Hi all:
A few years back I got a Lionel Phantom III set off of EBay, and since I have done some research on the different sets in the series. It was quite interesting to find that even Lionel only had one car from one of the sets in there entire archive. I was surprised when I visited the Lionel headquarters and only one employee on the design team ever recalled the Pratts Hollow series. I know from reading that they aren't to terribly rare, but those who have them either want an arm and a leg for them, or simply won't sell. Every once in a while, a set in good condition will appear on EBay. I was fortunate to find one in perfect condition-- it hadn't ever left the factory shipping box. It has been an interesting addition to my collection.
My interest was refreshed when I looked in the 2016 catalog from Lionel, and I found that the Phantom has been coated in carbon fiber, stripped of some of its special details, and re marketed as a Batman set.
I have seen a few other products marketed as Pratts Hollow, such as the Pratts Hollow Seed Dump car and the Pratts Hollow Crew Bunk car. Can anyone tell me if they are related in any way to the PH Phantom sets? Does anyone have any background on the story of these trains?
Thanks,
Troy
