Toy trains Archives

How to sell Lionel trains

Dave Farquhar Toy trains September 13, 2016April 22, 20171950s, american flyer, HO, ho scale, lionel, lionel train, marx, o gauge, o27, old trains, OO, receipt, Standard Gauge, TCA, video game

Since I’ve covered other makes of trains, someone asked me how to sell Lionel trains. So I thought I would give similar advice on selling Lionel trains. Lionel is an iconic, legendary part of Americana, so there will always be some market for its products.

That said, don’t expect to get rich selling off your Lionel trains. But if you keep your expectations realistic, you’ll find an eager buyer, or ideally, at least two interested buyers so you’ll realize a good price at auction.

Dave Farquhar

David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He has written professionally about computers since 1991, so he was writing about retro computers when they were still new. He has been working in IT professionally since 1994 and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He holds Security+ and CISSP certifications. Today he blogs five times a week, mostly about retro computers and retro gaming covering the time period from 1975 to 2000.

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Cleaning up Plasticville

Dave Farquhar Toy trains July 27, 2016August 30, 20171950s, marx, train show

Plasticville buildings in less than stellar condition are dirt cheap, but restoring them is often possible. There is no need to be afraid of a dirty lot of Plasticville from a train show or Ebay–cleaning up Plasticville is easy.

Of course these tricks work for Plasticville-like buildings from the 1950s as well, such as Littletown, Skyline, Ideal, and Marx.

Dave Farquhar

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Should I switch to Fastrack?

Dave Farquhar Toy trains July 20, 2016October 22, 20221940s, 1950s, american flyer, christmas, lionel, marx, o27, tubular track

A common question is whether to switch from traditional Lionel tubular track to Fastrack, or from traditional American Flyer track to the new S-gauge Fastrack.

If you make the switch, I stand to possibly make a couple of bucks from affiliate links. But my integrity is worth more than a couple of bucks, so let’s talk this through.

Dave Farquhar

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The Marx factory fire in Girard PA

Dave Farquhar Toy trains July 13, 2016November 26, 20181950s, Classic Toy Trains, Joy Line, Louis Marx, marx, Quaker Oats, sears

The birthplace of scores of classic toy trains fell victim to the Marx factory fire in Girard, Pennslyvania.

The old Marx factory stood at 227 E Hathaway in Girard, Pennsylvania. For a time in the 1950s, Marx was the largest toy manufacturer in the world. Marx made toy trains at the site, which caught fire on July 12, 2016. There were no immediate reports of injuries, fortunately. There was very little news coverage of the fire.

Dave Farquhar

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Marx couplers explained

Dave Farquhar Toy trains June 29, 2016November 26, 2018american flyer, Joy Line, lionel, marx

Marx made five different type of couplers between 1934 and 1974. If you’ve never seen Marx couplers explained before, here’s a primer on how to identify them and use them together. And I even have a few repair tips if you need them.

Dave Farquhar

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Types of Lionel knuckle couplers

Dave Farquhar Toy trains June 23, 2016March 10, 20221950s, 1960s, 1980s, lionel, Lionel Scout, marx, old trains, postwar lionel, sakai

There have been three major types of Lionel knuckle couplers produced since resuming train production in 1946. Lionel knew it would have to make a splash when it brought its trains back after the end of the War, and the knuckle coupler was one of the keys.

Two of these coupler types are compatible with one another, but one has a gotcha.

Dave Farquhar

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Required wattage for Marx accessories

Dave Farquhar Toy trains June 21, 2016November 26, 2018amps, marx

Someone asked me how to estimate the required wattage for Marx accessories. Although I don’t recall Marx ever issuing any specific guidance, it’s easy to do yourself. Their physical size is a completely different consideration.

Dave Farquhar

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Putting a 3-prong grounded plug on a transformer

Dave Farquhar Toy trains June 17, 2016November 26, 2018power cord

I’ve talked before about replacing a power cord on a transformer, but for whatever reason, I forgot to mention a cheap source of replacement power cords that also provide a safety improvement.

Use a 3-prong computer power cord.

Dave Farquhar

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When Lionel bulbs burn out too fast

Dave Farquhar Toy trains June 10, 2016June 4, 2016american flyer, ba9s, hardware store, KW, lionel, marx

A frequent question I see is why the Lionel bulbs in any given accessory burn out quickly. I can sum up both the problem and the solution in a single word: voltage.

When you have too much voltage, bulbs burn out quickly–sometimes in minutes. When you have too little voltage, the bulbs will last decades.

Dave Farquhar

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Cleaning Lionel wheels quickly and easily

Dave Farquhar Toy trains June 9, 2016April 7, 2022Cleaning Lionel, HO, ho scale, lionel

If you have a Lionel locomotive with dirty wheels, cleaning them can be a challenge. Here are some tips for making the job of cleaning Lionel wheels easier.

Dave Farquhar

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