How to tell when Lionel 6414 was made?

You can check out Tandem Associates for their information on the 10 or so variations over the 11 year production run along with the styles of automotives it carried:

https://www.tandem-associates....ns_6414_flat_car.htm

Other than known changes in a design or color from year to year, how is the date of manufacture determined on a car like the 6414 that remained virtually unchanged for several years?

If there are no differences in the color or decoration, then some of the things that can be used to determine the year are:
How the truck is attached to the car.
Type of truck

There are variations on the bar end metal truck that include:

Type of rivet used on knuckle
Type of spring used on the uncoupling armature plate.
Whether the rivet head is on the plate side or the spring side.
Whether there is a finger tab on the uncoupling armature plate.

There are variations in the construction of plastic trucks too.

Thanks for the responses. The Tandem Associates site is great and had a lot of very good information. Looks like mine is '55-'57 vintage. There was good info on their site about the cars that came with the auto loaders and the flat car trucks as well. They didn't get really detailed as far as spring types, rivet placement, etc. that could have possibly narrowed it down to a specific year.  Perhaps that is too much to ask and the ball park year range is okay for me, so all is well.

Mike:

Glad you were able to get your question answered.  I wouldn’t trust that seller who told you he had one from the 40’s because as you found out that item was not produced until 1955. 

Re your comment “I don't see dates on any post war cars” I recall seeing built dates on many Lionel postwar freight cars and cabooses.  I would go out on a limb and say that in the early post war years not having a built date was the exception as most cars had a date.  Not sure when it ended as a quick check of postwar cars on the layout and shelves in my train room shows that at least half the freight cars and cabeese have built dates with the latest one I noticed being 1957.  Exceptions were flat cars such as the flat car used with the auto loader because the body of a flat car is usually too small for much data other than the road name and catalog number.  Back in those days an item was often cataloged and manufactured for many years in a row but the built date printed on the car or “new” date as it was sometimes called didn’t change.   

Bill

You have to be careful with those autos on the 6414 / 6424 flats. Madison Hardware made repros that are marked Lionel.

Plus, while I was a regular customer in the NYC store I never saw or was offered any autos in the custom colors that are offered as Madison Hardware product on EBay. I purchased those autos by the dozen.

Lionel did make some cars in colors other than the four that were commonly used on the 6414 / 6424 cars.  (red, yellow, turquoise, white)
One color that comes to mind is brown. Madison never had any. I did buy a reproduction set after Madison (NYC) closed, that were sold as such (not claimed to be Madison product)

In addition to colors, there are versions with chromed and unchromed bumpers.

I am fairly certain that the molds that were owned by Madison are still in use.

The cheepie one piece autos have been reproduced too.

 If I am not mistaken, I think somewhere in one of my reference books I remember reading that the repro cars were slightly different in overall length than the original cars. 

Jim

 If I am not mistaken, I think somewhere in one of my reference books I remember reading that the repro cars were slightly different in overall length than the original cars. 

True, but unless you carry an original around for comparison, it would be hard to judge. IMHO, better indicators are the fit of the "glass" window inserts and the frame to body fit. Plus there is a rib running down each side of the car to simulate a molding. It is sharp on an original and sloppy on the repros.

I think a strong indication is the axle. Many, if not all, original cars have axles with the ends formed to hold the wheels in place, and to dress up the ends of the axle.
Repro cars just have the ends of the axle cut, with no real finish.

Mike D posted:

I just bought a 6414 with original autos. The seller stated it was from the '50's, but there is nothing on the car or box to back up this claim. I have seen several for sale that the sellers claim to have different time frames from the late '40's to the early '60's. Except for a difference in the trucks, I don't see anything different between any of them. All of the cars I have from the '70's until now, have the date the car was actually made, even on some of my higher end scale cars. I don't see dates on any post war cars. Other than known changes in a design or color from year to year, how is the date of manufacture determined on a car like the 6414 that remained virtually unchanged for several years? Any insight would be appreciated.

Happy Father's day,

Mike

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