Please Help!

[Anonymous]

I am new to this , so please be patient. In the mid/late 60's I was given a Lionel Train set for Christmas. For some dumb reason I gave it away in the early 80's. Thanks to the internet and e-bay I am looking to maybe find another one like it. But I do not know what "set" I had so I need help. What I remember about it is:

1)Locomotive smoked and had a headlight.
2) One box car was labelded "explosives". It had break away sides and roof ativated by a spring mechanism inside. It also came with a military style missle launcher that launched wooden missles I believe. If they "hit" the side of the "exlposives" car it would explode.

Does this set ring any bells. What it was called, etc. Any help would be appreciated. I miss my train.

Thank you

[MartyE]

Welcome![#welcome]

Although I do not know the set, sit back and wait. You may have to answer some questions but I am sure you'll have a pretty good idea of the set soon!

[Anonymous]

Thanks!!!!

[Anonymous]

Are you sure it's late 60's? There was a steam outfit with the red exploding box car and a missile launcher in 1961. It also inlcluded the a submarine car and a helicopter car and was pulled by a 2037 2-6-4 with whistling tender. Set was 1650 and retailed for $59.95 in 1961.

[Anonymous]

In 1959 Lionel cataloged two sets that included the 2470 Exploding Boxcar.

1. O-27 set # 1625WS. It featured a black 2037LTS steam locomotive/tender and the 6650 Missle Launching car. It came with 0-27 track (I think) and a #1053 60-watt transformer

2. O gauge set # 2545 "Space-Freight" which featured the 746 Norfolk and Western type J loco and tender with the long stripe (at least in the pictures.) Evidently it came with Super-O track but no transformer. A reissue of (much of) this set is cataloged in 2006 Volume I, page 49, where the picture may be helpful.

Can we rule either or both of these out? If not, I can provide more info re the respective original "consists."

wolverine49

[Anonymous]

Wolverine and Chuck'n:

Thank you both VERY much. It is possible it was 1961. It could have been the other as well, although I do not remember the other cars. Just the exploding car and missile launcher! Thank you both again and I can now do some more reesearch with your input!

[Anonymous]

The other thing I did forget to mention in my old age. The transformer was a black square box with Black and Red thumb screw terminals and the speed controller was a metal lever that slide kind of like a windshield wiper.?? Make sense??? I am just now trying to get into these sets. Thank you all for your kindness. Bob Delaney

[1688torpedo]

Hello Delport &[#welcome] To the forum! East Coast Train Parts may have a train set like yours in mint condition as they bought some from the now defunct Madison Hardware in the early 80s. Just check out their website & see. Take Care.

[Anonymous]

delport,

I think the transformer you might have had is a Lionel 1043. It has a black Bakelite case with a red handle that controls the speed. Like you mentioned, it moves like a windshield wiper. This transformer lacks a whistle controller, but it does have a circuit breaker. If this is the transformer you had, you probably had the set with the 2037 steam locomotive. This makes sense because the 1043 was a low end transformer. Here is a link to a 1043 on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-LIONEL-MULTIVOLT-TRANSFORMER-TYPE-1043_W0QQitemZ6037002784QQihZ009QQcategoryZ4146QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Keep us posted.


Jim

[Anonymous]

delport,

Check out this link to see whether this 60-watt transformer looks like the one you remember. It was furnished with the first of the two sets that I mentioned above.

The website of which this is a part could prove very useful to you in the future.

Just for the record, the cars that made up the 1625 WS set, per the 1959 catalog were:

2037 LTS locomotive (with headlight and smoke) and tender
6636 Alaska RR hopper
3512 Fireman and ladder car
6470 Exploding boxcar
6650 IRBM missle launcher
6017 Lionel Lines caboose
and the 1053 transformer.

This may not be the exact set you had, Bob, but it should be close.

http://www.postwarlionel.com/cgi-bin/postwar?ITEM=1053

wolverine49

[Anonymous]

You folks are awesome!! Thank you all. I will keep you posted. And thanks for your patience!

[Anonymous]

1650 had a missile firing car that was a raised center flat car that shot four smaller missiles in sequence off the side of the car. This set came with a 75 watt 1063 transformer that included a whistle/horn button.

Didi the missile car look like this:

http://wondertrail.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?page=W/PROD/LNL26876

or this:

http://www.postwarlionel.com/cgi-bin/postwar?ITEM=6650

[Anonymous]

All the responses have been VERY helpful. Is there an easier way to look for a 1625WS without going through 287 pages on ebay? I have looked at a couple of websites but unable to locate. Perhaps I am a little impatient.

[Anonymous]

Google, hit cache version, e.g.

http://www.liveauctioneers.com/s/lot-1704136.html?q=lionel+2037+engine+and+tender&pq=&t=l