The topic of reference books comes up quite frequently in web forums as well as in e-mail queries. Greenberg Publishing, acquired by Kalmbach Publishing in 1991, was the largest producer of toy train reference material. All of these books are currently out-of-print and it is unlikely that we will ever revive them.
"Why?" is the limited market for the books and their limited sales potential. There are already thousands of copies of previous editions in the market place, and later editions often contain most of the same information, though the book layout may vary.
However, many hobbyists have entered the hobby since the last postwar volume 1 was revised and printed in 2000, and many don’t know the extent of the line of books available in the secondary market.
So here is the first installment of a compilation of our old titles, along with cover photos of the most recent editions I could find at hand. I also include my two cents on whether or not they are worth crazy money or original cover price (or less).
For your used book shopping pleasure, most of these are available used through Amazon.com at or below original retail, prices higher for hardcover editions. Well, at least before I hit the "post" button for this to go live.
The Greenberg Guides generally followed the same format. Chapters provided introductory text to the subject (locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, accessories) and there might be supplemental information about particular items. The meat of the subject is the item description which covers construction details, identifies unique items about that particular product, and occasionally specifies why a particular vacation might be more valuable.
Out-of-print Postwar Lionel guides from Greenberg Books/Kalmbach Publishing Co.
Greenberg’s Guide to Lionel Trains 1945-1969 Vol. 1: Motive Power & Rolling Stock, “Centennial Edition,” 10th edition, 2000
Greenberg’s Guide to Lionel Trains 1945-1969 Vol. 1: Motive Power & Rolling Stock, 9th Edition, 1996, by Paul Ambrose
Greenberg’s Guide to Lionel Trains 1945-1969 Vol. 1: Motive Power & Rolling Stock, “Centennial Edition,” 10th edition, 2000, by Paul Ambrose and Harold Lovelock
Greenberg’s Guide to Lionel Trains 1945-1969 Vol. 1: Motive Power and Rolling, Stock, 7th Edition, 1989, by Bruce Greenberg
The postwar Volume One is an essential reference for anyone interested in Lionel train made from 1945 to 1969. The single volume contains descriptions of every locomotive, freight car, passenger car, and motorized unit made during these years. Technical details such as motor type, smoke unit, and Magne-Traction are included. All usually listed a value range for each product which is fairly useless by this point in time.
Among the many special sections in the book are: Coverage of the infamous Scout engines, a review of Turbines, commentary on the evolution of the 200-series Alcos, in-depth exploration of differences of F3 locomotives, and detailed illustrations showing the differences in 6464-series boxcar shell details.
This single book is the key reference to postwar Lionel trains and works for the advanced collector and the novice or casual reader as well.
Worth crazy money? I don’t think so. While each edition generally included new information on products (where new information was discovered), most of these were generally complete enough for the average hobbyist. The closer an edition you get to the 10th Ed., the more final the subject matter will be. And there were 10 editions, which suggests there are plenty of books out there. I’d stick with a $40-$60 high-end range, which was close to original retail. Slightly more for a hardcover copy.
Greenberg’s Guide to Lionel Trains 1945-1969 Vol. 2: Behind the Scenes, 1991, by Bruce Greenberg
This is one of my favorites, and as near as I can tell, it was a one-time press run. For me, this was a good bedtime read because of the eclectic stories it contained.
Some of the expanded articles included are memories f a Lionel salesman, experiences of a Lionel service station technician, examinations of Lionel’s Berkshires and Turbines, a very comprehensive study of Lionel 9 ¼-inch boxcars, the 1945-46 Lionel trucks and couplers, and my all-time favorite, Tom Rollo’s study of Lionel boxes. Don’t laugh. It is 26 pages of postwar boxes with details on labeling, packaging (think blister packs) how to date when a box was made, and changes to facilitate point-of-sale success. Indeed, if orange and blue have a certain nostalgic appeal for you, then your pulse will speed up just a bit when you see this story.
Worth crazy money? This is a pretty uncommon book, and esoteric nature of the volume make it more like a series of historic articles from Classic Toy Trains, than a traditional collecting approach. The book also has a bit of a dated appearance, which would be laid out differently today, for sure. I got the volume at the original $40 price, and I’d say that you won’t find much of the in-depth information anyplace else.
Greenberg’s Guide to Lionel Trains 1945-1969 Vol. 3: Cataloged Sets, Second Edition, 1999, by Paul Ambrose
If you are a serious collector, at least one set book is essential. These volumes cover regular cataloged production by Lionel and include the set numbers, contents, and many, many photos of sets with the original boxes and contents. But the most valuable part might well be the indexes. For example, if you have a locomotive number, you have they key to finding which sets were powered by that engine – and the contents of that set box, everything from loco and cars to track, transformer and accessories it contained.
Appendix A indexes by set number, engine number and years of production
Appendix B covers 1955-57 with consumer sets and “special” three-digit sets.
Appendix C indexes by locomotive number, the set numbers they were in, and their years.
Appendix D is a chronological listing of postwar passenger sets by series (i.e. Madison sets, 2400 sets).
Worth crazy money? Two editions suggests a more limited book availability that, say, the Vol. 1. But if your collecting (or selling) hinges on nailing down what car came with what locomotive and accessories, go for it.
Greenberg’s Guide to Lionel Trains 1945-1969 Vol. 4: Uncatalogued Sets, 1992, by Paul Ambrose and Joseph Algozinni
Same format as the volume III, but for uncatalogued sets sold by chains. Chapters include Sears, Wards, Spiegel, Penney Co., Firestone, and a single chapter including other “X” series sets made for smaller firms like Gifts Galore, or sold through independent retailers. I had an uncle that managed a store in the Moore's chain (a long-departed Ohio outfit) and these must have been the sets that he sold at Christmas.
Indexing is broken down by chapter (retailer). Some list the firm’s set number, engine, year, original price, and comparable Lionel set number, while the general listing just shows a set series and date.
Worth crazy money? If I had to pick between Vol III or Vol IV, I’d go with Vol IV simply because there is no easy way to track down all the scattered bits of information only to be found in nearly impossible to locate Christmas and retail catalogs. At least, in theory, if you have all the postwar Lionel catalogs in a filing cabinet, you have all the information on regular sets – just not in an easy to use format. I find the information valuable, if not useful on a day-to-day basic. You be the judge on what you’d pay.
Greenberg’s Guide to Lionel Trains 1945-1969 Vol. 5: Rare and Unusual, First Edition, 1993, by Paul Ambrose and Harold Lovelock
Rare and Unusual dives out into the weeds of collecting and covers one- or two-of-a-kind items that don’t neatly fit into other categories. Chapters deal with color variations, public relations, commercial, and personal items. You’ll also find one-offs like a pink Norfolk & Western tender, wrong road names being stamped on cars, and the right body and road name, but wrong diesel shell color, and a lengthy discussion on frauds and fakes.
Worth crazy money? I don’t think so. While some of the material is interesting and even entertaining, I don’t think it really fits into the universe of most hobbyists. I wouldn’t make this volume a collecting priority.
Greenberg’s Guide to Lionel Trains 1945-1969 Vol. 6 Accessories, Second Edition, 2001, by Alan Stewart
This is an outstanding volume that covers all of Lionel’s postwar accessories. Items follow the standard practice of basic information and detailed coverage of accessory function, packaging, and tips like which item may face potential problems from hardened rubber in an accessory’s mechanism.
The book is organized by freight handling accessories, operating structures; space and military accessories; stations; non-operating structures and scenery; signals, signs, and lights; bridges, trestles, and tunnels; track and switches; transformers and controllers; and miscellaneous and replacement accessories.
The photos are outstanding. Many accessories are shown with their original boxes and box contents, and others, such as the no. 910 submarine base, are shown fully assembled.
Worth crazy money? Not at all, but still a premium book with superb photography. A “must have” if you are interested in postwar accessories or just becoming familiar with the products you may see on layouts featured in Classic Toy Trains, this book will pay for itself. I'm surprised it took so long for this subject to be addressed.
Greenberg’s Guide to Lionel Trains 1945-1969 Vol. 7 Selected Variations, First Edition, 1995, by Paul Ambrose and Harold Lovelock
Variations are not mistakes in production (those are called factory errors), but differences in a regular product that changes over time. Examples include a diesel going from a die-cast metal frame to a sheet metal frame, changes in typeface or placement of names and logos; a move from rubber stamped to heat stamped lettering; or shifts in the color of paint used over the run of a given caboose. This is an area of collection that can be both inexpensive and fun. However, I think, as far as this volume goes, it was "A bridge too far," in the level of consumer interest. It was nice to look through once or twice, but mine has remained unopened for years. I'm not sure if any single book could cover all the variations in Lionel's postwar production,and this one doesn't try to.
Worth crazy money? I’m not sure I would pay a premium price for it, but this book’s photos do help illuminate the wide range of small, legitimate alterations on some of our vintage trains.
Next time we’ll look at Greenberg books covering modern era Lionel trains.
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