Lionel: British style O-gauge train list

Classic Toy Trains Forum
1

I have seen for several years the Lionel O-scale “Harry Potter” train set and thought that it was finally time to pick one up. I have also seen at least one other separate steam engine, painted green, that looked like a “Hall” class as well.

I have gone through the Lionel website but haven’t really found a listing of all British equipment that they have released in the past couple of years.

Anyone got a list? As the train show season approaches I wanted to have an idea what might be out there.

Thanks.
Ben

2

Not including any Thomas the Tank Engine stuff, here is what I know of so far:

Item Number: Description - Year Released

7-11020: “Hogwarts Express” - 4-6-0 Hall class engine & 3 coaches (2007)

7-11142: Express “Add on 2-pack” - 2 coaches (2007)

6-35229: Hogwarts “Dementors” coach without sound - 1 coach (2007)

2023170: Hogwarts Express LionChief set - 4-6-0 Hall class engine & 3 coaches including Dementors coach (2020)

6-85264: Hogwarts Express “Add on” coach (2020)

6-84767: Hogwarts “Dementors” coach with sound - 1 coach (2020)

6-38671: “North Pole Central” - 4-6-0 Hall class engine in red (unknown year)

6-38691: “North Pole Central” - 4-6-0 Hall class engine in green (unknown year)

6-35250: “North Pole Express” Passenger Car 2-pack (2012)

6-18745: “Hallows Eve Express” (2012)

6-35219: “Hallows Eve Express” Passenger Car 2-pack (2012)

6-35256: “Hallows Eve Express” Passenger Car 2-pack #2 (2012)

6-30084: Shakespeare Express ‘‘Kinlet Hall’’ set - 4-6-0 Hall class engine & 3 coaches (2008)

6-81279: “Albert Hall” train set 4-6-0 Hall class engine & 3 coaches (2014) (looks to be a repackaged Shakespeare set with LionChief remote control)

6-81729: European Albert Hall “Add on 2-pack” - 2 coaches (2014)

2023090: “Witherstock Hall” Passenger set - 4-6-0 Hall class engine & 3 coaches (2020)

2027810: Great Central Pullman Coach - 1 coach (2020)

3

The 38691 engine is green, not red.

There is also:

6-35250 - “North Pole Express” Passenger Car 2-pack - 2012.

4

Talk about Lionel British-style trains, they REALLY missed the boat, so to speak, with the “Titanic Centennial” set, a weird assortment of cars pulled by a contemporary diesel. They should have used their British prototype steamer and passenger cars to come up with a 1912-era Brit passenger train, say of the LNER which I believe ran the “Boat Train” to the Southampton docks. Oh well, they didn’t ask me, or I guess any other “Titanic” junkie for that matter.

5

The Hall class operated for the Great Western Railway but was introduced in 1924, so twelve years late for the “Titanic”.

The London and North Eastern Railway was only formed in 1923 and so would not have run trains for the Titanic either.

I thought the Titanic departed from Liverpool, not Southampton but I await correction on that.

There were locomotives very similar to the Hall class which dated back to 1903, called the “Saint” class which had a slightly different cab and larger diameter driving wheels which might have worked trains for the Titanic over part of the system. I believe some were at least tested on the London and North Western Railway that served Liverpool from London.

O gauge freight vehicles are available from English companies suitable for operating with the Halll class and many of the “Thomas” vehicles are reasonable representations of British “goods” train vehicles.

M636C

6

OK, I stand corrected on the “Hall” Class locomotives and the LNER, I’m not much of an expert on British steam or railways. However, a steam powered “Titanic” commemorative still would have made a lot more sense than what Lionel did come out with, even if the steam engine was wrong it would have been a lot more right than a diesel!

And the “Titanic” did depart from Southampton. The port of registry was Liverpool which was the home port of the White Star Line, however “Titanic” and her sister ship “Olympic” were to big to use Liverpool’s port facilities. Southampton it had to be.

A word of advice: If you start studying “Titanic” be careful, be VERY careful! Once you let “Titanic” into your life the old girl never lets you go!

7

I’m still waiting for a brake van to go with Thomas.

8

There are a number of Scale O kits manufactured by Peco in England, including brake vans.

They could be used fitted with wheels suitable for Lionel track and Lionel couplers. Their short length would suggest that they could be used on small diameter curves.

http://www.peco-uk.com/prodtype.asp?strParents=3309,3316&CAT_ID=3319&numRecordPosition=1

All of these wagons are of Great Western (or British Railways) prototype and appropriate for use with a Hall class locomotive.

M636C

9

Does it count watching the DVD of the movie to check that the underwater scene shows the centre shaft turning at twice the speed of the outer shafts, because the centre shaft was turned by an exhaust turbine and the outer shafts by triple expansion engines…

Or having a PDF of the drawings of the proposed replica Titanic stored away.

But boat trains to Southampton would have been run by the London and South Western Railway in 1912. Their locomotives were painted a light green and they would have had 4-6-0s of about the size of the Hall but different in appearance in service in 1912.

M636C

10

No, occasional watching of the Jim Cameron film is OK, and a PDF of the proposed replica is OK too, so you’re safe.

You KNOW you’ve got it bad if you walk outside on a cold day and “Titanic” pops into your head, or if you look at the ice in a soft drink and think “Hmmm, pack ice or growlers?”, or if you look at a sea-scape and, well, you get the picture. Yes, she’s always in the back of my mind somewhere just waiting to pop out when I least expect her, it just needs the right “trigger”.