Determining age/value of Lionel Equipment

[Anonymous]

I recently was given some Lionel track and equipment. What is the best way to determine the age and value of it?

There are two Automatically Controlled 1 1/4" Gauge Switches (number 711) with two controllers and wiring. There are also six curved sections of the same gauge, one with a terminal.

Also what power should be apllied to the switches to verify operation.

Thanks,

Larry

[Anonymous]

Hi Larry,

The 711 switches were the first O-72 switches (6-foot diameter curve) Lionel made for its tubular track. They date from 1935-1942.

They were sold in left/right pairs, and depending on condition (and if you have their original boxes) the pair are valued at between $90 and $225. They should work at between 12 and 18 volts AC, presuming the inner workings aren't gummed up. The curved pieces of track likely are of the same vintage, but have little value.

Sincerely,
Neil Besougloff
editor, Classic Toy Trains

[Anonymous]

Hi Neil,

Thanks for the response. I have both the left and the righht and have the "lanterns" that go over the lights. There are two controllers and wiring, althought the outer rubber insulation on one of the leads is pretty checked and worn.

I have the original box, but it is in very poor condition, although the label and some of the Lionel packing tape is still in place.

I also have a Lionel Union Pacific all steel streamlined passenger car body in fairly good shape, but it is missing the trucks and couplers, there is also one rough spot on the paint.

I expect this is in the same category as the curved track in that it has little value.

What does it cost to advertise these items in your publication? Or is eBay a batter way to go?

Thanks again for your assistance.

Larry

[Anonymous]

LARRY, If you go to EBAY,they will explain everything you need to know for selling items,there is a section(EBAY) for lionel trains & parts,do you have a LIONEL CLUB,near by,maybe ask at a hobby or train store in your area,someone might just by the passenger for parts,or maybe buy & fix up & run.. have fun......

[cwburfle]

Don't be too certain about that UP body. Since your track is 072, it could be that your UP cab is a piece of a desirable Lionel UP articulated train. If so, the trucks of the center cars were detachable, because they were shared between two cars. The car should have a number on the side. The number will go a long way to identify it. Is it silver colored?

[Dave Farquhar]

Larry, I definitely recommend you visit your local library and see if you can find either a price guide or a Greenberg guide for pre-war Lionel equipment. (Do a search on "Greenberg Guide" in your library's catalog). This will give you an idea what your items are worth, but be sure to read the section on grading. I was at an estate sale two weeks ago where someone had gone to the library to find out what the trains were worth and priced them accordingly, except he had mint prices and none of his items were mint (perfect) condition!

I agree with the others that eBay is probably the best way to sell the items, if that's what you decide you want to do. One thing you should probably know (I'm letting the secret out) is that this time of year is the slow time for train sales. You're likely to get higher prices if you list them around Thanksgiving, when people are getting their trains out of the attic or basement for Christmas and feeling nostalgic.

This is definitely true of common items like track. Track isn't quite worthless, but I've got bad news for the guy who has a bunch of American Flyer track on eBay right now with a Buy-it-Now price of $65--old O gauge track realistically sells for between 25 cents and a dollar per section, depending on condition.

For more rare and/or desirable items, there's less of a seasonal difference, of course.

If you're just looking to sell it quickly, a local Lionel dealer or train club would be a good bet, but keep in mind most dealers use half book value as a starting point because they have to make a profit in order to stay in business.

As for testing switches to see if they work, a crude test is to run a wire from a transformer to the two outside posts and then turn the transformer on to see if you can get it to switch. Then try moving one or the other wire to the middle post and see if it switches again. The solenoids in switches are awfully durable, in my experience a switch rarely needs anything more than a little cleaning and maybe a blast of powdered graphite inside the solenoid to bring it to working order.

I hope this helps.

[earledward]

I have three GS.4 Northern 4-8-4- locomotives & tenders. Number on each is 4449One of them is in American Freedom Train 5-6501( Red,white & blue) in excellent condition in foam in original box............The other two GS.4'are in Southern Pacific daylight colours and are in excellent condition and operate well both forward & reverse>They are all made by Lionel and are HO scale.I wi***o sell all three of them,can you give me an idea of what each is worth.I have been a model railroader since age of 5 and am now 71.I have a hugh collection and am disposing of many items that are old.Thanks ......Earl