Robert Schleicher - The Big Book of Lionel: The Complete Guide to Owning and Running Americas Favorite Toy Trains

ROBERT SCHLEICHER

This edition first published in 2011 by Voyageur Press, an imprint of MBI Publishing Company, 400 First Avenue North, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55401 USA

Copyright 2004, 2011 Lionel LLC

First edition published in 2004. Second edition published in 2011.

All rights reserved. With the exception of quoting brief passages for the purposes of review, no part of this publication may be reproduced without prior written permission from the Publisher.

The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All recommendations are made without any guarantee on the part of the author or Publisher, who also disclaims any liability incurred in connection with the use of this data or specific details.

We recognize, further, that some words, model names, and designations mentioned herein are the property of the trademark holder. We use them for identification purposes only.

Voyageur Press titles are also available at discounts in bulk quantity for industrial or sales-promotional use. For details write to Special Sales Manager at MBI Publishing Company, 400 First Avenue North, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55401 USA.

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ISBN: 978-0-7603-4026-4

Digital edition: 978-1-6106-0242-6

Softcover edition: 978-0-7603-4026-4

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Schleicher, Robert H.

The big book of Lionel : the complete guide to owning and running Americas favorite toy trains / Robert Schleicher. -

2nd ed.

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN 978-0-7603-4026-4 (pbk.)

1. Railroads--Models. 2. Lionel Corporation. I. Title.

TF197.S3255 2011

625.19--dc22

2010030111

Printed in China

On the front cover: Lionels Pennsylvania Flyer barrels through a curving stretch of FasTrack. Lionel LLC

On the back cover, main: Any Lionel O-27 or O scale locomotive or car from the past 100 years will operate on FasTrack, including this incredibly detailed EMD F3A.

On the back cover, inset: Hobby shops carry a variety of model railroad paint you can use to touch up chipped areas on cars, locomotives, or operating accessories.

On the frontispiece: Four action accessories are featured in the industrial park on Richard Kughns layout, including three coal-loading accessories. The red and green structure in the foreground is the 497 Coaling Station, the beige structure with a red roof is the 97 Coaling Station with chain-belt-buckets to hoist the coal into the tower, and the angled gray conveyor of the 397 Coal Loader is just visible behind it. The green, yellow, and red accessory is the Lionel Log Loader.

On the title pages: The bridge piers on Larry LaJambes layout were cut from 2"4"s, sanded, and painted.

The ridge is a combination of several Lionel plate girder bridges that were cut and cemented end-to-end, upside down.

About the Author: Robert Schleicher is a veteran hobby writer and publisher with dozens of books to his credit, including The Lionel FasTrack Book and Lionel FasTrack Model Railroads. He lives in Niwot, Colorado.

PART I

Building A Lionel Layout

Modern Lionel trains operate around the classic reproduction of the O Gauge tinplate No. 128 Illuminated Station and Terrace on Richard Kughns Lionel layout.

Chapter

LIONEL TRAINS, 100 YEARS OF FUN

To most Americans, Lionel means toy trains. Generations of people remember Lionel toy trains from their childhood and have passed that joy onto their children or grandchildren for over 100 years. Few icons in America have the status of Lionel, with a life span longer even than Harley-Davidson or Ford Motor Company. Buy a Lionel train and you own a piece of history.

THE VALUE OF LIONEL TRAINS

Lionel Trains are unique among model railroads and toy trains because the entire spectrum from toy to hobby to collectible is encompassed among Lionel toy train products.

Lionel is the simplest of all toy trains to operate because everything snaps together easily and runs reliably. Lionel trains run equally well on wood floors, carpets, and tabletops, which is not true of the smaller HO or N scale trains.

Lionel offers a full range of products including trains that are replicas of the toys of the 1940s and 1950s, semi-scale models that look just like their original counterparts, and exact scale models that are precise replicas of real cars and locomotives. You can run, collect, or use them as the basis for an exciting model railroad. Some Lionel fans enjoy all three aspects of the hobby.

What sets Lionel trains apart from the smaller HO and N scale trains is the heft and bulk of the models. When a Lionel locomotive rolls down the track, you can hear the rumble, and in many cases, you can actually feel the vibration as the massive model moves along.

Since Lionel only keeps products in the line for a few years, it can introduce an incredible array of new products each year to replace discontinued models, which often reappear a few seasons later with new road numbers and other updated enhancements. This constant flow of new products means that you can obtain a Lionel replica of your favorite real locomotive or freight car or passenger car, especially if you are willing to wait for your favorite item to join (or rejoin) the Lionel line.

You can recreate 1955 with Lionels Union Pacific 4-6-6-4 articulated steam locomotive and a lash-up of GP-7 and GP-9 diesels like these on Robert Babas layout.

Some permanent Lionel model railroads, like Larry LaJambes walk-in layout, have spectacular scenery.

The rock canyon extends all the way to the floor for walk-in access to Larry LaJambes layout.

RELIABLE RAILROADING

Lionel trains are designed to run better, and be more reliable, than any other model trains. Real railroads have two rails, but Lionel has three, and the rails are oversized so that its easier to create complex track layouts without the special electrical gaps in the rails or intricate wiring required with two-rail systems. The larger rails allow you to run your trains on just about any surfaceeven on the carpetwithout derailing.