I inherited this Lionel train and was wondering if anyone that sees this can tell me what the value of something like this would be,(not that it matters cuz it’s NEVER going anywhere,i’m just curious)i have cars and track as well as soon as they are found in boxes in the attic of my parents house,i know nothing about trains and probably won’t go any further than this if i don’t get any responces,There is my grandfathers initials and a date on the bottom,the date is 1929 so i hope that helps on any info that anyone can provide about this,thanks in advance.
Hi Chris. Welcome to the forum. I am no expert on Standard Gauge trains, but I will share what I know. According to David Doyle’s Standard Catalog of Lionel Trains 1900-1942, your train is a standard gauge #42 locomotive. Standard gauge trains measure 2 and 1/8 inches between the wheels. Your locomotive appears to be a Type III locomotive ( there were 9 variations listed). The entry lists that #42 was first produced in 1912, and the latest date mentioned in the article was 1921. The price range listed for a Type III locomotive is $275 for good condition, $375 for excellent condition, up to $500 for Like New condition.
Welcome to the forum . Now what I may sugest is get a hold of a reasonable repair man to go over it and get you the missing pieces I know a couple if your interested email me and I email you the one I would use back to you. also if your good at fixing things I can give you a contact with a person who may be able to get you parts.
Hey guys,thanks for all your help on this subject,i just got back from my parents tonight with the rest of the train 2 Parlor Cars and 1 Observation Car and all the track to make a big oval,do any of you think it’s a good idea to restore this or just leave it be?Would the value be the same if any changes were made?Share your thoughts please!!!
I’d try to get it to run, but would not restore it. The missing paint and dings are reminders of all the great times your grandfather and his friends had playing with the train.
Leave that one be, its in to good a shape to restore (well in my opinion anyway!). As was said, rewire it etc. to get it running but It’ll be worth more in the end both monetarilly and historically as it is I think…
Thanks for sharing your wonderful find. I agree with the others. The condition is such that restoration would likely detract from the value. In your case particularly since your family originally owned the train and thus the history of the set is well known (i.e. it is not pieces assembled by someone to recreate a set). For a tinplate train of that vintage, my opinion as a TCA member is it has greater value to most collectors in its present condition and the knowledge that it contains the (likely) original pieces of the set.
In my years of crawling around toy train meets, refinished tinplate trains are typically done on pieces missing a lot of their original paint, are badly bent up, missing critical parts, etc. Yours does not appear to exhibit those characteristics. I recommend you leave it be. Besides, you can change your mind at any time to refinish it should the market dynamics change significantly.
What a wonderful find, especially that you have the whole set. The passenger cars are a matching set of 3, the #18 Pullman or Parlor, #19 Combine, and the #190 Observation. In very good condition, the list price is $125 each, but I’ve seen similar condition sell for around $200. In my experience, the unique car is the Combine since Lionel made so few of these great combination cars (i.e., baggage and coach). Prior to 1920, these cars were the most extravagent Lionel had ever produced. In fact, this set was the one pictured in most of Lionel’s advertising (for example, box labels and catalog covers). I included a picture of one such ad from 1920 below, so you have a great piece of Lionel history.
I agree with everyone’s advice on restoration. Rewiring and replacing the blue cellunoid inserts, for example, will not detract any value. The only time a restored piece yields a higher price is when the original was only in good condition. Your engine and cars all appear to be structurally sound with no pieces missing. That’s most important. Your grandfather obviously loved this set. Oh and one more thing, welcome to the forum!
Thanks to everyone for all the help on this i really appreciate it and so does my mom,we never knew a thing about this train except it was my grandfathers when he was a young boy back in the 20’s,thanks again for your knowledge and time to tell your stories about it.
