1939 Lionel

[Anonymous]

I have recently aquired a 1939 Lionel Train the series is the 225E. I was wondering if any one could tell me about how much this train could be worth. I also have a crane car, two cabosses one that is a work car, a dump car, and tender. I also have the original track, transformer, owners manual, and all of the wire connectors. If you could give me a good estimate how much this train is worth, it would be appreciated.

[pbjwilson]

That's a good one. 225E's go for some big bucks. They came in a variety of combos and colors. Is yours grey or black? Also is the tender die cast metal?

All depends on the condition as well. Do you have the boxes to the cars? This adds value as well.

In good condition I'll go out on a limb and guess $5-600.

A littlt more info - car numbers and a picture would be great.

[Anonymous]

The Engine again is 225E. Tender not the one with the Engine is 2671W, Work Caboose 6420, Automatic Dumper 3469, Caboose 6457, Crane 2460. I am currently reconditioning the trains and cleaning the tracks. Again the Engine was purchased in 1939, and I want to say the rest were in 1949 or between 1948-1950. The Engine is black and die cast. The rest of the cars are a plastic material. I estimate the amount of work on these trains will be minimal but I am going to take my time and make sure they are perfect. I will soon hope to post pictures.

[Anonymous]

According to the Greenberg price guide to Lionel trains, the values of your pieces are as follows:

225E Engine:
-Black with 2235 or2245 tender: $210-$370
-Black with 2235 plastic tender: $185-$320
-Gun-metal with 2225 or 2265 tender: $200-$345
-Gun-metal with 2235 diecast tender: $285-$730
6420 Work Caboose: $33-$85
3469 Dump Car: $18-$50
6457 Caboose: $17-$33
2460 Crane:
-Grey Cab: $85-$180
-Black Cab: $35-$70

The values will depend on the condition that the trains are in. The higher prices are for pieces that are in excellent condition.

[Anonymous]

I would like as much input from everyone to see how many people can tell how much these are worth. It would allow me to find an average that is adequate and how much I should invest into this train. Again as much input as possible would be thankful.

[Chris F]

There are a number of issues here, all of which tie into "worth".

First, you don't have a "train", at least not as a set, since the loco and cars were manufactured at different times. You already know the 225E was from 1939; here are the years the rolling stock was cataloged:
2460 - 1946 to 50
3469 - 1949 to 55
6420 - 1948 to 50
6457 -1949 to 52
2671W - 1948 to 51
Sets, complete with set boxes, are worth considerably more than individual pieces. The 2671W tender was used with a 671 or 681 turbine (6-8-6) locomotive. Lionel cataloged two sets, 2127WS (1947) and 2143WS (1948) that included the 671/2671, the 3469, and the 2460. I suspect your rolling stock may have come in an uncataloged set offered in 1949 or 1950. You would need the set box to verify this.

Second, condition means A LOT when it comes to Postwar items. The values listed by Sask_Tinplater are for "Good" conditon (scratched, small dents, dirty) and "Excellent" condition (minute scratches or nicks; no dents or rust; exceptionally clean). They represent values obtained at train meets around the country when sold to a private collector. A dealer would pay about half the listed values.

Third, "reconditioning" may have a different meaning to you than many Postwar collectors. Some prefer all original, including nicks and dirt; they don't even care if it operates. Most are okay with cleaning and lubrication. However, very few would accept repainting or external parts replacement as a method to put the item in "perfect" condition. Restored items generaly have a value in the "Very Good" range (i.e., between Good and Excellent).

Finally, the worth of your items is what someone is willing to pay for them. You can search eBay to get an idea of values for on-line sales.

[rtraincollector]

another avenue to go is goto www.ebay.com and go into modle railroads go to O gauge then type in the search at the top the different numbers one at a time and see what they are selling for maybe click on a couple to save and check back when done to see what they sold for. also you get better prices from late november to early feb also [2c][:-^]