Pre War Lionel 249e's, Will These 80 Year Old Trains Still Run??

I've had one of these since I was a kid...and it's been sitting in storage for more than 30 years. I'm guessing I'm not the only one with this type of thing collecting dust. BUT they are as much fun now as they were 50 years ago for me and 80 years ago for some other young person I'm sure. Where do they "fit" in todays world?