About This Steam Engine

The 773 Steam Engine (almost always referred to as "The Hudson") was introduced by Lionel in 1950 and was sold for only that one year. It was reintroduced (with some changes) in 1964 and was sold for three years (through 1966). This item consisted of two separate pieces: a steamer with a "4-6-4" wheel arrangement and one of three different whistling coal tenders: a 2426W "LIONEL LINES" large, 12-wheel tender (1950 only), a 736W "PENNSYLVANIA" streamlined 8-wheel tender (1964 only) or a 773W "NEW YORK CENTRAL" streamlined 8-wheel tender.

The 773 was the largest steam engine produced in the postwar era and is coveted by operators and collectors alike. It was decorated with a bell, whistle and turbo generator -- all ornamental and all located on the top of the boiler. Additional trim included wire handrails, flagstaffs and headlight lens. A complete set of drive wheel hardware accented the large, spoked drive wheels. The cow catcher was an open-grill type -- unique to the Hudson in the postwar era. The "773" cab number was silver rubber-stamped in 1950 and white rubber-stamped on the later versions.

Photos of the 773 Steamer & 2426W Tender
ABOVE: 1950-version Hudson. BELOW: Large, whistling 12-wheel Tender.

Additional Details

The 773 Hudson came with Magnetraction, smoke and an operating headlight. The Hudson from 1950 had a slide valve guide on each steam chest while the later ones did not. The 773 is a descendent of the famous prewar 700E and 763E Hudsons made by Lionel from 1937-42. Those engines (as was indicative of that era) were fancier than the 773.

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This page is an information document only; nothing on this web page is being offered for sale. This page and all of the other pages from Our Archives were developed to assist you in understanding differences in variations of engines, rolling stock, cabooses, passenger cars, and accessories sold by Lionel in the postwar era. We have used pictures from our old files and personal collection to construct this area of our website to show the characteristics of collectible variations. If you are interested in buying something, please go to one of our inventory listings to see what we currently have for sale.

This web page was last updated on September 9, 2005. If you have suggestions for improving this page or if you see any errors, please contact us.

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