Wonderful early CAST IRON electric loco (4 volt!!) - help!!!

[Kevin Wilson-Smith]

From the same pensioner comes this second loco - also part of a set I believe.

This one again was given the pensioner when he was a child - it must be one of the first electric locos made maybe.

The body is cast iron!!!!!!!! It is really heavy.

The electrics are A1 and are for a 4 volt system. There was no "remote" control - the control for the engine sticks out of the cab at the rear.

Track width is 3 cm.

No markings but it looks American. could it be a Lionel?

Questions.....
Type of engine?
Age?
Anything else of interest about this loco or the set it comes with (I belive coaches).
Possible value?
Electrical model train system it was used on - there seems to be a central pick-up.....

Pictures..
1 - Side view to indicate length (1 square = 1 cm).
2 - Side view with voltage indication.
3 - Front view.
4 - Side view.
5 - Rear - showing the engine control.
6 - Underside - note the thickness of the cast iron body....
7 - Close-up of mechanism
8 - Close-up of mechanism

[Kevin Wilson-Smith]

I have also sent out some e-mails re this. One reply I have suggests this may be a Karl Bub engine.

????

[Kevin Wilson-Smith]

Well at the weekend all the local experts had a go with their reference books etc.!

Dead end.

Not even any consensus as to whether it is American or European.......

Internet searching revealed nothing..........

Real puzzle here. Be interesting to see when (or if) we get an answer.