Postwar Superspeed Liners

Hey Ya’ll

On the internet, while searching for the super speed liuners, I saw a website that had the complete more than two of all the aluminum streamliners.

While looking at the super speed liners, I saw some labled Early Version, Flat Channel, Round in Rivits, and hex end rivits.

My dad and I want be buy more than 2 of each car exept the odservation car and we want them to match.

What is the difference between those labels?
Do they all match?
Which do you recomend?
Help…

Nick

When Lionel introduced the Super Speedliners in 1952, the nameplates (Lionel Lines, Silver Dawn, Silver Range, Silver Cloud, and Silver Bluff) were attached over ribbed surfaces with hexhead screws. A switch to round-head rivets was soon made (small-head silver, large-head silver, or black). The last versions had nameplates attached with glue.

In 1955, the extrusion was changed to remove the ribs from the areas where the nameplates were applied. This allowed use of different-style nameplates for the Congressional (PRR), Canadian Pacific, Santa Fe, and Presidential cars.

Super Speedliners also were available with flat-channel extrusions. I’m guessing the flat surface also helped prevent the glued-on Super Speedliner nameplates from falling off. According to David Doyle’s book, "A Standard Catalog of Lionel Trains, 1945-1969), these cars are relatively rare because they were used to make forgeries of the PRR, CP, and SF sets.[:0]

Thanks.

But if I put them togeather (all different versions) will they look good and match.

Nick

Nick,

Since the differences are all in the way the cars look, different cars will not be a perfect match. The most obvious difference will between the cars with ribs versus the cars with flat channels. OTOH, all will have aluminum bodies and nameplates with Lionel Lines, Silver Dawn, etc.

As to whether or not different cars will look good together, that’s up to you![:)]