Introduced: 1966
Here's an extremely odd little item. This very early Lima diesel is clearly an Italian prototype, and yet Con-Cor decided to go ahead and have them paint it in New Haven livery for distribution in the US. Those wacky wacksters!
As rare as these are, I was fortunate enough to come across one that was in very nice shape. It appears to have been well cared-for and used very little, so I have to assume it runs about as well as a new one might have. Having said that, it's still a piece of junk. It features the old Lima "pancake" motor, a lame little entity that they managed to shoehorn into virtually every N scale loco they ever produced. It's loud, it runs too fast, it's herky-jerky, and pickup is iffy (no doubt due to the fact that two of the drivers are equipped with traction tires). So yeah, these old Lima locos have their place in N scale history, but clearly they do not belong on a real model railroad.
(Photo courtesy of Bradley Cooper)
Lima's entire line of North American models was discontinued circa 1992 when Lima was purchased by Rivarossi (although this particular model may have been retired well before then).
To remove the shell, unscrew the big ugly screw on top of the shell (I kid you not).
Grade: F