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If not mistaken, I think David Doyle is working on a book that deals exclusively with sets. It won't help you now, but when it's released, it will be a good resource.
Jim
Modeling the Baltimore waterfront in HO scale
I agree, the Doyle book is the best starting point. It's readily available, and it's a fun book to just flip through to see the variety of stuff Lionel made in the postwar era.
If you can't find the information you need in the Doyle book (no book lists everything), there were several books published by Greenberg in the 1980s and 1990s that dealt with sets, including a book called something like The Toy Train Department that dealt with department-store specials, but those books are long out of print. They're great if they happen to be in your local public library, but if they aren't, you'll have to look long and hard for them and won't be cheap if and when you do find them.
SK,
Get yourself a copy of Standard Catalog of LIONEL TRAINS 1945-1969 2nd edition by David Doyle $32.99 at you local book seller. Chapter 16 Cataloged Sets provides the answers your looking for. By far this is one of the best books on the subject I've ever seen.
George
Where is the best place to look up old Lionel sets from the 1950's? I have several of my dads old trains, and have been told that he was given 3 or 4 sets in the 1950's for Christmas. I have all of the locomotives, and cars but I want to determine which cars came with which locomotives in which sets. I don't know if there is a website or book that would best answer my questions. Any help is greatly appreciated.
SK
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