Lionel 1689T tender

Many Lionel streamlined pre-war steamers came with a 1689T tender. They are abundant and can be scooped up on Ebay for about 10 USD or less. Although simple and abundant, the design is beautiful due to simplicity: a simple interaction between straight lines and curves.

This particular tender is a heirloom item. I received it in poor overpainted condition, complete with light grey paints blobs. It was really nice to repaint it gun-metal and to clean the journals, drawbar, coupler and shields. Simple pleasure. This just proves again that toy trains is not about money but about appreciation and enjoyment.

259E running

The Lionel 259E engine now dislikes another 027 switch. For some reason it slows down on one particular switch, while other engines run without any issues over it. Nevertheless it runs good (besides on that one switch) and it is nice to show it. So here it comes. It just shows that a dusty and rusty toy train that did not move any more can be revitalised to a truely well running toy with character and that feels good.