Looking for a Lionel Corp 390E in two-tone green.

Keith,

I have no idea if they have it but you may want to try Sidetrack Hobbies. They have a fair amount of older LCT in stock. I was in their store right after Thanksgiving and they had many 2009-10 items on the shelves.

And I suggest calling them. A wonderful train store but their web site is not the greatest.


Sidetrack

Al and Libby are good folks - I found an MTH "Michigan" state car at their shop! It was packed well and shipped promptly!

Want a real one?

The one Nachtjager is referring to was the slightly older, pre-LCT issue (10-1296-0). Same thing, minus the Lionel Lines plates and LCT boxes. Sidetrack has the PS2 version of the same loco (10-1296-1) in stock. As far as I can tell, the 11-1005-0/1 LCT versions are completely gone online - I spent a fair amount of time looking for one a couple months back. However, I didn't actually call up shops and do any detective work. You never know what you'll find then.

Hello All!

Thank you for the suggestions & please keep them coming or if you know of somebody who has one for sale, please let me know. I cannot believe how hard they are to find, considering they just came out last year.

I have never seen LCT 390s on Ebay either....they must be in hiding somewhere? I saw the Lionel Classics version from 1988 about two months ago on the bay & did not have the $$$$$$ for it then, Oh well, thats the way train hunting is at times. Thank You & take care. I'll keep on looking.

I just bought a 390T tender shell thinking it was going to be black with orange stripe and it's dark green with orange stripe! Looks all original with maybe some touch up. But the places that look touched up, look like it was done a hundred years ago! Nice shape with most of it's stripe left. I bet this shell is worth much more than I paid. Hey Jager, I sent you a message on youtube. I can't find your contact info. I went from making old trains look new (restoring) to making new trains look old. Maybe I'll post a thread with photos. I'd post more if it wasn't for all that photobucket junk. What's a dark green original 390T tender shell with full trim worth?
Bill

Hello All!

Well, I called Charlie Ro, Gryzobski's, Ready to Roll, Mizell's, Just Train's, Nicholas Smith, & a couple of other places with no luck. Charlie Ro had one with the electronics & smoke though. I declined on that as I do not trust electronics & prefer conventionals anyway. Even called MTH to see if there any forgotten 390Es in their warehouse or if they could put one together using existing parts. No was the answer & the lady was nice about it though.

Nighthawk- I would not mind an original, but I'm sure it would cost more than I could afford to pay you for the condition I would want it in which would be C-9-10 Condition. Unless it is restored & has Good Wheels & no decayed castings on it.

Take Care all.

No luck at all! I have called about 11 other places & no one has this particular 390E in stock! Unreal, & yet if I was not looking for one I would be seeing them all over ebay & every train shop around town. They must have been very limited in production....maybe ten or less? Take Care.

Did you try Eastside Trains in Kirkland,WA?

quote:

They must have been very limited in production....maybe ten or less?

I don't think the numbers are as low as 10, but they are low. Tinplate is a small niche within a small niche. We're all VERY fortunate that tinplate is Mike's first love in trains and that he has seen fit to invest in making the stuff.

When it comes to buying tinplate: You snooze, you may lose! I learned that lesson the hard way back when I was in the Std. Gauge (repro) area of tinplate. That's why, even though I abhor pre-ordering, I do pre-order all of my O gauge tinplate these days.

Hi Scott! I'll Give Eastside Trains a call Tomorrow.

I have never had a hard time like this looking for a particular item whether it be prewar, postwar, or modern era. It is almost like a group of Martians bought up every last one & shipped them to their planet.

I usually do pre-order on tinplate. However, when the 390E was in the catalog, I had other irons in the fire so to speak & did not pre-order. If I do not find a Two-Tone Green 390E, I'll just wait for the 2012 LCT Catalog & see if there is a 390E & pre-order if there is one. Thank You for all of the suggestions & take care.

1688Torpedo -

For one thing, you should get the Proto 2 if it is available. The electronics in these things is nothing less than awesome, but if you really hate it, Hennings in Lansdle PA, has traditional replacement units for about $200. I bought my Proto 2 400E with that in mind, but once I heard that whistle for the first time I was in love. You won't regret it. On the other hand, you could wait for April York, you are sure to find one there. Of course, if you wait long enough Mike is bound to re-release it again in a future catalog. Good luck!

James

Hi James!

I'll probably wait for the new 2012 LCT Catalog & check it out to see if there are any 390Es in there. I imagine that the black with brass & copper trim will be the next version to be made in a future catalog. Thank You for your suggestion though.

Are you still looking for one? I have a green 390 in traditional version. Brand new with the box & packaging. I've never ran it. I would hate to part with it, but I do owe $ for some Marklin gauge 1.

Could always switch the plates to "Lionel"

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MTH-39...&hash=item4161ff7e6f

Side track hobbies has a proto 2 version for 529.00 the older one, good luck
KG

keith, there is a two-tone green 390E in the standard gauge section of ebay at the moment, different MTH#, 10-1296-1, from the 2008 catalog. it is the proto 2 contemporary version, New York Central livery, $545 buy it now OBO. not exactly what you're looking for but close? just wanted to be sure you saw it.

Hello All!

Thank You for the suggestions & replies as they are apprecieated very much. I have a line on an Lionel Classics version of the 390E. Hope that will do the trick. Thanks to one & all for your help though.