THE FOLLOWING TROLLEY AND INTERURBAN CARS WILL BE DOCUMENTED BELOW
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No. 2 RED TROLLEY
No. 100 BLUE TROLLEY
No. 10 & 1010 INTERURBAN CARS
TROLLEYS
GENERAL INFORMATION
by Ken Morgan
Trolleys were the backbone of Lionel’s early standard gauge. The number 1 and 2 trolleys were in the 1906 catalog along with two early steam locomotives. They were short single truck trolleys and what was actually produced only vaguely resembled the much fancier things in the catalog. The 1 was catalogued from 1906 to 1914, the 2 lasted two years more. Both were modified so much during their production run that they easily could have justified new numbers. Each of them started out as simple short boxy things which over the years got a little longer, added more windows and details, and, in the case of the 2, got closed ends and doors. On the early versions, roof ends were squared off, not rounded, while the later versions had rounded roofs, as well as closed ends and doors. The number 3 and 4 were longer two truck trolleys which soon joined the roster. They were catalogued in 1906, but may not have hit the market until the following year. More would follow. All the trolleys changed over time, but other than the first two, they were pretty good representations of the real ones. The number 100 debuted in 1910. It is similar to the later number 2s, just a bit shorter, and the early ones were blue while later 100s were red. The smallest trolleys, the number 1, 100, and 101 open (summer) trolleys had no reverse. The number 2 and the open 202, plus the bigger double trucked 3 and 4, as well as the later 8 and 9 “Pay As You Enter” and 303 summer trolleys did have a reverse switch. The double truck 3, 8, and 303 had only one powered truck, while on the 4 and 9, both trucks were powered. There were minor differences over the years, but all the trolley motors except the very earliest ones used essentially the same motor, whether single or double, and with or without a hand reverse (H/R). While most of these trolleys would be recognizable to us today, the open summer trolleys would seem strange, looking more like amusement park rides with their open sides and crosswise bench seats. Besides the powered trolleys, in many cases, Lionel also offered trailers matching the trolleys.
On the trolleys and interurbans, only one axle per truck is powered. The other axle is free rolling.
No. 2 RED TROLLEY
Courtesy of “The Morgan Collection”
No. 100 BLUE TROLLEY
Courtesy of “The Morgan Collection”
INTERURBAN CARS
No. 10 & 1010 INTERURBAN CARS
SIDE VIEW
TRAINS COURTESY OF “THE STANTON COLLECTION”
REVERSE SIDE
BOTTOM VIEW
No. 10 INTERURBAN CAR
Courtesy of “The Morgan Collection”
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