Lionel’s new seven-digit numbering system, effective in 2019, does include scale or traditional coding.
-First two digits are the year of introduction.
-Next two digits are the primary marketing category. (For example, 26 is for full O scale rolling stock, 28 is for O traditional rolling stock, 31 is for full O scale steam locomotives, 32 is for O non-scale steam locomotives, 33 is for scale diesels, and 34 is for non-scale diesels)
-Last three numbers are the product stock number.
Take, for instance, Lionel no. 2031261. That’s the excursion version of the Big Boy. Lionel will make it in 2020 (thus “20” is the first two digits). It’s a properly proportioned O scale model (thus the “31” in the next two digits) and is stock no. 261.
Lionel no. 1932040 is Pere Marquette Berkshire #1225. It’s the LionChief Plus 2.0 version of the Polar Express Berkshire that has been included in trainsets for more than 15 years. It will be introduced this year (19), is traditional sized (32) and carries a no. 040 stock number.
Here’s a chart we have been sharing on the forum indicating the product coding for the two digits that follow the year.
