Lionel engine's comment

[lionelsteam]

I went to my local train Hobby shop this weekend to look for a possibly new engine to buy. I Looked at the engine's they had and asked to see an engine i could buy for less then $100 dollars? The person told me they don't have any lionel engine's that cost less then $100.
I was like they should at least possibly have a junky engine with some paint chips and wear for at least less then 100, but no. So what was the Cheapest lionel engine cost(mostly from the 50's-70's)that i could find was they start from $195 and up and mind you, that's with no box. Not even mint. WOW, was all i could think.
My question is, are people buying these old engine's for $195, with old wires, and used, or do most of you buy your engine's off of ebay? I mean there old and they don't come with a warranty, and the one's i bought, have had electrical problems, and used motor's not worth $195, just my opinion. What's yours?
Do you still shop and buy from your local train hobby shops and seen similar stuff there as well?

[Kanawha]

Great condition Lionel trains from the 40's, 50's, etc are worth their weight in gold. Problem is, tons of hobby shops that carry used trains, sellers at swap meets, garage sales, and ebay people have it in their mind that their junky, heavily used trains are still really valuable, when the truth is, they arent and shouldnt be unless in good shape. So they take a train from the 50's thats beat all to heck, and slap a $200 price tag on it because other "toys" from the era like Barbie or GI Joe's are worth that. What they dont realize is that an electric train is just that, electric, so if it doesnt have some potential to function again without dumping $100 into it, it isnt worth squat. But some people will buy them anyway, so the prices stay high. Sorry. *steps down off soap box*

[Dave Farquhar]

Sometimes I see a postwar 2026 or 2037 engine in the $100 neighborhood, but $125 might be more typical. That's for one that's been gone over thoroughly and runs well, BTW. One that needs work should sell for under $100 (they usually do on eBay).

A lot of the Scout-type engines sell for well under $100, but many of those are hard to service, so once they break, they're done.

The stuff from the '70s tends to be a lot cheaper, when you can find it. The problem is some people don't want to deal in that era at all.

Lionel under $100 can be a little hard to find, but it can be done. I think your shop either chooses to deal in the higher-end stuff, or has inflated prices.

[pgandw]

IIRC, the Lionel 0-6-0T sells for right around $100 (new), perhaps $110. The KLine Plymouth and Porter were/are a few $$ less (new) when you can find them.

Dave has given you good info on postwar steam. If you want new, check some of the on-line/mail order houses. Lionel still makes a few non-command locos that sell for less than $200. I've bought a new Berkshire a year ago for $170.

my thoughts, your choices

[cnw1995]

The Lionel docksider is a mighty fine engine. Here's a few more O gauge motorized units out there around that price point. Here's a few random ones: Atlas's new trolley is $79. Boscov's has a few Plymouth sets for sale for $79ish; Lionel's new 'K-line' division has a host of smaller engines - their take on the 520 boxcab is $89. I'm partial to their Thomas line - which includes an $90 Percy and $109 Diesel.

[kpolak]

OK guys you sold me.

I just had to have an 0-6-0. I ended up with Alaska colors.

Kurt