Pull out the MPC!

@Ed Boyle posted:

Well now I want one, 😎

@jim sutter posted:

I never understood why Lionel made all those operating hoppers but never made the coal ramp.

But they eventually did.  I have one on my layout.

Johnsgg1 - that's interesting - when did they make it and does it work with the re-issued operating hoppers?  The problem with the re-issues and the original ramp was a case of misalignment with the magnet and the plunger on the cars.

@ed h posted:

Here is the Fast Food set from the 1981 catalog.  The 1981 Advance/Toy Fair catalog is actually full size, as it contains Lionel Trains, MPC model kits and Craft Master lineup. Never did make sense why for the regular catalog in 1981 they went with the mini size one.

The motto was "GROW WITH US" but the catalogue shrunk...go figure...

Morning, A string of The Katy cattle cars with a few horses added, Thank a Vet.

JohnsGG-1,

I felt Lionel should had that coal ramp out when they produced the first operating hopper. I know I would of. Also, as Robert S. Butler stated the magnet was not properly located.

Quite a few years ago I did an article for the TCA etrain magazine on Modern Era sets that were cataloged but not produced. Here are two sets that didn't make it into production for 1970.

Note the satellite car in the Illinois Central set, modern era collectors would have to wait a long time before this car was re-issued as part of the Postwar Celebration Series.

That's too bad, they look like good sets.

@ed h posted:

Quite a few years ago I did an article for the TCA etrain magazine on Modern Era sets that were cataloged but not produced. Here are two sets that didn't make it into production for 1970.

Note the satellite car in the Illinois Central set, modern era collectors would have to wait a long time before this car was re-issued as part of the Postwar Celebration Series.

That IC set was loaded! (Or would have been).  Eight pieces all together and lots of action. Plus track, transformer, and even a remote track section.

Those were the days.

@Ed Boyle posted:

IMO, nothing demonstrates the MPC era better then this engine.   Call it a simple uncomplicated PW classic reissued in all its painted beauty.  If anything from that era deserves shelf queen status, some say because its obsolete, this 45 year old beauty surely does.

@Ed Boyle posted:

So please tell. I don’t know of this gorgeous locomotive. Blue comet? 😎

I hesitate to share my amateurish attempt at video-making with the group, but this one does show some nice run-bys of MPC passenger trains.  (There's one Williams in there, too, guys--sorry.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCmJsvl1eJE

@WRW The 8801 was the engine for the 1978-1980 "Blue Comet" set.  Now this was really not a set in the normal sense of being sold with everything in one box.  Each of the components, as I recall, were marketed as separate pieces.  If you bought all of the items it includes the engine, tender, and 4 matching heavyweight passenger cars (3 Pullman and an Obs if I remember correctly).  At the time, it was relatively expensive, the set, which I bought, cost some $200 in that era which was a lot of money.  The Southern Crescent, a follow on "set" was marketed the same way.

Best Wishes

Don

@Don McErlean posted:

@WRW The 8801 was the engine for the 1978-1980 "Blue Comet" set.  Now this was really not a set in the normal sense of being sold with everything in one box.  Each of the components, as I recall, were marketed as separate pieces.  If you bought all of the items it includes the engine, tender, and 4 matching heavyweight passenger cars (3 Pullman and an Obs if I remember correctly).  At the time, it was relatively expensive, the set, which I bought, cost some $200 in that era which was a lot of money.  The Southern Crescent, a follow on "set" was marketed the same way.

Best Wishes

Don

Thank you Don! $200 was a lot of money at that time. I’m a little bit more than intrigued. Thank you again for the clarity. Be well.

Don - I believe the concept, an oxymoron, of “separate sale sets” was to induce panic buying by the purchaser so as not to lose out on any available components of the set. The Fallen Flag sets and the Famous American Railroad sets were also marketed as open stock.

@Mark V. Spadaro :  I would tend to agree, Mark.  Clearly this was a move away from "outfits" that Lionel had marketed all through the post war and prewar era's.  In addition, if you were new to the hobby, you had to also buy a transformer and track in order to run your "set".  Well I will admit it worked with me, I bought all the components listed at the time plus a diner and maybe a baggage later on.  I will check my cars to see what came initially (as they were all shipped in a common shipping container).  I do note however that this marketing strategy still is in use today especially on the higher end outfits.

@WRW: The engine by the way is fully die cast, has the feed-water heater over the boiler front and it is a good runner.  I do wish they had blackened the sides of the motor housing so that it was not so noticeable between the drivers, buy hey...it works really well.

Best Wishes

Don

My YouTube is pretty much all MPC Era Lionel Trains.  I post videos 1-2/week.

Last week:

@Don McErlean posted:

@WRW The 8801 was the engine for the 1978-1980 "Blue Comet" set.  Now this was really not a set in the normal sense of being sold with everything in one box.  Each of the components, as I recall, were marketed as separate pieces.  If you bought all of the items it includes the engine, tender, and 4 matching heavyweight passenger cars (3 Pullman and an Obs if I remember correctly).  At the time, it was relatively expensive, the set, which I bought, cost some $200 in that era which was a lot of money.  The Southern Crescent, a follow on "set" was marketed the same way.

Best Wishes

Don

The Blue Comet and Southern separate sale items both were originally advertised with 5 passenger cars. A baggage car, combo car, 2 coaches and observation car. The Southern items were introduced in 1977, the Blue Comet in 1978. Page below is from the 1978 catalog.

@ed h:  ok you have augmented my memory bank. 2 coaches, 1 obs,1 baggage & a combo.  When I received mine ( mail order) the loco was packed separately and the cars came in one external box but had their own individual boxes inside.  You also stated that the Crescent came first. That I don’t remember but maybe I just got the Comet first to be honest I can’t recall.

these are premium sets however at least for the time.  Mine came as Christmas presents from my wife and kids. 1/year.

Don

@Robert S. Butler posted:

Johnsgg1 - that's interesting - when did they make it and does it work with the re-issued operating hoppers?  The problem with the re-issues and the original ramp was a case of misalignment with the magnet and the plunger on the cars.

Lionel's number was 6-14005, volume 1, 2000 catalog.  From Lionel's write up:  For those who have original versions of the 3456 Operating Hopper, our new 456R Coal Ramp will accommodate these cars, plus modern versions as well, and the 456R will accommodate both O and O-27 track. 

@Don McErlean posted:

@ed h:  ok you have augmented my memory bank. 2 coaches, 1 obs,1 baggage & a combo.  When I received mine ( mail order) the loco was packed separately and the cars came in one external box but had their own individual boxes inside.  You also stated that the Crescent came first. That I don’t remember but maybe I just got the Comet first to be honest I can’t recall.

these are premium sets however at least for the time.  Mine came as Christmas presents from my wife and kids. 1/year.

Don

Here"s a history reminder,  ten years after that Blue Comets release Lionel released a sixth car, a limited edition diner to cash in on the collector frenzy at the time.  Between instant collector cars, limited editions and special runs, collectors found themselves on a never ending treadmill until the market collapsed a few years later.   Actually it was a fun time to be in the hobby if you could afford the pain.

https://ogrforum.com/member/rjsmithindy

https://ogrforum.com/...14#86465511038420114

My compliments for sharing this gem.

Here is Southern Crescent locomotive and passenger cars as shown in the 1977 catalog.

Lirr Fan1 You have a lot of nice MPC freight cars.

Ed H. Those five sets would be great to have.

Bill of the Paha Sapa Lines RR, Great looking layout and a lot of nice looking MPC items.

I wish they would have put the same trucks on the PRR Broadway Cars like they did on the Blue Comet cars.  I have the full 10 cars for the Broadway Limited set.  The engine can't pull the entire train.

My wife gave me the PRR Broadway Limited set as a wedding gift in 1996.  It was the night before our wedding and was just prior to our rehearsal dinner.   The set was still wrapped and never opened.  I later made it a mission to find all of the other released cars.  It was fun hunting for all of them over the years.    Some of the cars I found were never opened.  The couplers were still in the original little brown envelopes and needed to be installed.  You can say want you want about MPC, but these were the trains I grew up with and they will always be special to me. 

@ed h posted:

Here is Southern Crescent locomotive and passenger cars as shown in the 1977 catalog.

Lets on forget the Alton & my favorite, the Chessie Steam Special.   At that time, two other beautiful sets.   

Lionel Santa Fe SD18s # 8872 and 8873 pulling a mixed freight. Still going strong after 44 years. SD18s were at the time unique to MPC and had no postwar equivalent.

A H24-66 Train Master locomotive with the same heft as the best of postwar construction. Still going strong after 41 years.

@WBC - always liked the Santa Fe blue and yellow paint scheme. Around 1978 or so I purchased the 8755 Santa Fe U36B, was what I consider my first large diesel engine. Prior to that my only diesels were the 8351 Santa Fe Alco and the Coca Cola set NW2. Photo below is from around 1978 or 1979.

@ed h posted:

Around 1978 or so I purchased the 8755 Santa Fe U36B, was what I consider my first large diesel engine.

Yes, I still have my 8755 Santa Fe U36B though it has black trucks and chassis rather than the silver trucks and yellow chassis of your U36B.

The Chessie Steam Special is a favorite of mine from the MPC era.  Another breakaway color scheme of the era from the typical black steam locomotives.

At the time, the Electronic Whistle was amazing to me.  Nothing like today’s digital realism, but I still appreciate it from a nostalgic standpoint.

Lots of great items in the 1981 Preview catalog. The preview catalog was regular size, not a mini catalog like the full 1981 catalog.

@ed h your post prompted me to post my beautiful N&W 611 with the two add on cars, observation and dinner.  I was excited during my Fall 2019 York visit to see the real deal. Again this is a great running, looking and colorful set.

wow,this thread has brought back so many good memoies of  my mpc collection,i got out of the navy in 74 and jumped right in with boxcars,,5 bucks each,and wow the mighty sound of steam,with the 1st milwaukee road  passerger set,had all the passenger sets but stopped at the alton set,never got that one,got out of collection till 1988 then sold most of it by 91,love seeing all the great stuff ,thanks !!!!!

@rjsmithindy posted:

The Chessie Steam Special is a favorite of mine from the MPC era.  Another breakaway color scheme of the era from the typical black steam locomotives.

At the time, the Electronic Whistle was amazing to me.  Nothing like today’s digital realism, but I still appreciate it from a nostalgic standpoint.

My favorite set from MPC.  Unlike PW and most Lionel trains that followed made countless times, those first colorful sets,  (Crescent, Blue Comet, Alton, Chessie and Wabash) are 40+ years old, produced only once by Lionel and made in America.    Age, condition and rarity determines value.  I'd like to hear how many of those sets folks think are still new in the original box,  5%, 25% 50%?   I believe its less then what most folks realize.

Regarding the Mickey Mouse Set, that I posted a picture of, I never cared for any of the add on cars.

My 1971 Service Station Set. Looks like it was never run.

Another variation. Two different locations of build dates.

Baby Ruth with and without the circle R.