Lionel pre-war sets

Is there a published list of train sets made by Lionel? Other than each year’s catalog, that is. The era my interest is from, say, 1934-1954. I have a few of the catalogs from this time span, but its VERY time consuming to try to get a comprehensive list. Curiosity more than praticallity I suppose![8D]

This shuold help. you can order it on line or pick on up at your local train shop

http://store.yahoo.net/kalmbachcatalog/toy-trains-books-greenbergs-pocket-price-guides.html

tom

You might want to check eBay or a used book source like abebooks.com for Greenberg’s Guide to Lionel Trains 1901-1942, Vol. IV Prewar Sets by Dave McEntarfer (1995, Kalmbach). This baby is out of print and will probably never be reprinted (at least by us).

So Bob,

Are you saying that everyone that collects pre-war and wants that book already has one and thus there is no more market for it? Wow.

Regards,
Roy

That’s awfully distressing, Bob. Is it Kalmbach’s judgment that prewar collecting is dead?

I’m just getting into Standard Gauge, myself (at 40), and I’d hate to have to wait till another old time collector drops dead to buy a copy at his estate sale [B)]

Seriously, those things sell for a couple hundred bucks per copy. Surely those prces indicate a market?

This is sad news indeed, Bob. [:(] If MTH’s recent additions to their Tinplate Traditions line is any indication, there is indeed still a market for prewar-style trains. I wonder how many more people will be introduced to these wonderful trains because of MTH’s efforts?

It would be very nice to see the out-of-print Greenberg books reprinted (the Greenberg American Flyer and Ives books are very good too). If it’s not feasible to reprint them in paper form, what about printing them electronically, on CD-ROM? It’s nowhere near as convenient, but the cost of printing and distribution plummets, and then the people who need the information can get it.