Lionel Wartime Freight Train

The Lionel Wartime Freight Train, better known among collectors as the "paper train," was a toy train set sold by the Lionel Corporation in 1943.

Origins

During World War II, government-mandated restrictions on the use of various metals halted production of all metal toys in favor of the war effort. Lionel, seeking an alternative product to keep the brand name alive during the war, sought the assistance of Samuel Gold, a designer of various novelties including cereal and soft drink premiums. Gold made an agreement with Lionel and completed a design for an all-paper product train in March 1943. It was sold for a retail price of $1 for the 1943 Christmas season, but disappeared soon afterwards due to poor customer response. Lionel began manufacturing its conventional products again beginning in late 1945.

Features

The paper train came in a flat box containing several sheets of heavy cardstock measuring 11 x 15 inches, on which was printed the various pieces of the set. The finished set included a steam locomotive, tender, boxcar, gondola, and caboose; all decorated for the fictional Lionel Lines. There were also three railway employees, a crossing signal, a crossing gate, and enough ties and rails to create a circle of track measuring 16 feet, 4 inches in circumference. In total, there were over 250 paper parts, 21 wooden dowel axles, and 42 corresponding pasteboard wheels.

Although the set did well financially, the frustrating assembly process involved left many consumers dissatisfied. The train was designed to be put together without cutting pieces out yourself or using any adhesive whatsoever. Once finally put together, nothing kept the pieces from coming apart. As a result, the paper train overwhelmed many people, and often parents simply gave up on assembling the train and threw it out.

Current Value / Reproduction

Today, original unassembled paper trains sell for around $300 in like-new condition, and up to $400 in perfect, mint condition. Greenberg Publishing Company offered a reproduction set in 1981. The reproduction can be distinguished from an original by examining the print - Lionel's model used four-color ink only, while the reproduction also makes use of regular black ink.

References

"Classic Toy Trains" Magazine; "The lion lays an egg;" by Eric Sayer Peterson. July 1994 edition. Kalmbach Publishing Company

Ponzol, Dan "A Century of Lionel Timeless Toy Trains" New York, New York: Michael Friedman Publishing, 2000