Hi. Any guesses as to what model and approximate year of manufacture this Lionel is? It was found in a plowed field believe it or not!
Thanks. Rob.
I did some digging. I looked and looked at cast steam locomotives and I think I've found a winner - the Lionel 1654 (1946-47) and 1655 (1948-49). They share the same boiler casting. The boiler casting appears to be an exact match. this is an early postwar 4-driver lower-end locomotive that initially predates Lionel's first plastic boiler steamer.
I found the attached photo on the Internet of a 1654 in a similar position to the shell that was found.
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