Pull out the MPC!

Bill - which 2 are you still missing?

@Mark V. Spadaro posted:

Bill - which 2 are you still missing?

9828 J&B and 9830 Johnnie Walker Red.  There are several on eBay but at much higher prices that I can afford.  (There is a 9830 at a reasonable price but it's listed by a well-known reseller from whom I have bought before, only to receive two out of three cars broken or otherwise not as described so that's a seller I'll not deal with any longer.)

Saw that this thread is going again and it started with reefers.  Just pulled out some reefers this weekend to put out on display for a while.

Here are a couple

Harold

Well Harold and Bill - thanks for opening up this thread again with some refr's.  Thought I might contribute with 2 of mine.

Here is the Lionel MPC # 9854 Baby Ruth refr from 1972 (uncatalogued) and then 1973-1976

Here is the Lionel 9858 "Butterfinger" refr from 1974-1976

Best wishes

Don

I had actually written off MPC a couple years ago when I got back in the hobby. What a mistake. So many awesome, well built trains that were\are really underrated. Here's some of my reefers. The dutch cleanser is special to me. My dad had that one in ho when I was a young lad.

Just got home from work and saw more reefers so here are a few more.  The MRBX is a Franks repaint.

Harold

You folks can show all the MPC you want. I just love looking at it.

Ask and you shall receive @jim sutter! My Santa Fe geeps! 

I've been downsizing. This meant I had to cut down on my MPC stuff. But, it was quality stuff at good prices. I am keeping a few pieces I really love. I will never understand the disdain for that era of Lionel. Early stuff might be a little rough but it was no worse than the late era Postwar that Lionel was pumping out. The late era MPC also helped set the stage for the early era of the newly independent Lionel. So many folks go on about how great the Kughn era was. I won't say it wasn't but it really owes much to what came before it. In my opinion the 80's and 90's both represent a golden era for conventional controlled traditional sized trains before the big Scale push sidelined most of that.

Thank you Donnie Kennedy. That's a nice set of Santa Fe diesels. I believe they were made in 1972. They have wire hand rails and probably the old hollow rollers. MPC would soon change them to stamped hand rails and solid rollers. I also love seeing your Baltimore and Ohio F-3's.

You SHOULD love seeing them, Jimmy! Lord knows I bought a bunch of them from you! (and glad I did!)

BMiller, Where has the time gone. Back in 1981 when Peggy and I opened our store we were all MPC. We always tried to have a nice selection for people to pick from.

@jim sutter The geep is from 72! My dad had one just like it. Lots of great memories, that's why I got this one! I added lights to the dummy unit. I really like the B&O F3. I did put a postwar magnatraction power truck on it though. Kinda cheating. Lol.

@RamblerDon- I really enjoy your YouTube reviews of the mpc sets you have. Amongst the other videos! Thank you for those. I find myself having to pace myself on the mpc purchases. Lots to have at great prices. Mpc era is no different than any other era Lionel produced. Prewar, postwar, LTI all had their great products. But they also had some clunkers as well. I can't really comment on LLC era. I only run conventional engines.

A while back I found some pictures of a layout my dad built when I was a kid.  The photo album was dated January 1980.  Here are a few of the pics:

Now here are those same engines and cars in 2023.  Other than the Chessie U-Boat losing a piece of its number they’re all looking pretty good 43 years later.  That GG-1 has some miles on it:

This hobby has a way of sticking with someone for a looooonnng time. . .

Tommy F, Thank you for sharing your pictures. I loved everyone.

TF….magic! Thank you for sharing these!!!! 👍😎

Honestly, MPC is not my favorite era or equipment. However, I have some MPC beer reefers that are pretty nice; the graphics are good, but I wish the train cars had metal, instead of plastic, trucks and couplers. I do appreciate the reasonable prices of MPC trains.

Here's my son at the controls of Lionel's Mi-Jack crane. As you can see, MPC products are well represented on our multi-generational layout, including the B&O F units which are still great runners.

Don, is that green bay window caboose #9174?

I have very few pictures of my MPC layout.

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

Honestly, MPC is not my favorite era or equipment. However, I have some MPC beer reefers that are pretty nice; the graphics are good, but I wish the train cars had metal, instead of plastic, trucks and couplers. I do appreciate the reasonable prices of MPC trains.

Arnold,

Those plastic trucks and couplers are annoying but can be replaced with metal versions. I wouldn't let that stop you from enjoying some really nice equipment with bargain prices.

@Donnie Kennedy

I think everyone has good and bad products. I try not to get hung up on the brand. I have Joy Line, Marx, K Line, Lionel, MTH and so much more from all eras. That isn't even getting into my Flyer stuff or the other scales I like.

I did recently for the 1st time preorder new product from Lionel. I'm very stubborn about sticking with conventional but I'm trying to ease myself into the current times. I've dabbled a bit into DCS and Lionchief and had no issues at all. I say give the new stuff a little try. Some of those silly features are kind of fun!

I will always love tinplate and the occasional wind up train but I can appreciate efforts to make bells swing and whistles smoke on a train fancier than my daily driver.

No matter what you collect just run it. They are toys after all, not dust collectors for shelves!

@Donnie Kennedy posted:

I had actually written off MPC a couple years ago when I got back in the hobby. What a mistake. So many awesome, well built trains that were\are really underrated. Here's some of my reefers. The dutch cleanser is special to me. My dad had that one in ho when I was a young lad.

The Santa Fe FM looks great.  I picked one up at York in Oct 22. 

@RamblerDon- completely agree. I've had Williams, K-line, Marx (super fun stuff), and MTH. Even dabbled with some PS1 and PS2 engines with the z4000. Really fun, good quality products! I just get drawn back to the old school stuff I can fix and enjoy working on. Probably just the memories they bring back as well! Whatever it is you have, enjoy running it and have fun!

MPC kept the hobby alive.  In those days most of us couldn't afford post war collectables or were afraid to run them too much if we had any. The plethora of road names  and new engines opened up possibilities for a new generation.  My kids and I loved them and it led to a lifetime of O Gauge railroading for us.

Donnie, The Southern Crescent Limited engine looks great!  I have a couple of the Crescent Limited cars and a few other MPC cars.

I bought my first train back in 1968 or ‘69 just before MPC.  I didn’t have enough money for a Lionel set, so I got an HO set and stayed with HO until my eyes made seeing the smaller trains harder.  If I had started out a few years later, I may have gone with MPC.

I switched to O gauge in 2012, and started out with MTH.  I love the lights,  sounds, and speed control of those.  Nowadays, I like plane boxcar red, black or oxide red hoppers so the bright colors of a lot of MPC.  I would have been attracted to them when I was growing up.  There are scads of nice MPC engines and cars out there.

I remember the first time I saw the Southern Crescent engine at York. It must of been around 1977. I was all American Flyer at the time.  I never forgot that. Through the years we have sold many Southern Crescent sets. Basically, it as my first taste of MPC.

Donnie, yours is a bittersweet post to see. I also had the Southern Crescent and thought it one of the most beautiful of MPC locomotives. Unhappily, although she ran beautifully on tubular track, she rocked, rolled and bucked like a bronco on my layout's Atlas-O track, so I regretfully sold her.  Now her Crescent passenger cars are pulled by a Rail King Crescent that runs smoothly and has great sound but lacks the beauty of the MPC model.

I can't take all the credit on the southern crescent and Santa Fe trainmaster condition.  Bought those off a fellow forum member that took excellent care of them through the years. I feel honored that he entrusted these to me at a very excellent price! All he asked is that I cherish and enjoy them. Deal!

Although I don't believe it quite equals the beauty of the Crescent, the Chessie Steam Special is one of my wife's favorites of the MPC era (the other being the Blue Comet).   By the way, I've slightly modified the passenger cars by attaching fine wires with micro-connectors that link the lighting from car to car throughout the entire train.  The result:  absolutely no flickering lights.  Looks great running in the dark.

@Bill of the Paha Sapa Lines RR posted:

Although I don't believe it quite equals the beauty of the Crescent, the Chessie Steam Special is one of my wife's favorites of the MPC era (the other being the Blue Comet).

Beautiful set!!

Oh, the chessie steam set is an absolute favorite of mine. I have the LTI t1, but have been thinking about getting the 8003 w\ passenger cars. Absolutely a beautiful set! Enjoy.

Jim, I saw those covered hoppers at the mine on your layout and thought I would add a few more.  All of these are the class of 1976 and the top two have metal plates holding the trucks.

Harold

The Alton Limited, The Chessie Steam Special and the 611 with the Aluminum cars are the only MPC Passenger sets I am holding onto right now. Each wonderful in its own way.

Anyone in love with the lowly workhorse gondola?  I found myself really liking the paint scheme on this one, and it's the sole "traditional sized" car in an otherwise 1:48 scale freight, where it looks perfectly at home!

HSD68,

Great picture of some fantastic hoppers.

I've got that Southern Big John hopper!

Coach Joe,

Do have the complete set that your hopper came in? The name of the set was the Empire Express Set? I believe it came out in 1976.

That Santa Fe gondola came as part of the 1980 version of the Cross County Limited with the sharp looking TP&W Geep.

Harold

Do not have any gondolas out right now but have more covered hoppers...