Analyzing Lionel's 1946 Catalog

Taking a deep dive into the hidden secrets of lionels 1946 catalog
Video includes toy trains, model trains, Lionel trains, American flyer, bachman, mth trains, atlas, o scale, o gauge, o27, ho, s gauge, g scale, n scale, steam locomotives, steam engines, Pennsylvania Railroad, Lionel postwar trains, Lionel prewar trains

[@davidstrainsandlego]

clintjefferies.com/trains.html
Here's the website with the catalogs

[@modelrailpreservation]

That 0-6-0 switcher also appeared in the 1946 version of the "Lionel R.R. Guide" poster. The poster showed a 0-4-0 in 1947, so at one point Lionel was fairly serious about making the switcher as an 0-6-0 I think.

[@davidstrainsandlego]

@modelrailpreservation yes it did. That poster was pretty interesting, I've been looking to get one for a little bit

[@modelrailpreservation]

@@davidstrainsandlego I found one at York the first time I went. Guy had a bunch of old paper goods. This one is nice. Crisp, looks brand new, so I had it framed and matted.

[@zenithcoinsandhobbies]

Darn, I have a 46 poster and never realized that detail! Neat!

[@TitanicKid]

A few things to note:
1. There is at least one known example of the 2113ws set that included a scale caboose with 1946 trucks.
2. Lionel produced a singular 703, but deemed it prohibitively expensive to put into full production.
3. There has been at least one 403 found. An 0-6-0 switcher with postwar trucks & couplers with the 1946 rubber-stamped number 403 on the cab. Unfortunately it was repainted and the stamp painted over, but if you search the OGR forum you'll find a thread about postwar 0-6-0s.
4. Subtle blink-and-you'll-miss-it detail: The 703 has the 2426W tender paired with it, but the scale hudson shown on the back of the catalog has a scale tender.

[@davidstrainsandlego]

@@TitanicKid very interesting, I was not aware that a scale caboose made it to production

[@SOU6900]

What was the site you said had the catalogs? I can't seem to find it in a search.

[@davidstrainsandlego]

Here's the link clintjefferies.com/trains.html

[@greglivo]

Great video and an enjoyable review of the catalog. A few corrections: The truck that you mention at 5:36 is not a flying shoe coupler. That is the coil coupler. And not all flying shoes had whirly wheels. Also, the 115 station was cataloged through 1949 and was produced in the postwar era.

[@davidstrainsandlego]

Ah, Thanks for the corrections

[@pennsy6755]

Iirc while Lionel didn’t go fully with the 703, they _did_ make a prototype model of the 703 with the smoke bulb in it.
Last I remembered it was under Fritz Von Tagen’s collection.
Interestingly, you _can_ make your own pseudo 703 using the Hudson tooling.

[@davidstrainsandlego]

I've always thought it would've been neat If lionel reissued the 703 as part of the postwar reproduction series they had

[@advancedapproachproduction2394]

The biggest mistake Lionel made in the postwar era was not continuing the “scale” equipment.

[@davidstrainsandlego]

@@advancedapproachproduction2394 I definitely think it would have been cool

[@colestrains1]

I really wish they made the 703 Hudson instead of those O27 sets
(I do like my O27 aluminum driver 221 though)

[@davidstrainsandlego]

Thankfully we got the 773 4 years later

[@johnandrus3901]

They needed to make the O27 sets. They were a bit smaller and less expensive than the bigger, O gauge sets, so they fit better in the smaller, post-war homes and apartments. My brother’s first set, in 1948, was a freight set, headed by a 2026. He also got the 2400 series passenger cars. I still have them and the sets that my parents bought him later, in 1950 through about 1956. Either way, the O27 sets were what was needed and perfect, for that time.