Jim,
Thanks for starting this MPC thread. My favorite is the 9753 Maine Central boxcar. I was 7 years old and visiting my Aunt in Connecticut. I was super excited when I spotted my home state railroad Maine Central boxcar at a Caldor department store in Avon, CT. 
@Jim 1939 posted:Some stick their nose up at MPC but they brought to market some of the most colorful cars Lionel ever produced.
That's what I believe too. As much as I love the Postwar era, I think one of their weak spots were the lack of road names. Especially with things like hoppers or gondolas; it was almost always Lehigh Valley or NYC, lol.
Mike McCutcheon, Thank you for posting a picture of Lionel's #9753 Maine Central box car. Your box car is definitely a great looking car. Thanks again for posting. Please take care and have a wonderful and safe evening.
I fondly remember one Christmas when I was a teen ager. My parents had about 9 boxes wrapped for me. In each one, was an Lionel MPC Boxcar-all different. My parents are both gone now, but each time I see those boxcars on the layout, I am reminded of them!
RAK, Thank you for sharing your story about your parents, Christmas and MPC box cars. Great memories that you will never forget.
Don't even know where to begin answering this! There are so many great MPC-era cars. Here are a few of my favs. I have these, among others, but still working on picking up some more of the Disney Hi-Cubes.
While not completely on topic, my very first train set was the 6-1662 Black River freight set from 1976 given to me by my grandmother for Christmas that same year. Ironically, I first cut my teeth on O gauge with the postwar 1103 Texas Special set that same grandmother got for my uncle way back in 1959 and has been left in her attic after moved away. Every so often when I used to spend summers with her, I'd go up there and bring it downstairs and set it up on the floor and run it until I had enough and go do something else. She must have realized how much I liked it since she ended up getting me that Black River set, although I don't recall ever actually asking for any train set at all.
Neither of those two sets can hardly be defined as the pinnacle of Lionel train set production, but they were plenty enough to get me into the hobby.
Did somebody say MPC?
Not only are they great lookers with a lot of variety, they run great as well!
I have a few cars. I bought the NYC Yard Chief set a couple years ago and some of the 9200 series box cars recently. I think Lionel started catching on to the color aspect attraction after I believe Kusan or AMT bought out some colorful box cars in the 50’s. MPC took the color concept to a whole new level which I certainly enjoy. I’m waiting for shows to start back up because I think the prices minus shipping costs are just right. But that’s coming from a guy who lays out a few hundred bucks for lodging, gas, & food to go to York to save on shipping! Great stuff!!!
breezinup, Thank you for posting (24) of the most beautiful MPC freight cars ever made. If you had to pick your favorite, which one would it be? For me, it would be the #9369 Sinclair tank car. Also, thanks for including a picture of your Mickey Mouse set.
Don Winslow, Thank you for posting pictures of your Pennsylvania and Norfolk Western box cars and your Domino Sugar hopper. All three are great MPC cars.
NYC Z-MAN nice to hear from you. If you can, could you please post pictures of your NYC Yard-Chief set and your 9200 series box cars.
You three take care and have a wonderful and safe evening.
The photos of these didn't show up on the previous listing, for some reason. A few examples from the "Tobacco Road" series.
Breezeinup, Thank you for posting pictures of three of the tobacco series reefers. Hope you have a wonderful and safe Friday.
@jim sutter posted:breezinup, Thank you for posting (24) of the most beautiful MPC freight cars ever made. If you had to pick your favorite, which one would it be? For me, it would be the #9369 Sinclair tank car. Also, thanks for including a picture of your Mickey Mouse set.
Don Winslow, Thank you for posting pictures of your Pennsylvania and Norfolk Western box cars and your Domino Sugar hopper. All three are great MPC cars.
NYC Z-MAN nice to hear from you. If you can, could you please post pictures of your NYC Yard-Chief set and your 9200 series box cars.
You three take care and have a wonderful and safe evening.
Hey Siri, Search Wikki..... MPC Era... (So much to learn, Sooo little time)
I purchased this 9733 boxcar at the Allentown Fall 2019 meet. Once home, I found out it had a hidden tanker body inside the boxcar shell. 🙂
@breezinup posted:Don't even know where to begin answering this! There are so many great MPC-era cars. Here are a few of my favs. I have these, among others, but still working on picking up some more of the Disney Hi-Cubes.
I told myself I was done buying, but I now I need an Oreo car !
Don
A few favorites:
1) Best of the chrome tank cars:
2) The Icon, one that kicked off the entire billboard series and gave the MPC era its signature style:
3) A great representative of the “Sin Cars”, the booze, tobacco and candy cars of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s:
4). And of course, the one every casual visitor mentions when they come over. The Classic:
The decoration of the MPC cars was top notch and aimed at attracting "Children of all ages." The bright colors, shiny chrome, Disney cars aimed at the youngsters while the smartly painted beer, liquor and tobacco products were aimed at the adults. Some of the new styles, high cubes and bay windows were also very nice. Let's not forget the fast angle wheels that made long trains possible.
A few more from me. Let's do tankers today.
@Jim 1939 posted:Some stick their nose up at MPC but they brought to market some of the most colorful cars Lionel ever produced.
This x1000. I get so tired of the “MPC is junk” line. I have a roomful of it and these are the only things in my house between 40 and 50 years old still working as intended (me included).
Overall, I feel MPC quality lands around where Lionel was from 1959-62. Not on the same level as the insanely engineered products of the 1940s and early ‘50s, but better than most late Postwar and more than capable of doing the job. The graphics last forever, the plastic shells don’t warp and the die cast frames don’t crack.
As the decades pass the mechanical simplicity also becomes a bonus, as MPC equipment is usually very easy to fix, and if you get stuck for parts, Postwar equivalents will often work.
@Don Winslow posted:Did somebody say MPC? Not only are they great lookers with a lot of variety, they run great as well!
Don, I believe your PRR boxcar was from 1989... .an LTI offering.
I’ve said this here before but MPC and LTI are my favorite eras of Lionel production. Everything I have from those time frames is good looking and reliable, and still does what it was intended to do 40-50 years ago. If anything does break it’s simple to fix and parts are available, plus you can buy it without breaking the bank.
Hi All:
Here is the MPC portion of my overall collection to date. I'm always looking to add to the roster.
Michael
@Tommy_F posted:Overall, I feel MPC quality lands around where Lionel was from 1959-62...
MPC made immediate improvements to the 200 series motor trucks especially. Compare a 634 motor to the new 8010-100 motor or a 2041 motor to the new 8020-100 and they are worlds apart.
One of my favorites from the MPC era. I still laugh when I see the box, "North Carolina & St Louis Box Car." Should read Nashville, Chattanooga, & St Louis.
I had a bunch of them in the 1970s and 1980s but sold off most of them around 2000 when I started collecting scale size cars and engines. Here are a few I kept.
@dmestan posted:I told myself I was done buying, but I now I need an Oreo car !
Don
You won't regret it. That car is a beauty, absolutely one of my favorites. Fantastic graphics.
@RadioRon posted:Don, I believe your PRR boxcar was from 1989... .an LTI offering.
As was the 19505 Great Northern Reefer another poster listed previously (released in 1988 by LTI).
NJCJOE, Nice collection of 9700 box cars. Also, great to see your Stroh's standard o car.
Mike McCutheon, Thanks for posting pictures of your Airco cars.
dmestan, Good luck in finding a Oreo car. They are beautiful. I always loved that car and kept one for myself.
Tommy F. Your four MPC cars are classics. Your Texaco and Lifesavers tank cars were two of the beat tank cars ever built. Every time I found one for sale I would buy it. They never stayed long in the store.
Johnstrains, Those are three of the best MPC tank cars. Your Sinclair tank car was always my favorite. I loved that green paint.
Lirr Fan1 That's quite assortment of MPC freight cars. Glad to know you are still planning on adding more. Never stop.
Tom Morris Your North Caroline and ST. Louis box car is a sharpie Red body with a yellow strip really jumps out at you.
DG I would have you say you kept the right ones. In my book. those are all home runs.
@dmestan, breezeinup, is correct. Listen to what he said.
Miggy, I'm not sure. I don't think so,
.
@Miggy posted:is this MPC? That Pennsy Caboose. "Inquiring EWEs want to know ( they sit on the mountain in the back )
That caboose from the postwar period. Lionel made that caboose between the years of 1953 to 1957.
@Miggy posted:is this MPC? That Pennsy Caboose. "Inquiring EWEs want to know ( they sit on the mountain in the back )
Interesting note about this car: the one on this pic is postwar, but if you look at the MPC version (9162) it still has the circle-L and ‘Blt-53’ markings. Lionel clearly reworked the original heat stamping die in 1972 to make it. Looks like body molds weren’t the only thing they reused from the 1950s
Well, if I have to pick, it has to be this Southern Pacific Hi-Cube, no. 9607. This car is thoroughly MPC / Fundimensions, from the all-new body and frame, to the fast-angle wheels and Symington-Wayne trucks, to the flawless paint masking and crisp lettering. It is just beautiful.
It is a sentimental favorite, too. This was the first old car I ever purchased that was still new in the box. It was only my second York ... at the first I had focused on used stuff in an effort to make my train money go farther. I asked the seller if he would remove it from the box for me, because I was incredulous that a car with an asking price of only $15 could really be as clean as it looked through the cellophane. The seller kindly obliged, though he did say, with a bit of a rueful smile, "now I can't sell it as mint anymore." No need, I was sold. Mint! It was a revelation. It blew me away that you could buy C-10 MPC for such prices. Super-affordable trains, Christmas-morning new! What more could a toy train guy want?
nickaix, Thank you for posting a picture of your Southern Pacific HI Cube box car. I always liked these cars. Except for the three they made in early eighties, They were cheaply made. They had plastic wheels and they weren't even painted.
@jim sutter posted:nickaix, Thank you for posting a picture of your Southern Pacific HI Cube box car. I always liked these cars. Except for the three they made in early eighties, They were cheaply made. They had plastic wheels and they weren't even painted.
I fully agree. I still have the Disney Mickey Express hi-cubes and had a few of the others from the 70s. Remember when they made new ones in 80s and was so dissapointed in the "chepness".
MPC's Standard O cars of the early 70s were the first scale sized cars I owned. I had 11 at one time. While I am trying to sell them now since they do not fit the theme of my layout, I am keeping one.
My wife is from Detroit, and her favorite beer while in school was Stroh's. She even visited the brewery a couple of times, and it was really fired brewed. After we were married, for a while we would get Stroh's while visiting her parents. Anyway, she bought me this Stroh's reefer as a Christmas present and that started me buying other Standard O cars. I really liked these cars and because of them I moved to scale sized trains. Like I said, I'm keeping this one.
nickaix - that SP Hi-Cube is one of my favorites as well.
Mine came "new" from a California train show and was a great deal like yours. The paint and graphics look great to this day!
Hey Jim good to hear from you again !! THe HIGHLAND PARK & ELDORADO R/R has been put on hold for 2 years since I had to move in and take care of 93 yr old MOM but I miss running trains and sharing memories Check out GLA #12 best wishes gary
Here's a couple of MPC cars "paying their way" on my layout:
Forgot to copy this one:
Access to this requires an OGR Forum Supporting Membership
