Me, too. Still waiting for mine. Any kid back then that didn't pray for that set didn't have a soul.
SteveC posted:I posted these images in another thread back in July and ADRIATIC gave me some information about it.
This item and the story is about as vintage as I can get.
I found this in the attic rafters of my grandmother's home in Baltimore when helping to clean it sometime in 1979. My Aunt told me it was to be a Christmas present for my father and it was forgotten about or hidden too well.
Wartime Lionel paper trains. My guess is that this might be very valuable.
From 1952, here is my 2183ws Lionel set headed up by a 726RR Berkshire.
726RR Berkshire
2046w whistle tender
3464 ATSF operating boxcar
6465 Double dome tank car
6462 NYC gondola
6457 Caboose
I found this set mislabeled and mispriced on Craigslist as a “scout set.” Bad photographs and all. I couldn’t make out exactly what it was, but it didn’t look exactly like a scout set. When I inquired on the set, I found out that it was actually this very nice, top of the line set from 1952. I told him it was worth probably double/triple what he was asking and it was out of my budget and too nice for a toy train for my toddler son. He said he appreciated my honesty, but was happy to sell at the listed price to someone that appreciates it. It is a beautiful set and it will be my son’s when he is able to appreciate it too.
Attachments
Images (2)
Some of my sets, all original except the girls train...I’ve been piecing it together......Pat
Attachments
Images (1)
The set on top has never seen the rails...as mint as mint can get with out being in a sealed box....belonged to one of my co-workers grandfather.....got it many many moons ago...have all boxes, and set box....nothing rare, just a really nice outfit....Pat
Attachments
Images (1)
harmonyards posted:
The set on top has never seen the rails...as mint as mint can get with out being in a sealed box....belonged to one of my co-workers grandfather.....got it many many moons ago...have all boxes, and set box....nothing rare, just a really nice outfit....Pat
Is that a 675 leading the way?
JD2035RR posted:harmonyards posted:
Is that a 675 leading the way?
Early 2025.....47 model......Pat
Cool back story on that set JD, the fella who owned it was a die-hard American Flyer youngster.....the lionel set was gifted to him by a family member......it stayed in a cedar trunk till 1995 when the fella handed it down to my buddy at work, who wanted nothing to do with it...I tried to pay for the set, but he insisted I take it and be the custodian of it.......the set to this day smells of perfect cedar........Pat
A couple of American Flyer sets.
Attachments
Images (1)
My original Lionel set.....brought by Santa, Christmas 58.....
Peter
Attachments
Images (1)
A couple sets probably from'42. Most of the boxes came with. 763 and 226.
Attachments
A few more PostWar sets......
From 1956:
Marx from about 1955....
From 1957....
The steam set in the front is an Abraham & Strauss department store special set from about 61.....
Peter
Attachments
Images (5)
Gilbert pioneered the use of set display boxes and continued to utilize this format for trains during their entire existence in order to promote sales. Fred's 1938 Gilbert HO set posted above is an example. Taking the term "complete" literally, two Gilbert American Flyer sets are shown below in their display boxes as a young person might have first viewed them on Christmas morning. The first is a difficult to find 1940 3/16" scale No. 4021 O gauge NYC Hudson Freight Train set in which the J3a Hudson, tender, and the rolling stock are (mostly) all die cast. The second is from 20 years later; a 1960 S gauge No. 20605 Arrow set in which the Reading Atlantic locomotive, tender, and rolling stock are subsequently (mostly) all plastic. Note the display flap with artwork illustrating the Arrow as assembled on its prototypically correct 
2-rail track. Although two decades apart, both sets are consistently built to 3/16" scale.
Have fun!
Bob
Attachments
Images (2)
Surprising (to me) how many Marx sets have been posted already... 
Mark in Oregon
Jesse TCA
I have three post-war sets to show. All sets have their original boxes and in the case of the two Lionel sets the component boxes are present. The first set manufactured in 1958 is Lionel freight set#1590 and is still in excellent operating condition and I still love the the orange/red stripe on the 2-4-2 engine and its tender.
The second set manufactured by Lionel in 1948 is set#1423W. The set still operates flawlessly and the engine's tender still operates very well but is a tad raspy.
The third set is a Marx freight set manufactured in either 1957 or 1958. The set # is 52282. The engine is a little 2-4-2 and still smokes beautifully. The set is in great operating condition. All three sets belonged to my Dad and Grandfather.
Attachments
Images (3)
Jim Policastro posted:My all-time favorite - I didn't receive it in 1953 like I had originally wished for. But, finally fulfilled that wish many years later.
Jim
I imagine very few people got this set in 1953. At a price of $90, using the inflation index, that set would cost $850 in today's dollars. In 1953, that was a boatload of money. Only fairly wealthy people could spend that on a toy train.
A few more of mine......
New Haven set, circa 62......
Top shelf: UP set, 1951........
Set of all the 6464s.....but not the originals, the redo’s fromthe 90s......
Peter
Attachments
Images (3)
In 1977 I purchase a 1956 American Flyer Northern Pacific passenger set. Here is a picture of it sitting on my layout. When I had it, I never ran it.
Attachments
Images (1)
