The "Lionel Trains-Standard of the World" edited by Donald Fraley and written by TCA does devote a chapter to prewar sets and provides a tabulated summary of sets, but it by no means is comprehensive. This text has been out of print for sometime, but can be had on eBay between $20 and $50 for it. The other text you list does not.
The only book specifically on Lionel prewar sets is Volume IV of the Greenberg series entitled "Lionel Trains Prewar Sets". This has been out of publication for years. Typically on eBay you'd be paying well over $100 for it when it rarely comes up.
Do either of these two books include info on sets?
Lionel - Standard of the World - 1900 -1943
Collector's Guide to Prewar Lionel Trains 1900-1942
-Thanks in advance
-B in B
I can only say that Greenberg's Pocket Price guide will give the most common engine & tender configuirations, lacking some for pre war steam locos & tenders. Also Greenberg's Pocket guide don't give any set info. Has railroad names and abbreviations in the back.
Lee F.
I would look at the TCA's offering "Lionel - Standard of the World - 1900 -1943" as well. It doesn't give price information but it gives in depth details of variations and chronological methods of manufacture which are a great help in authenticating a so called origional piece. It includes a lot of good color photos. TM published two good guides to prewar. One on O gauge and the other on standard gauge. Both only give a general coverage of what Lionel did but they are still a good reference.
Bob Keller
The only prewar guides for Lionel that I am aware of that gives current values, piece numbers, descriptions, and pictures are David Doyle's two books.
Standard Catalog of Lionel Trains 1900-1942 (2nd Edition) with a list price of $32.99
Collector's Guide to Prewar Lionel Trains 1900-1942 with a list price of $19.99
The Standard Catalog is a full sized volume (11" x 8" with 400 pages) compared to the smaller Collector's guide (8" x 5" with 270 pages).
Right now I have the Warman's field guide for lionel 1945 to 1969. What would be a similar & economical guide book to prewar (esp. 1930's-40's) era Lionel with a similar format of giving out the piece's part #'s and short descriptions of items & sets like Warman's does?
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