does anyone know how the term "Madison style passenger cars" got started?
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Lionel placed the name Madison on the postwar cars.
Like said above, it refers to the name on the side of the car. The correct term is "Heavyweights".
When Lionel first made "scale detailed Pullman type passengers cars" in the Pre War Era, most were named "Manhattan" so collectors called the cars "Manhattan Cars".
After the war, most cars were named "Irvington", so Post War Collectors called them "Irvington" cars. Around 1948 Lionel introduced a car named "Madison".
When Williams started making reproductions of Lionel items in the late 60's, they called their knock-offs "Madison Cars".
As stated above, they are properly called "Heavyweights".
Jon
After the war, most cars were named "Irvington", so Post War Collectors called them "Irvington" cars. Around 1948 Lionel introduced a car named "Madison".
When Williams started making reproductions of Lionel items in the late 60's, they called their knock-offs "Madison Cars".
As stated above, they are properly called "Heavyweights".
Jon
Here's my dumb question for the month:
Why are they called Heavyweights?... Were other passenger cars lighter, or ???
Honest question, I have no idea!
Ed
Why are they called Heavyweights?... Were other passenger cars lighter, or ???
Honest question, I have no idea!
Ed
thanks for the answers. so real railroads did not call the cars with the raised roof "madison"?
No, they were just passenger cars, with clerestory roofs. Built with plate steel and concrete.
And they weren't "heavyweights" either... until lighter weight riveted & welded sheet clad steel cars were built. You know - like "WWI" wasn't called that until the second World War.
And they weren't "heavyweights" either... until lighter weight riveted & welded sheet clad steel cars were built. You know - like "WWI" wasn't called that until the second World War.
This is correct and concise. In fact if you find yourself in a conversation with a collector you can tell his preferred era of interest by what he calls the cars. When Lionel Trains Inc. reproduced the classic cars in 1991, and called them Madison cars, that added an official status to the term and (at least amongst relatively new collectors) became the popular descriptive name.quote:Originally posted by KOOLjock1:
When Lionel first made "scale detailed Pullman type passengers cars" in the Pre War Era, most were named "Manhattan" so collectors called the cars "Manhattan Cars".
After the war, most cars were named "Irvington", so Post War Collectors called them "Irvington" cars. Around 1948 Lionel introduced a car named "Madison".
When Williams started making reproductions of Lionel items in the late 60's, they called their knock-offs "Madison Cars".
quote:Originally posted by eddiem:
Here's my dumb question for the month:
Why are they called Heavyweights?... Were other passenger cars lighter, or ???
Honest question, I have no idea!
Ed
The streamlined style passenger cars were lighter than the older cars.
Now to add to the confusion,many railroads streamlined heavyweight cars.
The term Madison applied to passenger cars would really be correct when used only with Lionel cars of that type.
The term “Madison Car” is part of the nomenclature left over from early collectors, Lionel promotional and repair literature, along with trestle bridge and a few others. As O gauge moves closer to scale and becomes more realistic, modelers are becoming more familiar prototype terms they are slowly replacing the toy train terminology.
