Great thread - love these!
RIP Chewy - best dog I ever had.
Mike C. from Indiana: I actually got mine in a lot with 7 other small boxcars and hoppers. I had been looking for a while and couldn’t believe my luck that the 7909 was included. Even more fortunate is I only paid $80 for the lot. A couple of the cars were junk, but it still came out to under $15 per car.
Thanks Brutus. I hope you are enjoying them as much as I’m enjoying writing them each week. I can't say it enough times, thanks to Mike C. from Indiana for writing the original series of articles on Cheap Classics in CTT.
The first small boxcar produced by LTI was the 7925 Erie Lackawanna which came in the 1615 Cannonball Express set cataloged from ’86 to ’90. It’s almost a twin to the 9043 released by MPC in ’73 to ‘75. The only difference is the graphics are a slightly different shade of maroon. It has much improved trucks with metal wheels and operating couplers at both ends. Given its somewhat lengthy production run, it is an easily found small boxcar with a “cheap classic” price right around $12.
There is one variation. After taking over Lionel production from MPC, LTI took inventory of warehoused stock and came across the orange car bodies used for the 9040 Wheaties small boxcar for ’70 to ’73. Someone at LTI decided to use these orange bodies up during the 7925 production run, or at least this is the folklore I’ve heard. One thing for sure, the two cars do have the same exact orange bodies. The color of the graphics was changed from maroon to white. The results are a far more appealing small boxcar. I was fortunately enough to be able to buy one for $65. While not a traditional “cheap classic” price, it’s a cheap price for this classic variation.
Here’s a comparison of the original 9043 and the 2 variations of the 7925.
Have fun collecting cheap classics………………………
Papa D
The 7926 Nickel Plate small boxcar was released from ‘86 through ‘92 as either a separate sale item as well as in the 1602 Nickel Plate special (’86 – ’91) and 11803 Nickel Plate special Mall Promotion (U ’92) sets. Given the long production run, it is easy to find at a cheap classic price of around $10. Graphics are somewhat simple but overall not a bad looking car.
While there is no “collector” variation, it should be noted that LTI introduced a couple of truck changes during the 7926 production run. Starting in ’87 LTI improved quality by eliminating non-operating couplers. Then in ’89 it replaced the Symington trucks with the more attractive ASF Ride Control Trucks. These new trucks were also advertised as having couplers with more precise opening and closing and improved pulling power. My car has the ASF trucks, metal wheels, and operating couplers at both ends indicating it came from the ’89 to ’92 time frame. It didn’t come with a box, so it’s probably from a set break-up. This photo shows the difference between the Symington and ASF trucks.
Papa
The 9001 Conrail small boxcar was released un-cataloged in ’86 & ‘87 and cataloged from ’88 to ‘90 as part of Rolling Stock Assortments (shown in the ’88 catalog RSA photo) as well as the 1620 Freight Flyer (’88 to ‘90) and 1687 Freight Flyer (’87 to ‘90) sets. These sets were lowest end entry level offerings. Given this long production run, it’s easy to find at a cheap classic price of around $10. The 9001 is another small boxcar with simple graphics but an appealing body/graphic color combination.
While there is no “collector” variation, similar to the 7926 Nickel Plate small box car it spans 2 changes in trucks. So you might find one with either Symington or ASF trucks and/or an operating coupler at either one or both ends.
Incidentally ’88 was a very good year for cataloged small box cars with 5 different ones shown:
9001 Conrail
7926 Nickel Plate
16201 Wabash
7926 Erie Lackawanna
16200 Rock Island
I should have mentioned when I wrote about the 7926 Erie Lackawanna, that the ’88 catalog showed both the Gray and Orange body variations. Also since I wrote about the 7926, a lot of small boxcars for sale on eBay contained a7926 with a third variation: a tan body. I’m a little suspicious of this “tan” body variation. I have a 16400 Pennsylvania 2 bay hopper that started out as gray but it appears to have turned tan due to sun light exposure (aka UV). The photo below shows the contrast between the gray and tan on this car.
Does anyone else have a tan body 7926? If so, is the underside the same color?
The 16200 Rock Island small boxcar was released from ’87-‘88 as part of Rolling Stock Assortments and in the 11701 Rail Blazer set. Given this relatively short production run, it is a little more difficult to find but still cheap classic priced at around $10 to $12. Since it was produced in the LTI era, it has trucks with couplers at both ends and metal wheels. Overall a good looking small boxcar with nice graphics.
There is no reported variation, although I’ve seen claims of two different shades of red. My first inclination is to think sun fade.
9042 Ford Autolite Update: In my original post on this small boxcar, I noted that there were 3 variations, 2 of which I’d never come across. While, a lot of small boxcars recently sold on eBay that contained the all black text variation. This variation in effect is a factory error where the orange graphics shown in the below photo was inadvertently not applied. Still would like to see the variation with gold text.
The 16201 Wabash small boxcar was released from ’88-‘91 in the 11703 Wabash Iron Horse set. Even though it was never a separate sale or Rolling Stock Assortment item, it is relatively easy to find, and best of all at a cheap classic price of around $10. There are no reported variations. It ranks somewhere in the middle of my small boxcar appeal rating.
Re-look at the 7902 Santa Fe Small Boxcar
The 7902 Santa Fe small boxcar was in an earlier post where I compared it to its sibling, the 16227. At that time, none of the price guides listed any variations for the 7902. Recently on eBay two 7902’s were up for sale with a variation noted on the location of the Blt by Lionel date location. Upon checking my 7902 I saw that I already had the less common variation shown in photo below on the left. This prompted me to buy the more common variation shown in the photo below on the right. Note that the Blt by Lionel date is also different. The trucks on the two cars are also different. The rarer variation has metal wheels and operating couplers at both ends while the more common variation has plastic wheels and an operating coupler at only one end. Since the 7902 was in production from ’82 to ’85, I wonder if there are additional Blt by Lionel date variations. Discoveries like this make collecting fun. And the cheap prices for these small boxcars make it possible to collect them.
The 16222 Great Northern small boxcar was released in ’90 and ’91 as a separate sale item, one of the few that wasn’t included in a set or Rolling Stock Assortment. It must have been a good selling separate sale item because it is easy to find at a cheap classic price around $10. It complements the green 9339 Great Northern released several years earlier. The graphics are identical between the 2 boxcars. The 16222 has the improved quality trucks of the LTI era vs the MPC era. There are no reported variations
Have fun collecting cheap classics……………………… Papa D
The 16250 Santa Fe completes Mike Connor’s cheap classic small boxcar list that appeared in the November ’94 issue of CTT. Produced in ’93 & ’94 as a separate sale item, it is easy to find priced around $10. Except for graphics and body colors, it is exactly the same as the 16227 Santa Fe produced two years earlier. It has the distinction of being the last cataloged small boxcar produced by LTI. Almost 20 years would pass before another small boxcar would be produced by Lionel. There are no reported variations.
During the MPC/LTI eras, there was only one small boxcar that holds the distinction of being cataloged but not produced, the 9377 Missouri Pacific that was going to be part of the 1051 Texas & Pacific Diesel set. Since it appeared in a ’80 catalog photo, a prototype once and may still exist. If anyone is lucky enough to have this prototype it would great if they could share a photo.
While Mike’s cheap classic boxcar list is complete, there are a couple of small boxcars that maybe should have been on the list. So this thread will continue a while longer.
Really enjoying this thread!
The 9376 Soo line and 16226 Union Pacific small boxcars might have been marginally eligible to make Mike Connor’s original list. Both were included in Rolling Stock Assortments, although not shown or specifically mentioned in a catalog.
The Soo Line was produced in ’81 and in addition to being included in some RSA’s it was also in the un-cataloged 1157 Wabash Cannonball Set. It has a white body with black graphics. It’s relatively scarce, generally selling at a premium price. There has been one for sale off-and-on on eBay for $88.69 including shipping. It comes with an original box which means it’s from a RSA. Unfortunately I’ve not been able to find one at a cheap classic price, so I’ve no photo to share.
The Union Pacific was produced in ’90 and ’91. In addition to being included in some RSA’s it was also included in the un-cataloged 11785 Cosco Union Pacific Set and the 11796 Union Pacific Set. As seen in the below photo it carries the number 6226. It is easier to find under this number at a cheap classic price of about $15.
The 7901 Lionel Lines ('82 & ’83), 16614 Reading (’89), and 16624 New Haven (’90 & ’91) almost qualify as cheap class boxcars. All were cataloged as separate sale items that sold during the time period covered by Mike Connor’s list. As seen in the photos below, the Reading with the 2 tone body and the New Haven (my favorite RR) with the 2 color graphics are particularly appealing.
So, why weren’t they part of the list? Unfortunately all three are Cop & Hobo boxcars that just happen to be in the traditional 027 size. The attachment feature for the platform can be seen on the roof catwalk.
However, when displayed on a shelf above eye level, they fit right in with all the “regular” cheap classic boxcars. Most important is I enjoy them as part of my cheap classic small boxcar collection.
In the 60’s Lionel produced several un-catalogued sets that included Chung King, WIx Filters, RCA Whirlpool and Libby Tomato Juice small boxcars. This was repeated during the MPC/LTI eras with un-cataloged sets that included small boxcars bearing the names Toys-R-US, Kay Bee Toys, Town House TV and Appliances, Sears, Tappan, Ace Hardware, Mopar, Shoprite, Hawthorne, Macy’s and JC Penny. There may have been a few more I’ve missed. Unlike their Post-War brethren, the MPC/LTI era un-cataloged small box cars can generally be found in the “cheap classic” price range. I have a few in my “cheap classic” small boxcar collection. My favorite is the JC Penny 9054 that was part of the 1796 PC Penny Cargo Master set produced in ’77. I find the deep yellow color very appealing.
While my last post featuring the un-cataloged JC Penny 9054 small boxcar was an unexpected “hit” on my appeal scale, the opposite is true for the 16205 Mopar Express. With its three color graphics, this small boxcar should be a “hit”, however I find it rather drab looking thus scoring low on my appeal scale. It bears the body number 1987 which matches its Blt by Lionel date. A difference between the stock and body numbers always adds confusion when search for an item on auction sites such as eBay. On the other hand this confusion sometimes leads to being able to buy an item at below market value. I bought mine in the cheap classic price range of under $20. It was only sold as part of the un-cataloged 11757 Mopar Express Set in ’87 & ‘88.
The 7908 Tappan small boxcar was part of the un-catalogued 1265 Tappan Special Set from ’82. Rather simple but aesthetically effective white graphics on a deep red body. Somewhat hard to find at the cheap classic upper price range limit of about $25. Certainly a bargain compared to the post-war 6014 Wix Filters small boxcar.
I’ve come to the end-of-the-line with a great looking un-catalogued small boxcar, the True Value 9046 that was part of the 1698 True Value Rock Island Line set produced in ’76. It’s as big a hit with its 4 color graphics and the 16205 Mopar Express was a miss.
This is a great small boxcar to end this series inspired by Mike Connor’s second article on “cheap classics” that appeared in the November ’94 issue of CTT. Again, many thanks to Mike for his original article. I’ve had fun collecting his list of small cheap classic box cars and a few that weren’t on his list.
Part of the fun associated with this hobby is the willingness to share. I enjoy reading other posts on this forum. So hopefully this is a small repayment.
Fortunately, Mike wrote a series of 4 articles, so starting soon I will pay tribute to his third cheap classic article that covered 2 bay hoppers and gondolas.
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