Lionel Spirit of 76;6-1776 O Gauge

Flash

New Member
Jan 14, 2005
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I can't believe that this particular set or the pieces therein are worth virtually nothing, especially to people who now want to get into the game with their kids and still buy older stuff.

I realize that original train lines are more valuable but.....what a great value to climb into the mix or use these every day to preserve the more valuable and pristine pieces.

I 've got all older 0/O27 stuff from !949-1958, but this amazes me, especially with the way this Spirit of 76 set was recieved this past Christmas and New Years with the guests in our home around the tree, barely ever used before this. They were impressed.

Guess that some of this non-traditional stuff ain't worth nothing, but what a great starter set. Newbies jump on it as as a starter for yourself and the 4 year old + in your home.

The reason the train market has flattened off has to do with more than the number of babyboomers pulling their stuff out of their closets, garages, and basements and dumping their stuff.

It's the tradition that our fathers and grandfathers that has been swept by the wayside and that has not been passed on. My father always regretted the American Flyers that got sold off during the Depression Years 1929-1934, and thereafter, to put food on the table.

My deceased father worked his butt off and had little time to spend with me (I'M54). But the time we had together is cemented in my trains. And my son has picked up the torch if not with the same fervor as me. But at 25, he helped set up the (newly) traditional 4x8 layout under the Christmas tree.

Hours of fun and entertainment for family from 1 to 95, especially with your granddaughter of 1.5 years and your 125 pound Dobermann who thinks the trains are a menace to the world as we know it.

Enough for pontificating.

Just wish I had a permanent layout.
 
The Lionel stuff from the '70s is definitely underappreciated. Some of it was half-hearted, yes, but some of it was very innovative. I agree with you that a cheap low-end Lionel or Marx set is a great way to get started. You can have a reasonably nice train for well under $100 (sometimes under $50) and not be afraid to play with it the way it was intended. If I had a $1,000+ Lionel 3985 Challenger locomotive, I wouldn't be eager to let anyone else play with it because it cost so much money. But if someone runs my Lionel 246 or Marx 490 (book value $15) off the table, what's lost? I can patch up the body until it can't be patched anymore, then I can buy a replacement one for under $5.
 

Flash

New Member
Jan 14, 2005
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Agreed.....looked over all my engines and some rolling stock, then chatted w. a Pittsburgh buddy who is deeper into this than I am. Like you, he's into running his trains. I'm happy with the countless hours of fun I've already had over the past 50 plus years and might eventually add a few pieces of rolling stock to the collection while, as you suggested in another thread, bring the rest of my pieces up to snuff with cleaning, lube, and a few minor repairs.

Found that the horn units don't seem to be working on my 2031 Rock Island and the 2348 Minneaplolis and St. Louis. No battery acid issues as the batteries were never left in the units when not in use, so it's time to get these sorted out.
 
There's certainly plenty of it out there, and it's not terribly expensive. O gauge has a reputation for being a hobby for trial lawyers and heart surgeons' budgets, but it doesn't have to be that way.

Fortunately there's some inexpensive stuff being manufactured today, too. But I do like having something with some age to it.