Postwar Lionel freight car numbering patterns

How about the first digit? For postwar freight cars:

2 coil couplers

3 operating cars

4 electronic set

6 magnetic couplers

If I remember right, the second digit would be an indication of the "value" with

0 bottom of the line

up to

5 top of the line

J White

CTT (December 1997) had an article called "Postwar by the Numbers", which describes the postwar PN system.

Thank You all for the additional interesting info !

I've looked for other patterns in Postwar Lionel numbering. The original series of cast frame Lionel FA's were numbered in the 2000 series. Then the later versions with pressed steel frames were numbered in the 200 series - except they messed up the pattern with the last Postwar FA's made in 1969, #2024 and 2041.

Postwar Lionel FA locomotives

202  UP    1957

204  AT&SF   1957

205  MP    1957-58

208  AT&SF   1958-59

209  NH    1958

210  Texas Special   1958

211  Texas Special   1962-63

212  AT&SF   1964-66

212  USMC   1958-59

213  M&StL   1964

215  AT&SF 1965-66

216  Burlington 1958

216  M&StL 1965

217  B&M 1959

218  AT&SF 1959-63

219  MP  1959

220  AT&SF 1960-61

221  Rio Grande 1963-64

221  AT&SF 1964

221  USMC 1964

222  Rio Grande 1962

223  AT&SF 1963

224  US Navy 1960

225  C&O  1960

226  B&M 1960

227  CN  1960

229  M&StL 1961-62

230  C&O  1961

231  Rock Island 1961-63

232  New Haven 1962

2023  UP  1950-51

2024  C&O 1969

2031  Rock Island 1952-54

2032  Erie  1952-54

2033  UP  1952-54

2041  Rock Island 1969

Another observation about Lionel numbers: the 3000- series cars are all operating cars, or have special loads or special features of some kind. They are mostly postwar items but there were a few prewar ...

prewar three-thousand series operating cars:

3651 and 3811 log dump cars
3652 operating gondola
3659 and 3859 operating dump car
3814 mechandise car

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Ooops, senior moment ... J White already mentioned this previously:

2 coil couplers

3 operating cars

4 electronic set

6 magnetic couplers

Don't forget the 1000 series. 1055 Texas Special, 1065 and 1066 Union Pacific Alco's.

Also the 228 CN.

This has been discussed before and on 2/4/2012 lionelbob posted a pdf file with the post war freight car numbering system.  Check the archives.

bill

Actually the freight car numbering system you describe goes all the way back to the 1920s.   Standard gauge cabooses were 217 and 517, and O Gauge cabooses ( cabeese?) were 807, 817, 2817, etc.  Lionel dropped the pattern in the '50s when the number of freight cars offered started to increase (esp. Flat cars). 

MPC had some recognizable patterns, too.  Besides the well-known second-digit-is-the-year system, note that after 1971 the last two digits of MPC steam engine numbers were 00-49 (8206, 8309, 8007, etc) and the diesels and electrics were all 50 and above. 

According to the list my 6802 flat car is a gondola and my 6418 machinery car with 16 wheels is a box car.

There are many exceptions to the numbering patterns identified.

In fact, looking at this web site, there appear to be more flatcars that do not end with a "1" (32) then do (11). Some of them are:

6844 missile carrying flat

6362 truck carrying flat

1877 flat with horses

6467 bulkhead flat

6825 flat with trestle bridge

Thank You for that lead; here is a link:

lionel-postwar-numbering-scheme

And thanks to lionelbob!

Bill