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Hey all:

 

I'm cleaning up my father's train set from when he was a kid. Set has a 616 switcher engine, exploding boxcar, missile launch car, airplane flatcar, and satellite launch car. It was a Super O set, and came with a 1044 transformer. The box is too far gone to make heads and tails of, but I want to find out what I can about it. 

Anyone seen this set and have anything on its history? Thanks in advance.

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Originally Posted by Andrew B.:

Thanks guys! That was quick. Is the set particularly noteworthy in any way or valuable? I know that's getting later into the Postwar period and things were starting to go downhill a little bit in terms of quality

Yes, it is very valuable and desirable.  The 616 was only included in 2 cataloged sets, in 1961 and 1962.  If you have any of the boxes or the set box, you should save whatever you can.  The 6500 w/ plane was only a part of this set.  Same with the caboose.

 

Richie

Originally Posted by Richard Cuozzo:
Originally Posted by Andrew B.:

Thanks guys! That was quick. Is the set particularly noteworthy in any way or valuable? I know that's getting later into the Postwar period and things were starting to go downhill a little bit in terms of quality

Yes, it is very valuable and desirable.  The 616 was only included in 2 cataloged sets, in 1961 and 1962.  If you have any of the boxes or the set box, you should save whatever you can.  The 6500 w/ plane was only a part of this set.  Same with the caboose.

 

Richie

That's the unfortunate thing- it was in my grandparents' attic for the last forty years, so deterioration is bad. I got the engine running well, am replacing the horn with a used one (the relay literally fell apart). The 1044 is trashed (looks like some form of zinc rot throughout the controls on one side). Cars are in decent shape, save one missing a truck, and the plane is intact minus the propeller. Satellite is broken as well. But, there's a lot there, so I can piece it back together

Originally Posted by Richard Cuozzo:
Originally Posted by Andrew B.:

Thanks guys! That was quick. Is the set particularly noteworthy in any way or valuable? I know that's getting later into the Postwar period and things were starting to go downhill a little bit in terms of quality

Yes, it is very valuable and desirable.  The 616 was only included in 2 cataloged sets, in 1961 and 1962.  If you have any of the boxes or the set box, you should save whatever you can.  The 6500 w/ plane was only a part of this set.  Same with the caboose.

 

Richie

Also, I just googled the set number and got an LCCA publication where the author mentions the set and says he's never seen one with a red/white missile with a red tip, but this one does in fact have a red tip. I'm certain it's original, given how long the set has been sitting, and the fact he had no other accessories and bought nothing else for the train (they even made their own Super O power busses from thin sheet metal rather than replace the factory ones as they were lost)

 

I got my info from the Greenberg book on postwar cataloged sets, vol 3.  The set box would be all orange, with the set # stamped in black on 2 sides.  It is a very nice set, and any set collector would want to have one in their collection.  You can use any decent postwar transformer to run it, zw, kw, tw, lw, all would work and have plenty of power.

 

Richie

Originally Posted by Richard Cuozzo:

I got my info from the Greenberg book on postwar cataloged sets, vol 3.  The set box would be all orange, with the set # stamped in black on 2 sides.  It is a very nice set, and any set collector would want to have one in their collection.  You can use any decent postwar transformer to run it, zw, kw, tw, lw, all would work and have plenty of power.

 

Richie

Yeah, I need to pick those books up- I just recently got back into the hobby around Christmas this year after running trains as a kid. College-aged now, so money is somewhat tight, but the history and connection to the past really appeals to me, plus bargains can be had

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