Show us your postwar trains.

i just bought this set yesterday. i think it's a pretty rare find since it has the black and yellow 2331 and the yellow painted operating gondola. the boxes are not the greatest but they done their job in keeping the trains nice during their 40 plus years in a closet. 

Colber bumper and Mac speeder.

franktrain: Beautiful Mopac's! Nice looking cars as well!

TrainRMe: Nice Marx and speed car! Glad you liked the topic!

wbg pete: Awesome collection! Pretty big!

git r done 15541: Thanks for posting! Your Virginian FM Trainmaster IS a rare engine. Here is a link with more information.

http://www.postwarlionel.com/c...in/postwar?ITEM=2331

Great thread!  Really enjoying these pics. There are some awesome PW collections out there.

Two more:

a few of mine. don't mind the crappy basement the layout is in.

This topic stimulated me to get a postwar piece out and into service today. B&O RDC #400 made some commuter runs this afternoon on the lower level.

BANDOB: Thanks for posting! The RDC looks great!

handyandy: Nice! Is the steamer on the left in the top photo a Marx?

my Prewar is from the '30s. 

Lionel 221, hopper, Auto Loader and bay window caboose.

Steamer: Cool! Thanks for the info.

TrainRMe: Nice set postwar cars! I like the 221 as well.

Does anybody have any GG1's to share with us?

Here is a 746 Norfolk and Western J.

The 746 - that's a mighty beast.  Here are a Marx hopper from 1955 and a dual tank from 1955-74.  Engine 1666 is from 1969, the gray variation with electronic Sound O Power.

here ya go Lionmaster, Locos and

My fav. Lionel 2065

you wanted GG1s - 

Here's a 2340 & 2332 (pwc)

Lionel Layout - 1/17/13 by Christopher & Amy Cate / Eastern Rails Photography, on Flickr

Lionel Layout - 7/18/11 by Christopher & Amy Cate / Eastern Rails Photography, on Flickr

Lionel Layout - 3/4/09 by Christopher & Amy Cate / Eastern Rails Photography, on Flickr

Lionel Display Layout - 1/29/12 by Christopher & Amy Cate / Eastern Rails Photography, on Flickr

TrainsRMe: Nice! The 1666 has sound?

Popi: Cool collection! I like the 2065.

Christopher2035: Fantastic GG1's! I like the Brunswick green better than the Tuscan red.

Lionmaster:  Yes, in 1969 Marx put a white-noise-generating card within the tender.  The sound was interrupted to sound like steam chuffs by a round revolving segmented contact underneath.  You can see the black hanger for it in the photo.  It sure sounds similar to a steam engine, and was definitely a groundbreaker at the time.

Thanks for your comments.  This thread is very enjoyable.

Here's a 736 Lionel Berkshire from somewhere between 1957-60.  I haven't been able to pin it down any closer.  

I had it on my first layout. It was a 4x8 w/ 2 Super O loops. The track was my Dad's 

I remember going to madison hardwarew/ my Dad  to buy the center rail clips.  Had a hard time finding them.   The track was really cool looking, but you are limited in the curve selection & the switches can be kind of so-so. We had 2 manual ones & I believe they work ok.  The track can be expensive to get these days.  

Wish we would have held on to it. Would have loved it on my new PW display layout!

It's quite a bit less expensive than FasTrack(and much quieter)  and can be custom bent to any needed radius.  The switches are somewhat the limiting factor, but there are work-arounds.

Lionmaster - Good job this is such a nice posting and the Postwar lives on!!!!  I have a small collection of Postwar but they are important to me because some of them are from my childhood years.  And, because when I run them it reminds me so much of what real toy trains are all about...  The pictures below are my consists which I make up frequently. 

In the event you notice, I am the Grand Master of the Crappiest Basement Society....

1656 Switcher building consists....

736 up close..

736 pulling its local run 3662 milk car, 3656 cattle car, 6411 log dump car and 2411 Flat car with steel loads.

773 up close...

773 pulling its run of 3469 coal dump cars, 3456 Leigh High Valley coal cars and 6457 Maroon Caboose.

Poor picture but, I also run my 2026 with the 2500 series of passenger cars which you can see in the lower corner of this picture.  I am currently repainting my 2026 engine which sends out smoke in donut rings.  Love it!!

I also run the 2065, which someone earlier identified as their favorite engine.  When I decided to keep the trains up and start a real hobby with them, that was my driving engine for several years.  A real work horse....

Wood, I'll trade you for that crappy basement anyday! I see a bunch of windows ( I have one small ground level window) and you even have room for a referidgerater!

Thanks Dave,  My basement works, it is all I have...  I wish I had done a few things before I put my table up.  On the forum and in a magazine I read about painting the ceiling and piping black, I think that would have helped a lot.  Also I have a stone foundation which draws your eyes,  But, I think I will put an 18-24" high wall up around the edge of my table to box in the layout and to add scenery images.  That should help.  I have a 20'x20' area which is plenty of room, for what I want, that is for sure.  I would just like to snazifiy the space.

Thanks for information and kind comments. Wood, that layout looks incredible! Really wish I could get a 773, but it's out of my price range.

Its nice track. I don't think flexing Super O to a custom curve would be easy, if its even possible. All my ties connect to each other under the track, and rails sit in notches. Its held down by "staple" like tabs, in three areas along the rail. Its similar in looks to a K-line track. Does the K-line flex I wonder? 

Did someone say LV hopper cars?  Here's my little 44 tonner pulling a string of them.  I'd like a 773 also, but it's also out of my price range.

Making Custom Radius Super O

...Thanks for proving anything is possible Rob. I don't know if Id call it easy, but it didn't look too hard. That's some great info in the tables too.

Oh my.   Anything IS possible with determination.

Nice 44 ton switcher, TrainsRMe!

Click to see video

Click to see video 

click to see video