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LIONEL No. 671 Pennsylvania RR S2 Steam Loco~TESTED/RUNS
Product Description
Production:1946 - 1949 & 1952
History
The 671 steam engine is Lionel\'s representation of a turbine locomotive. The 6-8-6 wheel arrangement supported Lionel\'s advertising claim of \'it\'s an impressive 20-wheel locomotive!\' The prototype was produced for and used by the Pennsylvania Railroad. Due to inefficient fuel consumption, the S-2 was a commercial failure and a second locomotive was never manufactured.
For Lionel, the success story of the turbine locomotive was different. The turbines were a marketing victory. The first turbine was introduced in 1946 and the final one rolled off the assembly line in 1955. Between those years, Lionel produced thousands of turbines. Other examples of postwar Lionel turbines include 681, 682 and 2020, all of which remain popular with collectors and operators. Note that a 671 is the same as a 2020 except the 671 was sold with O gauge track and the 2020 was sold with 027 track.
The 671 (along with its 027 gauge counterpart the 2020) was the first turbine introduced by Lionel. Originally introduced in 1946, it remained in the line until 1949. It also made a brief appearance in 1952, but was finally discontinued after a single year of production. Although none of the 671 turbines have Magnetraction, the sheer weight and reliability of the turbine continues to make it an excellent locomotive for pulling long freight trains.
Features
The 671 turbine locomotive remained in the Lionel family for five production years. During its production run, Magnetraction was never included on any model of the 671, even though there were four different versions of this engine. Standard features of all 671 turbines included; a 6-8-6 wheel arrangement, single drive rod, six wheel die-cast pilot and trailing trucks, smoke unit, three position e-unit plus an illuminated headlight. Additionally, some of the variations by model include:
- Smoke Bulb- This version was produced only in 1946 and uses a special light bulb to heat up the smoke pellets and to convert them to smoke. The easiest way to recognize this version is by looking into the smokestack. If you see a light bulb in the smokestack, it\'s the Smoke Bulb version. Standard features of this turbine include:
- Three-position E-unit,withouta lever protruding from the top of the shell
- Smoke bulb
- Nickel-rims on all eight drive wheels
- The tender was always a 671W Lionel Lines whistling tender
- 671R with Electronic Control- Produced from 1946 - 1949, this is a special locomotive included with the infamous Electronic Control Set. It has a unique feature in that the operator was able to operate or uncouple any of the trains in the Electronic Control Set anywhere on the track, at any point in time! Pretty impressive for the late 1940s! Standard features of this turbine include:
- Electronic Control unit
- Three position E-unit, with a lever protruding from the top of the shell
- Smoke element
- Nickel rims on all eight drive wheels
- The tender was a Lionel Lines whistling tender, numbered either 4424W or 4671W.