@Joe Connor posted:Was the catalog price what you actually paid, or was it an MSRP that dealers routinely undercut by a significant margin?
In the early 1950s, trains usually were sold at prices shown in the catalog. Larger dealers might have specials at times, generally items that were discontinued by Lionel and Flyer at the time. In 1955, the catalog didn't show set prices. There were catalog set numbers for Lionel dealers and a second set of set numbers for outlets sold in discount locations. Often these sets were slightly different that the sets provided under Lionel catalogued set numbers.
In our family, trains were handed down from sibling to sibling. My next oldest brother had prewar items with the exception of a 675 loco whose tender had a box coupler, a Madison Hardware modification. When the trains became mine, i went to Madison Hardware to have a knuckle coupler installed and purchased a 2456 Lehigh Valley Hopper, a 2452 PRR Gondola, a 6465 Sunoco tank car and a 6257 Lionel lines caboose. Caboose , Those cars cost me the $10 dollars i had saved. I didn't have the $3.50 needed for the 6454 Erie box car that i really wanted. Not to long ago, I bought that Erie Box Car on Ebay after all the years that past. You know it was more than $3.50.
