Was the Lionel Silver Water Tower,(#93), released on two different time periods. I have seen two different boxes for them.
Thank You,
John
Original Post
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Yes, it was released before the war, and then again for a few years after the war. It was also gray right before the war, and was Pea Green and Terra Cotta before it became silver.
When I first went to York in 1976, I would buy all the nice ones that I could find. They were about $10. each. I liked it because I had one on my layout when I was 8-10 years old.
Originally Posted by CarGuyZM10:
Yes, it was released before the war, and then again for a few years after the war. It was also gray right before the war, and was Pea Green and Terra Cotta before it became silver.
Let me get this straight, it was Gray colored before the war, (are you considering the silver color as gray?, and was Terra Cotta and Pea Green before the war and before it was offered as silver or gray.
Are you considering Gray, the same color as silver, or are they two seperate colors?
How can you tell the difference between a prewar silver water tower and a postwar water tower?
Thanks,
John
For the eighteen months or so before Lionel changed over to war production and stopped manufacturing trains, most of the silver-painted equipment and accessories started being painted a gloss gray...supposedly the silver paint had a high aluminum content, which quickly went onto the strategic materials list and was prohibited from use. So the last production 2654, 654, 804, 93, etc. all started being painted a gloss gray, rather than metallic silver.
Hi pd,
Thanks for the info. and your paitience.
What was produced first the silver,(aluminum), tower or the gray tower?
A gray tower has just been listed on E-Bay and I definitely can see the difference in the color of the gray tower and the silver one.
This history is truly amazing.
Thanks Again,
John
Originally Posted by pd:
For the eighteen months or so before Lionel changed over to war production and stopped manufacturing trains, most of the silver-painted equipment and accessories started being painted a gloss gray...supposedly the silver paint had a high aluminum content, which quickly went onto the strategic materials list and was prohibited from use. So the last production 2654, 654, 804, 93, etc. all started being painted a gloss gray, rather than metallic silver.
Wish LCT would make a repro of this dandy little tower - I have never found a pristine one with a decent box! 
I found a really nice one at York. Not this past October, but back in April. It's not pristine, but is in very nice condition. No box.
Agreed. Would be a nice piece for LCT to tackle. They really could use some "new blood" besides the usual stuff, e.g., the 438 tower and a few others that keeping appearing in the catalogs.
RB,
First pea green, then silver, then grey. Then back to silver after the war.
There are oodles of these things out there, I have seen 10 boxed version on the bay this last year alone.
Hard to tell the difference in the all silver /red base ones... I have heard tell that the prewar red base was richer in color...no proof however.
There were 3 distinct reds for the prewar ones...maroon, deep red, vermillion red.... also there were mixed tank and tower colors during transitions...silver on grey towers, and vice versa.
Originally Posted by Rice Burner:
Hi pd,
Thanks for the info. and your paitience.
What was produced first the silver,(aluminum), tower or the gray tower?
A gray tower has just been listed on E-Bay and I definitely can see the difference in the color of the gray tower and the silver one.
This history is truly amazing.
Thanks Again,
John
Originally Posted by pd:
For the eighteen months or so before Lionel changed over to war production and stopped manufacturing trains, most of the silver-painted equipment and accessories started being painted a gloss gray...supposedly the silver paint had a high aluminum content, which quickly went onto the strategic materials list and was prohibited from use. So the last production 2654, 654, 804, 93, etc. all started being painted a gloss gray, rather than metallic silver.
Every pea green 93 water tank I have seen does not have the Lionel decal. Every gray or siler one I have seen does have the decal. Did they come from the factory like this?
Originally Posted by hojack:
Every pea green 93 water tank I have seen does not have the Lionel decal. Every gray or siler one I have seen does have the decal. Did they come from the factory like this?
I have never seen a pea green tower with a Lionel Trains Label either.
John
I doubt you will find a decaled Pea green one. I have seen both the grey and silver without a decal though. The decal actually has a silver background on it. They are all red letters and black borders that I am aware of. And yes....these were factory installed.
Originally Posted by Rice Burner:
Originally Posted by hojack:
Every pea green 93 water tank I have seen does not have the Lionel decal. Every gray or siler one I have seen does have the decal. Did they come from the factory like this?
I have never seen a pea green tower with a Lionel Trains Label either.
John
Comparison photos, PLEASE!
THANKS in advance! 
Here are some ebay adds of the different types
Pea Green: http://www.ebay.com/itm/LIONEL...;hash=item3a7cbd7a05
Silver: http://www.ebay.com/itm/lionel...;hash=item3f201021a5
How can you tell the difference between a silver pre-war water tower and a post-war silver water tower?
Thanks,
John
I think you mean Pre-war and Post-war.
Originally Posted by Tinplate Art:
Wish LCT would make a repro of this dandy little tower - I have never found a pristine one with a decent box!
There is a pristine tower and box on E-Bay now with a pristine price of $149.99.
John
Originally Posted by F&G RY:
I think you mean Pre-war and Post-war.
You are correct Jim, my mistake. I meant pre-war and post-war water towers. Fixed.
Sorry about that.
John
Originally Posted by Rice Burner:
How can you tell the difference between a silver pre-war water tower and a post-war silver water tower?
Thanks,
John
The only thing I can think of is the box. Prewar would have a brown box, and postwar would have the orange box.
Prewar boxes were made of corrugated board. Post\war boxes were made of cardboard.
Substantial difference in wall thickness.
Ron M
From what I am hearing, you can tell the difference between pre-war and post-war towers by the box and the color of the base of the tower.
Apparently, the pre-war towers have a darker, maroon ,color or a more pinkish red base and the post war has a brighter red, as mentioned in a previous post.
I have just purchased a post war tower to put under the Christmas Tree and add to my tinplate collection.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=271120867749&ssPageName=ADME:B:BCA:US:1120
Thanks,
John
Did the prewar #93 Water Towers have a Lionel Trains Decal on them?
I was just infomed that they did not.
Thanks,
John
Pre-war towers, both gray and silver, had Lionel decals. Pre-war towers, green, did not have the decal.
Just wondering if anyone knows what the original retail price for a 93 water tank sold for in 1940?
Shoulda, coulda, woulda - MTH and LCT missed the boat on this venerable accessory! :-(
Thank you for the information
1940 Catalog Price- $1.25
That "pristine" price was out of the ballpark for me!
Corrugated cartons for 93 were made by-
Bogota
Continental
Ft. Wayne
Does anybody know of any others?
