What is your Favorite Lionel Catalog?

I would say the latest issue. The blue comet on the front cover, which I now have and the many different steam and diesel engines.

The 1954 catalog is my favorite, because the cover was really cool and of course I love the products of that time period. The next favorite choices would be any catalog from 1946-1960, again because I love the products of that period of time.

1957.  A wonderful year that introduced many great classics to the world. Super 'O' track, the Girls Train Set, the '57 Chevy Bel Air, Sputnik and most important of all, ME! 

1937 is my favorite.  It marked the debut of the 700e Scale Hudson that changed the hobby forever!!!

If I were to answer off the top of my head I would say 1997 or 1998 but only because it marked my return to model railroading.  But I also love the ones with the "new" scale PM 1225 Berkshire.

The next one 

 

Doug

2003 Vol II.  Thats about when I got started and for years I spent getting many of the products in it.  I ought to go count all of them, but I'm guessing it would scare the **** out of me!

 

Jim

1928 & 1929.. When "Made in USA" was just that.

1957.  Great: Super O and the rest!

 

I also like the late '90s Lionel catalogs designed by Jim Bunte.  Visually classy, interesting & compelling.

The 1991 Book 2 Catalog - which I think has the best photographed catalog cover, with the 18005 scale Hudson billowing smoke over the 332 arch bridge and the Irvington cars below it. The stuff in it was some of my favorites, too.

 

Though I also liked the 1992 Book 1 Catalog, since I remember seeing how it was photographed and it had a lot of good trains, too. Oh yeah, and the 2010 Vol. 1 Catalog with the Vision Line Hudson.

I'm crazy about all of the catalogs from 1947 to 1959 and have the originals from each year.  I still enjoy browsing through them from time to time.  I have a special feeling for the 1958 catalog which was the year my Grandad received his first train set and I still have his original catalog from that year although it is a bit dog eared now. 

 

I also like the pre-war catalogs and browse through my copies of Volume 1 and Volume 2 of Greenberg's Lionel Catalogs quite often.  So, I guess I would say I like the catalogs from the bygone eras much more than our modern era catalogs except for the Lionel Corporation Tinplate catalogs.

1958, the year I came of age. I had just turned 9 in October. I specifically recall noticing several variations of the Alco's and, desiring them, unknowingly became a collector. However, I also had a permanent layout. So, my adult interests were formed. All I had to do was figure it out.

 

 

Mark

1957 would be #1.

1954 comes in a close second.

I think many of my locomotives were from the 2007 catalog, so I guess that would be it

 

I do have a 1954 one too that is really fun to read through.

1966, my first one.

1957... 

 

Of such things dreams were made of.

 

Rusty

1958, my 1st Lionel set came from it.

2000 Volume 1...WOW what a catalog! N&W Class A 1218, B&O EM-1, Scale Atlantic's, Gold Hudson, preview of Pennsy T-1.

Scott Smith

51, 52, 53, 54, 55, they are all the best. and O ya, the last one too.

1952, total classic. Don

I have the 2245A-C, so I would say the 1954!

I have two favorite catalogs 1939 because that is when I got my first set of Lionel Trains, Christmas 1938 a 224E freight set. My other favorite is the 1948 catalog because my favorite set is the 1948 GG1 with the 3 Madison cars.

Mine was the 1979 catalog. All I wanted was those PRR F-3's. I took the catalog, went to Train World on Ave M. and bought them..Still have them and that catalog..

Lionel 2001 Volume 1 catalog be my favorite when i bought my first O scale  chessie system train set

Best Post War: 1952 (See Above)

 

Best MPC Era: 1976 (Excellent lighting and arrangement of trains)

 

Best L-T-I Era: 1987 (Lighting and photography much like 1976)

 

Best Lionel, LLC: I'll go out on a limb, and say the Lionel Accessories catalog from 1997.

 

Jon 

1959 with the introduction of "The General"

A tie between 59-60 & 61 (also sounds like a good age to stay at)

1956 - a lot of neat stuff in there: the Congressional GG-1 set, the 520 boxcab, the Burlington passenger set, and best of all - the Wabash F-3 set which I received for Christmas that year.  I still have my original copy of that catalog.

 

Number two would be the 1957 catalog - Super 0 track, need I say more?

 

John

My pick is 1980, for someone like myself who grew up during the MPC/Fundimensions era there were certainly alot of great items in this catalog like the Chessie Steam Special, Burlington F3 set, Chessie Royal Limited, Seaboard Mid Atlantic set, TPW set, JLC Series boxcars. Seems like Fundimensions was really getting up to speed at this point in terms of reproducing lots of Postwar classics.

The 1954 catalog, because my first train set is in it.

Not a catalog, but the 2-sided poster that came with my 1st set in 1952: the front had an 8x8 layout with instructions on building it entitled "Hey fellows, let's build a railroad". The back had several dream layouts that I always wanted to build.

This is my second favorite catalog. 1948 because my first Lionel train set was in it. I'm lucky enough to have all the Lionel and many of the American Flyer catalogs back to 1937. Never get tired of looking through them. Don

1996 catalog with the landscape format was pretty neat in that it returned back to drawn images rather than photographs.

 

 

1950. My original train set was in here as well as the 773/2426 and Golden Anniversary FA passenger set. One of the best Post War years for many reasons.

 

 

Pete

Looking at the catalogues above, would I be correct in thinking that 1948 may have been an inspiration for 1996? 

Those late 1990s catalogs by Jim Bunte were nice. So was the 1985 Traditional catalog w/illustrations which were super. But my faves are 1953 and 1959. True classics!

Nicole, I think your right. The positioning is the same, over/under the same, Heavyweight cars above, observation in same position, Lionel on the bridge. Wow, I'm impressed. Good for you, nice going. Don

At least the classics were in LANDSCAPE form, not PORTRAT format!

I am glad to see that the Lionel Catalogs were the stuff that dreams were made of! I love them and read thru again and again, as often as possible. Just like the days when I used to stash them in my school bag at St. Ephrem's!