Joined 1-21-2011 TCA 13-68614
Kev, From The North Bluff Above Marseilles IL.
I've never seen Lionel's sales records listed anywhere. I thought the popularity of Lionel items was gauged by how many years it was produced. If there is a source for finding out production numbers, I'd be curious to find out also.
phrankenstign, This NW2 engine is not Lionel, It is made by General Models Corp.
I to have never seen numbers on Lionel either.
When I read the article in the magazine, I was automatically thinking General Mills. It took a while before I realized it was talking about General models.
phrankenstign I've never seen Lionel's sales records listed anywhere. I thought the popularity of Lionel items was gauged by how many years it was produced. If there is a source for finding out production numbers, I'd be curious to find out also.
Lionel produced so much of everything it wouldn't surprise me if even they didn't know how many they made.
It would surprise me even more if the current company bearing the Lionel name even has the records of the old Lionel.
If Roger Carp's looking in maybe he has some ideas?
Hi Everyone,
I hope you are all staying safe and healthy during these challenging times. Fortunately, we have many great magazines and special-interest publications to keep you involved in this great hobby. "Lionel Trains of the 1960s" is now out and has lots of informative and entertaining material.
Turning to questions of production quantities at General Models and Lionel. To the best of my knowledge, no figures were released by either company. Lionel collectors have been searching for that information about the postwar era for decades, and nothing has been reported. I wish I had something better to tell all of you, but no such information has been made available.
Many thanks for your posts on our forum and please continue to stay safe and well.
Oh and thanks to everyone who has submitted photos of their layout and told us about their compact layout in response to the editorial in the May issue. We will have many fantastic O and S gauge railroads to showcase in the next few years.
Roger Carp
Senior editor
Classic Toy Trains
Thanks for your response Roger! And thanks for your concern for everyone's well-being, I hope you and yours are doing fine as well!
It wouldn't surprise me if all the production records of the old Lionel went into the trash when the Hillside location closed down, chances are they just didn't think they'd be important to anyone. It wouldn't suprise me if the production records of the Michigan location met the same fate. Oh well, what are you gonna do?
In the 1953 editon of Bantam Publishing's Model Railroading, on page 139, there is a picture of the yard area of the 1949 showroom layout. In that picture, there is depicted a white switcher. I believe there is a belief that this photo, which may predate the original intro of this series of loco actually shows the GeneraL Models unit which Lionel purchase and had repainted and placed on the layout, at least for the photo. Others may know if it was ever run; I don's. I haven't read the article yet; perhaps it is discussed there. If the story is true, it just shows that Lionel was, like many other companies, all about marketing. I have heard it said that at Apple, if they could not get the software to work in time for the product launch, Steve Jobs Simply had a feature "hardwired" for the demonstation to the industry press, in order to give the imitation of a feature working, even if the software was not thorughly not debugged yet.
I am a fan, been so for decades. I have probably four 3-rail versions in use, all with old QSI ACRU or maybe Dallee reversing units. You did NOT want to try to use one with the horizontal e-unit provided. Start accelerating, voltage gets to the point it overcomes the spring in the e-unit, and "POW!" you're in neutral. Okay, power up...up...up and "POW!" you're in reverse at speed, no less.
The provided Thomas sliders were junk when new. I fit Lionel roller assemblies into the plate provided. The second stack in 3-rail versions was the normal e-unit lockout.
Thomas dummy couplers, as long as what you're coupling to has a functional coupler, you're good.
I have one old Lionel SW.....sits on a shelf. The GM units looks and run better.
I have vertical motored ones and even an All-Nation variant with horizontal motor and one truck powered. Hard to do a secont truck and find a place for rollers to mount.
In 2-rail, I have three or four more, one of which is a 600 horse unit (rare even in 1950) with shorter hood.
I have the old e-units and Thomas slider assemblies if anybody needs photos thereof.
TOC
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