HE LION ROARS - Lionel Collectors Club of America

You may remember from my previousTPC article that the first of the die-caststeamers appeared in 1936. In 1937, the#700 and the #763 were catalogued andPhoto 6of the decorative trim on the boiler front.Instead of flag holders, there were twored marker lights. Also missing were thered and green lights by the footboards.down towards the wheels. The #263Ehas both pipes running prototypically,although not as artistically, from the sanddome only. See photos 8 and 9.then followed by a whole line of die-caststeam engines in 1938. So in addition tothe attention to detail made possible bythe new process, Lionel modified theirmost impressive sheet metal steam locoto look more realistic. Gone was somePhoto 7The holes were closed. Photo 7 contraststhe two boiler fronts. Lionel added theeccentric rod, without which the real locowouldn’t reverse. Changed, too, were thepipes. The #260E had pipes from both thesand dome and the steam dome headingAbout the 263EThe #263E came in two colors – gunmetalgray, which, while not as common asblack, is prototypical, and two-tone blue,which is decidedly non-prototypical.That was the passenger version shown inThe Lion Roars 31