Collecting

[Anonymous]

Hi;
I'm just getting back into collecting and could someone tell me what would be doable regarding post war O gauge Lionel. I know iot's a big area.
Also, what would be good to run?
I sold most of my O and Standard 20 years ago.
Thanks for any and all replies.

[tschmidt]

rmr100,

First of all, welcome to the forum. I don't run a lot of Post war stuff. The other guys on this forum are very knowledgable about this stuff and should be able to help you out. You could try going to a local train show in your area or visiting someone's layout. You may want to let us know where you are located so guys could give you specific ideas on where
to go.

Good luck,
Tom S

[Anonymous]

Thanks for reply. I'm in Rockport, Me. No train stores or layouts that I know of.

[dwiemer]

rmr100,
The postwar world is a big one. these engines and rolling stock were very well made and many of them are still around and in good shape. With such a wide variety of items, you need to figure out what you want to model. A particular set that has some memories?, A certain time for a certain railroad (ie:1940's steam on the NYC), things like this. I mainly model the late 40's, early 50's in steam with some newer diesles. I also mostly have the entire 1949 catalog of post war with some newer items. You will note a lot of remakes of older items, so you could add these if you can't find a working model from what / when you are modelling. As to where to find these, ebay and some other auctions online are available, but you should make sure the seller's have good feedback. Remember that you will need to add shipping into the overall cost. Williams Electric Trains makes a lot of remakes of old postwar items. They are quality made at good pricing. You may find something there you like. Make sure you return to the forum for any questions you may have. If you google "Lionel Postwar Library" there is a site that has lots of information on what postwar items were made, what were included in sets, etc. Another good thing would be to buy a copy of Greenberg's Guide to Lionel Postwar Trains 1945-69. You will be able to see what the upper limit is of what you should pay for a particular item.
Good Luck and Welcome
Dennis

[Chris F]

What do you mean by "doable? Unlike the mid-eighties, the pricing for all but the best postwar items is static or down. Collecting has been overtaken by operating, and reproductions by Lionel and other companies have reduced demand for originals.

The bad news is that buying and selling postwar trains for a profit is very difficult. The good news is that you can get a lot of decent pieces at reasonable prices.