Lionel1982 Wanamaker car: why not a set?

I used to go to  Wanamakers every holiday season with my parents back in the 50's, we then would visit Gimbels, Lit brothers, and some other spots in downtown Philly. It was a wonderful time.

 

As far as a train set, I just don't know how many people remember Wanamakers, I'm in for one  if Lionel does do it Though. 

I would say Wanamakers in Philly still resonates.

 

There might be some issues with using the Wanamaker name.  Not sure if Macy's or some other company owns the name now.

 

I believe Nick Ladd was involved with the earlier cars - he was associated with Wanamaker's for a while.  The later Wanamaker cars were made by K-Line when Mr. Ladd was there.

 

I would love to see a Wanamaker train - maybe one based on the eleven or thirteen car freight train that transported what became the Wanamaker Grand Court Pipe Organ from Saint Louis to Philadelphia in 1909 (the organ had been in storage following the 1904 World's Fair in Saint Louis).  In photos of the train, the boxcars had banners advertising the organ and Wanamaker's and the steam locomotive was lettered "Vandalia Line"  which I understand was a subsidiary of the Pennsylvania Railroad.  Wanamaker's is gone but the organ (the world's largest playing pipe organ) is still going strong and in fact, is in better shape than it was during the last few decades when the store was still Wanamaker's.

I can remember during the Christmas season the store in lower Manhatten  had a chrome monorail installed to the overhead on the main floor. The ride took us all around the main floor.

This one jarred my memory. In 1966 i worked for Wanamaker's biggest competitor in Philly, Strawbridge & Clothier. Somewhere in my train room i have the 1982 Lionel issue of a Wanamaker box car. Maybe i should dig it out.

jackson

Maybe this is a stretch, but there is a small tourist line north of Allentown - the Wanamaker, Kempton & Soiuthern.  Maybe a model of their rolling stock/train would scratch this itch?  The MPC boxcar would fit right in.

I hate to admit that I'm old enough to remember this.  Wanamaker did plan to

offer a series of cars.  After the first car was made, Lionel moved their production

to Mexico.  Mexico was a bigger fiasco than China.  For almost two years little or

nothing came out of Mexico.  Lionel made things in secret in Michigan.  By the

time Lionel was moved back to Michigan, Wanamaker had given up.