Lionel pw-2341 glossy paint

2341 JERSEY CENTRAL FM TRAINMASTER

 

  • Jersey Centrals are one of the rarest cataloged Lionel locos ever
  • There are two paint variations, one painted with high-gloss orange paint, the other with a flat, matte orange paint. Perhaps only one in several hundred (or even fewer) Jersey Centrals will have glossy paint
  • Both were built in 1956 using an unpainted blue plastic body with orange bands painted on the upper and lower sides and ends of the body
  • The blue plastic is a special lighter color never used for any other FMs (blue Virginians have a darker blue plastic)
  • All lettering is white heat stamped
  • Other features: dual motors, Magnetraction, operating horn and headlights, three position E-unit, metal railings, diecast battery box, and six-wheel trucks. Four of the wheels on each truck are geared and powered, and the two inner wheels are non-powered and without flanges to enable negotiation of O gauge 31 inch curves
  • The Fairbanks-Morse FM "Trainmaster" is the most powerful loco that Lionel built during the Post-War era (1945 to 1969)
  • Important note: BEWARE of fakes! Because of the desirability and value, this engine is one of the most counterfeited of all Post-War engines
  • The fakes are on darker blue bodies and the lettering of fakes is silk screened instead of the proper heat stamping. Fakes have also been found on grey molded bodies, generally painted over Lackawannas
  • The glossy version is so rare and more expensive that some sellers have taken a rare matte finish 2341 and waxed it to a high-gloss in order to misrepresent it as the high-gloss version. Some have also been lacquered with clear lacquer to make the finsh high gloss, but you can spot these because there will be a line where the laquer ends and the high-gloss misses some orange paint droplets
  • Because of the painting process used at Lionel, practically every Lionel FM has a paint defect, flaw or ding. The paint masks were made of brass, and it was easy for a worker trying to get lots of engines done per day to work too fast and slip, leaving a ding or two when the body hit the mask
  • Drop in to see us - we have an HO paint jig which demonstrates the situation!
  • Please also note that the bodies of all Lionel's FM's were molded longer than the mounting brackets on the frames. This resulted in cracks when the mounting screws were tightened, if they weren't already cracked in the painting jig in which the same dimensional error was made
  • A Lionel 2321, 2331, or 2341 FM without at least one crack is most-assuredly a counterfeit item
  • For a detailed reference, view our video about Lionel FM's for a full review of all Lionel FM's and full information on how to tell the difference between a real versus a fake engine
  • The dimensional error was corrected during 1964 when the 2322 Virginian was produced, so most (but not all) 2322's will not have a crack
  • The counterfeiters used the 2322's to make fake Jersey Centrals, as well as an even darker unpainted blue shell sold to service stations in 1969. These were not cracked
  • Lionel used the Jersey Central FM as the lead engine in just one set - the 2270W streamlined passenger set. It was also available for separate sale
  • Between 1953 and 1956, Fairbanks-Morse built 127 Trainmasters (Model # H-24-66s). These were dubbed "the most useful locomotive ever built". As extremely versatile road switchers, they were used in both passenger and freight service. They served on ten different railroads in the United States and Canada. The Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ) featured the fourth-largest fleet, with 13.
  • To Research Other Lionel Items in Our Research Library,
    Click Your Browser's Back Button

    Return to the Train-Station.com Home Page