Buy/Make Anything Cool Lately (Tinplate Version)

@Don McErlean posted:

@Mallard4468-  Hey not to be telling you what you already know, but I wondered if you knew that the "strap" headlights on your #10 body actually date the piece.  The strap headlights were only used in 1925-1926 and then in 1927 Lionel switched to the cast headlight housing which was used until the model was withdrawn in about 1931.  Anyway thought you might like to know .

Best Wishes

Don

Thanks for the info, but that's not my #10 - it's in @RonH's post above.

Picked up this 178 set from 1932 this past weekend, it was sitting on the floor in an antique store that usually doesn’t have stuff like this. I only found it because I almost tripped over the box. It even included the little Santa/Elf guy on the observation car who surprised us when I pulled the car out of its box. The trailing truck is missing and it will probably need new drive wheels but it was a nice Christmas present at a nice price.

@StudeDude - Ted that is a really nice set.  According to my reference on Catalogued Sets, Set 178 with the 259 loco and 1 coach and 1 obs was catalogued in the 1932 catalogue.  The box is the SUPER part, today the value of the box sometimes exceeds the value of the trains inside.  What a find!

Best Wishes and Happy Holidays

Don

@Don McErlean posted:

@StudeDude - Ted that is a really nice set.  According to my reference on Catalogued Sets, Set 178 with the 259 loco and 1 coach and 1 obs was catalogued in the 1932 catalogue.  The box is the SUPER part, today the value of the box sometimes exceeds the value of the trains inside.  What a find!

Best Wishes and Happy Holidays

Don

Thanks Don! I think there were three sets in 1932 with the 259 loco, it has a reverse lever in the cab with no E unit. The set box, car, loco, and tender boxes are all there plus a little box of track locks plus all the original silver tie track. The only thing missing that I can see is the trailing truck. It was a pleasant surprise to find it, plus about 10 minutes later I found three Lobaugh tank cars in a shop across the street so it’s definitely a train themed Christmas this year!

A pair of adapter coupler cars.  The Railway Express 478 boxcar has a knuckle coupler at one end and an American Flyer 3/16" O gauge link coupler at the other.

The 2655 Railway Express boxcar (numbered 6572-75) has a postwar truck at one end and a box coupler compatible with 600/2600 series cars at the other.

Middle photo is a train with the adapter coupler car.