Firestone Lionel Sets

My local Firestone store still had a few NOS 1950's trains in the early 1970's, and a file cabinet with a lot of Lionel catalogs from the 1950's. I got the catalogs .

 

Sorry, I cannot help with the set contents.

Hi Dick,

I spent some looking for information on your set, but I couldn't find anything of any real help to you. Therefore I didn't post any reply, but left it to other more knowledgeable members.

Hopefully one of those members will be able to help you soon.

Dick:

 

    In 1946, Lionel made two similar sets lead by a 1666 engine. They had similar set numbers- 1409 and 1409W. The difference seems to be in the tender number. Set 1409 had a tender listed as 2466T, and set number 1409W had a tender listed as 2466W. I believe the 1409 had a plain tender and the 1409W tender had a whistle. Perhaps someone else can confirm that. (Did your tender have a whistle?)

 

    Both sets had the same consist: 3559 coal dump car, 2465 tank car, 3454 silver merchandise car and 2472 caboose.

 

    My guess is that with those similar set numbers, one was made for general sales and one was made for a dealer like Firestone.

 

    There was a book (TM?) that included all Lionel non-cataloged sets that someone else may have who can check this all out.

 

John Knapp

Erie, not Eerie

 

 

Could it have been an uncatalogued promotional outfit? Lionel made loads of uncatalogued sets, but I don't know if they go that far back.

 

I once acquired some train items which I eventually learned (over a year later, by chance) were the components of an uncatalogued Quaker Oats set from 1961.

 

I also picked up a 1061 Scout loco with olive drab gondola and caboose which might have been an inexpensive Firestone promotional outfit from about 1960. It takes some research to get the story on those uncatalogued sets.

Dick Craig, what became of your set?  Did you sell it?  How long did you have it?  The reason I am asking is that most of the people on OGR have said that they would never sell their first train set.  If you can, please tell us the "rest of the story."

 

Dick, my father purchased my Lionel train set at a hardware store in the town I was raised.  I contacted the towns Historical Society for find out more information on the hardware store and Lionel trains.  They came up with some interesting photo's and info on their Christmas display and more.  Just a thought.

 

Steve, Lady and Tex

Dick this more than likely won't help you but it is in the ballpark and perhaps if you could locate one of these catalogs it might give you the info you are looking for..

     Scott

 

http://www.worthpoint.com/wort...atalog-lionel-trains

Dick,

There are 2 sites that can help you.  John Knapp is pretty much correct.

The tandem site gives good descriptions of the 1666.

The other site shows that the sets with your cars were offered in 1946.

Have fun.

Norm

www.tandem-associates.com/lionel/lionelident.html

www.lionel-train-set.com/

       
       


Norm is correct.  Your set number is 1409 and was made in 1946.  I Missed this when looking at the 1946 catalogued sets.  Sorry.

Dick:

 

As others have mentioned an uncataloged set is a likely possibility.

 

Another possibility is that your Firestone store used left-over 1946 merchandise and made up the set.  The 1666 did not have smoke while mostly all of the steam locos in the 1947 sets had smoke so any left over 1666’s would not have been easy to sell separately.  So packaging them with operating cars would have helped to sell them.  Also retailers often made up sets or switched contents of sets to satisfy a specific customer.  

 

But there was a set in the 1946 catalog with both an operating log dump car and a 3454 operating merchandise box car.  But it was headed by a 2020 turbine.  That set also came with a #164 log loader.  That O27 set was the second-highest priced set in the 1946 catalog at $85.00.  That was a lot of money back then!  So a third possibility is that the Firestone store had those sets left over and swapped engines and removed the log loader. 

 

Also the 3454 car was shown in brown in all its appearances in the 1946 catalog but it is only known to have been produced in silver.  They got it right in the 1947 catalog.

 

HTH,

 

Bill

Bill...Please forgive me for not mentioning you in reference to the rolling stock in the similar sets in the 1946 Lionel catalog. Dick

Dick Craig,

    If you are interested in reacquiring a full train, spend some time at the train shows, here in the Pittsburgh, Pa area we see these hardware/gas station trains sets for sale at the train shows, you might get lucky and see the entire train for sale, in it's original box, for reasonable money.

PCRR/Dave

 

Here's a pic of the 1409W set. Hope it helps.

 

 

Mark

The catalogs are standard Lionel catalogs. There is nothing special to Firestone.

Dick:

 

A simple Google search yielded the linked scan of the 1947 Firestone Christmas Catalog Cover as well as scans of a few other pages of that catalog.  The cover shows a photo or a drawing of a 3-car Lionel train set headed by an unidentified steam locomotive.  But none of the other pages show trains because this site is obviously focusing on bicycles.  Firestone Catalog - Christmas 1947 - Cover | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

Note that the tender is facing the wrong way which suggests that Firestone set up the train for photographing or drawing by their artist rather than using stock photo images from Lionel.

 

While it is highly likely that Firestone could have assembled any Lionel inventory they could get their hands on to create a set for this cover scene, and although the engine of the train can not be identified with certainty, the items in that picture do not match any 1947 Lionel cataloged set consist. 

 

It’s more likely that when preparing the artwork for the 1947 Christmas catalog, Firestone didn’t have any 1947 Lionel products yet so they used left-over 1946 merchandise from one of their stores.  FWIW the consist pictured does match the consist of one 1946 set (set #1405 or 1405W) headed by your #1666 locomotive although that set did not come with the two operating cars you had identified.  The locomotive on the cover could be a #1666.   

 

So about all we can deduce with certainty from this cover is that it proves that Firestone did sell Lionel trains in 1947.  Perhaps someone out there has a complete 1947 Firestone Catalog and will share its contents with you or one will show up on eBay, Amazon or some other buy-sell site.  

 

While your set could be an uncataloged set made especially for Firestone, it could also be a "set" made up by your local Firestone store using left-over 1946 inventory.

 

HTH,

 

Bill

Bill, I found your post most helpful.  I, too, had seen a few covers of Firestone catalogs via Google but not the one you show above.  Thanks so much as I -- with help from you all --inch closer to a confirmation of my memory.  Your suggestion that I put an appeal out to anyone who might have a 1946 or 47 Firestone catalog to get in touch with me is right on.  So I'll start here:  Any of you know how I might view one of these catalogs?  Know anyone who may have collected them?  I'd love to scan it. Know of any libraries that might have a copy?  Any leads will be most appreciated. Dick