Beginners Looking for information on Lionel tender No. 234W

Looking for information on Lionel tender No. 234W

By Joe Mania | August 10, 2023

| Last updated on August 14, 2023


The numbering can cause confusion

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Q: I’d like some information about a Lionel tender numbered 234W and lettered for Lionel Lines. I can’t find any mention of this tender in Greenberg’s Guide to Lionel Trains. [Out of print–Ed.] Instead, the book shows a No. 243 engine with a tender numbered 243W. The tender is similar, but not the same.

black model steam locomotive and tender
Lionel No.239 engine with 234W tender.

A: Lionel often stamped the engine number on the tender chassis. Such is the case with the no. 243 engine coupled to a no. 243W tender. Your tender is also shown in the Greenberg book coupled to a No. 239 engine.

2 thoughts on “Looking for information on Lionel tender No. 234W

  1. I acquired a 234w tender along with a 2037 engine. Both seemed to have had extensive use. The 234w I have read was included with some 2037 engines but only a few. My problem is that it is getting to be as old as myself and like myself is beginning to not work properly. It whistles but has a ratcheting sound before it does then it does whistle but only at nearly full power from a 1033 transformer. The pickups may have been previously replaced. The brushes appear to be showing uneven wear. How hard is it to replace the brushes?

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