Pull out the MPC!

OOPS--I Pulled the switch before I had entered the pictures and there is no way of deleting an entry (at least as I found) so anyway here are the pictures that were supposed to go in the post above - SORRY!!

The MPC "Wabash Cannonball" set from 1972-73  Here is the set box.

Here is the inside of the box with both the trains and all of the "paper items" that came packed with the set.  Note the List of Authorized Service Stations 1972-73, Track planning and operating instructions for the trains, instructions for wiring and operating accessories (none included), an accessories catalog and a warranty.  By the way, we have talked about cost.  Well this set had a price list included for the items you could buy individually.  The most expensive steam engine (a 4-6-4 Hudson) was $97.66, the most expensive diesel (IC GP-9) was $44.99, all the rolling stock was between $4.68 (CN Hopper) and $9.30 (9700 series box cars ), track sections were 50 cents each straight or curved, RCS and crossings were $6.99.  (In case you are interested, inflation factor from 1972 $ to Dec 2021 $ is 6.78)

A little closer view of the trains / track / and transformer.  Note one difference between the box cover picture and the trains included.  The picture shows a sloped back tender, in fact the tender included is a more traditional square tender.

Here is a close up of the #8040 engine.  Which after lubrication ran fine.  Probably been sitting in that box for 20 years!

Here is the caboose.  It like most of the rolling stock is on the low cost end is almost fully plastic. However the train had no trouble negotiating my level layout and 0-22 switches.  Nothing came off the track.

Here is the full train.

So most certainly not one of the top of the line sets, but somewhat above a "starter set"  I think it gave good value.  My engine ran well but did not have smoke, light or whistle.

@coach joe posted:

PRRick, is the "B" unit MUd to the Pacific to help keep that excursion train moving?

"I really need to stop!!!"  Har har hardee har har!

Patrick B, the MPC shell probably attached to frame with screws through both ends whereas current production seems to connect shells to chassis with screws up through the chassis into bolsters (bosses) on the inside of the shells.

Darn, ah well. Funnily enough that GP38 frame playing host to my Bicentennial shell actually had the "screws on the bottom" bit but after I got the shell off I saw it had the two "on the end" screw brackets hidden away under the shell. I'm tempted to gamble and buy one of the Lionchief ones regardless but don't want to accidentally add another engine to my collection when I need to actually be fixing one.

I recently acquired  this set. I had some of it as a kid. This one has all the paper and cardboard accessories. I would love to get a James gang set, and the Southern Pacific daylight steam and f-3 set with aluminum passenger cars. Those were so amazing to my 12 year old mind...

I’m hooked! MPC sure is colorful and addictive. Added these three today.

They still need to be lubed and checked they have been sitting in boxes for a while.

franktrain,

You did very well today. You purchased three very nice locomotives.

Here's some more MPC's still hard at work after decades of service. Those B&O's are my wife's favorites because of their beautiful paint scheme at the GG-1 runs like a watch!

Is anybody else still running their MPC GG-1?

Don W.,

I can understand your wife liking those B. and O, diesels. They are sharp looking. Your Pennsylvania GG-1 is a favorite for a lot of people.

@brr posted:

I recently acquired  this set. I had some of it as a kid. This one has all the paper and cardboard accessories. I would love to get a James gang set, and the Southern Pacific daylight steam and f-3 set with aluminum passenger cars. Those were so amazing to my 12 year old mind...

Nice set!

Here's some of my better MPC pieces:

MPC is one of the eras of Lionel I have the most of, along with Postwar and items made during Richard Kughn's ownership. I can understand why it's not liked by every 3-rail collector, but for a while I've believed that MPC in general is kind of underrated. I think the biggest advantage they have over Postwar was the variety of road names, which I think is one of the Postwar era's biggest weaknesses. I mean, most of the hoppers were Lehigh Valley. Love to know what that was about, haha!

@Mark Holmgren 110217 posted:

MTH sells beer cars with no such labeling.

The settlement the tobacco companies have with the USA really limited their advertising ability and where their brands and logos could appear.  They could no longer sponsor sporting events or teams, logos could no longer appear on die- cast collectibles.  Many brands were involved with NASCAR and even sponsored the top series.  That all had to end.  According to that settlement I'm not sure if Lionel could re-produce those reefers even with an "Adult Collectible" or age related disclaimer.

@Patrick B posted:

Darn, ah well. Funnily enough that GP38 frame playing host to my Bicentennial shell actually had the "screws on the bottom" bit but after I got the shell off I saw it had the two "on the end" screw brackets hidden away under the shell. I'm tempted to gamble and buy one of the Lionchief ones regardless but don't want to accidentally add another engine to my collection when I need to actually be fixing one.

Maybe start another post asking those with LionChief locos to see if the LionChief  locos have those brackets before you gamble.

Here is a unit trains worth of MPC shorty box cars from Toys R Us exclusive sets.

My first GG1...

Here are 4 different versions of the Cracker Jack car.

Silver Lake - nice run - so now that you have all of the inanimate versions are you going to try to get the animated version?  It is my understanding these cars are supposed to have variations as well.

Robert S. Butler : WOW!  This is a "red letter day" for me, it is not often (perhaps never) that I can supply some information to you as you have MANY TIMES to me.  So in answer to your question, YES there is at least one (2 is rumored but I have never seen the 3 rd one) variation of the "Toys R Us" Giraffe car with "Geoffrey" the giraffe.  Here it is, the Lionel 7912, from 1983, generally called the "STAR" car for obvious reasons.

However before we leave this delightful venue, let us not forget our Japanese friends.  This tiny car has no makers mark and is just labeled "made in Japan".  I suspect due to the rather high quality lithography, that it dates from the late 1950's to the 1960's

Best Wishes to all and Robert thank you for all the help you have sent to me in the forum

Don

Full smile and half smile Mickey Mouse TCA cars.

@Robert S. Butler posted:

Silver Lake - nice run - so now that you have all of the inanimate versions are you going to try to get the animated version?  It is my understanding these cars are supposed to have variations as well.

For my own sanity since I am trying to make the full transition to 2 rail scale O scale and building most things myself, I put hard limits on my 3 rail collection to the short double door boxcars. It is all I can justify keeping a bit of it. Here is some more of my MPC short boxcar collection and a cheater short hopper (shh don’t tell). At least it goes well with the theme of the TRU cars. Of the boxcars some are quite common and others somewhat rare but fit into the pre 1986 MPC cut off.

The EL car at the top used up some Wheaties car shells and most 7925s are grey.

This car came up in conversation earlier this week about the Lionel Kiddie City Toy Stores.

Ok one more here is my Absolute favorite MPC set. I am sure I am quite alone in this… The Black Cave Flyer. A simple low budget starter set that had to have all decorations applied with glow in the dark stickers. It was the most 1980’s thing ever with cardboard playset back drops and a plastic mat. It played deeply into the Dungeons and Dragons craze of the era and I loved it  

It was the perfect Halloween themed set and a lot of fun.

Canadian Toy Fair car from 1976.

Nothin' to see here, folks.  Just an ol' operating poultry car from the 1983 Collector's Series catalog.  Unlike some later remakes, the poop sweeper's movement is activated by soldered wire tension--no rubber bands here.  Electrical pickup for the lighting is rather tenuous, but the fowl don't appear to be bothered by that.

@ogaugetrains23 posted:

Canadian Toy Fair car from 1976.

Now THAT is a rare car.   Maybe 250 made?   It was a very low production run.  

@Silver Lake posted:

Here is a unit trains worth of MPC shorty box cars from Toys R Us exclusive sets.

Very nice! I definitely want to get all of those at some point. Toys R Us was one of my favorite stores to shop at, and I even used to work there too.

This is the rarest car I own Tommy F. Cracker Jack should have red with white lettering, mine only has red. Greenberg says about 50 made this way while McComas/Tuohy go a little more in depth with about 75 being made before this was corrected.

I sure enjoy looing at all your MPC.

Tommy F. I have a question for you. It pertains to your Union Pacific passenger set. Does the paint on your cars and diesels match?

The number of variations on MPC products far exceeds anything I've read about postwar.  And they are stunning to look at.  One vendor at York specializes in them, and I always stop and talk with him to see what new things he has brought.

@jim sutter posted:

I sure enjoy looing at all your MPC.

Tommy F. I have a question for you. It pertains to your Union Pacific passenger set. Does the paint on your cars and diesels match?

Jim,

The bodies of the cars match the engines, but the doors do not match the bodies of the cars   It’s shame as this could have been the best looking set in the series:

@ogaugetrains23 posted:

This is the rarest car I own Tommy F. Cracker Jack should have red with white lettering, mine only has red. Greenberg says about 50 made this way while McComas/Tuohy go a little more in depth with about 75 being made before this was corrected.

That 9853 is my white whale.  Been after one for 20+ years.  I’ve come close a couple times but never landed one.

Here’s the rare bird in my collection, the two-level 9123 auto carrier.   From my observations I think there are a few more of these than your 9853, but not many (maybe 100 or so):

The paint on my B unit is a different yellow then the A units.

@ogaugetrains23 posted:

This is the rarest car I own Tommy F. Cracker Jack should have red with white lettering, mine only has red. Greenberg says about 50 made this way while McComas/Tuohy go a little more in depth with about 75 being made before this was corrected.

Gee and I thought I was lucky have both version only to find out there is a third version. Very Cool Mine has white shadowing around the red lettering.

.

Good to see of the rolling stock making it's way into this thread.

My Cracker Jack car with a Miller Engineering sign

This was a little display I put together a few years ago at one of our clubs open house.

A few years ago I stumbled upon this website, unfortunately it seems that the links are no longer working. It was quite interesting when it was working.

https://lioneltoytrainvariatio...DERN_PHOTO_INDEX.php

My wife found this MPC era Midland Freight set on eBay, this is the same set I received in 1986. Works perfectly and in decent cosmetic shape.

Having fun running it on my carpet layout

Tommy F your lucky that's all it was. I can remember seeing about six shades of yellow going through the set.

@ed h posted:

A few years ago I stumbled upon this website, unfortunately it seems that the links are no longer working. It was quite interesting when it was working.

https://lioneltoytrainvariatio...DERN_PHOTO_INDEX.php

That's a great chart. The 9200 series is particularly interesting. In that early period, Lionel was still fishing parts out of the Postwar bins and mixing them with newer production, and also mixing around different boxcar types. In addition, they can vary with some having metal door guides, some plastic, etc. It's fun to collect these. I  have three 9204 Northern Pacific boxcars, and all three are different molding designs. One is also painted a lighter green, very attractive, and looks like a completely different car from the others.

@Tommy_F posted:

Jim,

The bodies of the cars match the engines, but the doors do not match the bodies of the cars   It’s shame as this could have been the best looking set in the series:

I was tasked with ordering seven complete sets from one dealer & all at the same time for friends.  Once they arrived I found several shades of yellow in each box of cars.  Spent an entire summer afternoon with them all laid out on the family room trying to make matched sets for everyone.  Came close.  Subsequently, was told that when painting with "yellow paint" the pigments settle to the bottom of the paint container - thus the varying shades.

Well, I posted one of my sets a few days ago, but wanted to keep this post going.  So I "discovered" this early MPC box car from 1970 and thought I would post that.

Here is the Lionel (MPC) Union Pacific # 9203 box car from 1970.

This is the end view, showing that this is the original box with the proper stamping on the flap.

You know, the odd thing about this MPC is that folks like me who are in their 70's still seem to think about MPC as "new" trains (or at least I do) .  In fact MPC started 52 years ago and quit 37 years ago!  I guess they just aren't "new" anymore. 

Don

@Tommy_F posted:

Jim,

The bodies of the cars match the engines, but the doors do not match the bodies of the cars   It’s shame as this could have been the best looking set in the series:

@SURFLINER posted:

I was tasked with ordering seven complete sets from one dealer & all at the same time for friends.  Once they arrived I found several shades of yellow in each box of cars.  Spent an entire summer afternoon with them all laid out on the family room trying to make matched sets for everyone.  Came close.  Subsequently, was told that when painting with "yellow paint" the pigments settle to the bottom of the paint container - thus the varying shades.

Back years ago, I noticed the paint differences on the UP set and discussed it with a couple guys at the train dealer I then frequented. The indication was that yellow was the hardest color to match at the time, with the then-current painting technology for these aluminum cars. I didn't know exactly why that was, so it is interesting to have more detail from Surfliner.

More than the doors, as Surfliner mentions, usually at least one of the cars (sometimes two) wasn't a complete match, at least that I noticed in the sets I saw. One of them in particular, don't remember which (baggage?), seemed the most problematic, although sometimes several might be slightly different shades. I assumed those had been run a different day or days, with a different batch of paint, or something like that. Eventually I managed to get a set that matched well, but many of these sets had some color issues. Not awful, but noticable. 

Re: the comment about potentially being the best looking set in the series, I think that honor goes to the SP Daylight set. Those passenger cars, with their complicated and multicolor paint scheme, were superbly done.

@Patrick B posted:

... but don't want to accidentally add another engine to my collection...

Hmm?  I might have to try this the next time I show up with a large orange box.  "  I'm sorry, Honey.  I accidentally bought it."

Tom