56 Minneapolis & St. Louis

Production:  1958

History
The 56 Minneapolis & St. Louis Switcher was only produced for a single year and has become rather difficult to locate, especially in collector condition. These small locomotives -- generally referred to as Motorized Units -- are loosely design after a real-life gas Vulcan switcher of the 1950s. Lionel's model, similar to the real-life version, was small and had limited pulling power. On average, it could only pull two or three freight cars. Lionel only offered the 56 as a separate sale item and never in a set.

Features
The 56 Minneapolis & St. Louis switcher has the following standard features: 2-4-2 wheel arrangement, unpainted red body with a white painted cab section, white railings, three-position E-unit, low rear railing, operating front & rear coupler, metal side rode connecting the drive wheels plus an ornamental bell. The 56 never included magne-traction nor interior illumination.

Additional Detail, Photos & Box Information
A common problem with this locomotive are the thin window struts on each side of the cab. These struts are quite frequently found cracked or completely missing. Units with intact window struts will command a slight premium.

Only Known Variation - Shown in first photo above. - All Minneapolis & St. Louis units have a molded red body with white painted side cab and matching white railings.

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