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Soviet Gateman |
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About This Accessory
The gateman included in every Stalin-era and Khrushchev-era train set produced by the Soviet Union in the 1950's and 1960's should look very familiar to prewar and postwar Lionel train collectors. The Russians created their train set by stealing shamelessly from other toy train manufacturers. In this case, they fabricated "Comrade Gateman" by copying the design of the most well-known and popular Lionel accessory of all time -- the #45 Gateman. That act of international plagiarism will forever link the Soviet trains to the Lionel Corporation. However, knowledgeable collectors of Lionel trains will have no problem in identifying THE ORIGINAL and the masquerader since there are significant differences as shown in the table below.
A Tale of Two Gatemen | ||
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Element | Soviet Version | Lionel Version |
Shack color | Greenish-white; beige; cream; off-white; mustard | Ivory; white; off-white |
Door color | Always matches the shack | Red or matches the shack |
Toolbox lid | Embossed Soviet markings: "MEP" & "Mockba" | Plain; Lionel decal; embossed Lionel markings |
Roof color | Red or (RARE) maroon | Red |
Chimney | Always present | Only used on the prewar versions |
Chimney color | Always matches the shack | Always matches the shack |
Signpost & sign | None | Always present |
Base color | Dark-green; pea-green; light green | Apple-green |
The Man | A Russian Guard | A Railroad Worker |
Gateman's attire | Black uniform | Blue work clothes |
Lantern color | Green | Red |
Illumination | Green celluloid covering a clear bulb | Red bulb or red celluloid covering a clear bulb |
Connections | "Banana-plug" type receptacles | Terminal posts with finial lugs |
A Photo of 2 Gatemen: The Imposter & The Original |
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Left: Comrade Gateman ~~~~~~~ Right: Lionel Gateman |
The Soviet gateman works just like the Lionel gateman: when the accessory is energized, the lamp in the base is illuminated, the door opens and the man emerges from the shack; when the electrical power is turned off, the light goes out, the man retreats into the gatehouse and the door closes. The Soviet gateman was first produced in 1951 and along with some other Soviet pieces, was last made in 1969. The basic design remained unchanged throughout that entire 19-year period.
Soviet Gatemen Photos |
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ABOVE -- Left: Greenish-beige shack ~~~~~ Right: Cream-colored shack |
ABOVE -- Left: Rare maroon roof ~~~~~ Right: Rare mustard-colored shack. |
Variations
--- Early Version with "MEP" (1951-1956?)
The early version of the Soviet gateman had the initials "MEP" (in Cyrillic for the Ministry of Electrotechnical Industries) stamped into the toolbox lid. This marking was omitted from the later gatemen. The early version was produced as late as the 2nd quarter of 1956 but it is unclear if it was produced after that. Red is the common roof color for all of the Soviet gatemen; however one of the earlier versions has surfaced with a maroon roof.
Photos of the markings from 3 Different Soviet Gatemen | ||
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Left: Early: "MEP" ~~~ Center: Rare "MOCKBA" ~~~ Right: Later Version |
--- Later Version without "MEP" (1957?-1969)
The later Soviet gatemen were produced without the "MEP" marking but it is unclear as to when those initials were omitted from the toolbox lid. One very unusual later-version gateman has surfaced with a mustard-colored shack and the word "MOCKBA" (in Cyrillic for the city of Moscow) stamped into the toolbox lid. The later version of the gateman was produced through 1969.
This page is an information document only; nothing on this web page is being offered for sale. This page and all of the other pages from Our Soviet Archives were developed to assist you in understanding the components of the train sets produced in the Soviet Union during the 1950's and 1960's. These sets are known today as "Stalin-era" sets and "Khrushchev-era" sets. We have used pictures from our old files and personal collection to construct this area of our website. If you are interested in buying something, please view our inventory listings to see what we currently have for sale.
This web page was last updated on September 9, 2005. If you have suggestions for improving this page or if you see any errors, please contact us.
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