MPC Freight Cars.

This is kind of a tough one but the box car above is certainly up there. If not the whole Empire State Express.

@jim sutter posted:

Do you have a favorite MPC freight car? This was my favorite one. It came out of the New York Central Empire Express Set.

Jim, You stole my thunder.  I purchased the New York Central Empire State Express set way back in 1976 and my favorite box car out of that set was the Great Northern 9772 Boxcar.  Over the years it has become my favorite boxcar from the MPC era.  I still have it to this day and it looks just as good as it did 45 years ago.  Great minds think alike.

Johnny Cash 9780

yes, easy for me. its the ATSF 9163 porthole caboose, the car which started  my toy train journey. then the Quaker State Limited set, running flawlessly since 1979!

This is one of my faves.  I bought it as a kid at the local K-mart on mark down for $2.49, still have the original box.

If we include "fantasy" freight cars the 6-9278 Life Savers Tank Car is one of favorites for sure.

I started buying my own trains (as opposed to them being gifts) in the mid 70’s MPC era. I have to agree with Don - it’s kind of a hard choice (though it is somewhat simpler by being limited to just freight cars). I still have quite a few stored away... Here are two of my favorites.

Rambler Don, I can understand why you liked the entire set. There were some great looking cars in that set.

OKHIKER, Sorry about stealing your thunder. I would be more than glad to share my favorite car with you and anyone else that picks this car.

RosevilleRR. Your #9780 Johnny Cash box car was a  lot peoples favorite.

CMac, All Lionel porthole cabooses were great. I loved the red paint on this caboose.

MoPac858,I too liked your Grand Trunk double door box car.

Apple55, Both of your favorite standard O cars are sharp lookers.  I love them both. IF I had to pick one it would be your Burlington Northern. Lionel's Burlington Northern green paint was right on.

You six people take care and stay safe.

Here are two of my favorites (couldn't pick just one!).  I bought the Heinz pickle car at Albert's Variety Store in Glenshaw, PA in the mid '70's for $10.19.  I bought the Clark Bar car at your store in Homer City in the early '90's.

It would have to be the #9411 DL&W boxcar - a car whose issue I anticipated years before it was made.

  Back around 1963 or so I wanted to expand my boxcar consist but I wanted boxcars that looked like the cars I could see at the grade crossing every day - basic boxcar red with white lettering - cars which did not look anything like the colorful 6464's Lionel offered. 

Since Lionel wasn't offering what I wanted I spent a dollar and purchased a 6464 car in poor condition. I stripped the old paint, bought some Champion decals and Floquil boxcar red spray paint and made my own boxcar red DL&W.  I gave it the number 6464-9 to keep it in the 6464 series.

   I've forgotten the year for the issue of the 9411 but the instant I saw it listed I ordered it because I had to have the "official" Lionel version to go with my "prototype".

revolgnad, You picked two very nice cars. Both companies Heinz and Clark were from Pittsburgh. The Clark Bar was always one of my favorite candy bar. Thank you for posting pictures of these two cars and thank you for your business.. Please take care and stay safe.

Robert S. Butler, Thank you for posting your two box cars. One that you painted and decaled and Lionel's #9411 which came out of the Milwaukee Road limited set from 1978. Thanks again for sharing your fine cars. Please take care and have a wonderful and safe evening. You did a fine job in painting and decaling your box car.

9853 Cracker Jack, caramel.

9717 Union Pacific box car.

Sentimental favs.

I think this was MPC.

9731 Milwaukee Road boxcar.  Not for its paint job (rather plain), but because it was the first car I bought with my own money as a 12 year old in 1975.  My Lionel engine and  5 cars and Marx engine and 7 or 8 cars were Christmas gifts.

Any of the weathered Turn of the Century reefers!

Jon

At the top of the list would be all the freight cars from 1970/71 that came equipped with the AAR trucks carried over from the postwar period (albeit modified for the fast angle wheels) and the few that had the PW bar-end metal trucks.

Runner ups (limiting it to 2 per category):

Boxcars:  6-9414 Cotton Belt & 6-9767 Railbox.

Tank cars:  6-9354 Pennzoil & 6-9154 Borden.

Stock cars:  6-9728 Union Pacific LCCA 1978 Convention & 6-9763 Rio Grande

Reefer cars:  6-9872 Pacific Fruit Express & 6-9869 Santa Fe

Flat cars:  6-9333 Southern Pacific & 6-6531 US Mail Express.

Gondolas:  6-9315 Southern Pacific & 6-9136 Republic Steel

Hoppers:  6-9260 Reynolds Aluminum & 6-9262 Ralston Purina

Operating cars:  6-9220 Borden milk car & 6-7904 San Diego Zoo giraffe car

Caboose:  6-9316 Southern Pacific & 6-9274 Santa Fe bay windows

I thought the boxcar red ones were the kind you see most often on real RR so I sought them out and have 32 of them. and 14 woodside reefers and lots more of the various boxcars.

rthomps, Your carmel Cracker Jack reefer was a very nice early MPC reefer.

Ross, Your I love New York box car was probably the prettiest  I love cars made.

Retlaw, Never forget why the #9731 is your favorite.

Kooljock1, What's your favorite turn of the century reefer. Or do you love them all the same?

John Korling, Of all the cars you mentioned which one is your favorite?   

@jim sutter posted:

John Korling, Of all the cars you mentioned which one is your favorite?   

Hi Jim, that's a tough question, but if pressed I would have to say the Glen Uhl Timken boxcar (any of the variations) produced from the 1970 MPC period.

@KOOLjock1 posted:

Any of the weathered Turn of the Century reefers!

Jon

Especially the ones with the fingerprints in the weathering!

@RoyBoy posted:

Especially the ones with the fingerprints in the weathering!

Funny you should say that,  along time ago I bought a "special edition" K-Line tank car for either a paint company or wine company I'm not sure which right now. It had a big ol' thumb print on one side of the car and the other four fingers prints on the other side. Talk about your shoddy workmanship!

Jerry

Hi Jim, Thanks so much for starting this thread!  We have a MPC thread that was started many years ago, unfortunately a lot of the pictures are no longer available. Now that the the Forum has been upgraded to allow posters to store the pictures within the post and not need them linked to another site that stores them, we can recreate similar posts, but this time divide them by type (can't wait to do the cabooses!).

I love MPC for lots of reasons, a vast majority of the MPC box cars look great with vibrant colors and fantastic graphics. I am especially fond of the 9700 series of box cars that have the same look and feel as the Lionel 6464 series.  Some critics will say that the 9700 does not have rivets like the original 6464's, but that also gave MPC a clean sheet to apply the graphics. Plus, the MPC 9700s are plentiful, very affordable which helps anyone on a budget, and look great on small layouts.

Years ago, I posted these pictures comparing the Alaska versions of both: the Lionel 6464-825 versus the MPC 9758. Both are my absolute favorites.

The Lionel Alaska 6464-825 was included in an O27 set that I received for Christmas in 1959 when I was just 4 years old.  The weird part is that the set in the 1959 Catalog shows outfit No. 1621WS 5 Car "Construction Special" Steam Freight set with the 6464-475 Boston and Maine box car, but not the Alaska car.  I have all of the other components of that set, and believe that is the set I received but no way to know for sure.  The set box was throw out (my dad had built an over/under track plan that used the 110 graduated trestle set on a 4 by 8 piece of plywood, so no need to store the trains in a box until the next Christmas).  I did not even ask dad where he got the set, in Tacoma,  so don't know how the 6464 box cars got switched; perhaps, since we were on the West Coast, it was included on purpose.

The catalog pictures are below.

The Oppenheimer weathered reefer is probably my favorite. Bought mine at a train show in Milwaukee in the early 90’s when my son was 8, or 9 years old. Great memories.

John Korling one of Glen Uhl box cars is a great choice.

Brewman1973, Your choice of the 9758 Alaska box car is a great choice.

JDFonz The Oppenheimer reefer looks great Good choice.

@JDFonz posted:

The Oppenheimer weathered reefer is probably my favorite. Bought mine at a train show in Milwaukee in the early 90’s when my son was 8, or 9 years old. Great memories.

The Oppenheimer was one of two reefers I bought without realizing they were weathered.  Some time later Ed Boyle did a Collectors Gallery about the series and set me on the Collectors path searching for all 8, at reasonable prices.  While I have many MPC cars that I really like, I was attracted to the Oppenheimer by the tealish green color.  I've also collected the MPC woodside beer reefers.  Seems I have a penhant for those reefers, since the Oppenheimer was one of the first I'll say it's my favorite.  Being a hockey guy the NHL boxcars are a close second.

Even tho she bites at the Ewes-in-the-party gondola (They are a loud bunch) this is a Favorite. I love the action

That's not MPC though...

Jon

I might have to pick the Famous Historic Railroads boxcar 6-9418, if I had to pick one some one else hasn't named yet. As I am selling off my MPC stuff that one is staying. I will give honorable mention to that Johnny Cash boxcar. If I could get a good deal on one I'd still get one even though I am downsizing.

@jim sutter posted:

rthomps, Your carmel Cracker Jack reefer was a very nice early MPC reefer.

Ross, Your I love New York box car was probably the prettiest  I love cars made.

Retlaw, Never forget why the #9731 is your favorite.

Kooljock1, What's your favorite turn of the century reefer. Or do you love them all the same?

John Korling, Of all the cars you mentioned which one is your favorite?   

I think Oppenheimer is my favorite... but I like the Ball Jars too.  I just can't figure out why the jars would be shipped in reefers.

Jon

had this since 1970.....still mint OB

Always liked the shade of blue on this Erie-Lackawanna box car. The white lettering sets it off well.

Grampstrains, Of the three reefers you named which one is you favorite?

coach joe, The Oppenheimer reefer from the turn of the century series is a fine looking car.

Miggy, Your Giraffe car is a postwar car. I see you have taken real good care of it.

ramblerdon, The 9418 box car is a very attractive car. Having all five logos of the five famous American Railroad series really sets this car out from others.

KOOLjock1, Another vote for the Oppenheimer reefer.

joe krasko, Great choice.

johnstrains, Your Erie Lackawanna box car was part of Lionel's 1978 Service Station Set. Like you, I always loved the blue paint Lionel used.

I have that EL 9726 and it’s one of my favorites as well.  Never realized it was part of a service station set, that explains the metal trucks.

@mlavender480 posted:

I have that EL 9726 and it’s one of my favorites as well.  Never realized it was part of a service station set, that explains the metal trucks.

Yep, Jim called it right. The '78 SSS lead by the Minneapolis and St. Louis Geep. I have the set. Circus car, a black Sunoco tank car, the EL box car, and a M&STL caboose.

Edit: And a quad hopper.

If a casual visitor to the Forum were to find this thread, they could, very possibly, come to the conclusion that MPC only produced boxcars/reefers... so, here are some of my non boxcar/reefer favorites... first up, two cars from the Maple Leaf Limited set:

Next, two cars from the FARR series (at the time these came out, Trainworld had opened on Ave. M in Brooklyn and I passed it almost every day - he was famous at the time for doing set breakups):

Finally, this was a “limited edition” car, so it probably came from a set, but I’m not sure:

Apple55, Thank you, for posting five pictures of your favorite MPC freight cars. Like you, I always loved the British Columbia tank car. One of best looking tank cars Lionel ever built. The Gulf triple dome tank car was another eye catcher. The black shinny paint with the orange Gulf logo was another "Home Run" for Lionel. Thanks again for sharing photos of some of your favorite MPC freight cars. Please take care and have a wonderful and safe Thursday.

Grampstrains, I can understand you liking all three MPC reefers. Of the three you picked my favorite is the Ralston Purina Company.

Some stick their nose up at MPC but they brought to market some of the most colorful cars Lionel ever produced.

Jim 1939, I agree with you 100%. The MPC cars were gorgeous. They were all painted to perfection.