I contacted the Lionel Store and a very nice gentleman got back to me in less than 24 hours. He doesn't have a source for the material Lionel used but suggested I search for mohair on the web. Upon close examination of the pads, it does look like what I believe is mohair. But if you look closely there are ribs in the material that run perpendicular to the length of the cow. I'm also going to look at moleskin.
