I still like MPC Lionel Trains do you?

Pat,

I share similar feelings for MPC.  Though I love the modern, big, scale stuff, I miss the charm of MPC / Marx trains.  I have kept all of my childhood trains just for that reason, they are a blast to run and I love the smell of fried ozone each time!  Plus I get a kick out of watching them.  Makes me feel like an 8 yr old again.

I always enjoyed the tobacco cars.  There was a certain charm in this era-like the State Set and the Mickey Mouse Train.  I really wish I would have bought the Mickey train-passed on it and now really regret it.

Or how about the BN and Chessie SD-40 sets?  UP or IC passenger sets, which are still really desirable.  Great stuff, thanks MPC for the memories.

wife and I like the mpc billboard cars.

Hi Pat

Well I run mostly my modern trains. I still have a spot for my MPC era trains.and older items. Her are some pic. 

Some pieces were converted to tmcc with ERR. and others sit on shelfs never know what I will run.

Nah, I'm totally over MPC. I have a ton of it that I really should get rid of, cause it's just taking up space. Conventional and non scale pieces are obsolete in my world.

I have lots of MPC rolling stock, I liked the graphics and colors, no other criteria :-)

Nope.  Engines couldn't pull their own shadow.

.....

Dennis

I could say the same about Lionel Trains Inc. engines. These ones are sort of a happy medium of all three eras: prewar tinplate (Lionel Classics), postwar classics, and modern scale. Nonetheless, there are many favorite trains that are MPC era, and provide a lot of nostalgia.

I run both conventional and command frequently, and MPC, LTI, and later TMCC as well as current Legacy share the loops often.

I think we are very blessed do to the MPC ERA. THIS might be called the General Mills Era as this saved Lionel from possibly going out of business. Then, out of his Love for Toy Trains, Richard Kughn, Bought Lionel and This was the Beginning of What we have Today.

So, Many of us saw some nice engines being reproduced, The Norfolk &Western J, the IC Passenger set with beaitiful ABA's, and one at a time great Post War Reproductions...

Then, TMCC,LEGACY, and Now The I -Pad ERA.

Yes, Lionel has survived for many Decades, and that's because, they have always given us Their Best Shot, And we are the reason for Their Success, WE BUY THEIR PRODUCTS.

Happy Railroading!!

I have about nine of those very first MPC (by way of Pola) "Standard O" boxcars and reefers. NO add-on details except the brakewheels, but nice diecast sprung trucks and colorful bodies.

And I also have the Milwaukee Special set and the add-on cars (except the diner). Engine has Sound of Steam with the whistle and both work fine!

I like some of the MPC trains. Judging by bidding activity and closing bids, interest in collecting early MPC is on the rise.

No interest whatsoever in what is being made today.

My collection covers the entire Knuckle Coupler era so I have many MPC+ PRR pieces.  The collection wouldn't be complete without them.

MPC trains are just something I don't do.  I have a few pre- and post-war trains, and everything else is mostly 1990 or later (most much later).  It's not that I don't like trains from the era - it's just not what I do.

I love MPC.  Great color's.  Consistent in design and manufacture making for a few parts that can be used over decades of production.

Did I say I love MPC.

Stu

http://www.LionelNation.com/
All Lionel, All The Time

I love MPC stuff.  The 6 wheel diesels tend to pull better than the 4 wheel versions, but the rolling stock can't be beat , as well as the steamers

Rick (PLE_Rick) and I like the MPC era "standard" O cars, the full scale size boxcars and reefers...

Thanks,

- Mario

I respect the history that got us to where we are now, but I have no desire to replace the modern era with the trains of yesteryear. Just my thoughts.

No MPC here

I still like MPC Lionel Trains do you?

No, I’ve been trying to get rid of my large traditional MPC collection.

Anyone interested, email me.

I have some MPC equipment, but I bought it all new, back in the Seventies.  I don't think I've bought any MPC since then.

Other then those like myself with sentimental memories who lived through those early e MPC years, I can't imagine anyone knowing what is available today having any interest in it...

In this slowly evolving highly repetitive hobby after fifty some years, the best place for those colorful early MPC era pieces today is a display shelf. 

Joe 

Best postwar era for colors, And cars with real RR names. As their engines improved so did the ability to buy parts for PW trains as many were very close copies of the original.

My MPC motive power was limited to a couple of small steamers, my plastic 0-4-0, and that was good for up to 10-12 cars at a scale 40MPH. I may have gotten that particular train up to 15 lightweight cars before I added another switcher (8516 NY Central) to double-head it, but by that time the LTI era was in full swing . The only other MPC loco I have is an 8506 0-4-0, which being die-cast wasn't at a loss for pulling power.

I do have a fair amount of MPC rolling stock, but the only sub-category I'm actively adding to is the MPC-style autorack, whenever they show up in the catalogs from time to time:*

While the rest of my MPC fleet is pretty much dormant due to the influx of scale-sized equipment, I have no plans to retire any of it--it's just a matter of time before it gets its turn to run.

---PCJ

*(Edit: I see the 81003 CP is in stores now--(goes to check usual sources) a 40' train of these is now a certainty)

I still have a few, but no special affection for them. I've been getting rid of them at train shows for the past several years. Many MPC items are waxy-looking, unpainted plastic and have shiny, ugly plastic trucks. I bought most of my MPC stuff when I was just getting back into the hobby, before Lionel and MTH started making a lot of better-quality scale items. It was OK then for what it was, but it hasn't got much going for it now. 

"Nope.  Engines couldn't pull their own shadow"

Never heard it put that way; its not only funny, but true!  I know there has been debate if the hobby is "toys" or "models".  I don't care one way or another, however, MPC for the most part were toys hands down (IMHO).  Some higher end steamers and passenger cars were decent, but for the most part they were cheaply produced and poorly engineered.  I have some MPC where the plastic has become brittle and shows stress cracks.  I picked a good time (MPC) to take a hiatus from the hobby.

Stack 

quote:

 I can't imagine anyone knowing what is available today having any interest in it...

One reason some folks might like MPC is their price point. For the most part MPC trains are much less expensive then the newly made stuff, or postwar.

Several folks have commented about a lack of pulling power. I guess my trains were not long enough. I never noticed.

To each their own!

Sure, I like 'em.  There was an astounding variety of colorful cars and locos, Postwar molds were used but the decoration was much better, and the cars had fast-angle wheels.  An MPC loco with its traction tires will pull quite a string of the lightweight MPC freight cars. 

For those of us in the cheap seats, MPC works perfectly fine. And I feel a lot less guilty about modifying an inexpensive engine or rolling stock than one of the high ticket ones.

So all of you who want to get rid of your MPC, feel free to send it all my way! I won't even charge you for it.

Love MPC era Lionel...in years to come they will still run...can't say the same for big bucks electronic trains...Gotta love "E" units...joe

I retained four representative samples of MPC motive power in my collection of largely tinplate as I consider them to be plastic tinplate ( Plastic-plate?):

1. Colorful graphics

2. More artful characterization of the prototype than "realistic"= toy-like

3. Mechanically simple

4. Inexpensive

The motto on my road is as follows" "Any resemblance to realism is purely coincidental"

P.S I can redecorate them "anxiety free"

Still like those 1980s collector sets, photo taken at Carail:

I've read lots of complaints about bad gears, poor and inaccurate decoration, lack of power, etc. But for my money, they're a more affordable version of Postwar, and just as dependable.

What's not to like?

The reason I don't have MPC era trains is because I am attracted to more realistic trains.

Believe it or not, there are avid closet collectors of the MPC era who thank you for your decision.  

Joe  

I missed that era. My first train was an old Gilbert AF set. Then all my friends received HO sets for Christmas, so that was the thing to do. By the time I found Lionel (mid-90s), MPC was ancient history.

I think I have one car from that time period. It's a gondola that I bought for $2-3 not long after I got back into trains. I still run it; it's loaded with rolled coins for weight and sports a 3M Scotch-Brite pad squeezed in snugly underneath. Best track-cleaning car for the money! (I guess with its dedicated coin rolls it is worth more like $10-15 )

That's the only use I have for them too.  I make my track cleaning cars out of the gondolas.

.....

Dennis

I have a lot of great memories from the MPC era. Meant a lot of fine people back when MPC was king.

I darn well better like them!  They are what got me back into the O gauge segment of the hobby.  And if I hadn't gotten back into O gauge, there's not much chance I would have the fun job I have now.

Over the years I've acquired many basic MPC cars from various sets. In the last year I decided to repaint them. I've only done the base paint and have not detailed or weathered them yet. But for the price I paid and a couple of cans of spray paint, I figure I'm ahead -- at least for return on investment.

These are just the ones I turned grey. I've also done some in black and Tuscan red. With a load of scrap iron these will just blend into the layout.