The Lionel Santa Fe EMD F-3 No. 2333 was a big hit when it was first introduced in the 1948 catalog, although evidence has surfaced that this diesel didn’t reach Lionel dealers until February of 1949. It was available throughout this year and was replaced by the No. 2343 in 1950. This version did not have Magnetraction. Lionel had a problem with the SILVER paint adhering to the BLACK plastic body and they would experiment with a number of different manufacturing techniques with this diesel that resulted in five different variations.
This version has the screens on the roof vents, portholes with lenses, front grab rails, side ladders, electronic couplers on the front ends, and solid rear couplers. This diesel was equipped with a horn that was operated by a D Cell battery, and a three position directional unit whose control lever was adjustable from underneath the chassis. The dual horizontal worm drive motors powered each axle...and they make a neat "growling" sound when operating! There are five variations: |
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