WELCOME TO POSTWAR LIONEL’S FACTORY ERRORS
A STUDY ON FACTORY ERRORS
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HOPPER CARS
BOXCARS
MOTIVE POWER & MOTORIZED UNITS
FLATCARS
TANK CARS
HOPPER CARS
A HOPPER LETTERED FOR AN OPERATING No. 3456 ON A NON OPERATING SHELL
This car has been decorated in the manner of a N & W No. 3456 operating hopper car. As seen in the photos this is a non operating shell.
Courtesy of ” THE AMANTE COLLECTION “
No. 6476 – 25 TWO BAY HOPPER 1958 TYPE 5 UNMARKED
MOLDED RED PLASTIC, UNPAINTED AND UNLETTERED TYPE 5
Courtesy of ” THE LEVERICH COLLECTION ”
BOXCARS
No. 6050 LIBBY TOMATO JUICE PLUGDOOR BOXCAR STAMPING ERROR
MISSING THE GREEN LEAVES ON TOP OF TOMATOES
reverse side normal
No. 6050 LIBBY TOMATO JUICE PLUGDOOR BOXCAR STAMPING ERROR
MISSING THE WHITE LINES FOR EDGES OF GLASS THROUGH TOMATOES
BABY RUTH ELECTRONIC SET BOXCAR FACTORY ERROR NUMBERED X2454
No. X2454 boxcar with original electronic control decal on an original proper electronic frame
courtesy of ” THE MACNAIR COLLECTION”
No. 6464-150 type IIb gray mold 1/2″ Eagle left with MB Dark yellow doors …. with NO white lettering.
Courtesy of “The Worner Collection”
No. 6464 – 150 TYPE lla
This is a Type IIa dark blue mold with the nick on the roof, with XME on the right, with striped Single Block door … nothing uncommon about any of that.
What makes this car uncommon are these factors:
1. the gray paint is very glossy and very thick … if you put your finger on the unpainted blue exterior, and move towards the gray paint, it feels like you hit a curb!
2. the inside if the shell was painted with an uncommon mask, so lots of the interior is painted gray including the roof … commonly the roof is unpainted dark blue
3. the gray stripe on the body is extra wide … 15/16 inch, with clearly defined separation between the gray and blue. Commonly the gray stripe is 1/8″ narrower, at 13/16″ or less, and the edges of the gray paint are fuzzy, not sharply defined.
4. now the big surprise … rather than yellow mold doors, or white mold painted yellow, these Single Block doors are molded of Black plastic, then painted gray inside and out, and then yellow paint applied on the top and bottom of the exterior only, to create the yellow door with gray stripe effect. Never before have I seen or heard of a black door mold on a 6464-150.
I have shown photos and discussed all this with other experienced postwar 6464 collectors, and we conclude that this car is a pre-production mockup.
Has you seen a 6464-150 like this?
Gerry Worner
No. 6464-450 Type IV, where the decal with Rocky, GN’s mountain goat mascot, was never applied on the back side only. Front side has the decal.
Courtesy of “The Worner Collection”
Madison Hardware produced 6464-475 Type IV with built date, with unpainted yellow MB doors. Madison is known to have put these together, instead of with the usual black doors.
Courtesy of “The Worner Collection”
No. 6464 – 725 NEW HAVEN BOXCAR DECORATED ON ONE SIDE ONLY
NO LETTERING ON THIS SIDE
Courtesy of “THE NODAY COLLECTION”
NORMAL LETTERING ON THIS SIDE
MOTIVE POWER & MOTORIZED UNITS
No. 2240 B UNIT WITH YELLOW HEAT STAMPED LETTERING OFF CENTERED
note the stamping of WABASH and BUILT BY/LIONEL are shifted to the left
REVERSE SIDE WITH LETTERING CENTERED
Courtesy of “The Piazza Collection”
No. 55 TIE – JECTOR WITHOUT LETTERING ON ONE SIDE
ALL LETTERING MISSING ON THIS SIDE
THE REVERSE SIDE
FLATCARS
NO. 6424 FLATCAR MISSING ALL LETTERING ON ONE SIDE
this side without lettering
B0179
reverse side with normal lettering
NO. 6424 FLATCAR WITH MISSALINED LETTERING ON ONE SIDE
note the low position of the lettering
F0178
reverse side with normal lettering
No. 6816 ALLIS CHALMERS BULLDOZER FLAT DOUBLE STAMPED
courtesy of “The Truckenbrod Collection”
No. 6830 SUBMARINE FLATCAR WITH THE No. 6805 RAIL END STOPS
red shell painted blue, with No. 6805 rail end stops
No. 6424 – 11 mold with 4 No. 6805 slots
note rail end stops
Courtesy of “The Brumbaugh Collection”
No. 6418 Machinery Car with “U.S. Steel” girders in black that didn’t have painted white lettering. The second girder was painted in the normal way.
Courtesy of “The MacNair Collection”
TANK CARS
No. 2755 TANK CAR WITH TWO STEPS INSTALLED ON EACH CORNER OF ONE END
end on left has two steps installed
on this end the steps are normal
note two steps installed
note two steps installed
Courtesy of “The MacNair Collection”
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