I just bought the following post war 6456 LV hopper, 6465 Sunoco tank car, 6656 yellow stock car, 3484-25 operating SF box car, and 6457 caboose. They all came with boxes and are all in excellent condition. They were from a seller in Canada who does not usually sell train goods. I am thinking that these cars have been together since they were new. I am trying to figure out if they were part of a set and what was the engine. There was an Erie Alco set that had some three of the cars, but the caboose did not match. There was a SF F3 set ABA that had some of the cars, and adding the SF operating box would have made sense. Any guesses? If I can’t figure it out, i will pair them
with a 736.
Welcome aboard! Unfortunately I can’t help you as to the proper engine that came with the set but I WILL say pairing the cars with a 736 is an excellent idea!
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It’s hard to say. The 3484-25 was introduced in 1954, by which point both the 6656 and 6457 were no longer in production, so the entirety of your collection of cars wouldn’t really make sense to have come as a set.
If we set aside the 3484-25, and look at just the other cars, set 1467W from 1952 does seem like a perfect match in every way except that it came with the slightly cheaper 6357, rather than the more premium 6457.
Here’s some food for thought- a concluded auction for an Erie 1467W, which includes the 6457 caboose: Lionel 1476W Erie ALCo Freight Set
Now, is there any way to “prove” that this set is authentic? Not that I know of, outside of if it were brand new and sealed in the box, and had been opened up for research purposes.
On the other hand, the 6457 caboose was discontinued in 1952, the same year that the Erie set was offered. Maybe Lionel could have gotten rid of some inventory of these cabooses through the set. Unfortunately, I do not believe there is sufficient information to ever really say with any certainty.
I would probably feel content putting together the Erie set. It wasn’t unusual for train collections to start with a set, and then expand to include more items over time. I acquired a collection that comprised of a 1950 set, 1473W, as well as a couple operating cars, silver Union Pacific 2033 ALCos, and a set of silver 2400 series passenger cars. Looking everything up, I determined that only the 1473W outfit was an original set, and all the other items must have been purchased separately in the following years.
-El
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I am an American Flyer guy so I cannot answer your question, but can’t you use product catalogs for the answer to your question?
Rich
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I believe our original poster probably did, and reached out because they were struggling to find an answer.
Also, Lionel did offer sets that were not included in catalogs. Many (but not all!) of these sets are documented or mentioned in the Authoritative Guide to Promotional Outfits 1960-1969 from Project Roar publishing. That said, I don’t think it’s very likely we are looking at a non-catalogued set here, as, ignoring the 3484-25 boxcar, the items were only available concurrently in the early 1950s, at a time when Lionel was, as far as current research has revealed, not producing any promotional outfits.
-El
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I have a similar problem trying to figure out the exact year that my two American Flyer locomotives were produced. 1940s sometime post-war, but I know not exactly when.
Rich
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What would they happen to be, Rich?
That sure looks nice with those Erie engines. Maybe I will try to get those. Thank you for the great answer.
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American Flyer PRR 312 steamer
American Flyer C&NW Baldwin 355 Diesel
Ah, two fine locos. I own a 310 myself, but no Baldwins. To help answer your question, the 312 was produced in 1946, '48, and '50-52. Type A, according to Greenberg, has a Pennsy lettered tender, with the smoke unit in said tender and the drawbar with an integrated truck (1946).
Tybe B has an American Flyer Lines tender, with smoke in the boiler and the integrated drawbar (1948).
Type C is similar to type B, but has a die-cast trailing truck.
The 355 was produced from 1956-57, and the only two known variations were a green plastic shell and a green painted one.
Hope that helped!
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Ahh, yes, that helps a lot.
I just started a new thread on my American Flyer trains. I hope that others will join in with their own photos as well.
Thanks for looking up that info for me.
Rich
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Sure! I always go to my handy AF Pocket Price Guide when I need to.
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Just adding that I’m 99% sure I have that set, bought at an estate sale years ago from the original owner. The only difference is mine has a black LV hopper, not red. Also, mine included an Auto Loader, which was a real treat to get.
It is a great set. Finding that around 2002ish was what really got me back into Lionel trains in a big way after a few years of Flyer flirting.
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You flirted with Flyer, yet you didn’t consummate the deal? Shame, shame!
Rich
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I hate to camp on an O gauge thread, but the Gilbert 312 engine was used in seven different sets and the 355 diesel was used in eleven different sets. Most Gilbert engines have the month and year of production stamped on the inside top of the shell.
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