I saved these catalogs, which stacked measure about 3 ", but had not looked at them for some time. The MPC thread prompted me to take another look. It is great reading about the neat sets from the early years. I would like to see -- as a example -- set 6-1085 that features a Santa Fe FA A-B locomotive with five freight cars plus a caboose. The A unit has a front coupler, which units didn't have in the last days of Post-war Lionel. There is also that year a handsome Illinois Central GP-9 led set with a different consist of five cars plus caboose. It comes with a pair of switches; the Santa Fe track forms a crossover. Those MPC guys hit the road running. If you haven't looked at catalogs from this 20 year era you'll find them fascinating. By 1973, for example, they were showing Standard "O" nearly scale cars with metal sprung trucks. Those catalogs show us how fortunate we are that there were those with a real passion for the Lionel name and willing to move it to a new level from the moribund years of the late '60s. Dick
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Yes things started to pick up in 1973 or so. New that year were the Milwaukee road passenger cars , a new design evocative of the madison cars. The company was also starting the 9700 series of Box cars based on a 6464 design but decorated in almost every road name you could think of. Some of the accessories made in these early years were made in very low quantities , much less than their postwar equivalents.
hello guys an gals.........
yeah back then they had good steamer #8206 which was the top of the line engine. which is a good start !!!!
the woman who loves toy trains
Tiffany
Some of the pieces from the early 1970s used leftover postwar parts. For the 8010 Santa Fe NW-2, some were made from 634 cabs with the 634 number still on them.
Also the 6560 crane car from 1971. Another one that comes to mind is the early whistle shack, some used leftover postwar whistle motors. Quite a few others that I'm missing, these are the ones that come to mind.
My favorite catalogues from this MPC era are the 1984 special flyer entitled "Lionel Highballs into 1984" and the 1984 "Collectors Series" catalogue. The "Highball" flyer folds out to four pages. The coloring is black and white with a reddish-maroon backdround. It announces and depicts in detail the NYC 8477 GP-9 which has motor, gearing and sound features that make it resemble the best of the Post-war geeps. A real leap forward for Lionel of that decade. It also announces the first "scale" Hudson - 783 - since 1964-65. It very closely resembles the 773 from 1950. A NYC Pacemaker "Extended Vision" caboose is also shown. The "Collector's Series" catalogue has similar background coloring and features the beautiful Erie-Lackawanna Limited freight set, Famous American Railroads #5, headed by a Turbine, a gorgeous UP A-B-A F-3 passenger set and the four-car Standard "O" NYC freight cars and 4 attractive two-tone grey smooth sided NYC passenger cars, all of which complement the 8477 and the 783. I don't know how many times I have poured over these two examples of MPC era paper. They are my favorite from the modern era. What are yours? Dick
Favorite MPC catalog has to be 1976. The layout, the lighting, the selection were all high-points to this 12 year old.
Jon