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Wed Oct 22, 2008 12:15 pm

I was helping my grandpa get ready for a yard sale yesterday when I stumbled upon some ANCIENT model trains. He told me they were from his childhood and he was just going to see what he could get for them in the yard sale. I flipped out, took them from him and told him I would try to find a good home for them . . . . meaning get closer to what they are worth for him. It looks like some train cars and a caboose. The engine was destroyed in a flood some time ago.

Couple of questions.

1.) Are any of you guys familiar with old, I believe them to be Lionel, trains?

2.) Where would be a good place to research the value of these.

3.) Do I still use photobucket to post pics on here? Its been awhile.

I know this post makes me sound greedy but thats not the case. I will not be profiting from this. Any money they bring in will be handed to my grandpa who wouldn't be getting rid of these unless he needed the money.

Your help will be GREATLY appreciated.

Jeremy

Wed Oct 22, 2008 12:45 pm

I'm sure they're worth coin if they didn't suffer in that Flood! Google It!

Wed Oct 22, 2008 12:46 pm

There are some big bucks in old Lionel trains...check on ebay, see if you can find any identifying markings on there as to what year/series they are from. If you have a local hobby shop, they may have some info...I know there are lots of books on them too. The local hobby/model train store in Spencer has several old Lionel trains on display. Cars can be worth anywhere from $15 to $1500 (but that's pretty rare)
good luck,

Wed Oct 22, 2008 1:10 pm

My 73 year old neighbor drug home a beautiful restored 50 Mercury flathead V8 w/suicide doors & lake pipes from MN about 6 months ago for 23K! The other day when I was rapping about TheSamba he & his wife ask me if there's a Mercury Club??? Googled them the International Mercury Owners Club etc. and they're both on the Internet now! You should be able to do the same with Trains.

Wed Oct 22, 2008 3:08 pm

A couple of years ago my father in law pulled out his Lionel train to park it in front of the Xmas tree

Having HO stuff set up in our basement, there was no way that 'parking' that train would fly past my boys. He had the power pack, engine, cars, some accessories, but not enough track.

I went to the hobby store we frequent, cringed at the price of new track, and asked the guy behind the counter if they had any used track for sale. He dissapeared into the basement, came back with a huge box of used track and said pick what you want.

Thats when he told me they buy from esates, and have a list of guys looking for certain things- they all want trains, cars, accessories, and dont want the track.

Go find the local train store. Take pictures. I'd say keep em, get some track, find an engine and get em working- your granddad will get a kick out of it.

Wed Oct 22, 2008 4:24 pm

Keep it if you can.
I got Lionel stuff from my Dad every Christmas when I was a kid.
(that was in the late '40s- early'50s)
My sons used it and we added to the collection.
Now my oldest boy has a five year old son who just loves this tough
old stuff. :D
It is big enough for little hands to work with.
Keep it---your kids will love it.

Wed Oct 22, 2008 4:54 pm

And-
Lionel can be repaired

Wed Oct 22, 2008 5:20 pm

I still have my first loinel train set from the late 50`s or early 60`s it`s at moms house somewhere. It was just the HO set nothing special. The one thing that was cool was was the car that hauled nucleler wast that lit up.

Wed Oct 22, 2008 6:08 pm

I used to work at a publisher that printed price books as well as magazine's dedicated to the "toy" train. The only thing wrong with the price books is that, like everything, the item is really only worth what someone is willing to pay you for it. Not what some book says what it's worth. I'm with Iowegian, keep them if you can. I've bought and sold many pieces, but have kept the ones I received as a kid or from family.

Wed Oct 22, 2008 8:17 pm

In the Lionel world a lot has to do with how rare a model is. I use to belong to a world wide train club named T.T.O.S (Toy Train Operating Society). Use to hit up garage sales and live toy train auctions for anything I could find I mostly modeled in HO Scale but I did have plenty of Lionel trains including LGB trains standard gauge trians and some N scale. Like I said depending on what train set you may have it could be worth a lot. Pre war trains are where its at but even having a rare post war set like the girls set where the locomotive was pink with the rest of the rolling stock being pastel colors. After getting into the VW Hobby I since sold most if not all of my Lionel collection but only kept a few or the rare models like an original never opened in the box Mickey mouse hand car. Now that I am older I started collecting again with my youngest son modeling mostly old American large articulated steam locomotives with a few modern General Electric diesels. I would keep the old trains cos now I regret getting rid of the ones I had.

Wed Oct 22, 2008 8:31 pm

twinwindows wrote: only kept a few or the rare models like an original never opened in the box Mickey mouse hand car.

I thought I needed a Schuco Disneyland Monorail a few months ago, but that weird intersection of Train Collectors and Disney Collectors was just insane. Those fools pay more money for that stuff than I can afford. I lost about 10 auctions in a row before I just gave up on that idea.

Thu Oct 23, 2008 3:15 am

Hang on to your caboose! Those trains may be worth more than you think. My parents nought a house in 1970 that had an 8 x 12 'box' attached to the garage wall. It folded down and revealed the most amazing train lay out that I had ever seen. It was all HO with 7 engines, 5 tracks and 5 transformers. Had the whole town and every thing. Even a working electrical round house with decouplers. I could spend hours in that garage running those trains. They sold the house in 1978. Had a huge moving sale and guess what? The train lay out was sold for $75.00! I just about died. The engines alone were easily worth twice that, each..........

Thu Oct 23, 2008 6:55 am

twinwindows wrote: I Now that I am older I started collecting again with my youngest son modeling mostly old American large articulated steam locomotives with a few modern General Electric diesels.

NICE! Man, that's some money there, too...especially if it's all the dcc stuff with all the sounds, lights, etc...

Thu Oct 23, 2008 7:30 am

Jeremy there is a place in San Diego Calif. who works on trains and transformers. The name of the place is Frank the Train Man. I would call him and see what it would cost to fix your problem. His site is down at this time.

Good Luck.

Thu Oct 23, 2008 7:59 am

I still think about when my grandpa passed away and my grandma posted an ad in the paper for all his HO train stuff (half a basement full) - basically BO - first guy sghowed up, offered $2000 cash and my grandma said "sold!" - I'm sure he knew he got a deal...

his layout was about 40'x20' and represented the train lines of northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin

Thu Oct 23, 2008 9:25 am

Keep Them! The value goes up ,especially on the Old " O" gage lionels. THE older ho's sometimes go up,depending on if the person is a collector. Nowadays,the modern rails and trucks are way more advanced then the old ho's that thedon't run them on the new tracks,so they sit ...like in Twinwindos' photo. Love them big boys!! I sold a bunch of old cars and engines,riverossi's,bachmans,etc.from the early 70's. still wrapped up in boxes and newspapers from the 70's. Just wanted to get them out of the attic...(Texas).so they won't get destroyed. Made the fella a great deal. Like old VW's,It was more important to me to see them go to a good home then hold onto to them anylonger and let them get destroyed.

Thu Oct 23, 2008 9:29 am

I have a bunch of old HO train stuff i would be willing to sell. about 6 cars and one engine, all still in the original boxes. also have some track, transformer and a couple houses.

I bought them about 15 years ago at a garage sale and put them up. they are probably about 30 years old or more?

PM me if interested.

Thu Oct 23, 2008 12:27 pm

forgot I had this pic (guess I could post it in the Desktop thread)
:)
It's got my new collection of N scale Southern box cars in the middle there...

I'm trying to figure out how I can run a small loop layout in here without being too noticeable.

Thu Oct 23, 2008 1:00 pm

Thanks for the info guys. I would like to keep them but my grandpa needs the money and I don't have any to give him. I'll post pics soon.

Thu Oct 23, 2008 6:01 pm

Skims box car. 8)