Postwar style GG1 locomotive by Lionel

THE POSTWAR-STYLE GG1 IS A FAVORITE IN SOME THREE-RAIL CIRCLES. Back in the day, it was an impressive model of the nation’s premier electric-profile locomotive. The fact that it had a die-cast metal shell and possessed 10 wheelsets to noisily clank and chunk through switches certainly appealed to everyone’s inner kid. This model gets my […]

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O gauge GP7 by Atlas O

you want an all-round utility engine that looks great, performs better, and can do every job from commuter hauler to work train, the Atlas O GP7 is the locomotive for you.   […]

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Plasticville structures in Lionel boxes

Lionel took ride in making its own tooling and producing its train line, but it did occasionally turn to other firms for key molds and parts. Subscribers can download a PDF of an article that inventories the Plasticville items in orange-and-blue boxes used in Lionel promotional train outfits between 1958 and 1963. […]

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Reviewed: Lionel’s new no. 2219W Lackawanna “Thunderbird” set

ANYONE WHO HAS READ MY REVIEWS OVER TIME knows I have one simple mantra about reproductions of vintage trains. Simply put: “New is better.” So starts Bob Keller’s review of Lionel’s no. 2219W Lackawanna “Thunderbird” set, one of the new “Lionel Postwar Authentics – Conventional Classics.” Older trains (postwar or even prewar) are simple, rugged, […]

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Reviewed: MTH Premier line O gauge U30C

AMONG THE FIRST SIX-AXLE LOCOMOTIVES that caught my eye were the big General Electric U-boats, notably the U30C and its kin. The U30C was, of course, a six-axle 3,000-horsepower titan fielded by GE, and it has been credited with helping to push GE into the number two slot in “dieseldom.” More than 590 were built, […]

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Scarce Lionel refrigerator and cattle cars

Scarce Lionel refrigerator and cattle cars are still out there. I know because I found a couple of them; being helpful put me in contact with the owners. 

It was an April evening when I returned home to find this message on my answering machine: “I have a train set that was purchased in 1941. Can you tell me what it’s worth?” I recognized the voice as belonging to an acquaintance that knew I collected Lionel trains. “Nice of the guy to call,” […]

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