Dan Padova posted:david1 posted:Dan Padova posted:I've never heard of the Mini-Max boxcar. Anyone have more info on it ?
I had one and it was very small car with two trucks that only two wheels. It was blue and white.
In Europe, four wheeled freight cars are common. There must have been some sort of prototype for Lionel to have made the Mini-Max. I suspect they were in the lower price range.
Dan is correct. The only time I saw a photo of the Mini-Max prototype, was in the early Seventies, in one of the railroad hobby magazines. That was why I was motivated to buy the Lionel version when it came out. I might add that although I bought mine brand-new in the box, it never contained any plastic crates.
If I recall correctly, the idea behind the Mini-Max was that it would be used to haul lightweight, high-volume cargo. Since I never saw one lettered for anything but General Mills, I presume what they had in mind was cereal, but I don't know for certain.
I can't remember any more which magazine ran the photo -- either RMC or MR. Many's the time I've searched online for that picture ever since, with no luck.
Incidentally, it seems the Lionel Mini-Max may be on its way to becoming a collector's item. I've seen them selling for $10 up to $30, both online and at train shows.
