Nothing says “O gauge toy trains” like a postwar-style display layout. Even if these tabletop railroads don’t always make the most efficient use of floor space, it’s hard to discount their nostalgic appeal, easy construction, and potential for fast-paced toy train and accessory action. While a small layout can keep an operator busy and viewers […]
This adventure started in 1947 at the early age of 5 years old, when Dad unpacked the Lionel train set he’d purchased downtown. We lived in Newark, N.J., on the top floor of a “triple decker” on the north side. My father had a good job as a supervisor at Forster Engineering Company, a firm […]
Lionel No. 6464 boxcars made their debut 70 years ago. Over the past few decades those near-scale replicas of modern single-door boxcars have become some of the most popular and appreciated members of the postwar cataloged lineup. Collectors at every level – from beginner to advanced – hunt for examples of the 29 models offered […]
For many years, HO scale modelers debated whether to use plastic or metal wheelsets on freight cars. That discussion has quieted down over the past two decades, largely because most new models come with metal wheelsets. However, as evidenced by the number of offerings available today, there’s still a strong demand for aftermarket metal wheelsets. […]
Imagine you’re in midst of designing a three-rail layout with a decidedly toy look. Maybe you want to give a sense of what electric trains were like before plastic models became prevalent. Or perhaps you have in mind an environment in which gaily colored playthings made of tinplated sheet metal predominate. Wisely, you’ve decided to […]
Take a look at the Lionel No. 3459 automatic dumping ore car, cataloged from 1946 through 1948. The most common version of this model came with a black-painted frame and black metal tray with “Lionel Lines” heat-stamped on both sides in white. Lionel offered this variation for all three years it cataloged the 3459 and […]
Christmas tree train set The history of the “putzen” In as early as the 18th century, Protestants immigrating to America were making miniature Nativity scenes in their homes around Christmastime. The Moravians, who at the time settled in the Lehigh Valley (eastern Pennsylvania), are recognized for consistently doing this activity. The term “putzen” is a […]
Lionel’s perfect postwar train set The perfect postwar Lionel train set should have a great locomotive, exciting and attractive pieces of rolling stock, and maybe an operating accessory. There would be plenty of track, too. Which engine and cars would you choose if you were able to assemble a perfect outfit from the post-World War […]
The trend of motorized accessories replicating activities associated with railroading began at the Lionel factory in New Jersey. Let’s spotlight the revolutionary No. 97 coal elevator, which made its debut in 1938. Prototypical – not always accurate The idea of a vertical loader with buckets on a chain that lifted coal from a receiving bin […]
Joshua Lionel Cowen had adopted a firm stance on the need to avoid manufacturing “war toys.” Even on the eve of World War II, when Lionel was already producing precision instruments for the armed forces, Cowen refused to bend, unlike his peer and rival, Louis Marx. Everything changed in 1955, probably because the mood of […]
Improving a basic model: 1949-56 Lionel did not immediately fill its postwar line with a true searchlight car – just a work caboose equipped with a floodlight (No. 2420). The presence of a searchlight car in the rival American Flyer catalog, beginning in 1946, makes this omission more glaring. In 1949, Lionel brought out the […]
When you reach a certain age, every birthday deserves to be called a big one .Among other things, my celebration in July got me thinking about the toy trains that happened to be available when I was born in 1951. Specifically, I wondered what my dad might have bought for his infant son if he […]
