MTH ELECTRIC TRAINS

The Lionel catalog for 1936 introduced the new 249 as a "high speed powerful conventional locomotive with chrome plated trimmings and a wealth of embossed details." While less expensive, less elaborate and smaller than the 260E and its successor the 263, the 249 was nonetheless lauded in Lionel's catalog for its prototype accuracy. A picture looking forward from approximately the engineer's point of view noted that, "Looking alongside the new No. 249E gives the same picture a real engine would - with piping, air compressors, domes and drivers correctly proportioned, accurately detailed and brilliantly chromium plated."

Sharing the same motor as its larger brethren, the 249 was cataloged until 1939 and was part of the last hurrah of tinplate. When the 249 disappeared from the line, the production of high-quality, sheet-metal trains had passed into history.

Relive the colorful final days of tinplate - with the added excitement that a child in the 1930s could only dream about: synchronized puffing smoke, vibrant locomotive sounds, passenger station terminal announcements, and a "Box-Type" Proto-CouplerT on the tender that can be remotely activated from the transformer. You'll find all this and more with a 249 locomotive passenger set featuring colorful 600 series passenger cars.