This Identification Guide for Lionel Electric Trains covers the "Post-war Era" only from 1945 until 1969. |
LIONEL TRAINS AUTO LOADER CAR No. 6414 |
Auto Loader Car No. 6414 was produced for 11 years (1956-66) during the post war era. Because of this, there are ten different variations. Many of these variations have to do with the quality and color of the autos that came with this flat car. In 1958, when the trucks changed from bar-end to AAR, the number moved to the left of the "LIONEL" inscription. We’ve shown the early issue of this car above left, and a later issue with four RED autos that have GRAY bumpers to the right. The last variation, pictured below, has a BLACK decal with YELLOW letters "6414 AUTO LOADER / EVANS," and this variation is rare. |
Variation Details: |
Variation G: Same as Variation E except came with four MUSTARD YELLOW cars with GRAY bumpers. |
Variation J: Produced in the last year of the post war period for Glen Uhl, a Lionel Service Station owner in Akron Ohio. Production of this car did not exceed 200 units. The car is not numbered and it has late open journal AAR trucks that have one disc coupler and one solid non-operating coupler. The common rubber-stamped lettering on the auto rack has been replaced with a BLACK background and YELLOW san-serif "6414 AUTO LOADER" lettered decal. There is no anti-skid detail on either the upper or lower auto rack. |
The decals have been reproduced, but forgeries are difficult to construct due to the additional changes to this car. Came with four RED autos that match the color of the flat car. These cars came with GRAY bumpers. |
Lionel Automobiles |
However, Lionel made their autos from five molded plastic pieces, two metal axles, and four rubber tires. The main mold that was used for the car has six legs (visible in the cheap auto pictured below) four of which were designed to hold the axles in place. |
Modern Era productions by LTI show a different inscription on the bottom. The original post war cars are inscribed on the rear of the car "THE LIONEL CORPORATION / NEW YORK NEW YORK" and on the front "MADE IN / U.S. OF AMERICA." As shown, reproductions do not have these inscriptions on the bottom of the chassis. |
Premium Automobiles and Gray Bumpers |
Automobile Colors |
|
PASTEL BLUE |
Cheap Automobiles |
Because these original one-piece castings looked "weird," Lionel would fill in the wheel wells with simulated tires. These were only produced in the RED and YELLOW colors. There are twelve variation to the molds that were used, some originating from the above mentioned executive car and others came from modifications done to Lionel’s race set cars. Originally these cars came on a DARKER RED 6414 Flat Car Chassis with the number to the left of the "LIONEL" inscription on the car sides and is equipped with AAR trucks that is occasionally found with one disc coupler and one solid non-operating coupler. See Variation D above. |
Home Privacy Legal Search Site Map Contact |