Posts Tagged ‘lionel’
Lionel and MTH Electric Trains Union Pacific Heritage sd70ace’s around the Christmas Tree 2009
Here’s a video of Lionel and MTH Electric Trains Union Pacific Heritage sd70ace’s in action around the Christmas Tree. The Union Pacific painted one locomotive in a special paint scheme for six of the railroads they bought over the years. There was a locomotive painted for the Missouri Pacific, Western Pacific, Missouri Kansas Texas, or often called the Katy, Rio Grande, Chicago and North Western, and the Southern Pacific. Both Lionel and MTH Electric Trains made models of each locomotive. Both companies, in my opinion, did an excellent job making these locomotives. Starting on the outside track are Katy and Missouri Pacific locomotives made by Lionel pulling a double stack train. The second track in has Southern Pacific and Chicago and North Western locomotives made by Lionel pulling a mixed freight. The third track has Rio Grande and Western Pacific locomotives made by MTH Electric Trains pulling a hopper train and on the inside track there is a Union Pacific locomotive made by MTH Electric Trains pulling a train of pulpwood and lumber cars. The rolling stock is made by Atlas O, Lionel, MTH, and Weaver Models. The trolley is made by Industrial Rail and has been serving this city since 2001. In this video you will see almost all of the village I set up under the Christmas Tree. What started with a gas station and school has grown into a small city over the years. The buildings are made by ameritown, City Seen, Department 56, K-Line, Lionel, MTH Electric Trains, Model …
Vintage Model Railroads
Collectors collect lots of unusual things. Some hobbyists collect stamps, some hobbyists collect coins and some collect sports cards. There’s something unique about collecting classic toy locomotives though. When you collect something that actually still does what it is supposed to in the world it is different than when you take that thing out of real life. So it’s not like you are just looking at them in some book or on some wall. You can get just as much enjoyment from them as when they were first sold. Try doing that with your stamp collection!
What are the cool collectible locomotives these days? Here’ the large three:
Lionel trains:
To start there are Lionel locomotives. If you collected one of these historic model locomotives from every period in the last century you could arrange a pretty good record of toy training. When you collect a Lionel train you are collecting toy locomotive royalty. Baby boomers will remember the Lionel Holiday displays they saw as children. Lionel’s classic toy trains are some of the best received and widely available trains around. Famous folks like the rocker Neil Young and the actor Tom Hanks have been life long Lionel admirers. Lionel has a well regarded literature that helps support it. Because Lionel was dominated in the 1950s and because the post War period was the high point of model hobbying, it is no wonder that Lionel should be as prestigious as it is.. The fact is that Lionel was in the process of being overtaken by other train makers during that time and that most of us, like Neil Young, didn’t actually get Lionel trains as Christmas gifts only makes Lionel more popular now as a collector’s item.
American Flyers:
Among hardcore collectors and toy locomotive enthusiasts no type of toy train has more cachet than the American Flyer S gauge toys that came out just after World War II. A. C. Gilbert’s attempt to take the Midwest company and make it a competitor of the juggernaut Lionel ultimately failed. Many collectors will absolutely swear by the quality of these locomotives. The uniqueness of s gauge adds to the mystique of the American Flyer brand. They are so popular among collectors and enthusiasts that Lionel LLC, the current holder of the American Flyer patent, plans on releasing many of the most popular trains from this period. Watch out for them.
Ives:
If you actually want to get a locomotive that no one has try finding an old Ives locomotive. Ives was the third competitor in the Lionel versus American Flyer three way. An old Ives toy train is a real find. Like Lionel, Ives operates on O gauge.
Clock operated locomotives of the Victorian era:
These toy locomotives from the very early period of model training are really a discovery. These are mostly shown at museums these days but if you can actually find one, you’ll have a train that is really a part of the genesis of model locomotives. These clock operated locomotives, however, really give you a sense of how such toys were viewed before model training became so popular. These vintage toy trains were clearly geared towards young people. No plugs, no batteries, no electricity—these are wind-up trains in the truest sense. They were largely purchased by the rich back in the day and that’s who can afford to collect them now. You can see how the plain style really could have appealed to small children. These locomotives can really capture the imagination of another age. In fact, you might say that model training came to us just like kindergarten. Both were part of Germany’s obsessions with childrearing in the early 20th century.
There is great enjoyment in restoring one of these old model trains. You could choose a far worse hobby.
Here is more information on Model Steam Trains. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Model Trains.
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O Model Railroad
We love O toy railroads and trains, there’s just no denying it? It’s a nice, huge locomotive. You need two hands to grasp it even as an grown up. Wow look at all the exact details on this awesome locomotive. You’ll never unknowingly step on this train. Don’t worry mom, your toddler is not going to choke on any of the parts of this train. Why do O locomotives just seem to come at us from some place deep in ourselves? Here’s why:
These are the trains of your past:
If you’re of a particular age these are the model trains you first became aware of. They’re the toy trains from the Christmas displays you remember as a kid. Many of us wrote these trains on our Christmas lists in the hope that we might wake up to their whistle on Christmas morning. They were the Model Train Set that the well off family on the block got and that you hiddenly envied your entire childhood. They are part of the imagined world where all our most desired wishes came true. Now that you are an grown up these trains can be your locomotives.
O toy railroads are more often than not Lionel train railroads:
It was Lionel (now Lionel LLC) that popularized these locomotives. Lionel is probably the representative toy locomotive making company in the United States. Lionel has been around for so long that you can trace the history of model training by following their round about course through the volatility of the marketplace. Lionel’s aggressive adversiting in the pre-WWII era is the reason why you associate model locomotives with holiday. It was these tactics that made them the top dogs of the model training world in the early previous century. It was mainly because Lionel started to corner themselves at the higher end of the market that they opened themselves up to usurpers. Lionel became the high end train that no one could buy and eventually filed for bankruptcy and was purchased in the the late 60’s. But Lionel has been re-invented as Lionel LLC and, though still plagued by financial woes, remains one of the central toy train makers around. No other toy locomotive producer has the cachet that Lionel currently carries.
Weathering and detailing are a breeze with O scale locomotives:
tinier train just can’t match the ease and joy of O gauge locomotives. O scale locomotives are a lot larger than HO scale locomotives. Real world trains are 48 times bigger than O scale toy locomotives. You don’t need tiny hands or precise coordination to pigment and decal O gauge locomotives. O scale locomotives are perfect for those of us who don’t have particularly matured fine motor skills. Even if you can’t paint the side of a barn you will find O scale a easy toy to work with. Because these are such big locomotives people will actually appreciate your handy work. The O gauge human miniatures have discernable features and the locomotives can be detailed to the point of making individual sleeper windows look open or closed. There is just a lot more that you can do with an O scale model railroad.
Hobbyists love O scale because of its varied history:
Fan’s of toy locomotives just love O because of its association with Lionel locomotives. Many hobbyists enjoy designing their own O Scale Model Trains from scratch.
But O scale is just a wonder in itself. It really is the ideal scale for a toy train and it is well worth the added area that it takes up. Given Lionel’s extensive track record it is improbable that this gauge of locomotive will go out of production soon. Even if all Lionel died, it is likely that forward thinking model train makers would design a train of this scale. Just ask the rocker Neal Young who loved O gauge trains so greatly that he was at one point part owner in Lionel and is still kept on an advisor to the company!
Here is more information on Model Train Scale. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Model Trains.
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Lionel Work Crew People Pack
- Detailed, hand-painted figures
- Made of tough pewter
- Figures stand on sturdy bases
- Average height: 1-3/8¿
- The perfect addition to your Lionel layout
Product Description
Now you can populate your favorite Lionel operating accessories with Lionelville People Packs. The detailed, hand-painted figures are made of tough pewter, standing on sturdy bases. Dimensions: Average height: 1 3/8 inches.The Trainz SKU for this item is D11393076.Manufacturer: LionelModel Number: 14241Scale/Era: O ModernModel Type: Figures
The Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (M.S.R.P) for this item is $22.99…. More >>
How do I find out the worth of a Vintage Lionel Train Set?
I found in my (now deceased) fathers garage a complete Lionel Train Set. Says Die Cast Steam Locomotive. There is a model number of 1492. Also has a Tender that says Jersey Central Lines, Gondola w/canisters, Box Car that reads Erie Lockawana EL 9043, Hopper Red CN, Flat Car w/logs and a caboose.
Also on box says Gauge 27; what does that mean?
Purchased sometime between 1970 and 1973. I have not put together yet, but plan to this week to see if it still runs. The instructions are chewed up…..looks like a mouse used it to make a bed in the box. LOL!
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
