Let’s see your Lionel Standard “O” Cars

I have the Canada car. I don't run it as I changed eras and rr focus but when I had semi scale locos I mixed and matched whatever made a train.

Did some more digging... still haven’t found my STD. O Pacemaker, but came upon a few more. I always liked this CP scheme (I have a matching caboose somewhere too!!!).

And a couple of PS-5 covered gondolas, starting with a CP!!!

Paul. Thanks for posting they look nice I have to get some more pics of mine 

Found one of my Pacemaker Std. O boxcars (I’m sure there is another somewhere in my stash). 

Here is a comparison with one of the Pacemaker cars from the 1998 Pacemaker set.

Two things stand out to me. First, there are info marks on the lower right of the Std. O car (not sure what the correct name for this info is). The second is that the 1998 car, although the same size, is significantly heavier than the Std. O car.

Just a note: the PS-5 covered gondolas Paul pictured are not "Standard O" cars that are the subject of this thread.

These gondolas are recent, scale Lionel production items manufactured in China.

Paul. Thanks for posting. Did you check to see if the 1998 has a Metal bottom? I have 2 that are and there heavy but very nice 

@breezinup posted:

Just a note: the PS-5 covered gondolas Paul pictured are not "Standard O" cars that are the subject of this thread.

These gondolas are recent, scale Lionel production items manufactured in China.

I would Appreciate it if you would quit being “Thread Sheriff” on my Topic. If there is something that needs addressed I will take care of it 

@Apples55 posted:

Did some more digging... still haven’t found my STD. O Pacemaker, but came upon a few more. I always liked this CP scheme (I have a matching caboose somewhere too!!!).

And a couple of PS-5 covered gondolas, starting with a CP!!!

Paul. Your Gondolas look fine. Please keep posting and I’m sorry 

@lee drennen posted:

Paul. Your Gondolas look fine. Please keep posting and I’m sorry 

Those gons actually look really nice!  I think I actually like the Santa Fe one the best, and I'm more of an eastern RR kinda guy.

Conrail gondola w/ coal load....

@lee drennen posted:

I would Appreciate it if you would quit being “Thread Sheriff” on my Topic. If there is something that needs addressed I will take care of it 

Well, you must be confused. Below is your post from 9/11. But now when someone posts modern, Chinese-made items, you say "Paul. Your Gondolas look fine. Please keep posting and I’m sorry."

So what IS your target?? Apparently you've now changed it and no longer "appreciate it" if people keep it within the lines of MPC years and 90s rolling stock, as you once said.

(Incidentally, you're not a thread sheriff, either. You don't get to control thread inputs. ) 

lee drennenMember

Breezinup. Yes you are right that’s my target the MPC years and the 90s Standard O Rolling Stock so guys if we can keep it within those lines I would appreciate it. 

Like prototype practice, I made 2 wood chip gondolas from 4. In this case, I used 2 SP Lionel Standard O cars and 1 Wabash and GT Standard O cars plus pieces of styrene.

Terry

Terry. Thanks for posting those wood chip cars  they look very good 

Thanks. Now everybody else's Standard O SP, GT, and Wabash gons are a bit more rare! 

Terry

Orange juice

 Nice Orange Boxes Catdaddy. You have pic of them being pulled a Consist? 

@lee drennen posted:

Paul. Your Gondolas look fine. Please keep posting and I’m sorry 

Thanks, Lee... and no need to apologize. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, so I have pretty thick skin  

As for the gondolas being made in China, while that is true, you have to consider that they were cataloged as Standard O, so that distinction was still used into the early 2000’s.

But returning to the last century, here are two pair of standard O items - they were both from early Lionel Unit Trains. As someone who grew up strictly Lionel, the idea of having multiple identical cars seemed very odd... but, at the time, they looked so good, I had to get some (unfortunately, couldn’t afford the entire sets!!!).

First, from 1985, a pair of BN boxcars:

Second, from 1988, two Chessie hoppers:

@lee drennen posted:

Paul. Thanks for posting. Did you check to see if the 1998 has a Metal bottom? I have 2 that are and there heavy but very nice 

Lee;

Finally got a chance to examine the two Pacemaker cars... the bottoms of both are pretty much identical and fairly detailed molded plastic. But when you open a door on the 1998 car, it indeed has a metal floor over the plastic. The standard O weighs 13 oz. The 1998 car weighs a hefty 1 lb. 8 oz.

I had both the BN set (Engine, box cars, caboose) plus add-on dummy engine and extra box car; but I sold the whole set plus the add-ons a few years. I regret not keeping the box cars. I also had the Chessie Set (engine, hoppers, and caboose) plus the add-on dummy engine and extra hopper. I was smart on that set and keep all 6 of the hoppers and sold only the two engines and caboose. Paul, liked your pictures, brings back great memories.

Incidentally, Lionel has brought back their "Standard O" cars (Lionel's terminology for this category of cars) in their latest catalog. As the description says, these are cars that are scale in size, but simplified in detail. They're less expensive, but have molded in details rather than separately added-on ones, among other differences. For a lot of running situations, though, they're just fine.

Breezinup. Thanks for sharing this the Flat cars look good with the loads and I think I like the Fruit Growers Express one the best. Is this in the 2020 catalog? 

Paul. Thanks for getting back on that. I will have to keep a watch out for that one. I have a B&O and a Rutland that have the metal floors I’ll try to get some pics of them this weekend I’ve been busy this week. 

Dudley. You have some pics of the Chessie cars? 

@Apples55 posted:

Thanks, Lee... and no need to apologize. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, so I have pretty thick skin  

As for the gondolas being made in China, while that is true, you have to consider that they were cataloged as Standard O, so that distinction was still used into the early 2000’s.

But returning to the last century, here are two pair of standard O items - they were both from early Lionel Unit Trains. As someone who grew up strictly Lionel, the idea of having multiple identical cars seemed very odd... but, at the time, they looked so good, I had to get some (unfortunately, couldn’t afford the entire sets!!!).

First, from 1985, a pair of BN boxcars:

Second, from 1988, two Chessie hoppers:

Paul. I was born in The Missouri Ozark Foothills but always had a East Coast attitude I love the eastern states. When I drove over the road I always tried to get loads to New York and Jersey now I’m a city driver in St. Louis and I love it. Now let’s talk about those cars. The BN cars look good I see why you had to have them but the Chessie hoppers are my favorite. Thank you for posting these beautiful cars   

@lee drennen posted:

Breezinup. Thanks for sharing this the Flat cars look good with the loads and I think I like the Fruit Growers Express one the best. Is this in the 2020 catalog? 

Yes, they're in the latest catalog, 2020 Vol. 2.

Breezinup thanks 

Here are pictures of the 6 Chessie hoppers plus a video of them tacked on the end of a train with scale engines and scale intermodal cars. I think they look great on trains mixed with scale cars. You don’t notice the lack of add on parts with train moving (in this case it was running at 12mph scale)

Dudley. Thanks for posting they are beautiful I may have to get a few of them 

@breezinup posted:

Incidentally, Lionel has brought back their "Standard O" cars (Lionel's terminology for this category of cars) in their latest catalog. As the description says, these are cars that are scale in size, but simplified in detail. They're less expensive, but have molded in details rather than separately added-on ones, among other differences. For a lot of running situations, though, they're just fine.

That’s an interesting description of Standard O... If we could take a step into Mr. Peabody’s Way-back Machine (and if you don’t understand that reference, you probably don’t remember the original Standard O cars ), when they appeared back in the 70’s/80’s, as I remember them, they were a few steps above what was generally available at the time. As I have been in the midst of a general organization of my basement train stash, I have unearthed a number of examples from the era. Many of us remember the “tradition” cars of the period - basic, little or no applied detail, and a flat, metal bottom (think your basic 6464)!!! So I pulled out a ‘77 version of a BN hi-cube boxcar to compare to the Standard O BN I posted above.

The hi-cube car is very light, uninspiring plastic undercarriage, with plastic trucks.

The Standard O boxcars had added detail, more heft, sprung metal trucks, and a very detailed molded under carriage...

I guess in this age of “scale” freight cars, Standard O is the new “traditional” cars   

Paul, quit running down to the basement finding stuff, you are wearing me out running down to the basement 😊 Seriously, great contributions to the thread. 

Here what I found on my latest trip

@DG posted:

Paul, quit running down to the basement finding stuff, you are wearing me out running down to the basement 😊 Seriously, great contributions to the thread. 

Here what I found on my latest trip

 

Oh... pa-leeze, Dudley... You’ve been here long enough to know we are, collectively, a very bad influence!!! Stop complaining and enjoy the ride on the slippery slope     

P.S. beautiful cars!!!

Paul, Dudley you both are a bad influence on me I just bought a Chessie Hopper and that BN 40’ car this weekend I’ll post them when they arrive. Today I’ll try to get some pics of my Standard O but it’s probably true with the new Scale stuff out there these are now the the new Traditional. But I enjoy collecting them. Thanks to Dudley I have 3 more I have to find. Great feedback here on the thread Guys. 

The slippery slope just got me into the basement again, but remember who started this 😊

Dudley. Never knew they made a IC one must be pretty rare. Keep sliding 

@lee drennen posted:

Paul, Dudley you both are a bad influence on me I just bought a Chessie Hopper and that BN 40’ car this weekend I’ll post them when they arrive. Today I’ll try to get some pics of my Standard O but it’s probably true with the new Scale stuff out there these are now the the new Traditional. But I enjoy collecting them. Thanks to Dudley I have 3 more I have to find. Great feedback here on the thread Guys. 

Hang on a minute there Lee... as I pointed out to Dudley, you have been around here long enough to know that you, knowingly and of your own volition, entered a den of enablers, so don’t blame us!!! And as Dudley so succinctly pointed out, you started it   (or as we used to say on the school yard, nah-nah-na-nah-nah)

So, back down the slippery slope!!!

And, appropriately, bringing up the rear, a couple of cabeese...

Don’t really care for the opaque windows on the C&O...

OK, I am in for one more slide to the basement and here is what I found 😊

Ok Boys I’ll guess I’ll finish it for now with these I took on the layout today. The last Pacemaker I painted and decaled it with some old Champ Decals. So Nah nah 

Oh wait just to top it off  I made a video. I’ll post more I have later. I guess I did start this but it’s fun watching you guys slide down the basement 

@lee drennen posted:

Oh wait just to top it off  I made a video. I’ll post more I have later. I guess I did start this but it’s fun watching you guys slide down the basement 

Excuse me, Lee... Dudley slides down to the basement, I jump with headlong abandon   

P.S. very nice train consist... would have looked better led by a gorgeous MPC era NYC Hudson   
 

Slip slidin' away
Slip slidin' away
You know the nearer your destination
The more you're slip slidin' away!!!

Paul. Your right I may have to make a consist with my MTH Hudson but I still liked my Post War F3 

I just got to do something about those splinters in the wooden handrails to the basement, my caboose isn’t that tough, maybe this car is caring some metal to line the handrails with 😊