#659 - Lionel Trains Consumer Catalog 1938 ebook
Lionel
Consumer Train Catalog
The Lionel Corporation
New York, New York
1938
digital replica
“Hey Fellows”
The thoroughly modern features of Lionel trains in 1938 were driven by electro-mechanical devices that manipulated track, car and locomotive action by push button. The first page shows a boy pushing a button. Electrically, push buttons can cause whistling, reversing, uncoupling, loading and unloading.
To demonstrate authenticity, a blurb explains that Warner Brothers used Lionel trains in a movie about an eccentric millionaire. The president of the New York Central Railroad has a Lionel locomotive and tender on his mantlepiece.
“The Pennsylvania Railroad came to Lionel to obtain trains to be used in a reproduction of its famous Horseshoe Curve [installed in] Pennsylvania Station, New York. For thousands of hours — week in, week out — these Lionel Trains kept up a continuous, steady grind around an intricate circuit of tracks.”
First, pages present named and numbered train sets. Sets are organized by gauge: 00 Gauge, 027 Gauge, 0 Gauge, Lionel 072 Series, and Standard Gauge.
Two pages explain: “Ready to build or ready to run . . . there is no locomotive in the world like the Lionel scale model Hudson.” You can save money buying its parts in a series of kits that can be assembled at home following provided instructions.
“Five separate kits comprise all of the parts for this powerful giant of the rails — and a sixth kit includes the whistle mechanism and controller which can be added at any time. By purchasing the Lionel Hudson in kit form you save money; you get the fun, thrill and pleasure of "building your own" and watching it gradually take shape and become the incomparably perfect thing it is. Best of all, you also can now start toward ownership of this model without a major expenditure — for you can begin with a single kit, if you choose, at a cost of only $12.50 — then add kit after kit as each one is assembled and completed. That makes it as easy on the pocketbook as a partial payment plan.”
The catalog describes and pictures all available track pieces, organized by gauge. Straight, curved, crossovers, bumpers and electric, remote control switches.
Transformers are described, pictured and compared in a spreadsheet. Remote controls and current inverters accomplish precise modulation of electricity.
A series of buckets traveling on an endless chain scoops up imitation coal and drops it in the loft of the Remote Control Coal Elevator. A remote control gate allows coal to pour down to a waiting freight car or Remote Control Dump Car.
Service cars have flood lights or work cranes. Obtained individually, varied freight cars are configured to carry lumber, coal, oil, cattle, and barrels. Refrigerator cars, box cars and cabooses are also available.
Accessories include semaphores, flashing signals, Automatic Illuminated Double Arm Crossing Gates, illuminated stations, landscaping, houses, lamp posts, bridges, tunnels, power stations, and yard equipment. A crossing watchman automatically waves a flag when a train approaches. Remote control levers fly an electric airplane around a tower with loops, tailspins and sideslips — “All the thrilling sport of flying.”
The tipped-in NOTICE OF CHANGE IN PRICES is included. Another tipped-in sheet is titled Special Notice to Father and touts model railroading as a means of bringing father and son closer. Lots of good advice about development, placement and ornamentation of layouts. An order blank offers subscriptions to The Model Builder magazine.
On the reverse side of the father column, a handwritten note to Dad tells him what his son wants for Christmas. The text mentions the brand three times. Printed on thin paper, it's easy to peel from the binding and deliver to the Dad of the house. All son needs to do is fill in the number of the set he wants and sign it in provided spaces.
The ebook contains all content of the color catalog in the original sequence. Some of the pages are fold-outs, and these are treated as separate pages in the wide ebook.
Brightness and contrast were adjusted.
This 50-page catalog reflects studious pursuit of precision. The mechanisms of locomotives are rendered with clarity. Text is located near close-ups of structural details and describes attributes and properties with care. The digital iteration allows the reader to zoom-in on pictures of interest.
Teeming with pre-war nostalgia and period vernacular, the ebook iteration provides a faithful presentation of pages and inserts derived from new scans of the original paper.
It will charm the dungarees off you.
One ebook, delivered by download from your 30th Street Graphics account.