HO/N gauger with some O27 questions

[bikerraypa]

Hi all:

I model in HO and N scales, so I know pretty much nuthin' about O/O27. A friend has a "Lionel Thunderball" set that is like new in the box, that he would like to sell. It's a complete set (I'll attach a pic), and amazingly, I can't find one on eBay or anywhere to gauge its value. Would anyone here be able to provide a ballpark figure of what the set is worth?

Thanks for helping a guy with smaller trains. [:D]


Ray out

[1688torpedo]

Hello Biker Ray ! I'm Guessing that the Thunder freight set is Probably worth about $ 110.00- $ 125.00 as there would not be too much Collector Demand for it.........Keith

[dougdagrump]

Ray, If you can post the Lionel part number we could look it up in the Greenburg listings although they seem to be higher than actual value.

[brianel027]

I don't know what the current book says on this set, but I'm sure it's probably higher than it should be. I base value on what I see from having gone to shows and seeing what folks are paying including on eBay.

This is hardly a collector kind of set. The cars in the set are all very common and readily available. I've bought cars from this set (VG cond) for $3-$5 each. Things would be different if there was a car in this set that was unusual, like the orange plug door shorty Erie Lackawanna box car that came with some Cannonball Express sets. This set's value will in part be determined by operating condition of the locomotive and transformer. Also do the cars have plastic wheel sets or metal ones? And do the cars have a dummy coupler on one or both sides, or operating ones?

Your photo is a little fuzzy but everything appears clean and intact. Of course having all the contents of an original set will help if you put this on eBay. I've seen these sets go for $50.00 on the bargain side, with an average around $75.00. You might do better on eBay, but unless you get a real fool bidding, I doubt you would see more than $100.00 for this set.

And again, this is all provided that the locomotive and transformer is functioning. If someone had this set as a kid and wanted to have it again - that's the buyer you want to find.

[Chris F]

The 1581 Thunderball Freight set was catalogued 1975-76, and consisted of the following:

8500 Pennsylvania 2-4-0 locomotive and tender
9062 Penn Central SP caboose (1975 only)
9172 Penn Central caboose (1976 only)
9020 Union Pacific flatcar
9032 Southern Pacific gondola
9011 Great Northern hopper
5013 curved track (8)
5018 straight track (2)
transformer

The 2005 Greenberg Price Guide shows values of $85 (exc. condition) and $95 (new).

[3railguy]

I wouldn't pay more than $75 for the set if you plan to run it.

[bikerraypa]

Thanks for all the info everyone. Very much appreciated. I'll pass it on and let my friend know.

BTW, I usually only visit the Model Railroader forum, and this is the first time I've been in the Classic Toy Trains forum, so I did some browsing. There is some really interesting stuff here that I never knew about.

Probably gonna cost me some money. [:D]


Ray

[brianel027]

So let's see if I have this right Ray: are you interested in buying this set and getting into yet more trains? If you are looking on expanding into the "toy" train arena of 027 types of trains...
A) this isn't a bad set to get started with. It does have an open frame AC motor, meaning the brushes and armature communicator surface can (and probably will) need to be cleaned. But this will improve operation as will cleaning the wheel surface of the loco with 91% isopropyl alcohol as well as the center pickup rollers. You could give the track a wipe down with the 91% alcohol too.
B) these are the exact types of trains I have bought. They are easy candidates for fixing up, such as adding metal wheel sets over plastic ones and replacing the plastic snap rivet with blackened screws with lock nuts. I actually (like a lot of HO guys) do an extensive amount of repainting of these kinds of cars. They can be made to look very respectable with a good paint and decal job. They can appear to be more detailed than they really are.
C) the larger "scale" of 027 will allow you to make many things yourself. Believe me, I have done my layout on a budget and it can be done.

If you are going to go in this direction, folks here can be of all kinds of help. As long as your tastes are not too high (digital command control, scale sized proportions and details) this can be done on a budget. 027 track is still made and is the most affordable of any 3-rail track type. Additional ties for the track can be easily made and improve the look of the track.

I could go on, but if you are thinking about buying this set for yourself, keep us folks posted. There's tons of help here. Like John said above, I wouldn't go over $75 for the set, and offer the guy $50. Believe me, not everything that says "Lionel" on the box is worth a ton of money.

Many of the prices given in the offical price guide books are a long way off from reality (especially on common non-collector trains like this set) and on definitely on the high side. There are just too many 3 rail trains being made right now with a shrinking number of buyers. Many train sellers/dealers just can't let go of the high inflation, top dollar prices of the 1980's, but times have changed.

This set was made as a kid's beginner set 30 years ago and that's pretty much what it still is. I have locos from this period of Lionel history and they still run just fine... they just need a little more TLC due to plastic gears.