It’s another week of collectibles rolling with everything from Post-War O Gauge to some neat HO brass pieces rolling in from all over the country. Oh, and gear up, O Scale people, this one is especially for y’all today. Now with introductions aside, let’s roll into my picks for the week—and if anything catches your eye, you can shop all of our latest arrivals anytime at Trainz.com!
Kicking Things Off with a Rare Northern Pacific GP-9
Lionel 2349 Vintage O Northern Pacific GP-9 Diesel Locomotive #2349
To kick things off this week, I’ve decided to bring up this nice little vintage Northern Pacific GP-9 Diesel locomotive from Lionel! The first batch of GP-9 models was rolled out in 1954 by General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD), and it didn’t take Lionel long to catch on to how popular the GP-9 was, and would drop their O-Gauge version of the GP-9 in 1959. The diesel engine pictured above sports the Northern Pacific road name and is designed in that beautiful Northern Pacific Gold/Black, which is actually a bit polarizing within the model railroad community. Personally, I love the gold and black split, and the red stripe is a perfect cherry on top of a great design. On top of an underrated design, the #2349 Diesel GP-9 is a bit hard to find in its original state with the model only being cataloged for two years in the early 60s. We’ve managed to keep a few in our inventory, with a couple of them actually showing up within the last few weeks! Needless to say, I was really excited to see such an underappreciated model show up…aaaaand it happens to be a bit rare. We’ve got a few Northern Pacific models in, and they’re worth taking a look at. I’m not sure I’ve seen other Post-War Northern Pacific GP-9s on the market that look as good as the few that have come into our inventory. The Great Northern GP-9 isn’t alone and has tons of other great Post-War GP-9 locomotives that keep it company on our shelves.
- Manufacturer: Lionel
- Model Number: 2349
- Years Manufactured: 1959 - 1960
- Road Name: Northern Pacific (NP)
- Scale/Era: O Postwar
- Model Type: Diesel Loco
The “Little Joe”: Power, Politics, and Pure Legend
Weaver G1716S O South Shore Railroad 'Little Joe' Electric Loco #801
Here it is, everybody, the greatest locomotive ever built, the “Little Joe” – well at least in my opinion. For all of you self-proclaimed ‘history buffs’ this one is for us. The global landscape was undergoing a massive shift after World War 2 with the United States and the Soviet both coming into their own as global Super Powers. As the Soviet Union expanded its hold throughout much of the European Eastern bloc, the need for powerful locomotives able to haul freight and passengers became very much apparent. Joseph Stalin would soon send some of his own engineers to Erie, Pennsylvania who would oversee a joint effort with General Electric (GE) over the construction of the 2-D+D-2 locomotive. And that’s where the fun begins. After 20 of these 2-D+D-2 models were produced by GE, controversy would immediately follow, with the Federal Government ultimately prohibiting the delivery of the engines to the Soviet Union. Amidst growing Cold War tensions between the US and the Soviet Union, GE suddenly found itself with 20 powerful locomotives that, at the time, could rival the mighty Big Boy's 5,500-horsepower engines. It wouldn’t be until the delivery of these engines to the Milwaukee railroad that the nick-name “Little Joe” would be coined, and eventually become engrained under the moniker of ‘Stalin’s little trains’ – Little Joe. I could ramble on and on, and on about this train, but that would stop you from getting your own look at it. Check out our collection of the Little Joe models here. Oh and hey, the Soviet Union wasn't the only fan of electric locomotives, we love them at Trainz too, and offer plenty of options on electric locomotives on our website.
- Manufacturer: Weaver
- Model Number: G1716S
- Road Name: South Shore Line
- Scale/Era: O Scale 2 Rail
- Model Type: Electric Loco
Breaking the Mold with an HO Brass Crane
Overland 1334 HO Scale BRASS Industrial Brownhoist 200-Ton Crane
Third up this week is something special for all of the HO-Scale enthusiasts out there. We’ve had a fair amount of Ho brass come over the last couple of weeks, and while I was tempted to stick with another diesel locomotive, the call of variety in this week’s line-up was tough to ignore. But, I’m glad I did. This HO Scale Brown-Hoist Crane comes from Overland and was my favorite in the collection it arrived in. For those of you unfamiliar with crane-cars, they're an integral part in the construction and maintenance of railyards, railroads, and industrial grounds. They’re everywhere from the Potomac River all the way out west settled on Union Pacific flatcars. For anyone looking to add something unique to their shelves, this brass 200-ton crane car is a top choice. You can find this brass crane car here, and tons of other brass cars and locomotives on our website at Trainz.com.
- Manufacturer: Overland
- Model Number: 1334
- Road Name: Union Pacific (UP)
- Scale/Era: HO Scale
- Model Type: Operating Cars
An Iconic Accessory That Does It All
Lionel 6-12948 O Gauge 313 Bascule Bridge
Now’s time for some scenery and layout enhancement. Introduced in 1997, the Bascule Bridge from Lionel is a staple on layouts all over the world, but wouldn’t you be surprised to hear that some people haven’t ever had the pleasure of this O-Gauge accessory?! So this one is for all of you looking for that dynamic piece to your layout. The search is over with the Bascule Bridge. They’re tons of fun and fit into pretty much every layout theme, and easily customizable for all of you that love weathering and painting your accessories. It’s simple, fun, and ready to run out of the box making it my pick for the accessory of the week. Need some trees or crossing gates to go along with the bridge? No worries, Trainz has you covered with our massive inventory of layout accessories.
- Manufacturer: Lionel
- Model Number: 6-12948
- Years Manufactured: 1997 - 1997
- Scale/Era: O Modern
- Model Type: Accessories
A Budget-Friendly Pick with a Story to Tell
Lionel 6-52548 Railroad Museum of Long Island Boxcar
My budget-friendly pick to wrap up the showcase this week is this Long Island Boxcar designed for The Railroad Museum of Long Island. If you’re ever in the area of Riverhead, New York, and find yourself on Griffing Avenue, you’ll find the pleasure of running into this iconic museum. With tons of historical railroad memorabilia on display, this neat little museum is a must visit for anybody that loves model trains and the history of locomotives. From concerts to live steam engines on display, the Long Island Museum does it all, and Lionel took notice by creating this beautiful boxcar. If you’re interested in checking out what the Long Island Museum has to offer, you can find its website here. And for all of you that want to get your hands on this unit, I’ve got you covered with a link to the Long Island Boxcar.
- Manufacturer: Lionel
- Model Number: 6-52548
- Road Name: Long Island (LI)
- Scale/Era: O Modern
- Model Type: Freight Cars
Got an item you'd like to see make the showcase? Give us a shout on our Instagram and Facebook, and you might just see your favorite make the list! And if you're ready to add something new to your collection, you can shop everything at Trainz.com.