…is there anything worthwhile that’s available? I know some of the items available in the past have been flimsy garbage. Appreciate any responses.
There is a model that has 12 pictures of engines on it, as the hands pass the hour, it makes sound from the appropriate engine.
The sound effects should be a hit with kids, I would suspect. (this 33 year old kid likes his enough[;)] )
The top one in the first link is from a few years back and plays a generic whistle and the plastic train runs laps around the edge as the hour passes.
http://www.bizrate.com/buy/products__cat_id–13020209,keyword–lionel%20train%20clock.html
Hope this helps.
Sounds like the older clock with the running train wasn’t worth it according to this thread:
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?page=-1&TOPIC_ID=13994&REPLY_ID=114555#114555
The second clock listed above its a nice wall clock but may not be that interesting to a young child. This is one that may be more appropriate to a younger child. You might find it at BigLots/Tuesday Morning/As Seen on TV as well as E-Bay:
I got a “real deal” on a Lionel alarm clock – it was on a Clearance table a the local Wal-Mart about five years ago. I bought it for my son’s room. It’s supposed to have a little train that goes in and out of a tunnel when the alarm goes off with a whistle and chugging sounds. It’s never worked exactly right.
But I have to tell you, we have gotten more laughs out of it. It might go off when you set it, it might not. It might go off in the middle of the night. It may skip three or four days and then go off… who knows!! I finally moved it to the basement when I got my Flyers set up. Still - every now and then, we will be upstairs and we hear a voice from down below yell, “All Aboard !!! and the chugging and whistle cut loose!!” It’s always good for a shared laugh between father and son. I think I paid $10 for the thing, but it’s been the best $10 rip-off I ever bought!! The clock DOES keep time.
Yes, there have been. The one mentioned above with the train going around the clock is JUNK. The train eventually becomes stuck at the top of the clock and also starts going off at night, even with the light sensor.
The newer design is MUCH better. It has 12 different pictures of trains with their respective train sounds at each hour:
1: New Jersey Central Blue Comet
2: Southern Crescent Limited
3: Santa Fe F3
4: New York Central Hudson
5: Burlington Pioneer Zephyr
6: New York Central S-1
7: Norfolk & Western Y6b
8: Leigh Valley ALCO S-2
9: New York Central F3
10: Phantom III
11: Milwaukee Road Hiawatha
12: Meadow River Lumber Hiesler
Eventually, you’ll know what time it is by the sound of the different trains!
Ya’ll probably aren’t going to believe this, but they are selling the lionel clocks with the individual engines in the Marshall’s stores here. I picked one up the other day for $5, cool little clock. If anybody wants one I can swing by and see if they’ve got anymore.
Can’t believe there isn’t either a B&O or C&O on that list. [B)]