I have a prewar Lionel 262E pulling two 710 Passenger cars and a 712 Observation car under my Christmas tree. My guide says the 262E was made in 1933 and the passenger cars were made between 1923 and 1934. The train is running beautifully. Sometimes mechanical items will last that long if they are taken care of well but Lionel trains seem to last without any special care. The trains I had as a kid were just piled carelessly in a box and they lasted until my mother gave them away. This train will outlive me.
I totally agree. My Grandfather gave my Mom an American Flyer passenger set for Christmas in 1938. My 3 brothers and I played with it hard in the 60s and 70s and my Dad gave us a Lionel missle launcher set in 1969. Both of these sets live on and see heavy duty action during the holidays. The 38 American Flyer is amazing it has only had its loco wheels changed and some oil. It has two speeds stop and fast and sometimes the reversing unit is fussy. For a 71 year old toy it is not the least bit fragile and we keep playing with it like its new. The 69 lionel is only 40 yrs old and like my Dad tells me every Christmas “it’s just getting broken in”.
I got my first Lionel set – with a 2026 locomotive – for Christmas 1951, when I was three years old. It ran under our Christmas tree until 1969, when I got married and left home.
In the Seventies, I got my Lionel equipment (which by that time had grown considerably) from my parents’ attic and started collecting postwar Lionel. That old 2026 has a string of NYC passenger cars behind it now, and still runs as flawlessly as it did on that Christmas morning so long ago.
Yeah, original Lionel equipment was really built to last for the ages. Will the new Lionel endure as long? Only time can answer that one.
Earl, I agree with you when you say that the Lionels will outlast us. I have three old Lionel steam locos, a 675 from1949 and two 2046s from 1950. All three are tireless runners with just the minimal of maintanance and oiling. I wasn’t born until 1957, seems like yesterday, and sometimes while running any of these locos I wonder if they were some boy’s Christmas present and that if he is still is alive, does he remember them fondly? Does he (or she perhaps) wish that he still had them? These were from the era when toys were built with a true quality to them. I know that these trains will be around for a long time to come. I feel that just like my old 1977 Ford Mustang Cobra II, I am not the owner, I am the caretaker until this next caretaker comes along.
I often wonder about the history of my trains too. My mother gave away my train when I left home. It is too bad that there is not some way to retain that history of the train when it changes owners. I have been marginally successful in inquiring about the history when I purchase a train on ebay.
Same here. My 2046 that I was given in 1950 is sitting on the tracks right now and runs like a champ. Same thing with all the cars in that original set except the window shell on the 6357 caboose got so opaque and scratched that I had to take it out. Can’t find a new one either. I would not be surprised if my grandkids run them way after I am gone!
I too have wondered about the history of some of the pieces I have. What would have been great is if they had some kind of VIN that would identify their history, who owned them, etc. Without that, we can only imagine.
I have an 8E and a 337 passenger car and a 338 Observation car Standard gauge. I have often myself wonder what it would be like to wake up Christmas morning and find that set new under the tree for Christmas. My set has had a couple of wheels on the engine replace which is common with them as they had a cracking problem in them after like the first 50 years but mine runs fine and the cars light up fine. I have had it around our Christmas tree a few years but no trains this year as not enough room [banghead]
And out of my control to make room. But do plan to make a shelf layout for it in my train room when I build so I can run it more often .
I have a couple of Lionel engines from the pre war time; a 249E & a 224E, both run good but need occasional maintenance. Also had some 022 switches that worked pretty good for how old they were. Considering how old some of the Lionel engines are that I have it is only natural that something may give out, after 65 or 70 years you would wear out as well.
Some of the problems that I read about on here with newer Lionel stuff, like transformers & switches, makes me wonder if I would buy it.
I still have my Lionel trains from 1976 as well as from my late great uncle’s estate from when he passed away in 2003. Even though I just have a loop on the floor of my home office for them to run on, it’s fun to just let them run while I’m in there.
Im running vintage Standard Gauge this year for the Christmas floor layout. It all runs as good as the day it was brand new. I see no reason that, with appropriate mainenance, that these trains wont be running 100 years from now.
I own a large fleet of postwar locos and a few prewar locos. I have never had any of them “wear out”. It is quite a testimony to the durability of the older Lionel engines.
