these was used in Lionel's electronic set, which was still catalogued in 1950 (I used to have a 1950 pre-catalogue).

[Puddlejumper]

I don't know if it is original to the model or not, but 6200 is the correct number for Pennsy's only S-2.

[eightyeightfan1]

I don't know if it is original to the model or not, but 6200 is the correct number for Pennsy's only S-2.

Thanks for the info. Yeah, the 6200 is right for this model.

Now that I had a chance to take it apart, I can only say: "Holy Crap!". No wonder this lasted 61 years. There ain't a chunk of plastic anywhere! All metal.
But I did notice that there is one wire not connected to anything. I'm thinking this was a repair done earlier, because its the only one that has a rubber coating. All the others are cloth covered. I'm also thinking it goes to the headlight, which by the way is missing. Does anybody have an idea where it might go, or if there 's a website I can got to t find out. Google was a wash.
   
Also, is this DC or AC powered?

[BR60103]

This is AC powered. Lionel did not use DC in their O gauge trains. There was a brief period after they changed hands (70s? 80s?) when some cheap ones were made with DC power, but they had a lot of plastic in 'em.
The big giveaway is that thing in the middle with the lever. That is the E-unit -- an electromagnetically operated DPDT switch for reversing. This switches the polarity of the field coils relative to the motor armature coils.
Is there a bulb in the headlight? Could the wire plug into the back of it somehow?

[Charlie B]

Ed, that is an AC powered unit. you can tell by the "E" unit in the center, which reverses the direction of the locomotive . They would run on DC too, the whistles in the tender were DC operated, when you turned the whistle switch at the transformer it put DC to the track and the whistle fan would only run on the DC power. you would also notice a slight increase in speed from the locomotive motor getting an extra shot of power from the DC.
I'm sure one of our "O" gauger's will provide a better explanation.

[BR60103]

There should be a parts diagram at olsen toy trains, but I couldn't get into the index.

[rogruth]

The 6200 on the keystone is the correct number for the PRR S2.

2020 is the Lionel catalog number/ designation for their O-27 model of that loco.

Lionels designation for their O model is 671.

Lionel seldom used actual numbers in the post war period when these were made,only their catalog number.

Lionel models from this period are quite different from their newer models.