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I've been working on a web-site, "Phrankenstign's UNAUTHORIZED Train Catalog & Flyer Gallery" (phrankenstign.com) for over a year.  It is my attempt to include front and back pictures of every single catalog and flyer the following companies put out: Lionel, K-Line, and MTH.

(I've started including other companies, but I don't have an abundance of stuff for those companies: Athearn, Atlas, Bachmann, Broadway Limited Imports, L.G.B., Right-Of-Way Industries Incorporated, Tyco, Walthers, Weaver, and Williams.)

Although I've already completed quite a bit, I've still got a long way to go.  In addition to that, I plan on adding pics of as many of the newsletters as possible:  Lionel Railroader Club's "Keep on Trackin'" & "Inside Track", K-Line Collectors' Club's "The K-Line Connection", and Mike's Train House Railroaders Club's "CrossingGate".

I invite those who are interested to visit the site.  It's free, and I don't make any money from it at all.  I was hoping to find pics of all the stuff Lionel had published a couple of years ago, but I couldn't.  So.....I decided to do it myself.  One of the nice things I was able to find were the great number of covers that were part of wraparound pictures or were foldouts.  Although I'd been familiar with many of the covers, it was a treat to see the complete pictures they had always been a part of from the start.  I also included a pic of the entire, unfolded poster that served as the back of Lionel's 1970 catalog.  There are many surprising items pictured on the back covers.  Some showcase exciting, new products (like the 1950 Electronic Set), while others show items that didn't quite succeed (such as the Lionel TruTrack System).  In either case, they are quite interesting to look at in my opinion.

Anyway, the stuff I'm hoping to add to the web-site is listed below........ 

I'm looking for the following Lionel catalogs:

  • 1900-1981 (Lionel published at least 2 catalogs a year in the postwar period through to the present---sometimes more.  I only have one for each year after 1956.)
  • 2018
  • I have at least one catalog for the years not listed here.  If you go through the site and you have any for those years that isn't shown, then I would like to add/buy those too.  These include all O, HO, S, Large, and Standard gauge catalogs.


I'm looking for the following Lionel flyers:

  • 1900-1972
  • 1974
  • 1977-1978
  • 1981
  • 1983-1985
  • 1993
  • 1995
  • 2004-2013
  • 2017-2018
  • I have at least one flyer for the years not listed here.  If you go through the site and you have any for those years that isn't shown, then I would like to add/buy those too.  These include all O, HO, S, Large, and Standard gauge flyers.

I'm looking for the following K-Line catalogs:

  • 1974-1978
  • 1980-1981
  • 1985
  • I have at least one catalog for the years not listed here.  If you go through the site and you have any for those years that isn't shown, then I would like to add/buy those too.

I'm looking for the following K-Line flyers:

  • 1974-1984
  • 1986-1987
  • 1998
  • 2001
  • 2004-2005
  • 2008-2009
  • I have at least one flyer for the years not listed here.  If you go through the site and you have any for those years that isn't shown, then I would like to add/buy those too.

I'm looking for the following club newsletters:

  • Lionel Railroader Club (LRRC)
    • "Keep On Trackin' " (#1 - #19)
      • Completed
    • "Lionel Railroader Club" (#20)
      • Completed
    • "Lionel Railroader Club The Inside Track" (#21 - #39)
      • Completed
    • "The Inside Track from Lionel" (#40 - #72)
      • Completed
    • "Inside Track" (#73 - #135)
      • #127 - #129
      • #131
    • "Lionel Railroader Club Inside Track" (#136-Present)
      • #140 and all issues afterward (last issue #145?)
  • K-Line Collectors' Club (KCC) - "The K-Line Connection" - I'm looking for:
    • Vol. 1 No. 1, 2, & 4
  • M.T.H. Railroaders Club (MTHRRC) "The CrossingGate" - I'm looking for:
    • 2003 - Winter
    • 2005 - Volume 3
    • 2006 - Volume 4
    • 2013 - Volumes 2, 3, 4
    • 2014 - Volume 4
    • 2015 - Volumes 1, 2, 3, 4
    • 2016 - Volumes 3, 4
    • 2017 - Volumes 1, 2, 3, 4
    • 2018 - Volume 1, 2, 3, 4

 

If you have any of the issues above, please send me a list of what you have along with a good description (pics if possible) and the price you're asking in an e-mail.   I'd like to add them to the web-site.

Thanks in advance for any assistance any of you provide. If you don't have any of the stuff I'm looking for, but you know a source (either private individual or store) that may have it, please let me know. (I'm constantly checking ebay, so I've got that covered already.)

Updated: 05/28/18

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This is a list of what I already have.
This is a list of what I'm looking for that was definitely published.
Last edited by phrankenstign
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I have most, if not all, Lionel catalogs issued for the years 1959-1981 and would be willing to sell you all of them. As I can best recall- -the catalogs have been stored away for many years- -most of those from the early 1970s to 1981 are probably in like new [P-8] to store new [P-9 ] condition; the pre-1970 catalogs most likely range between very good [P-6] and P-8.

Let me know- -bobg100@msn.com- -if you're still looking for any of these catalogs. If so, I'll find them and provide you with information regarding their condition and my asking price.

AlanHN,

I'm afraid only the covers are displayed.  If I scanned the entire catalogs and flyers, I'd probably get sued by Lionel and MTH.  Covers of books and magazines can be copied under the category of "Fair Use".  Copying more of an item could be considered copyright infringement.  At the moment, Lionel has many of their most recent catalogs available on-line in their entirety.  I think MTH does too, but I'm not sure.  Neither one of them have any of their earlier catalogs and flyers reproduced at all anywhere on their sites.

The truth is, copying entire catalogs is a massive undertaking.  Especially in this century now that many of them are over 100 pages.

The whole reason I decided to undertake this project, was to keep track of my collection.  I'd originally just had a spreadsheet.  However it was very difficult to compare the catalogs being sold on ebay and on-line stores when the descriptions were sometimes very vague.  I figured if I scanned them and put them on-line, I could access the pictures quickly to compare them with what I saw in auctions, ads, or stores.  Since my goal was to get as complete a collection as possible, I figured others could do the same and benefit from my research.  In other words, my site is meant as a reference checklist of sorts.

Last edited by phrankenstign

Steve,

I haven't added the MTH section yet.  I'm still designing how I'm going to incorporate it into the site.  I tried to send you an e-mail, but it came back as undeliverable.  I used the e-mail address that was displayed when I clicked on your name.  Is that address no longer valid?  Is there a different way to access a member's e-mail address here?

AlanHN,

That site is interesting.  I've been to it before.  It lists specific items in the catalogs, but it doesn't show the covers---at least I couldn't find them.  Most of the items have pictures.  I think those pictures are from the catalogs, but I'd have to do a side-by-side comparison to be sure.  It would be nice if I could somehow add that information and the pictures to my site.  Then people would know which items were cataloged and when.  At the moment, that kind of detail is beyond the scope of what I'm trying to accomplish.  Of course once I've added most of the stuff, there won't be much for me to do on the site.  I'll have time to contemplate my next project at that time.

Last edited by phrankenstign
Steve posted:

My email should be good.  It's OGColl at AOL dot com

Maybe it should be, but this is what the error message states is the reason my message won't get through to you:

<ogcoll@aol.com>: host lmtp.mail.aol.com[10.96.116.210] said: 554 5.7.1 Your
    mail could not be delivered because the recipient is only accepting mail
    from specific email addresses. If you feel you received this in error,
    please contact the recipient directly and ask them to check their email
    settings. (in reply to end of DATA command)

Perhaps you need to add my address to your list of acceptable e-mail addresses.  It's phrankenstign@cableone.net.

Mr. Scale Rail:

The list in the first post shows most of what I'm missing.  It's the only updated list I have.  Since I don't know what was definitely published, I can only list what I have.  If the catalog or flyer is not on my site, I don't have it.  For the KCC Connection, I'm only missing Vol. 1 Nos. 1, 2, & 4.  If you have any price lists, store sales ads, or any other K-Line publication, let me know.  I may want to add it.

Mr. Leapin' Larry:

I live in Gulfport.  It's on the Gulf of Mexico coast.  Tennessee is 5 hours away from me.  I doubt I'll be making a trip there any time soon.  Would you care to look through your stuff at your leisure?  I'm in no big hurry!  It's going to take me months to create the additional pages for the MTH stuff and the club newsletters.  I'm almost done redesigning the site to allow room for that stuff and the menus to access them.  Once that's complete, I can commence scanning the items and uploading the pics to the site.

If either of you, Scale Rail and Leapin' Larry,  can find stuff to sell/supply for the site, send me a list of what you have and your asking price(s).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As always,

Thanks for your help!

Tony

WFTTRAINS:

When I first started the web-site, my earliest Lionel catalog was from 1960.  I didn't think it would be possible to complete a collection from the beginning of the century without a huge outlay of cash.  I didn't think going back to the beginning of the postwar period was feasible either.  So that's why for at least half a year, I stated the span would be from 1960-present.  As I was searching for the ones I was missing, it quickly became apparent buying lots containing multiple catalogs and/or flyers was preferable to buying individual items for two reasons:

  1. Combined shipping charges for multiple items are cheaper.
  2. The cost of single items was generally higher.

So......I quickly decided I'd buy lots containing multiple items as a rule.  I'd only buy single items if I'd determined the rarity of an item made it unlikely I'd find another similar one easily.  So.....as I acquired lots, sometimes I'd end up with duplicates and/or items that didn't fit the criteria:

  • Lionel or K-Line
  • Catalog or flyer
  • Produced from 1960-present

As it turned out, one of the lots happened to contain an HO catalog from 1959.  I could have just left it off the site, but I thought, "Ahhhhhh......What the heck?"  So I uploaded it, and I changed the range to 1959-present.  (The fact I was born in 1959 helped me decide that too!)

In time I may expand the range as you detailed from 1945-present.  I may even go back further later.  That's something the future me will ponder depending on my drive and my wallet.  For now, the range is 1959-present.

Last edited by phrankenstign
phrankenstign posted:

WFTTRAINS:

When I first started the web-site, my earliest Lionel catalog was from 1960.  I didn't think it would be possible to complete a collection from the beginning of the century without a huge outlay of cash.  I didn't think going back to the beginning of the postwar period was feasible either.  So that's why for at least half a year, I stated the span would be from 1960-present.  As I was searching for the ones I was missing, it quickly became apparent buying lots containing multiple catalogs and/or flyers was preferable to buying individual items for two reasons:

  1. Combined shipping charges for multiple items are cheaper.
  2. The cost of single items was generally higher.

So......I quickly decided I'd buy lots containing multiple items as a rule.  I'd only buy single items if I'd determined the rarity of an item made it unlikely I'd find another similar one easily.  So.....as I acquired lots, sometimes I'd end up with duplicates and/or items that didn't fit the criteria:

  • Lionel or K-Line
  • Catalog or flyer
  • Produced from 1960-present

As it turned out, one of the lots happened to contain an HO catalog from 1959.  I could have just left it off the site, but I thought, "Ahhhhhh......What the heck?"  So I uploaded it, and I changed the range to 1959-present.  (The fact I was born in 1959 helped me decide that too!)

In time I may expand the range as you detailed from 1945-present.  I may even go back further later.  That's something the future me will ponder depending on my drive and my wallet.  For now, the range is 1959-present.

I would agree that trying to go all the way back through the pre-war period to 1900 would be costly and time-consuming.  However the post-war period you are missing from 1945 to 1959 is relatively short and many of those years are considered to be the finest years of post-war Lionel production whereas the period from 1960 through 1969 represented the decline of post-war Lionel manufacturing.  There is still a high degree of interest in the post-war period as there are many Lionel hobbyists that collect and/or operate post-war trains.  From a catalog standpoint, those are also some of the most interesting catalogs as many of those cover images have been used to make wall signs and other train-related memorabilia.  Plus Lionel produced just ONE consumer catalog each of those years.  I don’t recall any “flyers” although they did publish advance and accessory catalogs for many of those years.  I’m not sure you are interested in adding those advance and accessory catalogs to your site but acquiring just the consumer catalogs from those years would complete the post-war section of your website and should not be very difficult or costly as most of those consumer catalogs are relatively common and show up frequently at train shows and on auction sites.

Meanwhile I sent you an email with a short list of Lionel catalogs and flyers that I have as duplicates that I don’t see on your site.  I also have duplicate K-Line and MTH catalogs but don’t have a list of those yet.

Hope this helps,

Bill

WftTrains posted:
 Plus Lionel produced just ONE consumer catalog each of those years.  I don’t recall any “flyers” although they did publish advance and accessory catalogs for many of those years.  I’m not sure you are interested in adding those advance and accessory catalogs to your site but acquiring just the consumer catalogs from those years would complete the post-war section of your website and should not be very difficult or costly as most of those consumer catalogs are relatively common and show up frequently at train shows and on auction sites.

Meanwhile I sent you an email with a short list of Lionel catalogs and flyers that I have as duplicates that I don’t see on your site.  I also have duplicate K-Line and MTH catalogs but don’t have a list of those yet.

Hope this helps,

Bill

Anyone who's visited my web-site will note I have presented all kinds of catalogs by Lionel already: "Pre-Toy Fair", "Toy Fair", "Traditional", "Classic", "Advance", "Consumer", "Signature Edition", "Ready To Run", "Ready-To-Run", "Christmas", "Christmas Celebration", "Track & Power", "Holiday Memories"  "Volume 1", "Volume 2", "Heritage" etc.  I'm not sure why you would think I wouldn't want to add "Advance" and "Accessory".  The problem I face---apart from the cost---is not knowing exactly what was printed.  As I've been searching for catalogs from 1959-present, I occasionally see stuff from prior years.  Some are significantly more expensive.  I'm not looking for "MINT" examples.  "GOOD" condition is good enough for the web-site: clean, unmarked, tear-free, and hole-free.  Most of the postwar stuff from the 40s & 50s has been priced a bit higher than I would like to pay at the moment.

As I mentioned earlier, I'm not ruling it out.  At the moment I'd like to concentrate on filling the holes in the collection as it stands now from 1959-present.  Should I buy a lot containing pre-1959 catalogs and/or flyers, I'll upload them.  However I doubt I'll be looking for exclusively pre-1959 lots anytime soon.  I'm well aware there are many fans of that period who feel it was the best ever for the original Lionel Corporation.  I know I preferred the sheer artistry popular during that period.  I think the dream-like quality settings the artists invoked helped kids' imaginations soar.

My priorities at the moment are:

  1. Update "Frames"  and "Mobile Optimized" sites to incorporate MTH trains
  2. Add newsletters for all three:
    1. Lionel Railroaders Club Keep On Trackin'/Inside Track & Lionel Kids Club Station
    2. K-Line Collectors' Club Connections
    3. MTH Railroaders Club CrossingGate
  3. Add "Miscellaneous" section for:
    1. Atlas
    2. Bachmann
    3. LGB
    4. Tyco
    5. Williams
    6. Others.....

 

Throughout the time I spend concentrating on those things, I'll be working concurrently on searching for items to add to the site.

I've redesigned the main landscape version of the train site.  It will be uploaded by Saturday.  Until then, I'll be scanning and uploading a wide variety of items to allow viewing of at least ONE pic in each of the new categories.  The site will contain sizable collections of MTH stuff along with various samples from the following manufacturers: Atlas, Athearn, Bachmann, L.G.B., Right-Of-Way, Tyco, Walthers, Weaver, and Williams.  That's in addition to the LRRC, KCC, and MTHRRC newsletters from Lionel, K-Line, and MTH I've mentioned previously.  It will take awhile to scan and upload all of the pics, so there should be something new  to see a few times a week for the next month or two.

I will update the Mobile Optimized site, but it will probably be a month before I'm done with it.  I still have to think of a way to redesign it for ease of use.  Once that's done, then I have to write the new code to implement it.  Hopefully, it'll take less time than I'm estimating.

scale rail posted:

  I am sure I have all the K-line Catalogs and more. Can you send me an update on what K-line your missing? jrnyfims@comcast.net

Don

I tried to send you a reply, but it didn't go through.  I got this message:

This message was created automatically by the mail system (ecelerity).

A message that you sent could not be delivered to one or more of its
recipients. This is a permanent error. The following address(es) failed:

jrnyfims@comcast.net (after RCPT TO): 550 5.1.1 Not our Customer

I had a little bit of a setback yesterday.  Last night there was a storm in the area where I live, and it caused a power-outage.  I didn't think it was going to be a big deal, but it caused my computer monitor to stop working.  I'm not sure of the cause, but I was unable to accomplish what I'd planned.  I'll upload the newest version of my web-site tomorrow, instead of today as I'd planned.  I bought a new monitor today, so I should be able to complete the work tonight.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the new version will have expanded sections for Lionel and K-Line.  It will also have new sections for Athearn, Atlas, Broadway Limited Imports, LGB, MTH, Right-Of-Way Industries, Tyco, Weaver, and Williams.  The new version will initially have at least one item entered for each category beneath each brand.  I have an extensive collection of Lionel, K-Line, and MTH at this time.  When it comes to the other brands, I only have a handful of each.  I'm sure visitors to the site will find them interesting.  I plan on uploading new items a few times a week, until everything I have is on the site.  I've already uploaded all six issues of Lionel Kids Club newsletter, "Kids Station", the first five issues of Lionel Railroader Club's newsletter, "Keep On Trackin'", and the first two volumes (minus issue Volume 1 Number 1) of the K-Line Collectors Club newsletter, "The K-Line Connection".  I've also gathered up all of the Century Club and Century Club II flyers and put them into their own sections.  There will also be a few other items ready for tomorrow.  Please send me any comments or suggestions you may have.

Have a great day!

Tony

 

Update: 02/27/18

I was able to finish the bulk of the work.  I was going to upload what I had, but I found different browsers displayed some things unusually.  Some margins, spacings, and borders were displayed differently.  So....I 'm going to try to resolve the issues.  I hope the different browsers will be able to display the site close to the same way.  I've decided to postpone uploading the re-designed site by a week for this coming Saturday instead---03-03-18. 

Last edited by phrankenstign

I was finally able to upload the newest version of the web-site.  Now I'll be able to dedicate my time to uploading items for just about every new category.  The bulk of the uploads will be MTH stuff in the next few weeks.  I'll be able to intersperse items from all of the other brands.  At the moment I have very little stuff from Broadway Limited Imports, but I hope to be able to find more as time passes.  Please let me know if you have any suggestions for improving the site's usability. 

Thanks to those who have helped me with this project already!

Tony

Last edited by phrankenstign

Thanks to many here who have helped me add to the site.  At the moment, I have enough stuff to keep me busy adding items for awhile.  I have more than one MTH item for each year from 1999-2018 to add, "The K-Line Connection" volumes 5-14, Lionel "Keep On Trackin'" & "Inside Track" #11-129, along with various items from many of the other brands.  I plan on making updates to the site a few times a week, so there'll often be something new to see for visitors.

If anyone notices a glitch, error, or missing page(s)/picture(s), please let me know.  I'll try to correct the problem quickly.  I've been making small changes to the way the site is designed in an attempt to upgrade it to be in accordance with the latest in HTML, CSS, and Java Script recommended practices.  I do my best to make updates as unobtrusive to the occasional visitor.  Some minor changes have sweeping ramifications as far as their impact is concerned.  So when I test a latest change, I may overlook something I didn't think would be affected.  That's why I ask for your help in finding such anomalies.

Thanks for your help!

Tony 

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