More than a few times, photographs in the Kalmbach library have sent me searching for railroads and places I’ve never encountered, and a few weeks ago some 8 x 10 prints lined up perfectly with travel plans. The destination: Mendocino, Calif., the charming old lumber town up the coast 155 miles from San Francisco. My […]
Glancing at the catalogs put out by the A.C. Gilbert Co. and the Lionel Corp. from 1952 or ’55 or ’58, you notice how similar the product lines were. Both Gilbert, which developed the American Flyer line of S gauge trains, and its rival marketed train sets at various price points to entice households with […]
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I’m not holding my breath, but the Federal Railroad Administration late last year released a long list of routes chosen for what it calls its Corridor Identification and Development Program, which the Trains News Wire describes as “a catch-all group of 69 potential future Amtrak routes, possible extensions to existing routes, efforts to increase service […]
Knowledgeable hobbyists will likely tell you the line Lionel cataloged for 1954 represented the pinnacle of post-World War II production. In their opinion, the roster of steam and diesel locomotives, freight and passenger cars, and operating accessories was unsurpassed in terms of design, creativity, appearance, and operation. The No. 2219W five-car freight train headed by […]
According to a document saved by Maury H. Romer, who supervised production of the postwar S gauge line, the A.C. Gilbert Co. intended to make a No. 24068 Mr. Peanut boxcar in 1962. It received a five-digit catalog number on Sept. 7, 1961. For unknown reasons, the project was abandoned after two prototypes were created. […]
The Lionel No. 6407 flatcar with missile and removable Mercury capsule was cataloged for one year only, in 1963. It was offered as both a separate-sale item (priced at $4.95) and a component of two O-27 outfits: the Nos. 11341 Space Prober diesel freight set and 11385 Space Conqueror diesel freight set. Author John W. […]
Transcripted from the CTT video series Truck’s Toy Trains. Trains.com members can watch it here. The Lionel Corp. released its first operating barrel car in 1954, which was two years after it brought out the No. 362 barrel loader. Contents of the box included the car and an insert that held a box of barrels […]
A Lionel Santa Fe passenger train outfit from 1952 is widely regarded as one of the best the company ever made. During the holiday season that year, the train maker introduced set No. 2190W, also known as the Super Speedliner, at the top of its O gauge lineup. That magnificent four-car passenger consist featured the […]
3562-1 Operating Barrel Car (cataloged 1954): $190 (excellent) $65 (good) The No. 3562-1, the first of Lionel’s four operating barrel cars, helped make 1954 one of the most significant years in the company’s history. The trains offered then contributed to a line that stood out by promising innovation and complexity. To understand where the 3562-1 […]
American Flyer No. 971 lumber unloading car So much of the joy that we hobbyists associate with toy trains comes from our love of illusion. Like children watching a magician, we suspend all belief and forget that electricity is responsible for moving our O or S gauge trains. Time after time we want to believe […]
Lionel’s The Thunderbird toy train set features a Lackawanna locomotive and a Pennsylvania caboose. It’s obviously a toy train — with colorful cars that help it contribute to the pinnacle of Lionel’s post-World War II production. Lionel’s 1954 catalog that rosters The Thunderbird also features steam and diesel locomotives, freight and passenger cars, and operating […]
