MTH ELECTRIC TRAINS

When Lionel and American Flyer took over Ives in 1928, the big prize for Lionel was the rights to the Ives reversing unit. The Ives drum-type electric reverse was far superior to Lionel's own pendulum-type reverse, and the Ives design eventually appeared throughout the Lionel line.

For four years after the 1928 takeover, the Ives name remained alive during what collectors call the "transition period," as the Ives factory was eventually shut down and remaining parts used up. One of the products of the transition period was the Ives 3236R, which was actually a Lionel 8E body on an Ives frame. The frame was carried over from an earlier Ives electric-type locomotive. At the time, the 3236R was probably superior to the straight Lionel product, because the Ives version had the better reversing unit. The 3236R was offered in 1929 and 1930, and was often sold with Ives 180 Series passenger cars (see page 37).

New for 2007, the 3236R joins the Tinplate Traditions line in a variety of original paint schemes, as well as a black and yellow version offered here for the first time. Enjoy this transition era locomotive with either a traditional open-frame motor or all the bells and whistles of Proto-Sound 2.0.