Let's see some complete vintage sets!

I believe your #526 Marx mechanical set would be from the early 1970's.  Not sure of the exact year that Marx began using that box, but I know it was used in 1972.  It was at the very end of 6" tin car production for Marx - their last mechanical sets switched to 4 wheel plastic cars with a similar #401 windup loco. 

WindupGuy posted:

I believe your #526 Marx mechanical set would be from the early 1970's.  Not sure of the exact year that Marx began using that box, but I know it was used in 1972.  It was at the very end of 6" tin car production for Marx - their last mechanical sets switched to 4 wheel plastic cars with a similar #401 windup loco. 

Would not have guessed '70s. Thank you for the insight!

This page from the 1972 Sears Christmas catalog shows the Marx #526 Mechanical set.  I got this set for Christmas in 1972, and it has the same box as yours.

I do like the Hafner mechanical trains... Especially that box art!

 

Not exactly a complete set... but a set nonetheless!

Here is a Marx 528 set (I don't know what the difference is with a 526 set) and a Gilbert American Flyer NYC Hudson set:

More and all kinds of vintage train-sets here: http://sncf231e.nl/presentation-of-boxed-train-sets/

Regards

Fred

Here's 2 of mine. The Sears set was my brothers who received it Christmas 1960. He passed away in Feb. 1961.

The other set is a Marx Battery operated set which I never ran when I got it in the 50s. Has original oval and 4 pieces of straight track also.

1954 set headed by 2065 steamer and coffin style caboose:

Some of you know the number for this set. I think it starts with WS.

Dad saved the trains, but no boxes or paperwork. Arnold

Here's  mine from about 1963 still proudly displayed in my office

Only one I have.

The Lionel set should be 1952.  The Marx set, I have no idea.

Bill DeBrooke posted:

The Lionel set should be 1952.  The Marx set, I have no idea.

Auto coupler sets were only made for a couple of years, so it’s going to be in the 1938-41 range.

Steve

Some of my O and HO...

My father's set.  I think the tanker was an add on item. 

More Lionel postwar please, and THANKS!  ☺

Cool thread idea!  I have nothing to contribute so I'll be lurking! 

My originals are all incomplete. I could assemble 3-5 I don't have a list A really miss the postwar sets by year site. Anyone know what happened or who owned it etc.? It vanished after the new postwar sets site showed and the new one is incomplete and hard to use compared to the list by year site. Gone about a year, two tops, but some months it was gone as well. My device doesn't work on the wayback machine archive or I'd do a file assembly in word or PDF.

I posted these images in another thread back in July and ADRIATIC gave me some information about it.  

This item and the story is about as vintage as I can get. 

I found this in the attic rafters of my grandmother's home in Baltimore when helping to clean it sometime in 1979.  My Aunt told me it was to be a Christmas present for my father and it was forgotten about or hidden too well.  

sncf231e posted:

Here is a Marx 528 set (I don't know what the difference is with a 526 set) and a Gilbert American Flyer NYC Hudson set:

Fred

Fred, that #528 Marx Mechanical set is interesting.  The only difference I can spot between your #528 set and my #526 set is that you locomotive has the cover over the bottom of the motor.  For most of the years of production of the 401 mechanical, the motor was open on the bottom.  I know for a fact that the #526 set sold up to 1972 didn't have the cover on the bottom of the locomotive.  The later #530 sets (with 4 wheel plastic cars and plastic track) include a 401 locomotive that has the motor cover, but is made of a gray colored plastic instead of the black plastic typically seen in the earlier 401's.  

I have quite a few 401's - I believe I have all the variations - and I do have one that appears to be completely original with a black plastic body and motor cover.  I've always left it as-is, and now I'm glad that I did.  I'll be on the lookout for a #528 set for my collection - thanks for sharing the video.

Here is a #530 set from my collection, circa 1975ish.  Note that the cover shows the set with a 401, tender, yellow SCL gondola and red Santa Fe caboose - that is how most of them came.  However, a few have surfaced like this one that include the green Erie flatcar instead.  Marx has a lot of fun variations to collect!

My all-time favorite - I didn't receive it in 1953 like I had originally wished for. But, finally fulfilled that wish many years later.

Jim

 

Me, too.  Still waiting for mine.  Any kid back then that didn't pray for that set didn't have a soul.

SteveC posted:

I posted these images in another thread back in July and ADRIATIC gave me some information about it.  

This item and the story is about as vintage as I can get. 

I found this in the attic rafters of my grandmother's home in Baltimore when helping to clean it sometime in 1979.  My Aunt told me it was to be a Christmas present for my father and it was forgotten about or hidden too well.  

Wartime Lionel paper trains. My guess is that this might be very valuable.

From 1952, here is my 2183ws Lionel set headed up by a 726RR Berkshire.

726RR Berkshire

2046w whistle tender

3464  ATSF operating boxcar

6465 Double dome tank car

6462 NYC gondola

6457 Caboose 

I found this set mislabeled and mispriced on Craigslist as a “scout set.” Bad photographs and all. I couldn’t make out exactly what it was, but it didn’t look exactly like a scout set. When I inquired on the set, I found out that it was actually this very nice, top of the line set from 1952. I told him it was worth probably double/triple what he was asking and it was out of my budget and too nice for a toy train for my toddler son.   He said he appreciated my honesty, but was happy to sell at the listed price to someone that appreciates it.   It is a beautiful set and it will be my son’s when he is able to appreciate it too.

 

Some of my sets, all original except the girls train...I’ve been piecing it together......Pat

Here is the Pre-War Hiawatha Freight Set # 757W with all the original boxes.  

The set on top has never seen the rails...as mint as mint can get with out being in a sealed box....belonged to one of my co-workers grandfather.....got it many many moons ago...have all boxes, and set box....nothing rare, just a really nice outfit....Pat

harmonyards posted:

The set on top has never seen the rails...as mint as mint can get with out being in a sealed box....belonged to one of my co-workers grandfather.....got it many many moons ago...have all boxes, and set box....nothing rare, just a really nice outfit....Pat

Is that a 675 leading the way? 

JD2035RR posted:

harmonyards posted:

The set on top has never seen the rails...as mint as mint can get with out being in a sealed box....belonged to one of my co-workers grandfather.....got it many many moons ago...have all boxes, and set box....nothing rare, just a really nice outfit....Pat

Is that a 675 leading the way? 

Early 2025.....47 model......Pat

Cool back story on that set JD, the fella who owned it was a die-hard American Flyer youngster.....the lionel set was gifted to him by a family member......it stayed in a cedar trunk till 1995 when the fella handed it down to my buddy at work, who wanted nothing to do with it...I tried to pay for the set, but he insisted I take it and be the custodian of it.......the set to this day smells of  perfect cedar........Pat

A couple of American Flyer sets.

My original Lionel set.....brought by Santa, Christmas 58.....

Peter

A couple sets probably from'42.  Most of the boxes came with.  763 and 226.

A few more PostWar sets......

From 1956:

Marx from about 1955....

From 1957....

The steam set in the front is an Abraham & Strauss department store special set from about 61.....

Peter

Gilbert pioneered the use of set display boxes and continued to utilize this format for trains during their entire existence in order to promote sales.  Fred's 1938 Gilbert HO set posted above is an example. Taking the term "complete" literally, two Gilbert American Flyer sets are shown below in their display boxes as a young person might have first viewed them on Christmas morning. The first is a difficult to find 1940 3/16" scale No. 4021 O gauge NYC Hudson Freight Train set in which the J3a Hudson, tender, and the rolling stock are (mostly) all die cast. The second is from 20 years later; a 1960 S gauge No. 20605 Arrow set in which the Reading Atlantic locomotive, tender, and rolling stock are subsequently (mostly) all plastic. Note the display flap with artwork illustrating the Arrow as assembled on its prototypically correct  2-rail track. Although two decades apart, both sets are consistently built to 3/16" scale.

Have fun!

Bob

Surprising (to me) how many Marx sets have been posted already... 

Mark in Oregon

A few of my sets......Jesse  TCA

I have three post-war sets to show.  All sets have their original boxes and in the case of the two Lionel sets the  component boxes are present.  The first set manufactured in 1958 is Lionel  freight set#1590 and is still in excellent operating condition and I still love the the orange/red stripe on the 2-4-2 engine and its tender. 

The second set manufactured by Lionel in 1948 is set#1423W. The set still operates flawlessly and the engine's tender still operates very well but is a tad raspy.

The third set is a Marx freight set manufactured in either 1957 or 1958.  The set # is 52282.  The engine is a little 2-4-2 and still smokes beautifully.  The set is in great operating condition.  All three sets belonged to my Dad and Grandfather.

T

Jim Policastro posted:

My all-time favorite - I didn't receive it in 1953 like I had originally wished for. But, finally fulfilled that wish many years later.

Jim

 

I imagine very few people got this set in 1953. At a price of $90, using the inflation index, that set would cost $850 in today's dollars. In 1953, that was a boatload of money. Only fairly wealthy people could spend that on a toy train.

A few more of mine......

New Haven set, circa 62......

Top shelf: UP set, 1951........

Set of all the 6464s.....but not the originals, the redo’s fromthe 90s......

Peter

In 1977 I purchase a 1956 American Flyer Northern Pacific passenger set. Here is a picture of it sitting on my layout. When I had it, I never ran it.