This page contains our current inventory of Postwar Passenger Cars including RDC Budd Commuter Cars (both motorized and "dummy" units) and Trolleys.
* * * Click on "Yes" in the Photo column to see a picture.
* * * Click on "Grade" in the 3rd column heading for an explanation of grading.
| Postwar Lionel Passenger Cars | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catalog # | Item | Grade | Photo | Price | Details |
| 400 | ============= Baltimore & Ohio RDC-1 Budd Powered Passenger Car ============= |
Ex./OB | Yes | $295 | A B & O motorized Rail Diesel Car (RDC) from 1956-58: this powered commuter car has a silver body with fluted sides and blue heat-stamped lettering.
Photo of the other side. Has Magnetraction, an operating horn and operating couplers plus passenger silhouettes in the windows and three interior lights providing nice, realistic illumination. A close-up of the lettering in the center on one side. Has the usual discoloration (stains) in parts of the roof ribbing and side fluting. (Note that the stains are light and the photos do not show them very well.) In addition, the bottom parts of the "400" in the center on one side are rubbed off. The cab is very clean overall with even silver and strong lettering overall! Photo of one end. The chassis is very clean with a nice rust-free frame plus there is no battery damage! Photo of the other end. This very-low-mileage unit was serviced and it lights and runs great -- plus the horn works! Two "aerial" views. Has the correct original instruction sheet #400-29, dated 5/56 (tears, creases, discolored). Photo of the instruction sheet. Photo of the sealed end of the box. Grade 8+ original (Robert Gair Co. corrugated) box. Photo of the open end of the box. The box has small tears, scrapes, some minor writing (in pencil) plus some "period" writing on one end and the "400" on one end is gone; that's it for flaws! Close-up of the manufacturer's data. Has the elaborate box insert and this box is SOLID: clean, square and sturdy -- plus there is no un-original tape anywhere! Photo of the box insert. We have had very few clean 400 Budd Cars over the years but this one is very presentable and it's in a strong box! This prototypical-looking Budd Car will look great on a shelf or in a display cabinet but it is also a smooth runner and it is ready for a layout. |
| 2421 | Maplewood Pullman |
See Notes | Yes | $ 35 SOLD |
Illuminated, silver Coach with black heat-stamped lettering, silhouetted window strips and coil couplers: version from the 1952-53 (later-issue) series with silver roofs.
Photo of the other side. The roof has lots of scratches and scuffs; the sides have very few flaws. The car is clean overall with even silver and very nice lettering! The sides are in very good condition while the roof is in fair condition. Note that reproduction roofs are available in the marketplace. Two views of the roof. Adding extra cars to a passenger set will always make the consist look more realistic. This car is ready for a layout as the lights and couplers all work. Our Archives Page has more on this passenger car series. |
| 2530 | REA Baggage Car |
E++ | Yes | $160 | A Railway Express Agency extruded-aluminum, small-door Baggage Car from 1954-55:
Photo of the other side. Impressive and realistic-looking, fluted streamlined car measuring 16 1/2 inches coupler to coupler. Close-up of the lettering plates on one side. Minimal flaws. The car is all-original and very, very clean with shiny silver and nice lettering. Two views of the roof. The 2530 came in five catalogued sets but was also sold separately as an "add-on" car to make an aluminum passenger set complete; this prototypical piece is a good-looking car! |
| 2531 | Silver Dawn Observation Car |
E+ | Yes | $ 75 | Extruded-aluminum Observation car from 1953-54: version with ribbed channels and nameplates attached with hexhead screws; utilizes the more elegant method of electrical power for the lights being furnished by sliding contact plates (not wires).
Photo of the other side. Minor discoloration in spots plus some burrs but nothing major. Close-up of the nameplates on one side. The car is very, very clean with gorgeous lettering and nice bright silver! Photo of the observation deck. The tail section is completely intact -- never rear-ended or involved in a crash. Two views of the roof. The hexhead screws, coupler rivets and electrical contact plates all help to date this car as 1953-54 production. The car is all original and of course, it does light! It is one of the nicest 2531 Observation Cars we have ever had; it will represent an upgrade for many collectors. If you are trying to build a "matched" set (with all cars having hexhead rivets), this car would be ideal. |
| 2534 | Silver Bluff Pullman |
E+ | Yes | $110 | Extruded-aluminum Coach from 1953-54: version with ribbed channels and nameplates attached with roundhead rivets; utilizes the more elegant method of electrical power for the lights being furnished by sliding contact plates (not wires).
Photo of the other side. This impressive and realistic-looking, fluted streamlined car is illuminated with silhouette inserts and measures 16 1/2 inches coupler to coupler. Close-up of the lettering on one side. Small burrs and some stains on the roof and that's about it for flaws! Overall, this car is very clean with nice, bright silver and gorgeous lettering! Two views of the roof. The roundhead rivets, coupler rivets and electrical contact plates all help to date this car as 1953-54 production. The Silver Bluff is the hardest car of the 253X extruded-aluminum series to find! It came in only one set each of the years 1951, 1952 and 1953 and was available for separate sale. Adding extra cars to a passenger set always makes the consist look more realistic. This car will look great on display or on a layout as the lights & couplers all work. |
| 2559 | =============== Baltimore and Ohio Budd "Dummy" Passenger Car =============== |
E++/OB | Yes | $395 | A sharp B & O RDC Budd Commuter non-powered passenger unit from 1957-58:
Photo of the other side. Has ornamental horns, silhouetted window strips and operating couplers. A close-up of the center of one side showing the clean silver & crisp lettering. Has three interior lights which provide nice, even illumination. Photo of one end. A couple of small stains on the roof and that's it for flaws! Looks like it was only test run! Photo of the other end. The car is very, very clean with very nice silver and crisp lettering -- and of course, the lights work! Two "aerial" views. Photo of the box. Grade 7+ original box (tears; stains; scuffs; tape inside). Another view of the box. The box is solid: fairly clean, complete, square and sturdy! Two more views of the box. Part of an old advertising label on the box provides a little history of this particular 2559 -- it was originally sold by the famous Madison Hardware of New York City! Great-looking, prototypical car with a very, very small amount of run time -- one of the nicest 2559 Budd Cars we have ever had! |
| Passenger Sets: | |||||
| Illuminated, green Passenger Car Set from 1948-49 (white lettering, yellow stripes and gray roofs): | |||||
| 2400 | Maplewood Pullman |
E++ | Yes | | | \ / |
The first lighted Coach with original roof and original finials:
Photo of the other side. A couple of paint chips and that's about it for flaws! The body is very, very clean with crisp lettering, sharp striping and nice vibrant paint! The chassis is equally as nice -- rust-free with minimal flaws! Two photos of the roof. A good-looking car! |
| 2401 | Hillside Observation Car |
E++ | Yes | | | \ / |
The lighted "Lounge" car with original roof and original finials:
Photo of the other side. The window strip is a little distorted so it looks like a couple of windows are "open" and that's about it for flaws! The body is very, very clean with crisp lettering, sharp striping and nice vibrant paint! The chassis is equally as nice -- rust-free with minimal flaws! Photo of the observation deck. The tail section (observation deck) is completely intact -- never rear-ended or involved in a crash. Two photos of the roof. A good-looking car! |
| 2402 | Chatham Pullman |
E++ | Yes | | | \ / |
The second lighted Coach with original roof and original finials:
Photo of the other side. A couple of paint chips and that's about it for flaws! The body is very, very clean with crisp lettering, sharp striping and nice vibrant paint! The chassis is equally as nice -- rust-free with minimal flaws! Two photos of the roof. A good-looking car! |
| ===> | ===> | ===> | Yes | $350 | Price for the three-car Passenger Set described above. |
| High-quality cars! It is a gorgeous 75-year-old set that was certainly taken care of by its former owner! The cars will look great on a shelf or on a layout. The set is ready to enjoy as all lights and couplers work! | |||||
| Hints for buying Passenger Cars (We will bring you back) |
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A wagonmaker by the name of Webster Wagner is credited with developing successful early Passenger Cars in the 1850's. However, a native New Yorker -- George Pullman - designed and built far superior sleeping cars and dining cars and made travel by rail in America comfortable. From 1890 until 1941, when the impact of World War II was felt, Americans enjoyed luxury in rail travel equal to the finest hotels in the world.
Lionel manufactured six distinct styles of Passenger Cars in the Postwar era, including one that was a carryover design from the Prewar era -- the somewhat primitive 2000 series sheet-metal cars, which came in three different colors. The others were the elegant "Madison" cars, eight different color schemes of the "027" 2400-series molded plastic cars, the 1800 General-type cars, the sturdy 2500 extruded aluminum series and the more modern Budd Rail Diesel Cars (RDC). The Budd Cars came powered (and with a horn) and non-powered. Most of the postwar passenger cars were illuminated and one (the 1875W General-type simulated-wood coach) even had a whistle.
Savor the golden era of rail travel and add Passenger Car service to your layout.
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