Lionel O gauge Postwar Celebration

While the reissue of Lionel’s no. 2551W outfit as a Postwar Celebration Series set did not include the no. 110 trestle set or any Super O track sections to assemble into the “Hairpin-Turn” configuration, this millennium version of that classic from 1960 is every bit as “super” as its predecessor.

The Great Northern EP-5 electric-profile locomotive, arguably the most colorful in that series both then and now, heads this top-of-the-line set. It pulls nearly exact replicas of all the rolling stock contained in the original outfit: the nos. 3512 operating fireman and ladder car, 6736 Detroit & Mackinac quad hopper, 6812 track maintenance car, 6827 Harnischfeger power shovel car, and 6828 Harnischfeger mobile construction crane car, with a no. 6427 Lionel Lines porthole caboose at the end.

In terms of strictly appearance, this Postwar Celebration Series set is impressive. The decal on the nose of the postwar EP-5 has been replaced with an excellent pad-printed logo. I observed that the Great Northern’s green roof in the new edition is slightly darker than its predecessor.

The orange sides and nose ends, to my naked eye, are virtually identical in color shade,but the postwar original, for both the green and orange decorations, has a bit more sheen to it. Clearly, the paints used in the new version have more of a “flat” finish.

The opposite is the case with the black aprons on both ends; the PCS version has a shiny black finish consistent with the look of the couplers, while the original is more of a matte finish. The lettering on the PCS engine is also slightly larger and bolder. Of course, more than 40 years of handling on my postwar locomotive might have something to do with toning down its lettering!

While I do not own the original postwar set (I’m now a man with a mission!), I do have all the components of outfit 2551W as parts of other postwar sets. Therefore, I could make side-by-side comparisons of all the cars.

Regarding both of the flatcars containing the Harnischfeger construction vehicles: As with the originals, do not try to assemble the construction vehicles unless you are really in a relaxed mood! They’re challenging to put together even though there have only a few assembly parts. It’s certainly doable with a small amount of patience.

As most collectors know, the original vehicles are very hard to find in like new or mint condition. As a result, they’re highly collectible (and very pricey). I’ll venture a guess that these re-creations, over time, will sport increased value as well, so be careful during assembly not to break any of the component parts.

The balance of the rolling stock, with the exception of the coal “load” on the Detroit & Mackinac quad hopper, is very close to the originals, with some slight shading differences here and there. For example, consistent with the PCS engine coloration versus the original postwar, the red on both the 3512 and 6736 is just a shade darker on the new versions. Also, the new operating fireman and ladder car has a reliable geared mechanism to rotate the ever-busy (and probably somewhat dizzy) figure seated and ready to douse the flames along the right-of-way. The new porthole caboose sports a “BLT 2006,” whereas the original was stamped “BLT 1953.” This spoils the fun a bit, but I think we can forgive Lionel for that.

All in all, from an esthetics standpoint, this re-creation is a gem, and like all the Postwar Celebration Series sets released in the past few years, it nicely blends postwar nostalgia with modern technology for improved operation.

Measuring up mechanically

The locomotive, equipped with TrainMaster Command Control, ran perfectly out of the box. A quick run-through of all the TMCC features resulted in a 100-percent passing grade. Like other Lionel engines in this price range, the start-up is a bit quick, but the engine does run reasonably well at slow speed.

The drawbar pull is a solid 2 pounds 8 ounces. Since I’ll probably run this electric locomotive with only its original set of cars, the pulling power seemed fine for the set’s relatively lightweight components, particularly with angled wheels.

The low-speed average was 24 scale mph, and the high-speed average was 142 scale mph. This is probably a little too fast for crane transport and simultaneous firefighting, but who’s counting! Other moving parts on the set are the “hand-crank-able” maintenance platform, the extension ladder on the 3512, and, of course, the “pretend” movement of the construction crane and power shovel. This is totally consistent with the original. I won’t be adjusting the latter two for a while – they look just fine the way they are!

Better now than never

My view regarding all the Postwar Celebration Series sets is, if you wanted it back then and never were able to get it, don’t pass it up this time. I don’t think there will be a round three, but who knows. Even if you weren’t born when the originals ran the rails, all the sets are attractive and are pretty good runners.

The is reasonable considering the quality of the molding, graphics, lettering, paints, and the overall workmanship. If some of these components were made with 50-year-old molds (I suppose that’s possible), more power to Lionel. In 1960, outfit 2551W, with its unique inclusion of additional Super O track and elevated trestles, was on my holiday wish list, but didn’t make it to the bottom of the holiday tree back then. It did, however, find its way to my train collection, albeit in a more modern form, nearly 50 years later. Unfortunately, no Super O track, or replica thereof, was included with the set. That’s a story for another day. Now it’s time to re-construct the original to put alongside this baby on my layout – and that could be a little expensive.

O GAUGE POSTWAR CELEBRATION SERIES NO. 2551W GREAT NORTHERN FREIGHT SET
Price: $739.99 (no. 31753)

Features: Two can-style motors, Lionel TrainMaster and RailSounds systems, coil couplers

Pros: Looks like the original, but with improved technology and decoration techniques

Cons: None

Made in People’s Republic of China for Lionel