Anyone notice a tremor, a rumbling, a general sense of unease running through the land about 8:30 EST tonight? Wonder what it was all about?
Well, wonder no longer. A vintage "Lady Lionel" train set, yes the infamous "Girls Train" showed up on "Antiques Roadshow" this evening! That disturbance in "The Force" was Lady Firestorm's reaction, she HATES the sight of the thing!
"What girl in her right mind would have wanted one of those things? If a girl wants a train she wants one that looks like a REAL one, not an Easter Egg!"
And that was the mildest thing she said!
Oh well. By the way, the appraiser pegged it at $2,000 in case anyone's interested. New and in the original box too!
The information the appraiser gave on the girls set and Lionel was wrong on every point. The set was boxed, but it could not have been new. The owner talked about giving her pets rides in the cars. I have no idea what an original Postwar Lionel girls set is worth these days. I had one years ago, but it was dirty, and I did not want to try to clean it. So out it went. I don't miss it.
If you had said Thursday night, I would have been a little freaked out by Lady Firestorm! We actually had a 4ish Magnitude earthquake near Detroit around 8 pm.
Becky - What are your thoughts on the "Girls" train?
Rob
Mr. Burfle, you're correct, I forgot about the owner saying she'd given her pets rides in the cars. Mind you, I was running for cover at the time.
The set was in beautiful shape though, just about as new from what I could see, it was well taken care of.
And I don't know, Noel Barrett is the "Toy Guy" on "Roadshow." He may be right, he may be wrong, but it is his business.
And I don't know, Noel Barrett is the "Toy Guy" on "Roadshow." He may be right, he may be wrong, but it is his business.He may be the "Toy Guy" but he is a generalist.I notice he usually doesn't do dolls. They are toys too.
OK, fair enough. I will say I've seen some things on "Roadshow" I do know something about and have disagreed with the appraisals, but hey, the show's fun to watch anyway, right?
Firelock76OK, fair enough. I will say I've seen some things on "Roadshow" I do know something about and have disagreed with the appraisals, but hey, the show's fun to watch anyway, right?
robmccBecky - What are your thoughts on the "Girls" train?
Trains, trains, wonderful trains. The more you get, the more you toot!
Penny Trains robmcc Becky - What are your thoughts on the "Girls" train?
robmcc Becky - What are your thoughts on the "Girls" train?
Oh wow, disgusted beyond words. That says a lot.
Kind of like one Thanksgiving we were at Lady Firestorm's sister's house. I was reading an issue of CTT and there was a "Lady Lionel" pictured in it. Well, Lady F had her usual reaction, so her sister Pat and her daughters Stephanie and Janine came running to see what the commotion was about.
My God, the look of horror on their faces when they saw the "Girl's Train" was priceless! I thought I'd split a gut laughing!
And they're not even into O gauge toy trains! Although I have tried...
The girls DID have a pretty big "Thomas The Tank Engine" collection as children though.
[quote user="Penny Trains"]
I figured as much, but had to ask anyways!!
[quote user="Firelock76"
They had a reproduction for sale at one of our local train stores a few years back. They wanted around $500 for the reproduction.
I actually kinda like it !
But I kinda like it around $250...[/quote]
Aside from filling a hole in a post-war collection I can't see why anyone would want one, but if you "...kinda like it..." who am I to question you? If you see one for $250, go for it!
I just don't dare bring one home to the "Fortress Firelock!"
I have one. I like it! Not my favorite, but a cool addition to my stuff!
Those pastel colored freight cars are pleasing to the eye ...
Yes, I like it.
So there !
Hey, I can understand. I kinda like this monstrosity from the 1930's...
www.american-rails.com/green-diamond.html
So butt-ugly it's classic! If someone comes out with an affordable O gauge version I might just go for it!
Michael, Paul, keep your voices down, you might have an earthquake...
my little girl has the K line reproduction. it is a fine set and we run it every Thanksgiving through Christmas. a Lionel original sealed in the Box sold for $30,000 some years back. So there!
You're asking for an earthquake too. You guys better be careful.
She's already mad enough I beat her at the Reader's Digest "Word Power" game.
Hey, she gets mad if she only scores a lousy 14 out of 15 at the thing!
I have the hopper car. No one has ever noticed it. Unless you are told that it is "lilac", you would take it for gray.
Bob Nelson
Firelock76Hey, I can understand. I kinda like this monstrosity from the 1930's... www.american-rails.com/green-diamond.html So butt-ugly it's classic! If someone comes out with an affordable O gauge version I might just go for it!
Flyer did have "a train" labeled as the IC Green Diamond:
But the Pride Lines version was much closer:
Well thanks for that Becky!
I've seen those American Flyers at train and antique shows, but they're a little to "tinny" for my taste.
Now that Pride Lines Green Diamond (Back in the 30's folks along the IC main line called it "The Tomato Worm") looks interesting.
So I did a little research, found Graham's Trains, looked at the Green Diamond set price, then had my "19th Nervous Breakdown."
Looks like I'm going to have to be very patient before I can get one of those things.
Hey, I waited ten years before I found a Lionel Bicentennial set at a price I could live with. I can wait for a "Tomato Worm" just as well!
In the meantime, we'll just have to live a little vicariously and enjoy the set this guy owns...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQmnwL5Ds4g
Wayne
My niece (now 21) would play with the trains I fixed a junker 2046 for her it became her train
On the computer I would show her pics at auctions of the layouts with and without track stuff I had stuff I wanted
then I showed her the Girl's Train pic She did not respond but her face pretty much said
"Why is it pink?"
Works for Thomas Rosie is pink
Firelock76 Well thanks for that Becky! I've seen those American Flyers at train and antique shows, but they're a little to "tinny" for my taste. Now that Pride Lines Green Diamond (Back in the 30's folks along the IC main line called it "The Tomato Worm") looks interesting. So I did a little research, found Graham's Trains, looked at the Green Diamond set price, then had my "19th Nervous Breakdown." Looks like I'm going to have to be very patient before I can get one of those things. Hey, I waited ten years before I found a Lionel Bicentennial set at a price I could live with. I can wait for a "Tomato Worm" just as well! In the meantime, we'll just have to live a little vicariously and enjoy the set this guy owns... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQmnwL5Ds4g Wayne
He's running outdoors, which is interesting. Garden Railways had an article in about 2000 with a guy in Western Pennsylvania with a garden line, running postwar Lionel. I like to flip back to that sometimes.
Paul
Despite its history, I've always liked it. I remember showing pictures of K-Line's version from the 90s to my daughter. (She was always very girly and pink was her favorite color.) She thought it was great! I would have bought it at the time, but I just couldn't afford it then. Now she's grown up and married. I hope to give her one for Christmas either this year or next. I figure in the future I can always give her the extra add-on cars K-Line and Williams produced.
When she was growing up, it was her (and her sister's) Barbies who were continually traveling back and forth via Thomas' and James' Troublesome Trucks.
I personally think that the “girl’s set” was a great idea. But not because it was what those girls wanted! It wasn’t the train that most girls wanted, but, it was a train, specifically marketed at a female market. Kinda broke the unspoken rule, “trains are toys for boys and boys alone”. So, at least this was a step towards folks getting what they really wanted. Maybe if your parents were finally willing to buy a train, you could convince them to pick a different one. Or you could take the train for a visit to your grandfather’s garage, and have him help you “set things straight”, eh? If I had recieved one of these as a youngster, I might have liked it at a younger age, but I grew out of pink, fast. And you bet I would have repainted that train. It wasn’t valuable when it was new, it’s only a rare collectable because most girls who like trains, are like most all us train people- we don’t want pink barbie trains, we want REAL trains!
"Unless bought from a known and trusted dealer who can vouch otherwise, assume every train for sale requires servicing before use"
Firelock76a little to "tinny" for my taste.
Yeah, even considering the prewar tinplate vibe this one looks like Flyer didn't have the best expectations for high sales figures. It also looks more like "The Green Aeolus" to me.
Firelock76So I did a little research, found Graham's Trains, looked at the Green Diamond set price, then had my "19th Nervous Breakdown." Looks like I'm going to have to be very patient before I can get one of those things.
I'm hip. Pride Lines had a few Disney trains I always wanted. Oh well, onto the "lottery list" they go!
You know, I'm sure I mentioned this before, but here goes...
Over the past 29 years or so I've read articles in CTT, Model Railroader, and OGR about husband-and-wife-team model railroaders, and I'm reminded that a lot of the wives got into toy trains as young girls courtesy of the American Flyer Circus Train.
The Circus Train pre-dates the "Lady Lionel" by eight or so years, and it certainly had everything a girl would want in a train set, at least in my estimation. It was colorful, and not condescendingly so, had a sleek steam engine, and had animals, and what little girl doesn't like animals? AND it had "Big Top" accessories as well!
I don't know if AF had girls in mind with this set, but they may have swerved into something without realizing it.
Have a look and tell me what you think.
http://thegilbertgallery.org/Sets%20Gallery/freight_sets-5002T-Circus-Train.html
Lady Firestorm agrees, she would have loved to have had a set like this!
I'm surprised it was made only in 1950. I suppose it wasn't a good seller? Can't imagine why not.
PS: A lot, if not all of the wives I mentioned still had their Circus Trains!
How's about a video? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcTrC4phk6Q
Some one on you tube in England Runs stuff on an elevated line INCLUDING Lionel
(Seeing aTurbine at full speed with the VERY wide curves is quite a sight
Perhaps if Big L had marketed the "Girl's Train" as an Easter Eggspress instead, the conversation changes...?
The girl who lived across the street from me recieved an original 1957 Girls Train Set from her parents when they introduced her to trains. She was born in 1966 and her dad was a Lionel Factory Trained Authorized Train Repairman. Her grandparents owned the store from which the set came.
She didn't want the trainset because of the pink locomotive so they took it back and gave her a Super-O General set which she still had the last I knew.
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