What Is Considered Postwar?

[richhotrain]

There have been several recent threads talking about "postwar" toy trains.

The war ended in 1945, so what is considered the postwar time frame?

I have two American Flyer train sets that my dad bought for me in 1948 and 1957, obviously postwar.

Lionel is still cranking out both its O gauge product and new American Flyer stuff.  Several companies manufacturer new S Scale stuff today as well.

Where do you draw the line?  Is there a specific time period?

Thanks.

Rich

[lynbrookyankee]

I think most people refer to "postwar" as the period 1945-69 when Lionel Corp stopped making toy trains. The "modern" era has lasted longer & probably needs to be narrowed - maybe in the Lionel world as MPC, LTI, & LLC. Not sure how to characterize the other manufacturers.

[DMUinCT]

Yep, that's it.   Just to add a detail for our younger operators and collectors:  

   Lionel and American Flyer (Chicago) trace there beginings back to the "turn of the century".  Both went through financial problems in the Great Depression of the 1930s, Lionel survived, American Flyer was bough out by A.C. Gilbert of New Haven CT.

  World War started for us in December 1941.  Production of metal toys stopped within months and it became illegal to make such toys.   (I grew up playing with Cardboard cutout toys)  Lionel cataloged in 1942 what was left over from "pre-war" production.  This 4 year gap without toy trains is a natural break between "Pre-War" and "Post-War".

   With the war over, Christmas 1945 had a few trains that were rushed into production.  1946 was the start of the "Post-war" era, one that made Lionel the #1 Toy Company.  If the late 1940s and the 1950s were the best for both companies, the the 1960s turned out to be a disaster for both.  The 1970s, enter the General Mills MPC Division and a new history to be written!

 

[HighPlains]

 1945-1969 for Lionel anyway. I don't know about American Flyer.

 

Mike

[DMUinCT]

HighPlains

 1945-1969 for Lionel anyway. I don't know about American Flyer.

Mike

Flyer is easy, Pre-War was three rail "O Gauge", Post-War is two rail "S Gauge".

[wjstix]

Plus American Flyer didn't make it to 1969 IIRC, it had already been absorbed by Lionel and production ceased until Lionel reintroduced AF S scale trains in the 1980's.

I think the only trains out there for Xmas 1945 were pre-war designs (and maybe actual pieces?) so really I guess 1946 would be the start of post-war, 1945-69 . "MPC era" would be 1969 to I994 or whenever it was that Mr. Kughn took over Lionel from General Mills.

[martinden]

Postwar begins with 1945. Lionel had the all new injection-molded plastic 2452 gondola, and the the other cars in the single outfit offered (tender, boxcar, tank car, and caboose) had the new staple-end trucks and knuckle couplers. The 224 loco had minor changes from the prewar version. Some items (rolling stock as well as accessories) probably had some prewar parts, but most of what was actually produced that year was new production (to old designs). Anyway, there is no doubt that collectors/historians regard 1945 as the start of the postwar period.

Martin

[phillyreading]

Another company that gave Lionel a run for the money was American Model Trains(AMT), from about 1946 to about 1958(not sure of the exact years). Some of the AMT versions of passenger cars that were identical to Lionel's looked better than Lionel's.

As for American Flyer by A.C. Gilbert, I think that 1967 was their last full year of production. Lionel by MPC later bought the name of American Flyer and started re-producing new A.F. stuff in the 1980's.

Not that sure but some people might consider some Marx Trains to be post war era as well.

The abriviation or term LLC stands for limited liability company.

Lee F.