Lionel Scout Set 1952

[Anonymous]

Hi!
I am looking for a Lionel post war set sold in 1952. I think it is the Scout set as the engine was definitely black.

Where would I go to find this set in good quality? Do you have any idea what I should expect to pay?

Thanks so much!!

Sandra

[Anonymous]

The Lionel Scout set was manufacturered from 1948-51, but that doesn't mean that some left over stock wasn't sold in 1952 or later. The Scout set is notorious as being one of the cheapest and lowest quality sets Lionel made. It can't couple with other Lionel trains and the engine's motor is quite problematic. Because of it's reputation Lionel stopped making sets under the Scout name, but did make chepaer sets after that.

The Scout is still a nice looking set though and can be found quite cheaply. The Scout is anything but rare and is quite easy to find. You might find a set at a store that deals in postwar Lionel trains or at a model train show if there's one in your area. However, your best bet would be to search ebay. At any given moment there are many Scout sets listed. You could probably find a good one for less than $100.

The contents of a Scout set are:
10012-4-2 type steam engine
Tin "Lionel Scout" tender
1002 black Lionel gondola car
X1004 orange Baby Ruth Candy boxcar
1005 grey Sunoco tank car
1007 red Lionel Lines caboose

However, you mention that you are guessing that it's a Scout set. Lionel made many, many train sets with black steam engines. Also, many other Lionel sets with cheaper plastic steam engines are referred to as Scout sets, even though they are not the original Scout set.

[Algonquin]

Hi Sandra,

As Sask_Tinplater points out, this was a low cost set and Lionel produced a lot of them. However, finding a "good quality" set ( I am assuming you mean a set that looks nice without a lot of damage and runs well) can be very challanging. Many of the old sets were played with heavily and show the wear. Poor storage over the years can also cause damage to the motor and gearing that can become very expensive to fix.

If you are not familiar with collecting these trains, the best source for procuring a good set would be though a Lionel Dealer. The Lionel website (www.lionel.com) has a dealer locator you can use to identify dealers in your area and aound the country. You may have to call several dealers to locate a set in the condition you are looking for. These dealers will generally stand behind the sets they sell. Most will test the sets prior to selling. But you should confirm this anyway.

I hope this helps.

Regards,

Tim Pignatari

[Anonymous]

Hi Sandra, More then likely you can find bits & pieces of this set at swap meets & E-bay. As to find an entire set..there out there, but it seems to mee that sets rarely stay together.

Good luck & keep us posted!