Some were based on prototype engines, others were made to fit existing chassis and bodies that were in production by the creative people in Lionel’s design department. Beginning with the popular "Gang Car" No. 50 in 1954 Lionel went on to make many different types of these small motorized units.

Below we’ve listed these units by order of function and also by the type of OEM units that they were based on.

The No. 50 Gang Car was first produced in 1954 and was a big hit with Lionel’s customers. The unit would run in only one direction depending on where the sliding directional plate on the unit was located. When it came to the end of the track, and struck a bumper, the plate would move, and the unit would reverse direction until it hit another bumper at the other end of the track. One of the men on the top of the unit would also move when it reversed direction. The Gang Car would do this perpetually until the power was turned off.

Many variations occurred over the eleven years that Lionel made this unit, but all of them are minor, and have caused only a slight variation in the value of the unit, with the exception of those cars that have GRAY instead of BLUE colored bumpers. The number "50" does not always appear painted on the side of these units. There was only one electrical center rail pick-up on this motorized unit so it would not negotiate switches or crossovers at a slow speed.

The No. 60 Lionelville Trolley, like the "Gang Car," would reverse direction when it hit a bumper as would its pole. First introduced in 1955, it was available for four years, but production probably ended at the Lionel factory sometime in late 1956.

Lionel had problems with overheating caused by the motor and the lamp in this unit. Later editions would have a reflective aluminum coating on the roof underside and four vents would be in the roof on each side of the clerestory to aid in circulation.

There are other variations concerning the type of bumper, and the addition of a motorman silhouette, but the major one that is rarer has to do with the color of the lettering on the side that is BLACK instead of BLUE.

The No. 52 Fire Car works on the same principle as the No. 50 gang car and reverses electrical polarity to the field armature when it strikes a bumper, causing the car to go in the opposite direction.

According to Lionel, the design is based on an amalgamation of several types of equipment used by the railroads.

Lionel had originally planned to use a flashing lamp No. L-257 when this unit premiered in 1958, but they were not available until the next year when they were included in the Lionel Service Manual. Further problems were caused by the fact that the foam lamp pad usually deteriorates over time and causes the lamp to tilt to one side and melt the red dome housing. Collectors should be aware of this problem and check these units for heat damage. The fireman should also change direction when the unit reverses direction.

The No. 69 Maintenance Car would first appear in the Lionel catalogs in 1960, and would be produced for this, and the following two years. It was based on a vehicle used by the railroads for maintaining their overhead signals.

DARK GRAY and BLACK body, with LIGHT GRAY platform, the number "69" only appears on one side of the unit, and the sign changes when the car reverses direction, one side reads "DANGER," and the other says "SAFETY FIRST."

Note that this unit also has only one center rail electrical pick-up, which could cause it to loose electrical contact when moving over switches and crossings at slow speed.

The No. 41 United States Army was created on an unpainted BLACK body and inscribed with WHITE lettering "TRANSPORTATION CORPS" on the sides, it also had a 3-position directional E-unit, but came without any interior lighting.

This unit was available for separate sale only beginning in 1955 until 1957, and was never sold in any set. Broken or cracked window struts occur on this type of unit, so the collector should check for this fault.

The No. 42 Picatinny Arsenal small motorized unit was available in 1957 only. It was made of unpainted OLIVE DRAB plastic with WHITE handrails and lettering. It had a 3-position directional E-unit and no interior lighting.

The window struts should be carefully examined for breaks or repairs.

The No. 59 Minuteman was made in 1962 and 1963 only. Consisting of an unpainted WHITE body with BLUE and RED lettering, 3-position E-unit, it would go on to become one of most highly sought after of these small motorized units.

The Minuteman Unit is often found with repaired or broken window struts so the collector should look for this fault.

The No. 51 Navy Yard Switcher was produced for two years beginning in 1956. Unpainted LIGHT BLUE body with WHITE heat-stamped lettering "NEW YORK" on both sides. This engine came equipped with a 3-position E-unit, and no light.

It was available for separate sale only and was never sold in any set. The window struts are often broken in the handling of this unit, and those engines that have complete and unbroken struts command a premium price.

The No. 53 Rio Grande Snow Plow was created in 1957 when Lionel removed the front coupler from the Vulcan Unit and replaced it with a plow. They produced this engine until 1960 with a BLACK body and writing on a YELLOW cab, 3-position E-unit and no interior light.

A production error caused Lionel to print the "a" in "Rio Grande" backwards on some of these units. The rarer B Variation has the "a" oriented properly. The window struts on this engine are often broken or missing altogether. This unit was only available for separate sale.

The No. 56 Minneapolis & St. Louis Switcher was available only one year in 1958 and is scarce. It was painted RED and WHITE on a red body mold with RED "MINE TRANSPORT" lettering. The unit came with a 3-position E-unit but had no interior light.

The same problem with the struts exists on this engine as on the No. 51 Navy Yard switcher. This engine was available for separate sale only and was never included as part of any set that Lionel produced.

The No. 57 AEC Switcher was only available for two years in 1959 and 1960, and this unit is the rarest of the Gas Vulcan engines that Lionel produced. Originally colored WHITE and RED, a chemical reaction to the air caused the WHITE to turn a CREME color on all of these units. Unexposed portions on the inside of the body may still be the original WHITE color. Came with 3-position E-unit, no light. Today a premium is paid for units that are still WHITE. In the catalogs for the years that this item was available Lionel would offer no prominent placement to encourage sales. It is almost as if they really didn’t want to sell this engine.

The No. 58 Great Northern Snow Plow was available from 1959 until 1961. It had an unpainted GREEN body with a WHITE painted cab sides and hand rails, 3-position E-unit and no interior light. The snow blower rotates as the unit is moving.

The usual problem of broken or missing window struts plague this engine also.

This engine is highly prised by collectors today.

The Burro Crane No. 3360 must have caused some Lionel design engineer some sleepless nights. Not only would this unit move itself along the track, but it used a clever clutch system to swivel around while it was moving and track trips to reverse direction. The lever on the side of the unit that reverses the unit can be operated by hand or by use of these track trips. Only one track trip came with the original unit but Lionel offered additional ones through their service stations (Part No. 3360-125). This unit was available for two years beginning in 1956, and came with solid couplers.

The No. 3927 Track Cleaning Car is the only one of these units that is not self-propelled. The motor in this unit drives the cleaning brush only. As such, this car would need to be pulled along the track by a strong engine. ORANGE body with BLACK lettering and came with two bottles, a brush and a wiper. This car is often found with these parts missing. Replacement parts are available, but the original bottles had "LIONEL" painted on them.

The No. 54 Ballast Tamper came equipped with one BLUE man in the cab, YELLOW body with BLACK lettering and one fixed coupler. There was no reverse on this unit, and it went at half speed when the lever was thrown to engage the tamper action. It also came with two track clips to start and stop the "tamping" action automatically.

The ballast tamper was available during the following years: 1958-61, 1966, 1968-69. There was no light on this unit and the antenna on the rear of the unit is easily damaged.

The No. 55 Tie-Jector was first cataloged in 1957 and would be available for the three following years. RED with WHITE lettering for the number on the side that reads "5511," and the PRR railroad logo. There is a lever on the side to manually activate the unit, or this can be done by track clips. There is no reverse or light on this unit. Pulling more than one car can damage the gears or cause the motor to over heat.

Lionel had a problem with the tie storage bin melting from the heat of this unit. This resulted in the creation of a slot for ventilation behind the driver (B Variation) on the front of the unit. Collectors should be aware of the heating problems this unit caused and check for damage before purchase.

The No. 65 Handcar is the hardest of these small units to find intact. Made from 1962 until 1966, it has "HANDCAR NO. 65" on the side of the YELLOW plastic body. This unit was equipped with neither a reverse or a light. One RED and one BLUE shirted vinyl plastic men move up and down on the RED handles.

Lionel had a problem with this unit. The vinyl plastic that the men were made of was not that "pliable" and they are often found broken as is shown in the pictures to the left. This vinyl also caused a chemical reaction with the handcar platform which appears to melt where they are standing.

The No. 68 Executive Inspection Car easily ranks as one of Lionel’s most unique products in this genre.

A classic adaptation of the then popular "fin - mobile," it was based on the design of the 1958 DeSoto station wagon. However, the name "DeSoto" was not painted on the sides which were colored RED and CREME. It came with a two-position E-unit. A chrome knob on the top was used to turn off the unit. The head and tail lights were lighted, and this unit was cataloged from 1958 until 1961.