What do Lionel product numbers mean (if anything)?

In some incarnations there was a method to the numbering.

During the MPC era, 1970 to 1985 engine numbers referred to the first year
that the product was offered.

8360 LIRR GP-20 was first offered in 1973

8600 NYC Hudson was first offered in 1976

The flaw in this was they stared over in 1980, so you have to know your product
to determine if it was from the 70's, or early 80's

8406 the often mentioned semi scale Hudson (783) was first offered in 1984.


Ken

I have a problem with modern both Lionel and MTH passenger sets. The number on the box flap often has no correlation to the car inside. If a set has 2 different Pullmans road numbers A and B the box flap may say Pullman 134 and 139 as example. If I don't mark them in some way I can't tell which pullman came from which box. I have this problem with a set of MTH beer reefers too.

Believe it or not, there is some logic to the numbering system. When they started the 5 digit numbers around 1986/1987,
they had some fairly defined ranges that products would fall in. For example, steam engines would be 180xx or 186xx
numbers. As these numbers got used up, they then became 280xx and 286xx, then 380xx and 386xx. Problem is as more and more numbers started being used up, additional ranges were created or just some ringer PNs thrown in.

The Greenberg Guides to Lionel Trains (the large books) have a pretty good explantion of this along with a table for the product range numbers.

As for the 6- number that goes back to the early days of MPC I understand. MPC model kits used a 1- for their line of plastic models, why the 6- was exactly chosen for Lionel cant say why.

I wish Lionel would move to a system more like MTH's. As one who buys from the Buy-Sell board and other sites it is impossible to tell the 'type' of Lionel product being offered. 0-27, Tradtional, Scale, etc are not identified by the product number, unlike the 20,30,33, etc in the MTH line. If a Lionel product is not properly ID'd in a listing I often skip by it rather than search their website for the product. I may be lazy a bit, but with so many offerings it's too tedious for me on most nights.

It just bugs me how the freight cars are random numbers now. I used to find new and interesting versions of cars by searching part numbers next to ones I already have. Case & point.... Lionel Unibody tank cars all used to be numbered sequentially. It made it easy to research all the different ones, and try to collect them.

Now if you want to collect all the Lionel PS-1 Box cars, GOOD LUCK finding all the part numbers. They are all over the place. In fact, some are not even called PS-1 any more.

The MTH numbering system is definitely a smart marketing idea. It makes it very easy to know what you are getting.

I have many MTH cars, but only 2 Lionel cars - in large part due to the uncertainty of what the Lionel car is, i.e. scale, or not scale.

quote:

As for the 6- number that goes back to the early days of MPC I understand. MPC model kits used a 1- for their line of plastic models, why the 6- was exactly chosen for Lionel cant say why.

Probably to leave room for growth in the model kit line. Reserving 2-5 for future use if the model kit line is expanded or subdivided, would give them an easy key for sorting, and keeping all the kits together, followed by the trains.

The numbering system is called a Stock Keeping Unit or SKU.

The number doesn't always have to run in order and refers to the item in a company's catalog.

A good explanation of how SKU's work can be found HERE.

quote:

Now if you want to collect all the Lionel PS-1 Box cars, GOOD LUCK finding all the part numbers. They are all over the place. In fact, some are not even called PS-1 any more.

agreed, Lionel Standard O boxcars started out as numbers in the 172xx and then 272xx series, but now many random numbers thrown in.