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. |
| 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 on the nameplates 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! |
| 2533 | Silver Cloud Pullman |
VG | Yes | $ 60 | An extruded-aluminum Pullman car 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 the nameplates on one side. Has a few burrs, a couple of scratches plus some stains. In addition, the vestibules have some box rub and the lettering on the nameplates is faded (but very readable). The car is clean overall with nice even silver, original silhouetted window strips and original nameplates. Two views of the roof. The roundhead rivets, coupler rivets and electrical contact plates all help to date this car as 1953-54 production. Adding extra cars to a passenger set always makes the consist look more realistic. This car is ready for a layout as the lights & couplers all work. |
| Passenger Sets: | |||||
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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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