Here's a few older pics I had handy. (Sorry for poor lighting on a few, especially the last two.)
-Dave
Dave,
What is the story on the last picture, the "aquarium/mint" car? I have never seen that one. Do you know the item number?
Tim
Great thread!
Back in the mid-Seventies, I bought an HO Bicentennial GS-4, and added a set of matching passenger cars, a couple of Bicentennial freight cars and a caboose. My apologies for not including photos, but all my HO equipment is packed away. I can't even remember any more who the various makers were.
Originally Posted by TimDude:
Dave,
What is the story on the last picture, the "aquarium/mint" car? I have never seen that one. Do you know the item number?
Tim
Tim:
I believe that was a fundraiser car leading up to the 2009 convention in Scottsdale, AZ. I am not sure of the catalog no.
I must admit the 6-26778 lighted Snap-On Tools car was also a new one on me.
Fun thread.
Steven J. Serenska
Originally Posted by BANDOB:
I checked with Mark and Sparkle Farkel, as well as Simon and Gar Farkel, and found out about this set:
THE LIBERTY SPECIAL
This was a limited edition set that was never in the Lionel catalog (un-cataloged) and was sold in 1975. It is new in the box and appears to never have been run. It is complete including the paperwork. The box shows some slight shelf wear from being stored over the years.
The box lists it as "A Limited Edition Bicentennial Complete O27 Gauge Electric Train Set"
Set Includes:
- #8570 Alco diesel engine
- #9759 Boxcar depicting Paul Revere and the Revolutionary War
- #9760 Boxcar depicting the Liberty Bell and Spirit of '76
- #9761 Boxcar depicting President George Washington
- #9076 Caboose "We The People Of The United States"
- 8-curved and 2-straight track sections
- Transformer
- Track lockon and hook-up wires
- Manumatic un-coupler
- Paperwork including instructions, approved service station list, order form, accessory catalog, and warranty card
Haven't found any with passenger cars yet, but will keep looking.
B&O Bill:
Attached is a scan of the 1975 Lionel 4-page brochure which shows what that Liberty Special set you described looked like. Also introduced in that brochure was the patriotic Preamble Express F-3 Diesel mentioned in this thread plus the remake of the PRR “Little Joe” Electric and 3 additional PRR passenger cars for the “Broadway Limited” set introduced in 1974.
Re your blue vs. black frame “Spirit of ‘76” U36B diesel locomotives, the blue one numbered “1976” was made by Lionel for the TCA and came in a special box with those 3 passenger cars numbered “1973”, “1974” and “1975”, respectively.
Bill
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Just found this car on ebay after you guys got the red, white and blue juices flowing. The seller is asking a lot for this car, $300, is this car that rare? I would buy it if it is worth that but????? Anybody here have this car? Weaver list 2 cars made then, this one, the "Canon" car and a generic "Gettysburg" car. I would of course have to have both in a collection. The where made by Tommy Gilbert's in Gettysburg.
Just got off the phone with him and he said he thought that was about the going price, yikes!!! He also has a caboose project he would like to do if there is enough interest, hint hint.
Tim
Gentlemen,
I do not have one of these trains YET, however you guys have given me some great purchasing ideas, thanks much. Right now my USA Celebration Train in OD Green.
I have been looking around for the USA Red, White & Blue Constitution Train however.
Thanks much for the ideas!
PCRR/Dave
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This arrived via USPS today. Thanks, Keith. This is a great looking car. I did not know the ends had additional graphics/words; neat!
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I have to set everything up for actual photographs. So, if this posting is deleted or locked. I will have to start a new post.
Andrew
We have a T1 in both the Chessie Special and the Freedom Train paint schemes. And I've heard a rumor that there is a Gs4 Freedom train lurking around here just waiting to meet up with my grandson at Christmas!
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Here are my Western Pacific 1776 GP40 diesel loco and PLTX Bicentennial 3-bay hopper from MTH.
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I, too, recently acquired the "Liberty Special" set from Lionel 1975. New in the box. I haven't run it yet but it is a neat looking little set and quite reasonably priced.
What a great topic!
Is there anything better looking than an American themed Red, White and Blue train set or series of various cars?!
I think not!
The American themed cars are great looking and every American should have at least one.
Myself I have several of the modern American themed cars along with the original 1776 Lionel 13 car set.
Of all the various box cars and engines I own, the American Patriotic cars / engines are my favorite.
May America always remain the land of the free and brave!!!!!!
The MTH Rail King Pullman-Standard 1776 center-discharge covered hopper and Canfor, Canadian Forest Products double-plugged door box car. These schemes were not made on Premier Cars.
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A Western Pacific plug-door 50' box car with flags used in 1976. It is a Weaver car.
The Western Pacific 1776-1976 decorated bay-window caboose from MTH
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I have the Lionel "Sprit of '76" set with all 13 box cars. This past Christmas, my fantastic wife gave me the O-Line Reproductions (formerly RMT) bicentennial GG1 and matching caboose, so that is what I use on either end of this set now. IMO it's a much-better fit to have a Pennsy loco at the head end of this set, and it pulls all 13 cars with ease.
ChessieMD posted:
This is one of a very few MTH bicentennial engine I don't have. Need to get one someday.
When this thread started I posted some of my freight cars; here are some of my engines.
While not a Bicentennial/AFT car, this is one of my newer patriotic cars.
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Such a great post IMO that I’m going to resurrect it. Here’s one I haven’t seen posted yet.
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Here’s some of my others.
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I asked Christine to custom paint 10 Heavyweight cars in a Red, White and Blue scheme. I asked Christine to put recuiting posters on the each car and I named each car after a famous WW2 Adrimal. ie, Halsey, Nimtz, etc or named after Pacific battles, ie Midway, Guadalcanel. Belolw is Halsey and Guadalcanel;
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Here are some more images of my RW&B fleet.
Here is a video of my AFT I took last year. I need to redo it since I now have four more cars.
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Good bump. 250 years is coming up fast. I hope we see some more cool designs.
My brother and I were kids in the ‘70s. His train set was, as I recall, a modern diesel locomotive in bicentennial paint. The caboose was similar. I believe the rest of it was a freight train. I believe there was a boxcar with a door that opened and did some action. Can anybody think of what set that might have been? I have searched but never found it.
I hope we see some new designs, at least on American built equipment. Frankly the country could use some unifying right now, and the rail industry could use some good press.
Maybe some patriotism could help on both fronts. 🤔
I have the K-Line Patriotic GG1 with music and the Lionel Lady Liberty Set.
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I have a lot of Red, White and Blue in my collection. Here are a couple of short videos showing just a few of them:
My Preamble Express:
And the first train in this video is of my triple-headed Freedom Train consisting of the N&W 611 in AFT scheme, the Reading T1 in 1976 AFT scheme, the Reading T1 in 1975 AFT scheme, 5 auxiliary water tenders (one is a 9/11 tribute owned by a fellow club member), and 19 AFT cars in tow:
Andy
The timeless classics, along with one you don’t see everyday. Somehow I have never gotten around to getting the 1776 U36B:
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The Spirit of 76 engine and cars got me started on them. I kept that but passed the rest on to our kids. The cars took several years to buy new as MPC only issued a few each year. I had a guy stop at my table at a train show saying Lionel never made the Preamble F3 I had for sale. I showed him the Lionel box and the Greenburg listing, but he still walked away unconvinced.
Which freedom/1776-related items do I have. Hmmmm. Let me count them!
Since I don't currently have a layout (recently moved) some of these are stock photos; others are of the real items in my possession.
This listing doesn't include the "K-Line Loves . . ." state series nor the "State Quaters" series of which I have a bunch of (but not all!).
Here goes:
"Minute Man" Heavyweight Pullman Car (Illuminated) (K4400-0001):
"Defense Special" Heavyweight Passenger Observation Car (Illuminated) (K4400-0002):
Spirit of '76 Bay Window Caboose (K612-7600):
13 Colonies Scale Extended Vision Caboose (K613-7471):
Seaboard Coast Line Spirit of '76 U36B Diesel Locomotive (6-1776):
Note: This is supposedly one of the rare ones as most of these did not have the lettering on the edge of the walkway. IIRC after the first production run, Lionel decided to save costs/problems and eliminated the while lettering on the side of the walkways.
TCA Bicentennial Special (6-1976):
Frisco "Spirit of 76" Nc5 Caboose (Illuminated) (6-7600):
6-7601 Spirit of '76 State of Delaware Boxcar (6-7601):
Spirit of '76 State of Pennsylvania Boxcar (6-7602):
Spirit of '76 State of New Jersey Boxcar (6-7603):
Spirit of '76 State of Georgia Boxcar (6-7604):
Spirit of '76 State of Connecticut Boxcar (6-7605):
Spirit of '76 State of Massachusetts Boxcar (6-7606):
Spirit of '76 State of Maryland Boxcar (6-7607):
Spirit of '76 State of South Carolina Boxcar (6-7608):
Spirit of '76 State of New Hampshire Boxcar (6-7609):
Spirit of '76 State of Virginia Boxcar (6-7610):
Note: For some reason, this one is hard to find and is worth at least 3x the value of the others in this series.
Spirit of '76 State of New York Boxcar (6-7611):
Spirit of '76 State of North Carolina Boxcar (6-7612):
Spirit of '76 State of Rhode Island Boxcar (6-7613):
American Freedom Train 21" Passenger Car 4-Pack (6-83111):
American Freedom Train 21" Passenger Car 2-Pack (6-83116):
American Freedom Train 21" StationSounds Exhibit Car (6-83119):
American Freedom Train 2-Pack #1 (6-83589):
American Freedom Train 2-Pack #2 (6-83592):
American Freedom Train Add-On 2-Pack #4 (6-84226):
Preamble Express Passenger Set (2022080):
Preamble Express LEGACY E8 #951 (2022081):
Preamble Express Combine #1 (2022082):
Preamble Express Coach #3 (2022084) and Preamble Express Observation #4 (2022085):
American Freedom Train 18" Passenger Car 2-Pack 1 (2027340):
American Freedom Train 18" Passenger Car 2-Pack (22027350):
American Freedom Train 4-8-4 GS-4 Northern Steam Engine (MTH 30-1776-1):
I'm guessing I'm missing posting others.
I am still hoping Lionel or someone would manufacture all the remaining American Freedom Train (AFT) cars, but not holding my breath!
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Actually the "Seaboard" was added in later production. (at the request of Seaboard) MPC first run had the black frame.
I only have one Bicentennial item on my roster and it is my only HO item…
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@paulp575 posted:Preamble Express Passenger Set (2022080):
This set, which represented the complete train, had to be one of the best deals Lionel offered in a long time. I was going to get one, but decided it did not fit my 1976/7 theme of bicentennial trains, plus I had no room for it. As I complete my AFT and get more bicentennial items, I am running out of shelf space.
