LIONEL TRAINS MILITARY & SPACE CARS IDENTIFICATION GUIDE

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This Identification Guide for Lionel Electric Trains covers the "Post-war Era" only from 1945 until 1969.

LIONEL TRAINS MILITARY & SPACE CARS

Lionel Trains U.S.M.C Cannon Car No. 6651

Military and Space Cars became a prominent feature of Lionel trains beginning in 1958. In an effort to compete with the emerging Slot Car and HO Scale train market, Lionel would issue these cars in an effort to boost sales. Many of these cars are the standard Lionel flat car that was modified in different ways to accommodate a particular load, others were new designs intended to arrest the attention of every would be "General" or "Astronaut."

The cars are listed in numerical order by Lionel’s production numbers which is usually shown on the side of the car. If the car has no number refer to our No Number listing below.

Readers who need more information are respectively urged to seek outside sources.


3330 U.S. Navy Submarine Car 3409 Helicopter Launching Car 3410 Helicopter Launching Car 3419 Helicopter Launching Car 3429 U.S.M.C. Helicopter Launching Car 3470 Target Launching Car 3509 Satellite Launching Car 3519 Satellite Launching Car 3535 AEC Security Car 3540 Operating Radar Car 3619 Helicopter Reconnaissance Car 3665 Minuteman Car	3666 Minuteman Cannon Car 3820 U.S.M.C. Submarine Car 3830 U.S. Navy Submarine Car 6175 Rocket Car 6413 Mercury Capsule Car 6448 Exploding Target Car 6470 Exploding Explosives Car 6480 Exploding Explosives Car 6544 Missile Firing Car 6630 IRBM Launcher Car 6640 U.S.M.C. IRBM Launcher Car 6650 IRBM Launcher Car	6651 U.S.M.C. Cannon Car 6803 U.S.M.C. Trucks Car 6804 U.S.M.C. Trucks Car 6806 U.S.M.C. Trucks Car 6807 U.S.M.C. Trucks Car 6808 U.S.M.C. Trucks Car 6809 U.S.M.C. Trucks Car 6820 Missile Helicopter Car 6823 IRBM Missile Car 6830 U.S. Navy Submarine Car 6844 Missile Storage Car

We’ve listed these unnumbered cars by their color, type, and the load that they carried. They are listed in alphabetical order by the type of loads that they originally had. The types listed are:

Depressed Center: defines cars that are derived from the No. 3650 mold.

Other cars that are not listed by type are all derived from the No. 6511-2 and/or the No. 6424-11 molds.

BLACK Cherry Picker Car No. 6512

RED Mercury Capsule Launching Car No. 3413

RED Satellite Launching Car No. 3510

RED Rocket Car No. 6407

RED, OLIVE DRAB Depressed Center Turbo Missile Launching Car No. 3309

RED, DARK RED Depressed Center Turbo Missile Launching Car No. 3349

HELICOPTER TYPES
Type A	GRAY U.S. Navy version with two main rotors all of which have tip pods. Came with a YELLOW or CLEAR tail rotor assembly. Sometimes the CLEAR version has YELLOWED with age.
Type B	GRAY U.S. Navy version with one main rotor and no tip pods. Came with a YELLOW or CLEAR tail rotor assembly. Sometimes the CLEAR version has YELLOWED with age.
Type C	GRAY with or without the "Navy" imprint. This version has one main rotor with tip pods. Came with a YELLOW or CLEAR tail rotor assembly. Sometimes the CLEAR version has YELLOWED with age.
Type D	Completely YELLOW helicopter with no imprint. One main rotor without tip pods. By the time this version was issued the tail rotor assembly has been cast into the mold as part of the main body, which brought their production in line with what was being used in Lionel’s HO Scale products.
Type E	Completely RED helicopter with no imprint. Came with No. 3619. One main rotor without tip pods. The tail rotor assembly has been cast into the mold of the main body.
Type F	GRAY with "U.S.M.C." imprint. Came only with No. 3429. One main rotor without tip pods. The tail rotor assembly has been cast into the mold of the main body. Scarce variation.
Note: Reproductions exist! "Built by Lionel" was cast into the tail rotor and reproductions do not have this imprint. These helicopters are easily interchanged and collectors should be cautious when purchasing these helicopters weather they come with or without a car.