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Classic Toy Trains › How To ›

My Greatest Find

Submit your My Greatest Find story
Sep 22, 2023

Submit your My Greatest Find story

Submit your My Greatest Find story We at Classic Toy Trains invite you to tell us about your “greatest find.”…

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A unique tender for a Lionel No. 1587 Girl’s Train
Sep 21, 2023

A unique tender for a Lionel No. 1587 Girl’s Train

A unique tender for a Lionel No. 1587 Girl’s Train I couldn’t have imagined the excitement that year would bring…

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Nothing beats a Lionel No. 2343 Santa Fe F3 diesel
Sep 21, 2023

Nothing beats a Lionel No. 2343 Santa Fe F3 diesel

My greatest find occurred in 1957, when I was 13 years old. Before I tell you about it, let me…

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A rare Lionel prewar No. 840 power station
Sep 14, 2023

A rare Lionel prewar No. 840 power station

One night in 1992, I was in Bombay (now Mumbai), India, waiting for a plane. Bombay is about as far…

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Lionel postwar GG1 and three passenger cars
Sep 14, 2023

Lionel postwar GG1 and three passenger cars

My greatest find could also be known as the one that almost got away. This Lionel outfit was sitting on…

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Finding a master carton for the Lionel 682LTS turbine and tender
Sep 14, 2023

Finding a master carton for the Lionel 682LTS turbine and tender

Being a longtime toy train collector and a member of the Train Collectors Association since 1971, I have had more…

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Lionel Mint Car Coin collection with a matching collection of souvenir US Mint coins
Sep 14, 2023

Lionel Mint Car Coin collection with a matching collection of souvenir US Mint coins

Lionel Mint Car Coin collection with a matching collection of souvenir US Mint coins In 1961, when Lionel first produced…

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The Lionel 2065 Hudson, ‘hair curler’ and all
Dec 25, 2022

The Lionel 2065 Hudson, ‘hair curler’ and all

The Lionel 2065 Hudson is not uncommon, and it isn’t particularly valuable. What makes it so important to me is…

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The Lionel Scout locomotive that meant ‘Christmas’
Dec 12, 2022

The Lionel Scout locomotive that meant ‘Christmas’

The Lionel Scout locomotive has been for many an entry point to the toy train hobby. For me, it was…

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Lionel 2353 Santa Fe diesels were a Greatest Find
Apr 1, 2011

Lionel 2353 Santa Fe diesels were a Greatest Find

Lionel 2353 Santa Fe diesels and two streamlined passenger cars purchased through a Dutch website caused Daniel Biessels gave up…

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Saving an American Flyer Royal Blue engine from a landfill
Feb 8, 2010

Saving an American Flyer Royal Blue engine from a landfill

While I have been a part of the toy train hobby, I have attended many train shows and met other…

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Scarce Lionel refrigerator and cattle cars
Apr 1, 2009

Scarce Lionel refrigerator and cattle cars

It was an April evening when I returned home to find this message on my answering machine: “I have a…

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