Why would "SACRAMETNO" not have been a "collectable variation"?
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I do not have an example at hand, and I, too, do not care for the flavor of typical Lionel - or MTH, sometimes - artwork in the catalogues.
But - some of those old catalogues had captivating artwork in them - some of them did not. Which I noticed as a kid.
I have no catalogue collection - but a few shreds managed to survive my childhood page flipping.
1955 (I got my layout and train that Xmas) - now this is artwork! I still have most of this catalogue. I used to look at this crisp B&W photo and just dive into it - the steamer in it was also "my" engine - I had a brand-new 2055 version of it on my layout. Look how real that thing appears, even now, a bit.
The headlight beams and maybe the smoke were certainly added; the rest was "real". I understand some of the realities of production and product announcements and BTO, but photos almost always trump paintings.
Me, I would like either photos when possible and blueprint-like line drawings of upcoming items when not.
