As a kid I remember seeing a passenger train in a Lionel catalog (I think it was brown) from 1985ish. It was a passenger train with silhouettes in the windows. I think the retail price was $1,000. Anybody have a pic they can post or know what I’m remembering?
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I think it was a Pere Marquette set, but that’s based only on memories of drooling over catalogs 
Lionel / FunDimensions didn't sell their premier passenger trains as "sets" during this time period, they were all separate sale.
It does look like you are describing the Illinois Central extruded aluminum City Of New Orleans "set": 8580/8582/8581 F3 ABA diesel units, 7220 baggage, 7221 Pontchartrain combo, 7222 King Coal, 7223 Banana Road, 7224 General Beauregard dining car and a 7225 Memphis observation:
It could be Illinois Central. I wish I could find the catalog.
Tanner111 posted:...I wish I could find the catalog.
Well Rob. You nailed it. I’ve been wondering about this for a while and you totally figured it out. Thank you!
That really is an awesome set! Can be had relatively cheap these days.
I find myself moving away from the modern Legacy and PS3 stuff and wanting more MPC and LTI.
I have kicked myself many a day for missing that one. The City of Miami and the Seminole both passed the family place in Alabama. I watched them both many times, but never got to ride once. MPC's passenger trains in that time period were beautiful, I think.
I too loved MPC trains and still do. They were beautiful. Things were a lot simpler.
yankspride4 posted:That really is an awesome set! Can be had relatively cheap these days.
Actual sales on eBay over the past month show:
There have been a lot for sale.
4 passenger cars $83, 5 passenger cars $331., 6 passenger cars $300. Single cars about $25.
Entire sets in boxes $400-$999.
The 2 engines $225-$521.
Notice the range of prices for a given item. I suspect the lower ones were early birds getting low "buy it now" prices, where very high ones may have had a number of bidders.
That 85th Anniversay Collectors Series was a great catalog for the times. Longed for the City of New Orleans offering myself but settled for the Pennsy FARR 5 and Burlington Northern Limited sets in the catalog because I already had begun buying components of the F3-ABA version of the MPC Congressional set.
What, me worry?
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