lionel oldie

[railfanespee4449]

Can anyone ID this set, and is it wworth 100.00 for a project

[Anonymous]

You will need to post the locomotive number and all the car numbers. State whether it has Whistle and smoke etc. It looks like a late fifties or sixties scout engine and plastic cars. The swithces look to ke manual rather than powered as well.
The condition looks pretty good in the photo so I would guess you are in the right ball park price wise. Little more info needed for a better estimate.
Walt Cameron

[Anonymous]

It might help if you gave us the Ebay item number... so that we can read the description that the seller has posted.

http://i4.ebayimg.com/01/i/02/86/ca/40_1_b.JPG

[ben10ben]

That's an inexpensive set, with a cheap transformer, and the track doesn't look to be in the greatest shape. If it were me, I wouldn't pay $100 for it. $50 is about the most that I would pay.

[Anonymous]

The blue hopper looks like a Great Northern--making this an MPC set from the 1970s...

[Dave Farquhar]

My gut feeling was $50-$75. Taking inventory:

Track at 25 cents per section: $4 (I value it at 25 cents apiece because of its condition; you can probably bring it back but it'll be a lot of work)
Transformer: $10
Cars: $5 ea.
Switches: $10
Locomotive/tender: $25

Adding it all up, I come up with $64. A few months ago I paid $35 for a similar setup, but it lacked a transformer. These are the kinds of prices the local Lionel dealer would charge, though if someone sold him that set, he'd throw most of the track in the garbage. A lot of people ask $100, $150, even $200 for setups like this one, but they're just not worth that. They're still extremely common, and they're worth about what they originally cost at retail, adjusting for inflation.

[prewardude]

That transformer looks to be MPC era, as well. Did it originally come with the set?

[ben10ben]

The transformer is definitely MPC, however a couple of the cars look to me like postwar(the caboose, in particular). The switches look to me to be postwar remote switches, without their controller. If they are indeed, the transformer, at 7.5VA(watts), won't provide enough power for the engine, 3 lamps(2 in the switches, 1 in the controller), and possibly a light in the caboose. Lamps are good for 3-5 watts each, so 2 and you'll probably be overtaxing the transformer. Definitely not worth $100 given this information.

[Dave Farquhar]

I see some curious mixes of eras sometimes, but a local collector had a good explanation for that a few weeks ago when we were talking. He pointed out that in the '60s and '70s you saw a lot of Lionel postwar at garage sales and rummage sales. That made is very easy for people to piece together a "set" secondhand, and maybe fill in whatever was missing with new MPC-produced stuff. It kind of looks like that's what happened here.

[3railguy]

I see $15 worth of cars, a $25 engine, $10 worth of track (manual switches) and a $10 transformer

$60

[Anonymous]

railfanespee4499:
Forgot the number after your name .but anyway. I would like to know where thes Guys can buy thet stuff at their listed prices. You do not say whether you are buying or selling.but I will say this, The track looks to be in very nice condition except the switch mounting plates are a little rusty. Like I said it matters whether or not there is smoke and a whistle. I am assuming there is. It aalso matters whether the Locomotive is Die cast or plastic. If you are looking to buy and run this train the $100.00 is a liveable price,but no
mpre than that. If you just want a cheaper train to run,and play with, I would look at a Lionel new starter set instead, The MPC venue of Lionel Trains is a very "Cheapie" line.
But it will suffice and run well with as little as $100.00 you have a complete set and I think the switches are worth more than ten Dollars. My two Cents.
Walt Cameron

[Anonymous]

SP Daylight,

You would probably be better off trying to visit one of the train shows held in your local area and picking up what you want. I just attended a local show near my home and track was selling in great shape for under a quarter, switches unpowered at $5 per pair, and several nice cars in the $5 range, engines $20 and up for a starter type. I know I saw at least one set similar to your pic with a 2026 steamer and whistle tender which really is a reliable runner and the entire set was under $50. The more common engines and cars just don't have much value except to an operator so values tend to stay low.

When doing any bidding on eBay you really have to know exactly what you are going after and what it is worth. Dealers in antiques and toys feel that anything with the Lionel name on it has collectible value whether in good condition or not, and not knowing trains they put high values on the LIonel items without any knowledge of true value. So be very cautious as rarely does a bargain slip by on eBay on the common trains.

Almost every collector or operator of Lionel ends up with too many transformers and track and that's why you see so much of it boxed up at train meets. The smallest of the Lionel transformers are at a price point of almost being given away, as is track that is not in good shape.

[Dave Farquhar]

Walt Cameron, you asked where John Long and Yours Truly can buy stuff like that at the prices we listed (I valued it at $64; John Long valued it at $60). There's an antique mall in South St. Louis County that has several booths with postwar Lionel and Marx in it. I've walked out of there with a number of train cars in the $5-$10 range.

Marty's Model Railroads in Affton, MO is another place. Many afternoons he's got a box or two in front of the counter of postwar stuff he bought that day. If he hasn't cleaned it up yet, he charges $5 for an O27 gondola or hopper; $10 for a boxcar. Caboose prices vary; if it's nothing special he'll charge $5 for it *after* he's cleaned it up. Common or so-so condition cars that he has cleaned up go into his bargain box, where everything's under $15, priced as marked, and unmarked items are $10. Demand on O27 items is so soft that more often than not he yanks off the O gauge trucks, puts S gauge trucks on them, and takes them to S gauge shows and sells them to American Flyer fans. Unless I nab it first.

Plastic Lionel Scout locomotives from the early '60s sell for $25-$30 at Marty's, when he gets one that works well. If it doesn't work well and he can't get it working well quickly, he parts it out. He sells postwar Lionel O27 switches for $20 a pair, usually, if they work. Manual switches, when he has them, go for half that. The switches in this setup lack the controllers and there's question whether they work. I think valuing them at $10 is fair, since whoever gets them will have to either scrounge a controller or fabricate one, and then might have to tear into the switches and fix things.

Even on Ebay, I've seen Lionel locomotives go cheap. If there's question about whether they run, a 2026-type locomotive might only fetch $30.

At a train show, prices could be lower still. Especially late in the day on the last day.

Maybe the market is just really soft here in St. Louis, and I know I've got a lot more places to buy this stuff than people who live in some parts of the country, but if I actually bought every setup like this one that I saw for $70 or less, I'd have a house full of postwar Lionel.

[Anonymous]

Dave,

The same is very true around California. Last Saturday I probably could have filled a small trailer with the common Lionel cars, engines, track, etc., in the price ranges you stated. One vendor was selling track for $10 per box, cars $5 ea, with a few boxes filled with assorted rolling stock to choose from. Cars with plastic trucks, doors that don't open, the typical Lionel starter set type of equipment is tough to sell. I'm sure I'll see the same guy with the same cars at the next meet.

This is a great way for someone to add to their current layout or for a beginner not wanting to make a big investment.

[railfanespee4449]

The set is for a school project, so I need one to restore.
P.S.- Does anyone live near that antique mall and could pick me up a LIONEL train set? I'll pay you back plus $5.00 I need a dirty but useable lionel set. I will also take a set made of various LIONEL items

[Dave Farquhar]

railfanespee4449, I'm about to send you e-mail.

[3railguy]

QUOTE: Walt Cameron, you asked where John Long and Yours Truly can buy stuff like that at the prices we listed (I valued it at $64; John Long valued it at $60). There's an antique mall in South St. Louis County that has several booths with postwar Lionel and Marx in it. I've walked out of there with a number of train cars in the $5-$10 range.

I think everyone was in the ballpark. MPC shorty hoppers I see all the time at our local swap meets for $5.00. each. The caboose, $5.00. If you offered $10 or $12 for the three, the dealer would take it. The engine; $15 to $30 depending if it has a plastic boiler, diecast, whistle, etc. The transformer I was generous on. I often see 027 track for 10 cents a stick used, 027 manual switches for $5 to $10 a pair or a box of 027 track with half a couple pair of 027 manuals for $20.

[Anonymous]

The scary thing is that this set really IS an "oldie"!
The 1970's were over 30 years ago now!

Anyway...I wouldn't go over $50 for the whole thing.

Looks like most of the clean up is cosmetic. Might
make a good set for the kids or the Christmas
tree. The plastic sets seemed to have survived in
great numbers despite being of lesser quality than
PostWar Lionel.

No comment on "train show" or "resale" prices. [:(]

I can't find my soap box or megaphone at the moment.

[railfanespee4449]

Hey, Dave; My email account is down for the time being. If you can find a set post a pic (if possible) on the forum, plus the price. If I like it, I'll reply on the forum & email you the adress of my house. As soon as I recieve the set, I will mail you a check

[3railguy]

The more I look at it, the more I would like to know the engine number. The set definately looks cobbled. The engine could easily be a $15 plastic scout. I mean this set looks like major low end junk.