Exemplifying the gleaming sheet metal beauty of the tinplate era, the 269E passenger set, headed by the 261E locomotive, pulls back into the Lionel lineup for 2011. Cataloged in 1935 only, the set, along with the engine itself, were launched by Lionel the same year their authentic locomotive whistle was introduced. Lionel's "greatest triumph of them all" the locomotive whistle added "uncanny realism" to any layout. "Press a button and your locomotive will whistle any signal. Whether it's moving forwards, backwards, or standing still".
The 261E locomotive, with its 2-4-2-wheel arrangement and distance controller, was advertised as a "high-speed, powerful locomotive, with a wealth of detail and hinged boiler front". In addition to the 261E steam engine the 269E set included the "minutely detailed" 254-oil tank car in aluminum finish, the 259-dump car with tilting body, and the 257 caboose-richly trimmed in nickel. The set also came equipped with eight pieces of OC curved track, two pieces of OS straight track, No. 88 Controller, and an OTC Lockon.
Our Lionel Corporation version of the 269E set recreated the glory days of tinplate with the advancements of ProtoSound 2.0 and operating metal latch couplers. With the addition of operating couplers, twelve pieces of RealTrax "O" gauge track oval, 100-watt Power Supply, Lighted Track Lock-On, and Rail-Ware DVD, this set is sure to provide hours of fun and realism to any tinplate layout.
