Lionel 8500 Locomotive With Headlight And Pennsylvania Chug - Chug Tender
Item History & Price
The 8500 (1975-76) is a unique locomotive. It is one of the very few Lionel steam locos that has a cab door with steps! The 8500 is essentially an 8300 upgraded with steps and air bottles below the door, a ladder molded onto the left side of the boiler just in front of the cab and lever-like gizmos midway up the boiler just below the smokestack.
It has a forward/reverse lever in the cab which I’m sure is rarely used. This switch is very stiff on all 8300’s and 8...500’s that I have owned. Just leave it in forward (or reverse) and go! It runs great!
The 8500s do not have headlights. I added a LED headlight to this one, designed to work with AC voltage. The loco is in excellent condition overall, except for a shiny strip along the right side of the boiler just in front of the cab. It looks like someone may have tried to polish out some scratches or etchings. See the photos.
The mechanical-sound-of-steam tender is in excellent condition. There are some fine lines on the front which must be mold marks. I didn’t even notice them until I looked at the photograph. I have another identical Pennsylvania tender and it has the exact same lines.
The belt on the chug-chug wheel has been replaced with a wide rubber band, which works as well as the original belt and is easier to find and cheaper. The wheel has beads which make the chug-chug sound as it rotates (maybe more "chig-chig", than "chug-chug", but still pretty neat).
It has a forward/reverse lever in the cab which I’m sure is rarely used. This switch is very stiff on all 8300’s and 8...500’s that I have owned. Just leave it in forward (or reverse) and go! It runs great!
The 8500s do not have headlights. I added a LED headlight to this one, designed to work with AC voltage. The loco is in excellent condition overall, except for a shiny strip along the right side of the boiler just in front of the cab. It looks like someone may have tried to polish out some scratches or etchings. See the photos.
The mechanical-sound-of-steam tender is in excellent condition. There are some fine lines on the front which must be mold marks. I didn’t even notice them until I looked at the photograph. I have another identical Pennsylvania tender and it has the exact same lines.
The belt on the chug-chug wheel has been replaced with a wide rubber band, which works as well as the original belt and is easier to find and cheaper. The wheel has beads which make the chug-chug sound as it rotates (maybe more "chig-chig", than "chug-chug", but still pretty neat).
