I like 6414 Auto Loaders!

6465 Sunoco tank car

Milk cars!

Boat Loader

Yellow Cattle car, we only had one but it was great to play with.  Now I have two.  But the trains store has plenty

Bay window caboose.

I think it was from my 1959 NP GP set. The aquarium car was great. Noisy but great. It amazed me how the fish would wiggle. Also, IT LIGHTED UP!!  
From the same set was the fire/ladder car. A close second.
I’ve had other fun cars, but those two being from my original set makes  them my favorites.  In fact,  I like that set so much that I bought the post-war celebration set as well (even though I still have my original one).
Alan

I don't think I will pick a car.  I probably had as much fun with the gang car as any other item.

This is hard! I guess if I had to chose, it would be tank cars.

Impossible for me to pick just one - they are all perfect 😊 - well most

I’m wondering if there’s any that I don’t like 🤔

I’m kind of a fan of the 6414 Auto Loader too!

My wife votes for the 6414 Auto Loader - and she's always right!

Gee, mine too, Don

John - your wife likes Auto Loaders too?

Here's another postwar favorite - always a big hit with visitors!

Milk Cars are my favorite. I don't have one on my layout, but I want one.

I have many of those cars that were mentioned that I am going to sell...just don't know what price to ask for them.

@Don Winslow posted:

John - your wife likes Auto Loaders too?

Here's another postwar favorite - always a big hit with visitors!

No, but like your wife, Mrs. 'Ski is always right

That's what I thought John - but my wife is very supportive of my hobbies, so who's complaining?

Don't forget the postwar cabooses - here's one of my favorites!

Lionelski, great Question, great topic, I love the 3461 flat operating log cars, the 3469 coal dump cars, the Evans 6414 shape auto loader cars, the 16 inch center flat cars with the girder bridge loads, the operating barrel car, and yes the aquarium cars, all add interest to our great hobby. Lionel has hit a lot of home runs over the years with their creativity offering automated freight and passenger cars. For the 2021 volume 2 catalog, there’s an operating hobo car with sounds, Wow. Your auto carrier train looks great on your cool layout. Happy Railroading Everyone.  ( oh yes, that’s a beautiful FM Lackawanna pulling the train)

Postwar is one of the main eras of Lionel I collect, and after 9 years of collecting O scale I definitely have some favorites to list. One of them is the N5c caboose, mainly the PRR 6417. I don't have the version that is missing the "NEW YORK ZONE" lettering, but it's still one of my favorite cabooses from the Postwar era. In fact, I think the N5c is one of my favorite cabooses of all time. I currently own 6 or 7 of them across a few different manufacturers.

@Don Winslow posted:

That's what I thought John - but my wife is very supportive of my hobbies, so who's complaining?

Don't forget the postwar cabooses - here's one of my favorites!

Nice Don. My first set of trains (circa 1962) had some of the military cars which were popular at the time. Honestly, I never liked them, but I still love the work caboose which came with my set - a Santa Fe 6130. This is a stock picture since mine is packed away somewhere in the basement (appropriately on Super-O track which came with my set).

6650 missile car. Man I played with that one a lot as a kid with my green army men. Still have it too. Still works great.

I agree regarding the auto-loaders ( with some interesting variations) and the work cabooses. I would have to add in the flat cars with vans and both the small and large hoppers. And cabooses. And the flats with the military loads or the few construction vehicles.  BUT-NEVER in my life would I have guessed that over 20 replies about our most favorite PW freight cars would not include votes for the king of them all-the 6464 box cars !! What have we all come to ??    ;o(      turtle7

Boxcars!!!! right now postwar and modern cheapo plugdoor boxcars and 9400 series boxcars. So much variety

Roseville, where did you get the plants in the garden at your produce stand?

Best, John

@turtle7 posted:

I agree regarding the auto-loaders ( with some interesting variations) and the work cabooses. I would have to add in the flat cars with vans and both the small and large hoppers. And cabooses. And the flats with the military loads or the few construction vehicles.  BUT-NEVER in my life would I have guessed that over 20 replies about our most favorite PW freight cars would not include votes for the king of them all-the 6464 box cars !! What have we all come to ??    ;o(      turtle7

6464's are some of my fav's too turtle7.

Here is about half of my PostWar accumulation of these

I've also gone crazy with modern era "Mint" (bullion" cars. I ran a train of 17 of them not too long ago - the modern trucks and light weight made this possible. Again, this is about half of my accumulation of these

Perhaps I have too many "favorites" because I keep thinking of more - here's another one, best viewed at night!

Getting back to the 6414's, I made easy, reversible, mods to mine to keep the autos from sliding off the car's ends when the train is highballing.

I cut pieces of 1/16 thick, black painted, balsa to fit wedged into the ends of these cars. Not noticeable and works great.

Lionelski  Thanks for the reply!!  Being an old Charles Weber fan, I consider myself to be a "6464 nut"-as he did. His series in the TCA Quarterly remain accurate and informative. You have restored my faith in mankind !!   turtle 7

I've always liked the cable reel car.

I’ve got the “old-school” 6424 single level auto transport car. It’s part of my original three car train set and one of my favorites!

John

Lionelski, I’ve been kicking around for a while collecting the gold bullion cars, your collection is very impressive. I’d love to have a list of the ones you have. That would really help me get started with that collection. My email is in my profile if you happen to have that available. Thank you,  Joel

no problem if you don’t have it.

@JDFonz posted:

Lionelski, I’ve been kicking around for a while collecting the gold bullion cars, your collection is very impressive. I’d love to have a list of the ones you have. That would really help me get started with that collection. My email is in my profile if you happen to have that available. Thank you,  Joel

no problem if you don’t have it.

I'll copy it off f my inventory lists and email it in a minute JDFonz.

Be careful - they are addictive and Lionel makes more every year. I only now buy those with real road names.

Don't forget there are also what I call "display" cars ("Mint" car window bodies with objects inside such as smoke pellets, King Tut, etc) AND the motorized "display" cars such as the Aquarium cars.

Lionel has truly made the most of these body molds

I agree, the 6414 is my favorite Lionel Postwar freight car.  I also tend to favor 6424s as well as 6650s.

Thanks Ski, yes aware of all the additional cars, I was going to focus on gold and silver though.  Thank you again!

Joel

I have one of the early versions. It's my only postwar car. I may get a few more PW cars later if I find some that I like and the price is right.

Despite this:

https://youtu.be/pcqfa_uj2hA

I still like Auto Loaders

I love searchlight cars

I just sold a Lionel Searchlight Car & a Lionel #6414 Auto Loader Car yesterday. I was the Original Owner of them. They were bought new for me many...many years ago...when I was a kid...50 plus years ago.

I like 6414s & 6424s.