Contents Introduction ...... 6 625 Lehigh Valley 44-Ton Center-Cab ...... 41 The Postwar Era at Lionel ...... 8 228 Canadian National Alco FA A Unit ...... 42 2322 Virginian Fairbanks-Morse H-24-66 Steam Locomotives ...... 13 Train Master ...... 43 2346 Boston & Maine Electro-Motive 221 Empire State 2-6-4 and Tender ...... 16 GP9 Road Diesel ...... 44 671 Turbine 6-8-6 and Tender ...... 17 675 Prairie 2-6-2 and Tender ...... 18 Motorized Units ...... 45 1656 Switcher 0-4-0 and Tender ...... 19 41 U .S . Army Gas Turbine Switcher ...... 47 1110 Scout 2-4-2 and Tender ...... 20 60 Lionelville Rapid Transit Trolley ...... 48 736 Berkshire 2-8-4 and Tender ...... 21 3927 Track Cleaning Car ...... 49 2026 Adriatic 2-6-4 and Tender ...... 22 52 Firefighting Car ...... 50 2037 Adriatic 2-6-4 and Tender ...... 23 54 Ballast Tamper ...... 51 2065 Hudson 4-6-4 with Tender ...... 24 56 Minneapolis & St . Louis Mine Transport ...... 52 746 Streamlined Northern 4-8-4 and Tender . . . . . 25 68 Executive Inspection Car ...... 53 1872 General 4-4-0 and Tender ...... 26 44 U .S . Army Mobile Missile Launcher ...... 54

Diesel and Electric Locomotives . . 27 Rolling Stock ...... 55 2332 GG1 Electric ...... 30 Boxcars 2333 New York Central F3 A-A Units ...... 31 2454 Baby Ruth Boxcar ...... 59 624 Chesapeake & Ohio Electro-Motive 3454 Operating Merchandise Car ...... 60 NW2 Switcher ...... 32 3474 Western Pacific Operating Boxcar ...... 61. 2031 Rock Island Alco FA A-A Units ...... 33 6464-25 Great Northern Boxcar ...... 62 2245 Texas Special Electro-Motive F3 A-B Units . . . . 34 6468 & Ohio Double-Door Boxcar . . . . .63 2321 Lackawanna Fairbanks-Morse H-24-66 Train Master ...... 35 3424 Wabash Operating Brakeman Car ...... 64 3494-150 Missouri Pacific Operating Boxcar ...... 65 6250 Seaboard Electro-Motive NW2 Switcher . . . . .36 3530 Operating Generator Car ...... 66 2338 Milwaukee Road Electro-Motive GP7 Road Diesel ...... 37 6024 Nabisco Shredded Wheat Boxcar ...... 67 2240 Wabash Electro-Motive F3 A-B Units ...... 38 6464-650 Denver & Rio Grande Western Boxcar . . . . 68 2350 New Haven General Electric EP-5 Electric . . . . . 39 3428 Operating Mail Car ...... 69 2368 Baltimore & Ohio Electro-Motive F3 A-B Units . . 40 6470 Explosives Boxcar ...... 70 6445 Fort Knox Gold Reserve Car ...... 71 6434 Illuminated Poultry Car ...... 98 3619 Helicopter Reconnaissance Car ...... 72 3366 Operating Circus Car and Corral ...... 99 3666 Minuteman Car ...... 73 3435 Traveling Aquarium Car ...... 100 Flatcars 3370 Sheriff and Outlaw Car ...... 101 2460 Bucyrus Erie Operating Crane Car ...... 74 Tank Cars 2560 Lionel Lines Operating Crane Car ...... 75 2855 Sunoco Deluxe Single-Dome Oil Car ...... 102 6561 Lionel Lines Flatcar with Cable Reels ...... 76 6315 Gulf Single-Dome Chemical Tank Car ...... 103 3620 Lionel Lines Rotating Searchlight Car ...... 77 6425 Gulf Triple-Dome Tank Car ...... 104 6414 Evans Auto Loader ...... 78 6465-110 Cities Service Double-Dome Tank Car . . . . 105 6418 Machinery Car ...... 79 Cabooses 6430 Flatcar with Cooper-Jarrett Vans ...... 80 2457 Pennsylvania Railroad N5 Caboose ...... 106 6826 Flatcar with Christmas Trees ...... 81 6417 Pennsylvania Railroad N5c Porthole Caboose . . 107 6475 Pickles Car ...... 82 6517 Lionel Lines Bay Window Caboose ...... 108 3470 Aerial Target Launching Car ...... 83 6814 First Aid Medical Car ...... 109 6469 Lionel Liquefied Gases Car ...... 84 Gondolas Accessories ...... 110 2452 Pennsylvania Railroad Gondola ...... 85 97 Electric Coal Elevator ...... 113 6462-25 New York Central Gondola ...... 86 156 Illuminated Station Platform ...... 114 3562-50 Santa Fe Operating Barrel Car ...... 87 182 Remote Control Magnetic Crane ...... 115 6562 New York Central Canister Car ...... 88 364 Conveyor Lumber Loader ...... 116 3444 Erie Railroad Animated Gondola ...... 89 397 Operating Diesel-Type Coal Loader ...... 117 Hoppers ZW-Type Transformer ...... 118 3459 Automatic Dumping Ore Car ...... 90 145 Automatic Gateman ...... 119 6456 Lehigh Valley Short Hopper ...... 91 455 Operating Oil Derrick and Pump ...... 120 3359 Lionel Lines Twin-Bin Dump Car ...... 92 456 Operating Coal Ramp and Hopper Car ...... 121 6346 Alcoa Car ...... 93 356 Operating Freight Station ...... 122 6636 Alaska Railroad Open Quad Hopper ...... 94 445 Operating Switch Tower ...... 123 Refrigerator Cars and Stock Cars 352 Ice Depot Set with Car ...... 124 3472 Automatic Refrigerated Milk Car ...... 95 264 Operating Forklift Platform ...... 125 6356 New York Central Stock Car ...... 96 175 Rocket Launcher ...... 126 6672 Santa Fe Refrigerator Car ...... 97 262 Highway Crossing Gate ...... 127 The Postwar Era at Lionel

A quarter-century of train production Frankly, identifying the opening of the Unprecedented appeal overflowing with excitement and nervous- postwar period with events taking place Getting bogged down in the temporal ness, innovation and tradition, boldness immediately after the conclusion of global limits of the postwar era narrows vision. and hesitation, legendary leadership and hostilities makes sense. After all, a federal Instead, let’s pay attention to trends at shortsighted guidance. There you have it— mandate enacted in the spring of 1942 Lionel and in the general culture of post- the post-World War II era at the Lionel had curtailed the production of various war America. They shed light on why toy Corporation summarized rather generally consumer items, including electric trains, trains proved extraordinarily popular and in just a single sentence. that depended on “strategic materials.” how Lionel’s leaders sought to capitalize Of course, collectors of Lionel trains Lionel could not have defied that order, on the skyrocketing appeal of its products. and accessories demand a more detailed lifted only as the end of the war came into The place to begin is with Lionel. and careful explanation of what happened sight. The toy firm had been unable to Analyzing and appreciating what the at the giant between 1945 and manufacture its signature products for engineers, advertising executives, 1969. Not content to acquire examples of three years. Only when federal authorities production supervisors, and sales personnel different locomotives, cars, and so forth, relented could Lionel again make trains. at the corporation achieved during the they want to understand how Lionel put The moment when Lionel enthusiasts postwar period are essential tasks. We must, together great lines of toys year after year contend the era concluded had nothing to as a consequence, direct our attention to and then how those items were marketed. do with international relations or domestic different trends influencing how the largest For what is plain to hobbyists is that events. They focus, instead, on a shift in the and most important domestic manufacturer the postwar era stands out as a noteworthy electric train industry occurring in 1969. of electric toy trains made and marketed period in the development of electric Namely, the release of the final cataloged them between 1945 and 1969. trains. These toys became symbols of the line marketed by the Lionel Corporation. Overshadowing everything else were wonder and delight children felt at the During that year, General Mills leased the both the extraordinary popularity in time, feelings collectors and operators from rights to make and sell Lionel toy trains. America of those playthings in the 13 that generation still feel decades after the That well-known producer of consumer years after the war and the gradual decline end of their childhood. Such emotions items soon announced its first line in 1970. of their appeal in the 12 years that motivate many of these individuals to buy Definitely a tidy chronological package followed. Public fervor for electric trains and cherish individual Lionel pieces. with neat boundaries. Too bad that, when enriched Lionel well into the late 1950s analyzed with care and rigor, it unravels. and shaped its brilliant streak of answering New era begins The trains themselves dictate expanding with superb, highly entertaining models. To understand the meaning and signifi- the parameters of the postwar era. Yet as consumers, especially young ones, cance of Lionel electric trains requires first On the one hand, the roots of the era lost interest, nothing seemed to work. considering the boundaries of the quarter- really extend back into the late 1930s and Never, though, should observers forget century known as the postwar era. The early 1940s. Some of the locomotives, the unprecedented appeal of Lionel period began, according to toy train rolling stock, and accessories filling out the electric trains. People from every walk of historians, late in 1945, a few months after Lionel roster in the first years after the war life, every income level and educational the surrender of Japan ended World War II. represented updated versions of prewar level, and every region of the United The release by frantic executives at Lionel items. On the other hand, the branches of States desired a train set. The urgency of a new O gauge train outfit for the holi- the postwar era reached beyond 1969, they felt rivaled their wish for a black- day season launched what many hobbyists stretching into the 1970s. General Mills and-white television, a shiny new sedan, proclaim was the most significant era in the put out motive power, railcars, and more or the latest refrigerator or washer and history of American toys. based on models developed well in the past. dryer.

— 8 — Lionel outfits from the middle of the 1950s, including the no. 1523, balanced toy-like qualities with realism. This train, like all the ones photographed, comes from the collection of Joe Algozzini.

Indeed, viewing a Lionel outfit less as a Magic for boys the-lot muscle cars, and, of course, girls. toy and more as an electric appliance aids in How frustrating the rules about putting Even earlier, their infatuation with speed comprehending why Americans wanted one the beloved Lionel train back in the attic and innovation caused male baby boomers so badly. Folks everywhere believed owning or closet must have been for youngsters to abandon railroads, full-size as well as a set was going to improve the quality of who wanted to play with it all the time. miniature, for jet-propelled airplanes and their life while testifying to their status as They associated their set with fun and rockets, along with slot cars. solid members of the growing middle class. magic rather than personal enlightenment Yet even if sadness and neglect tainted or a successful career. the final chapter of the postwar saga, no Necessary and not cheap Boys, especially those who lived near one should overlook the joy and thrills A train would demonstrate to neighbors a full-size railroads or had traveled on real Lionel gave children of the postwar era family’s determination to provide passenger expresses, filled their heads with and their parents for so many years. The generously for its children. As Lionel’s dreams of running their own network. slogan, “An Investment in Happiness,” advertising had long maintained, boys who After the war, no plaything meant more or accurately characterized every train set played with an electric train grew up to seemed as sophisticated than an electric Lionel sold. A new generation would become productive, hardworking, and intel- train. So what if that miniature railroad never forget the pleasures of those toys. ligent adults. Parents who envisioned their empire depended on track with an sons as future accountants, dentists, factory unrealistic three rails and spanned only a Technological advances foremen, scientists, and so forth accepted sheet of plywood or a rug on the floor. The myriad pleasures and excitement the responsibility to prepare them with the Well into the 1950s, children prized an Lionel trains and accessories created in right tools. A train was thus paramount, as electric train as the finest thing they could their grateful audiences reflected note- vital as textbooks and a blue suit. own. They begged parents and grandparents worthy advances in how the company From the 1940s well into the 1950s, for one and let displays in department developed, mass-produced, and marketed families across the country, even ones stores and other retail outlets mesmerize its action-packed and magical playthings. struggling to make ends meet on a regular them. Boys saved every dime and quarter No account of Lionel during its postwar basis, invested in Lionel trains for their they earned delivering newspapers and glory should minimize the contributions sons. They did so fully aware those toys mowing lawns in hopes of affording more made by ingenious designers, industrious were not inexpensive. An electric train track or another boxcar or gondola. production supervisors, clever advertising should be viewed now as it was then: a men, and tireless sales personnel. Those luxury item treated with care and respect. Tastes keep changing dedicated employees, often unidentified No wonder many parents insisted trains be Unfortunately for Lionel, the confluence or ignored, deserve credit in some way for used only during the holiday season and of social, cultural, and economic factors all the magnificent toys. then be carefully packed away. boosting the appeal of electric trains after Improvements in tool design and Families had spent too much on the the war simply couldn’t last. Youngsters breakthroughs in the molding of various locomotives and railcars for them to be matured and so discovered pastimes and kinds of plastics enabled Lionel, along with handled recklessly. Lionel pieces, even consumer goods more fascinating than its domestic competitors, to manufacture basic rolling stock, were not trivial in cost. miniature locomotives and stations. more efficiently and at lower cost durable To drive home that point, the original No matter what Lionel did in hopes of locomotives and rolling stock with greater price of every item listed in this book has retaining the loyalty of its customers, fickle detailing. The revolution in the production been adjusted for inflation. In each More youngsters in time came to prefer spending of consumer goods attributed to the Information box, retail values of long ago dollars and hours on baseball gloves and amazing development of injection-molded are translated into current dollars. hockey sticks, used Impalas and fresh-off- plastics changed every facet of life in

— 9 — had been well aware of which engines and For example, 1947 saw some noteworthy Magne-Traction passenger trains ran on the Pennsylvania developments at the toy giant. Its engineers As though to make amends for the Scout, Railroad and the New York Central. That ironed out problems with the Berkshire and Bonanno and associates George Jurasov trend influenced two of the new locomo- Turbine and improved the smoke unit. They and John Salles conducted experiments tives highlighting the line for 1946. modified the 225 steamer, a 2-6-2 cataloged involving magnetism and powder metal- Just two years earlier, the Pennsy had from 1938 through 1942. The new engine, lurgy. Their labors led to the development ordered a huge turbine-driven 6-8-­6 which was assigned numbers 675 in O of Magne-Traction, an innovation that engine from Baldwin Locomotive Works. gauge and 2025 in O-27, was promoted advanced a model locomotive’s pulling and That beast, the sole member of the S2 (incorrectly) as a replica of the Pennsy’s climbing capabilities while enabling it to class, never amounted to much. It pulled class K4 Pacific. stay on metal track much better. only scattered passenger trains prior to Magne-Traction became standard on being retired in 1952. But all the publicity Low-end novelty locomotives. Or it was until the Korean given the Turbine intrigued Lionel, and its The exploding demand for toy trains was Conflict and resulting shortages of Alnico designers announced O and O-27 gauge pushing Lionel from scale realism to toy- magnetic material interrupted the process. versions (nos. 671 and 2020, respectively). like items as the decade came to a close. As a consequence, Lionel felt compelled in That three-rail giant, with a whistle, Decision-makers emphasized the need to 1952 to release versions of the Turbine as smoke unit, and double worm-drive make and market playthings families could well as the Berkshire (nos. 671RR and Atomic Motor, stood front and center afford no matter what their budget. 726RR, respectively) and a reissued 675 when evaluating the line. Lionel adapted The change in priorities influenced the and 2025, all lacking Magne-Traction. its Turbine to serve as motive power for creation of a steam locomotive and tender the Electronic Control Set (no. 671R). introduced in 1948. Designers, while Hudsons galore Engineers set their sights on updating completely ignoring the O gauge roster, Pleased as Lionel’s engineering and sales the 226, a die-cast 2-6-4 painted black and gratified the wish of sales personnel for an crews were about Magne-Traction, they cataloged between 1938 and 1941. They inexpensive train to counter the advances could have guessed the return of a near- adapted its boiler, installed an extra set of being made by Louis Marx & Co. scale model of the New York Central’s drive wheels (to make it a 2-8-4), fitted it The Engineering Department devised 4-6-4 Hudson would overshadow it. In with the latest trucks and couplers, and put the no. 1001 Scout locomotive, a 2-4-2 1950, to mark the firm’s golden anniversary, in an Atomic Motor and a smoke unit. with Lionel’s first injection-molded plastic Lionel brought back what many observers They christened the no. 726 the Berkshire, boiler. A year later, perhaps because leaders claimed was its finest O gauge steamer. The after a prototype on the Boston & Albany, felt uncomfortable relying on inexpensive no. 773, even if not entirely to scale, still a subsidiary of the New York Central. plastic, they substituted a die-cast metal had the latest features, notably Magne-­ boiler and renumbered that stripped-down Traction and a smoke mechanism. Continued greatness steam model as no. 1110. Also in 1950, Lionel added a modified The release of the Turbine and the Unfortunately, as people operating the Hudson to the O-27 line. The no. 2046 Berkshire, plus updated versions of older low-end steamer quickly learned, the shared a New York Central heritage with switchers and midrange engines, expanded Scout’s real problems were mechanical and its O gauge counterpart. Its boiler casting the O-27 and O gauge lines. Yet designers not aesthetic. Its plastic-case motor and derived from one developed for the and marketing executives showed no unreliable reverse unit frustrated consumers. Berkshire. The 2046 ran through 1951. intention of relaxing, even as Lionel, like They inundated Lionel’s service stations Then the no. 2056, a twin lacking prototype railroads, began diverting more with repairs, grumbling about engineering Magne-Traction, replaced it for 1952, only resources toward diesels. and quality control at the firm. to have Lionel revive the 2046 for 1953.

— 14 — 1110 Scout 2-4-2 and Tender

he announcement in the opening pages of the Consumer Catalog fast!—without pushing retail prices higher. for 1948 still causes readers to stop and stare: “The biggest model Exasperated designers left the rolling stock railroad news in years!” Bigger than the smoke mechanism Lionel alone. They refused to disown Manumatic T had created? Bigger than the realistic remotely controlled knuckle Control. Those aspects of the line carried coupler? Bigger than the automatic milk car or the F3 diesels? forward into 1949. Attention went to the locomotive, The bold copywriter dared tantalize Not ready condemned as the culprit in the show. designers and customers alike when he Designers handed the task of forming the Gone was the 1001 and in its place rolled declared Lionel about to introduce some- Scout roster reached a fateful decision. To a better, more dependable performer. thing greater and more important. save money and give the train a unique Even before 1948 had ended, engineers The inaugural Scout outfit! A brand- identity, they devised a new coupling had finished an upgraded steamer, the new freight train intended to appeal to system incompatible with every other no. 1101. That uncataloged 2-4-2 had a families without too much money to spend regular-production model. What they die-cast metal body instead of the plastic on a toy. Lionel stood poised to deemed Manumatic Control one used for the 1001 steamer, a metal engage in battle with Louis relied on an ancillary piece to motor, and a three-position reverse unit. Marx & Co. The chief weapon 1949 uncouple the cars. Operators Further tinkering with an eye on to be employed in combat had only to press the button on holding down costs brought forth the ended up being the no. 1110 steam the controller to release one of them. no. 1110. Lionel cataloged that 2-4-2 and locomotive and tender new in 1949. The brand-new no. 1001 steam engine its no. 1001T non-whistle tender in 1949 and tender, derived from a 2-4-2 Columbia and again in 1951 and 1952. The 1110 Missing the mark type, featured a puny motor. Cutting retained the die-cast body painted black. Common sense and the bottom line told production costs dictated leaving off a But designers had no choice but to revive Lionel’s leaders they should attend to the three-position reverse unit. the plastic motor and two-position reverse. low end. Selling basic outfits with few frills Lionel packed the 1001 in two sets in did much to pad the financial reports and 1948, each with a price below $20. One Where it fits put a smile on the faces of accountants and train consisted of two freight cars and a The 1110 earns a spot as part of Lionel’s stockholders. caboose; the second offered three cars. strategy for conquering the market. Con- Demand for electric trains skyrocketed Minimal decoration covered the light- sider the slightly modified Scout engine as after the war. Lionel needed to respond weight unpainted plastic rolling stock. an artifact with historical significance because Marx with its low-cost sets and All too soon, many consumers felt they rather than a solid O-27 performer. Hafner with its windups continued to had been fooled by the so-called big news. snipe at the giant and steal customers. The plastic motors in their Scout steamers More information Elementary O-27 trains retailing for quit working or proved too weak. Being ■■ Illuminated but lacked headlight around $20 apparently had failed in 1946 unable to couple the cars to regular O-27 lens; also lacked smoke unit and 1947 to secure a key segment of the models left them frustrated. ■■ Whistle tender not included market for Lionel. Time, executives concluded, to devote resources to accom- An improvement ■■ Replaced in 1950 by no. 1120 equipped with Magne-Traction plishing that goal. The pair of Scout sets Angry customers and complaining repair heralded in 1948 as news of enormous personnel drove home the vital point that ■■ Sold only as outfit component significance represented their best hope. Lionel had to remedy the Scout debacle—

— 20 — 2245 Texas Special Electro-Motive F3 A-B Units

arketing possibilities multiplied after designers completed work The 26"-long duo led a freight outfit on the first replicas of an F3 diesel. Initially, though decision- and a passenger set in 1954, besides being makers cataloged models with just the names of the two railroads offered for separate sale. Lionel put them whose investment had underwritten the research and development. in only a passenger outfit in 1955. MNew York Central and Santa Fe were all from 1948 through 1951. Real beauties A significant trend took off a year later, ment, like their peers in Lionel’s sales The 2245, in spite of being equipped with when Lionel brought out the next F3s. offices, tallied the diverse road names only one motor (horizontally mounted in They came decorated for a western railroad, AMT used on its diesels. One, in particu- 1954 and vertically a year later), muscled perhaps reflecting a campaign to bolster lar, intrigued them. Red-and-white F7s boldly ahead with Magne-Traction and a sales in a different part of the country. From came decorated not for a railroad but for a three-position reverse mechanism. The then on, Lionel gambled with its diesels. passenger train crossing the Southwest. A unit presented a blinding headlight and They featured road names with regional an operating knuckle coupler on its pilot. appeal at best. A key example of what Something different Terrific looks distinguished the Texas Lionel hoped to achieve was the no. 2245 Not since the prewar period, with the intro- Special. Early production featured a Texas Special F3 A and B duo. duction of the Standard gauge , silver-painted chassis with a red-painted had Lionel cataloged a model based on a pilot and silver side frames with steps. Indiana rival full-size passenger train. But competition Then the pilot evolved to silver, and the Intense demands for electric trains after with AMT explained the decision to paint side frames were blackened chemically. the war ignited fierce competition. Lionel and letter F3 A and B units for the Texas The plastic shells dazzled with their acted to counter some of what Special, which ran between St. glossy red paint. Laborers masked the lower its major rivals—Gilbert and Louis and San Antonio over the portion by hand before screen-printing each Marx—were doing. Smaller 1954 St. Louis-San Francisco Ry. and side white, with lettering and details care- companies, content to nip away Missouri-Kansas-Texas RR. fully cut out of the tape to remain shiny red. at less-prosperous segments of the market, Cautious marketers proved reluctant to A white five-pointed star on the nose annoyed but hardly threatened the giant. pair the 2245 combination brought out in and two-piece ornamental horns on the American Model Toys, based in Auburn, 1954 with streamlined passenger cars roof added class. As did decals of the Ind., initially bewildered Lionel. AMT’s bearing Texas Special markings. Yet they heralds of the sponsoring Frisco and MKT. streamlined passenger cars and near-scale did take a few bold steps with the F3s. freight cars eventually sparked serious To start, the non-powered unit they More information responses as Lionel refused to concede matched with the powered A unit ended ■■ $39.95 ($357.39) important and profitable fields. In time, up being a B unit. Never before had Lionel AMT also introduced O gauge models of done that with its F3 diesels. ■■ Price dropped to $29.95 in 1955 Electro-Motive F7 diesels that bothered Second, planners designated the Texas ■■ Drawbar pull of 8 to 10 freight cars Lionel, although it already ruled the roost Special A and B units as O-27 entries. ■■ B units with closed portholes with its more reliable F3s. Making them the first F3s assigned to the released late in 1955 Members of the Engineering Depart- less prestigious half of the train line.

— 34 — 2321 Lackawanna Fairbanks-Morse H-24-66 Train Master

ionel, the diesel kingpin when it came to “covered wagons” and switch- cover overspray. To save pennies and ers, fell behind with heavy-duty road units. Gilbert scooped its rival minutes, supervisors opted for a gray roof. in 1950 by releasing no. 370, its S gauge model of an Electro-Motive Consumers praised the rubber-stamped Division GP7. Executives and engineers at Lionel plotted revenge. The yellow stripes and maroon lettering. Lonly issue was which road diesel they would model in O gauge. Something Gratifying them as well were the decaled else from General Motors would have been logical, and in 1953, an advertise- Fairbanks-Morse medallions on the sides ment showed a preliminary model of what looked like an EMD SD9. and the Lackawanna heralds on each end. Those details, not to mention the wire Yet that engine never entered Don’t forget the other outstanding handrails, enhanced the 2321. discussions for mass-production at Lionel. components. A beaming headlight at each Instead, the toymaker took its cue from a end, along with operating knuckle couplers Solid sets massive 2,400-horsepower, and a blasting horn delighted The Train Master looked confident, bold, six-axle hood unit Fairbanks- owners. The six-wheel passen- and strong. Planners used the 2321 as the Morse began shopping in 1953. 1954 ger trucks featured “delicately motive power for a pair of excellent freight This powerhouse, designed for molded springs and hand brake outfits in 1954 and another in 1955. freight and passenger service, carried the connections,” according to the description Five-car outfit no. 2223W, nicknamed impressive title of “Train Master.” in the Consumer Catalog. “Big Haul” in the 1954 Consumer Catalog, stood out with its two animated cars (3461 Auspicious debut Picking a name log car and 3482 milk car) and no. 6417-25 Despite the efforts of public relations per- Key people on the engineering and sales color-coordinated porthole caboose. The star sonnel with Fairbanks-Morse, the boxy yet staffs saw the wisdom of starting with one was no. 6464-100 Western Pacific boxcar powerful H-24-66 Train Master tempted of the railroads owning Train Masters. with its orange body and short blue feather. only a few railroads to place orders. Therefore, factory personnel painted and The 2321, like the other two models of Regardless, Lionel took notice of the lettered preliminary O gauge samples for a Train Master added in 1955 and 1956, Train Master. Their “scale-length” replica, the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western, the exemplified the commitment at Lionel to 16½" long, made its debut in 1954—one Reading Lines, and the Southern Pacific. merging toy-like elements with scale more reason collectors laud that year’s line Those attractive mock-ups went on realism. No other O gauge locomotive, as among the best in history. display at national and regional toy fairs. not even the F3, raised the line to such The 2321 Train Master is one of the Evidently, industry insiders voted for the greatness in the middle of the postwar era. landmark O gauge locomotives of the era. Lackawanna. Lionel fell in line and offered Mechanically, it lived up to its billing in a model with a simplified scheme. More information the Consumer Catalog as a “Power Giant.” The process began with the body shell ■■ $43.50 ($389.15) Designers packed two worm-drive motors being painted maroon. Then, after workers equipped with Magne-Traction plus a masked selected areas by hand, they ■■ Separate sale only in 1956 three-position reverse unit inside the sprayed on gray, like Lackawanna Train ■■ Priced reduced to $39.95 in 1955 injection-molded body shell. No wonder Masters. Originally, they left the roof ■■ Front end equipped with headlight the Train Master was capable of pulling as maroon. Undoubtedly an aesthetic benefit, and Mars light many as 24 freight cars. that step demanded additional painting to

— 35 — 60 Lionelville Rapid Transit Trolley

ometimes the best ideas are actually revivals of old ones. Manufacturers, Few changes including businesses producing miniature electric trains, return to what Most of the features on the Lionelville has worked for them or even a competitor in the past, and breathe new Rapid Transit Trolley stayed the same Slife into it. during its four years in the catalog. The unit had an unpainted yellow plastic body Lionel accessories and motorized units True, Lionel had not made an O gauge and unpainted red roof, a rotating over- seemed ripe for revivals. A station or trolley during the decades immediately head pole, and internal lighting. Window loader could, if modified slightly, be made preceding and following . strips secured to the interior depicted the a worthwhile addition. More telling were Neither had it endeavored to do so during silhouettes of passengers. those small items equipped with a motor the first part of the postwar era. The earliest examples had hot-stamped whose form or function hearkened back to black lettering (a few rare examples had what Lionel had done before. A terrific Back in red markings), roof slots, two-part spring example was the no. 60 Lionelville Rapid But in 1955, a year after Development bumpers, and metal motorman silhouettes. Transit Trolley. Engineer Frank Pettit devised the no. 50 Soon the motorman silhouettes were elim- Section Gang Car, something clicked. Per- inated. Then hot-stamped blue lettering Old business haps he just showed how the mechanism he became the norm over the remaining years. When Lionel introduced the 60 in 1955, had developed could be adapted to a trolley. Later variations used a solid one-piece grizzled veterans of the toy train fraternity Pettit had equipped the 50 with a bumper. Then designers added four more might have been excused for grumbling special motor and drive mechanism. When clerestory vents. The lamp, once partially about how the little plastic trolley paled in the Gang Car rammed a bumper or painted silver, was left unpainted once the comparison to what the company had another train, a shifting metal plate slid underside of the roof was fitted with an marketed almost half a century earlier. backwards. That briefly broke the motor’s aluminized paper reflector. The text in the Consumer Catalog for electrical circuit before reconnecting it, but Watching a Lionelville Rapid Transit 1955 claimed the model of a Birney type in a way that caused the motor’s armature play bumper cars on a main line or a sepa- of trolley was “new!” The Lionelville Rapid to reverse direction. The back-and-forth rate track was a joy. That motorized unit Transit Trolley could be used, bumper action generated likely put a smile on the face of Cowen as the copywriter claimed “on a interest and laughs. he recalled how Standard gauge trolleys separate street railway, or as an 1955 Quickly, Pettit figured and interurbans had helped his fledgling ‘interurban’ on your main line.” out how to use the same mech- business grow into a national institution. “New”? Didn’t anyone remember how, anism on a trolley. On making contact, the 40 or so years earlier, Lionel had cataloged 60 shifted course and the pole on its roof More information trolleys or, more accurately, streetcars? They swung around. None of the prewar trolleys ■■ $7.95 ($71.39) had been big business, right from the time ever did anything like that. Lionel introduced Standard gauge trains in Younger executives with no memory of ■■ 71/16" long 1906. The firm had offered sturdy models Lionel’s old trolleys, would have enjoyed ■■ Cataloged from 1955 through 1958 fabricated out of sheet steel and equipped the animation. The elderly Joshua Cowen ■■ Variations related to lettering, with four or eight wheels and featuring must have been pleased at how they were clerestory vents, and bumpers open or closed platforms through 1916. using an old concept to invigorate the line.

— 48 — 3927 Track Cleaning Car

otorized units served an important purpose for sales executives. rails. Layout owners liked seeing all three Individuals at the helm never imagined someone would buy a light- shine brightly. weight diesel, a snowplow, or another item as a primary purchase. An outfit, including a locomotive and railcars, should be first. But Fresh start Mto keep tempting consumers, there had to be a diverse assortment of auxiliary Engineers developed every major items. Accessories were obvious; then came motorized units. component used on the 3927 specifically for that novel motorized unit. Key pieces, Designers and marketing men wanted A version of the specially equipped notably the frame assembly, handrail and to appeal to Lionel fans in different ways flatcar equipped with knuckle couplers switch assembly, cab assembly, sponge to entice them to acquire a motorized unit. followed the 648. That model, the no. 948, and plate assembly, and wiper carriage Entertaining them opened doors. So did gave way to the no. 24533 Track Cleaning assembly, were invented for the 81/4"-long promising prototype realism. A third Car, which lasted through 1966. unit. Other parts were borrowed from method, one used infrequently, related to other motorized items. need. Offer modelers something necessary Motorized cleaner Nobody painted the orange plastic to improving the operation of a train. For Members of the Engineering Department body. Laborers did hot-stamp Lionel Lines that reason, in 1956, Lionel introduced the at Lionel, observing how S gauge operators and the four-digit product number black. no. 3927 Track Cleaning Car. responded to the campaign for cleaner, The fixed die-cast metal coupler meant the shinier track, felt strongly motivated to 3927 needed to be coupled to a locomotive A bit late surpass their counterparts at Gilbert. or whatever railcar finished the train. How often did Lionel operators worry Instead of devising a unique railcar for the Once designers had completed their about the cleanliness of their track? Not a task, they upped the ante in 1956 by part of the process, the advertising and sales concern to cause them to lose sleep. But inventing a motorized track cleaner. teams took over. They avidly pitched the designers and marketers imagined they How it did its job was straightforward. novel unit to Lionel loyalists. Nothing could boost sales if they planted the idea in Integral to operation, of course, was the could be more essential for superior perfor- the minds of enthusiasts. motor. Unlike the Flyer car, whose wipers mance, they contended, than clean track. Already, the clever if insidious scheme merely rubbed over the rails, the Lionel Should consumers agree and put a had helped a competitor. The unit featured a brand-new Track Cleaning Car high on their list of A.C. Gilbert Co. had intro- mechanism that, once manually what to buy next, executives were more duced a novel piece of rolling 1956 switched on, rotated a sponge on than ready to sell refill items. They insisted stock intended to clean and buff the no. 3927-47 plate assembly. that only Lionel’s cleaning fluid would its S gauge track. Engi- Meanwhile, cleaning liquid in the work with a 3927. Soon, the line included neers had for 1952 modified a 10½"-long plastic bottle secured to the cab assembly cans of no. 3927-75 Track-Clean plus depressed-center flatcar by installing four passed from a well on top to the rotating packs of no. 3927-50 track wipes. felt track wipers. Two were saturated with sponge below. The Track Cleaning Car, cleaning fluid to wash the rails; the other securely coupled to a locomotive, More information wipers dried and seemed to polish them. washed the rails as the saturated ■■ $12.95 ($114.57) The ploy succeeded magnificently. Any sponge turned. S gaugers focused on maintaining sidings Seconds after washing was done, the ■■ Cataloged from 1956 to 1960 and main lines would couple the no. 648 procedure ended with the track being ■■ Price reduced to $10.95 in 1959 Track Cleaning Car to the engine guiding dried. The absorbent cotton cylinders ■■ Listed with “Operating Action Cars” a freight or work train and let it traverse attached to the spring-loaded wiping in catalogs the layout a time or two. carriage at the rear of the unit dried the

— 49 — 3620 Lionel Lines Rotating Searchlight Car

ometimes with Lionel, the best ideas yielding the most popular kinds Getting better of rolling stock had to wait. Yes, for reasons never quite clear, the The only drawback with the 6520 related men at the top might hesitate to proceed. Or they would deliberately to its operation. Owners could maneuver Schoose to delay certain projects. the floodlight only by hand. Leave it to Development Engineer An outstanding and puzzling example 1949 arrival Frank Pettit to correct the shortcoming. of such inaction after the war was an oper- We’ll never know why the largest toy train He adapted a vibrating mechanism he had ating searchlight car. Instead of reviving a maker did not herald its first searchlight been tinkering with for the searchlight car. prewar model right after the war, Lionel car of the postwar era until 1949. In that Once the floodlight was illuminated, waited to release a new type in 1949. year, the no. 6520 made its debut as a set rubber “fingers” on its base rubbed against Then the firm moved ahead with more component and a separate-sale item. the round platform beneath it so the light sophisticated searchlight cars over a That car boasted a look unlike any could rotate automatically. 12-year span. The first three of searchlight car seen before the The improved searchlight car, designated those five models were basic in war. The design departed from no. 3520 and introduced in 1952, promised appearance, but their operation 1954 a flatcar with a light mounted more control over how the light went on went from mainly manual with on a pressed steel frame. and off and where it shined. the no. 6520 to wholly automatic with the Lionel’s model makers took the die-cast Designers went on fine-tuning the no. 3620 Rotating Searchlight Car. metal depressed-center chassis they had model until they had one whose operation created for the no. 2461 Transformer Car had nothing to do with remote control. Prewar invention (new in 1947) and adapted it to hold a The 10"-long 3620, introduced in 1954 The idea of mounting one or two flood- modern-looking metal searchlight. With and cataloged for two more years, lights on a toy railcar was not new. Lionel the 6520 the light could be switched on by depended entirely on track power to had introduced searchlight cars for both its remote control but rotated strictly by hand. illuminate and swivel around a darkened Standard and O gauge lines in 1931. Designers did something beyond just room. Hands-off operation had finally Throughout the 1930s, operating flood- substituting a heavy depressed-center arrived, and kids loved watching the bright light cars occupied spots of prominence. In flatcar for a plain model. They came up light rotate while their favorite locomotive fact, two models—nos. 2620 and 2820— with a small generator, to be molded out pulled the searchlight car over main lines. remained in the O gauge catalog until of plastic and mounted at the end of the production was suspended in 1942. 6520 opposite from the floodlight. That More information Surprisingly, then, engineers and generator came in green, maroon, or orange. ■■ $7.95 ($71.35) executives held back after the war. The only Besides creating a model that looked up item in 1946 with anything close to a to date and felt hefty to a child, Lionel ■■ Cataloged from 1954 through 1956 as both set component (O-27 and searchlight was the deluxe model of the improved its searchlight car by developing O gauge) and separate-sale item brand-new wrecker caboose. The no. 2420 a brand-new floodlight that, like the ■■ Searchlight housings (part 3520-12) was it. Lionel appeared content to let the generator, seemed to be in the right pro- were unpainted gray or painted Gilbert Company dazzle consumers with portion to the car. Now, the firm had a gray over orange plastic a true searchlight car for its American new operating model that looked right on Flyer line. an O gauge or an O-27 work train. Flatcars

— 77 — 6434 Illuminated Poultry Car

tudy the immense variety of freight cars cataloged during the postwar Enthusiasts did take more of a liking to era and interesting changes become apparent. Designers worked daily the 6434, which shared several traits with to improve the roster. They searched for little ways to make models the M-K-T stock car, right down to the Smore appealing to the public and less costly to produce in quantity. plastic body shell painted red. Setting the Illuminated Poultry Car apart were, Perhaps one employee had a brainstorm Consumer Catalog for 1954 clarified, of course, the four translucent panels about how to transform the humble near- however, that the pairs of short sliding fabricated out of polystyrene on which scale stock car. Introduced with fanfare in doors on each side indicated it was used to were printed rows of chickens and turkeys. 1954, that model had been ship “pigs, sheep, or goats.” Interior illumination made it easier for languishing ever since. No big deal! Lionel onlookers to see all the poultry. Nothing helped, even a new 1958 announced the yellow-painted Louis Melchionne, who handled various paint scheme that was part of its stock car with black New York artistic tasks for Engineering, created the transformation in identity two years later. Central markings with excitement. It put illustrations of hens, roosters, and so forth Missing from the two-level stock car, no. 6356 in one O-27 and three O gauge that were reproduced on polystyrene panels, someone in engineering must have outfits in 1954. The next year, though, the held in place with eight small gussets. declared, were animals. Kids needed to see model was not a component of a single out- the cargo it carried. Willing to try any- fit, with its inventory being sold separately. Laying eggs thing, designers finished artwork showing Planners dropped the 6356 after 1955 Five Super O outfits cataloged for 1958 the small livestock typically transported in and invested their hope in a novel car. They featured an Illuminated Poultry Car, stock cars with two levels. From their recommended painting the plastic shell including the sole set containing a 6556 fertile minds burst forth in 1958 the white and calling it the no. 6376 Circus Car. M-K-T stock car. Safe to say, therefore, no. 6434 Illuminated Poultry Car. Cautiously assigning the updated stock car corporate leaders believed the 6434 would to only one O gauge set for 1956, they must impress potential customers. Slow going have been disappointed by the response. The Unfortunately, after seeing the Confidence in the appeal of a stock car 6376 ended up as a separate-sale item in upgraded stock car offered for separate seemed to wax and wane at Lionel. The 1957, leftover stock likely being sold off. sale only a year later, the conclusion it company had dragged its feet after the war, missed the mark was unavoidable. All not cataloging a model until 1949, when it Timely change Lionel could do for 1959 was exhaust broke into the market with an operating car The line for 1958 saw the individuals in whatever inventory of 6434s was left that worked in conjunction with a corral to charge adopting two approaches with while hoping to do better with an simulate the movement of tiny cattle. stock cars. For some reason, they imagined operating version—the new no. 3434 Lionel followed with a non-operating another basic car might appeal if given the Chicken Sweeper Car. stock car in 1950. Then, pushed by the right road name. Out came the no. 6556 near-scale versions from American Model Missouri-Kansas-Texas model. More information Toys, they had abandoned the short stock Collectors now prize the red-painted ■■ $6.95 ($58.06) car in favor of a longer model in 1954. car with white hot-stamped markings, The inaugural 11¼"-long stock car which Lionel produced in low numbers. ■■ Cataloged in 1958 and 1959 differed slightly from the railcar typically Yet knowing the 6556 did not return for ■■ Component of no. 2543WS Super O envisioned. People usually associated stock even a second year in the catalog suggests Berkshire Freight Outfit in 1959 Stock Cars Stock cars with the transport of cows. The it failed to captivate many consumers.

— 98 — 3366 Operating Circus Car and Corral

he mark of a great business in any field is the ability of its leaders to newly designed metal and plastic platform continue to innovate and develop new products while at the same worked more consistently and reliably. time constantly improving its current line. Achieving both goals The improved design of the platform, should enable it to withstand challenges in the marketplace because with its narrow, curved channel, pleased itT succeeds at exceeding the expectations of customers. modelers. The mechanics of that operating car and accessory had not changed from The no. 3366 Operating Circus Car activity found on railroads throughout Pettit’s original design. But the sleek and Corral, an animated car that came the West. horses (a step above the pudgy cows) with its own accessory, epitomizes much Vibration generated by electricity almost pranced around the yard. of what was best about Lionel. For this could, Pettit saw, cause figures placed on model represented, not the first top of a special surface to shake Circus time incarnation of an operating and move. Specifically, he Lionel kept the 3356 in its line through stock car with an unloading and 1959 installed a remote-controlled 1959, offering it for separate sale and as a loading mechanized platform, solenoid on the underside of component of five outfits. Then it replaced but an ongoing improvement of something both a special stock car and the base of the that car and its corral with all-but-identical that had already proved to be popular. platform of the metal corral used with it. ones molded in white and gray polystyrene, By activating these solenoids, an operator respectively. The 3366 Operating Circus Starting small started the runway inside the car and the Car had a red-painted roofwalk and red The story of the animated circus-oriented floor of platform buzzing and vibrating. hot-stamped graphics. car and its platform introduced by Lionel Once everything was vibrating, rubber- Smart—or desperate?—to attempt to in 1959 went back a decade. The big news ized cows would move, thanks to “fingers” boost sales of an item that might have in 1949, besides the first diesel switcher glued to the underside of their bases. Pettit worn out its welcome by changing its and operating boxcars in the line, was a aimed for the beasts loaded inside the car identity. Lionel had sought to exploit the new operating car that used an accessory to move ahead, through the opened door, popularity of the circus with a Mickey to replicate the shipment of cattle. and down a ramp. Cows would shuttle Mouse train in the middle 1930s. It hoped Driving the development of the around the confines of the stockyard and an operating car and corral with a similar no. 3656 remote-controlled cattle car and be directed to climb up the other ramp. theme would again win applause. platform was the success of the no. 3462 milk car. That revolutionary model had Trying horses More information been selling in amazing quantities since Too bad the cattle fell down or meandered ■■ $17.95 ($148.92) entering the line in 1947. Lionel’s leaders in circles once in the stockyard. So Lionel pressed their designers to duplicate it. kept modifying the platform in hopes of ■■ Came with no. 3366-100 box with nine white vinylite horses Frank Pettit, named the “development eliminating those frustrating problems. engineer,” proved to be up to that task. A better idea arrived in 1956. Having ■■ Cataloged from 1959 through 1961 He developed an operating car that made dropped the 3656, Lionel released a ■■ Part of only one outfit: no. 2555W fuller use of its platform than did the superior item. The no. 3356 Operating for 1960 milk car to enable kids to imitate an Horse Car and Corral looked better, and its Cars Stock

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