Madison Hardware Autos

While I haven't read Derek's book, I always thought Madison's autos were 1/16 shorter than the original Lionel versions.

Chuck-The Madison Hardware autos were shorter than the original Lionel cars ( plus a few other differences)-and the varied ( not red,white,blue, yellow) color ones being offered now are the same ( I think) as the Madison Hardware ones. My question is a bit different- although the varied colored ones on ebay now are stated as Madison Hardware, my info suggests that the folks at Madison Hardware never did those different colors and my hunch is that the varied colored ones offered now are using the molds purchased at auction from Madison Hardware but not truly made by/for Madison Hardware. I am asking for any conformation or negation of those thoughts.  Thanks, turtle7

I think there must have been other sets of molds made up. A number of parts dealers were selling reproduction autos. in the early 1990's.  Initially they were available in the four original colors, red, yellow, white and blue.
Eventually they were also sold in brown, and with grey bumpers instead of plated.

The Lionel Corp did make some cars with brown autos, I never saw any or was offered any at Madison Hardware.

I have a set of the brown ones, but I cannot lay my hands on them right now. I'd like to compare them to the ones Madison made. (Nobody claimed they were original or from Madison when I got them)

Maybe the odd colored cars are from these other molds.

Also, I think consideration should be given to when these odd colored cars surfaced. Anybody ever see, or even hear of them before Sept. 2006? Not I.

....Derek Thomas explains on pg.27 of his "The Madison Hardware Story" how the 6414 auto molds were acquired by Madison Hardware-and then on pg.42 that the molds were auctioned off in Sept 2006. 

Just to be clear, on page 27 it is explained that the original Lionel molds could not be found. The employee at Lionel who made injection molded parts and autos at the factory was paid by Lou at Madison to create new tooling and make the cars for Madison. The new tooling made autos that were a fraction shorter. 

I found a couple of my brown reproduction automobiles, and compared one brown automobile to one automobile that I purchased directly from Madison Hardware in NYC. 

I don't think there is any possibility that they came from the same molds.

Floor plate:
The Madison Hardware floor plate has lettering, and a Lionel logo.
The brown car does not have any markings and I did not see any signs of markings being obliterated.
The brown car also has a small circle cast into the plate that is underneath the drive shaft, towards the differential.
Overall, the edges of the Madison Hardware floor plate are crisper than the brown car's floor plate.

Body:

I am not 100% certain, but it looks to me like there is a casting sprue on the back of the car, underneath the emblem, right along the parting line. The Madison Hardware car has the sprue centered. The Brown car has the sprue slightly offset.

The brown car has flaws on both rear quarter panels, that the Madison car does not have.

IMHO, both cars looked kind of sloppy on close inspection.
I think I am going to dig out a genuine postwar Lionel car to see how it was done.