Western Electric toy trains

Aaaah, if only we could time travel...

Some nice Lionel pieces in that advertisement. I wish I could buy them all! (Doesn't hurt to dream sometimes...)

Nice. I'll take outfit No, 42 for $43,96.

I have a Western Electric Zephyr. Nice old train.

Considering the 1921 date ...they are showing some trains that had not been made for 10 years!

Lionel failed to update their catalog cuts to match current production .  Shown here are the "shorty" gondolas from 1910/11,  thin rim 51 1911, U frame 33 with 6 wheels  1912,  8 wheeled  1911/ 53  special 1912 ....

so  the catalog gave a general idea of the actual train that would be running under your tree at Christmas

Cheers Carey

I assume that's not the same Western Electric that was part of the former AT&T Bell Telephone System?

Bill

WftTrains posted:

I assume that's not the same Western Electric that was part of the former AT&T Bell Telephone System?

Bill

Yes, it is indeed the same Western Electric. The electrical equipment distribution arm was completely sold off in 1941 and became Graybar, Western Electric itself becoming the manufacturing arm of the Bell System.

That is very interesting, I had no idea that Graybar was once part of Western Electric. I like this sort of trivia type stuff.

Cool info!

The maker of the Burlington set was Western Coil and Electric.  Is this the same company?  I read that Western Coil and Electric started out making O gauge accessories and track then ventured into train manufacturing with their Zephyr.  Sales of the Zephyr were stagnant and they got out of the train business altogether.

Western Coil and Electric was not the same as Western Electric.

Western Coil and Electric was a manufacture of radio tubes (and the one Zephyr) in Racine, Wisconsin.

Rusty

Western Electric Kearny Works, Kearny NJ

By the way, if you're a tinplate lover, and want a nice Zephyr, you must try to find a Western Coil and Electric Zephyr.  The quality is better than the Flying Yankee or the American Flyer Zephyr, hands down.  JMHO

Antonio Consoli also produced the Western Coil Zephyr in the 70s after Western Coil stopped production. He purchased all of their tooling and excess loco and observation car inventory.  Consoli also made new passenger cars from scratch to mate to the Western Coil pieces and he designed a vistadome observation car to compliment the set. Some complete sets were made of bronze-colored aluminum instead of standard aluminum. Consoli Zephyr set rare, vistadome car rarer and bronze set rarest.

I have yet to see a Consoli Zephyr set.  The one I have an original Western Coil.  I would love to add a Consoli set to my collection.