How to Find Out How Old My Model Train Is Knowing the precise age of your model train is important for a few different reasons. The biggest one that's probably discussed the most in online forums is the fact that depending on the age, your locomotive might be worth a lot of money. While a large portion of model train engineers collect and keep up their locomotives out of the sheer love of it and have no intention to ever sell them, it can still be exciting to find out just how valuable your most prized models actually are on the market. You might already know how special and valuable your trains are, but finding out that the rest of the model train world feels the same way is always exciting to hear. Other model railroaders are more than ready to sell; in that case, accurately determining when your train was built tells you a lot about how much you should expect to be compensated for parting with your model.

Where To Look to Find How How Old The Model Train Is

The Information Is Most Likely On The Model Itself

Fortunately, you won't even have to do any disassembly of your model to determine the exact age. As long as it's still readable and intact, you can usually find a small metal plaque attached to the side or bottom of the train. Other times, there might be valuable information engraved directly onto the model somewhere you normally wouldn't look - so if you're convinced there's nothing there, give your train another look over just to be sure. Once you're absolutely positive that there's nothing to find, you might start taking the locomotive apart to better examine the individual parts.

It’s A Good Idea To Take Inventory Of Parts

Before you begin any work on your model train, you'll want to know for sure that you end up with the same amount of pieces that you started with. Even if the smallest and seemingly simplest pieces go missing, it can mean disaster for your entire kit. You should start by designating the area that you're going to be working, ensure that you have adequate lighting, and isolate the small pieces into their own bins or bags so that they don't even have the chance to go flying anywhere. These are some other key places where you should look on your train: The Locomotive (Body) The Tender The Wheels And Motor The Original Box The Manufacturer's Plates

Take A Look At The Manual

You can never go wrong by consulting the user's manual of your railroad kit. Even if you're not organized enough to still have it on hand after all the years you might've owned this particular kid, you can usually find all this information online these days. If that doesn't work, it's generally not hard to get ahold of someone from the model train company and have them send you a manual.

Contact Your Manufacturer

When in doubt, it's always a good idea to get your information straight from the horse's mouth. Whether it's the original manufacturer's website or if you reach out to them directly via phone or email, you can almost always expect to get some elucidating answers when you're dealing with the major train makers. There are countless indicators that can help you gumshoe your way to figuring out the age and thus the potential value of your model locomotive, but if you can cut out all the guesswork by going directly to the source, it just doesn't make sense not to. The problem with trusting any pawn shop owner or private collector is that they may have their own biased perception as to which trains are best and finding the indicators of just how old a model is. The people who actually built the trains in question or are associated with that company are the ones who will have all the records and documentation to tell you precisely what type of train you're dealing with and when it was made.

How do you find the value of an antique toy train?

There is so much information online nowadays about how much a train might be worth that it's enough to confuse and overwhelm you into making a rash decision. While there are plenty of sources where you can find people talking about model train value, it's critical that you don't believe everything you read. Otherwise, you run the risk of being misled and talked out of a model that was actually worth a lot more than you realized. The best thing to do is to go to a professional collector or hobby store owner. These are the types of people who have been doing this kind of thing for the longest and will be able to speak from their own real-life experience. Once you've talked to a few different hobbyists and start hearing the same thing over and over again, you'll start to develop a real sense of how much your train can actually run on the market. There are trustworthy places you can go online if you don't have any professional collectors in your area, but you'll just want to make sure that it's an official train manufacturer website rather than just some random person's web forum. You might also be able to get in touch with professional collectors remotely and set up a phone or Zoom meeting where they can answer any question that you have just as well as they could have in person.

How do you clean an old Lionel train?

As with any other time you're giving your model a good cleaning, the first step is to take it apart as much as possible. With older or antique models, it's especially important to pay attention to the proper way to disassemble every piece; otherwise, you risk breaking the fragile features and making it impossible for the train to ever be put back together properly again. For even the oldest of trains, a mild solution of soap and warm water is the simple secret to making your train look its very best. You can apply this mixture to most of the exposed flat surfaces with a soft towel or cloth, ideally one that is microfiber. For all of those hard-to-reach places, a repurposed household item like an old toothbrush can be the perfect tool to get every bit of built-up dirt and grime out of there. The key to working with old fragile models is to start with low pressure - so low, in fact, that it might feel like you're applying no pressure at all. Slowly start to increase the amount of pressure until you start to see that you're removing the grime and dirt. This is a gentle, delicate process that might seem excessively painstaking, but it's the only way to ensure that you remove the grim and not the paint off your model. It's important to dry your train off immediately after cleaning. This is the best way to avoid streaks and even permanent damage to your cars and engines.

Are my old model trains worth anything?

If you're looking for a black and white answer to whether or not you're sitting on a goldmine in your garage full of boxes of random old Lionel and Hornby parts, the truth is it takes a bit of digging to really find out what you're working with. Some antique models can be worth over $10,000; others aren't worth $100. If you're trying to find a way to support your model engineer career without putting a dent in your bank account, there might be some money in those old engines that you're willing to part with. Determining the value of what you have is the first step; otherwise, you risk either being taken advantage of by letting something go for too little or laughed out of the pawnshop for asking far too much.

Why are model trains so expensive?

If you've ever noticed the sheer amount of detail that goes into professional model train kits, you're probably also noticed the jaw-dropping price tags. A huge barrier for other people getting into this hobby is the high cost of just about every element of it. Because of the fact that everything is made with such breathtaking detail, and then once you add to it the cost of packaging, shipping, and especially the marketing that these companies have to put in to stay in the public eye, that price doesn't show any sign of dropping anytime soon. For those casual hobbyists who just want a simple trainset, there are some options that can be a bit more affordable without as much of the professional film-quality detail, which is more suited for children who want to play with them. However, there will always be those hardcore collectors who will pay top dollar for the very best and for the rarest most valuable antiques.

Are model trains a good investment?

While it might be tempting to think that you can buy a whole plethora of model trains now and keep them for decades, then one day cash in on all your collectibles, the truth is you can do a whole lot better for yourself simply by doing something like opening a savings account. You do come across those models that are actually worth a lot of money, but those are the unicorns of the model train world. In general, you're going to get a lot more of the models that are appraised at average or below average value, and you can't expect to get a very great return on them. This is all on top of the other factors that cut into a train's potential, such as the condition of the model. When all things are considered, it's best to get into model train collecting because it's something that you love to do, not because it's something that's potentially going to make you some money. If you get into it for the latter, you're more than likely only going to be sorely disappointed.

Are old Lionel and Hornby trains worth money?

Depending on the condition they're in and the rareness of the particular model, old Lionels and Hornbys can definitely bring the collector home a lot of money at auction. The definition of "old" varies from collector to collector, but in general, if you're talking something from the '50s or back, it's going to make some waves among the bidders. These are the types of models that people think of when they hear "antique model train," and so this iconic nature alone drives up the prices that people are willing to pay by a wide margin.

What is the most expensive antique model train?

By sheer numbers, the Lionel standard gauge models are the ones that bring home the most at auctions across the board. If you have the right set, you can expect to bring home tens of thousands - or even hundreds of thousands - of dollars. That being said, these are the cases where the trains are still mint in the box and dating back to the 1930s. Finding such old sets in impeccable condition is exceedingly rare, so the prices are bound to just keep going up.

What is the rarest Lionel train?

In 2016, a Lionel standard gauge set from 1934 proved just how much people are willing to pay for these rare and valuable models. The set was complete in a box that had never been opened and included 400E Locomotive and State passenger cars. The winning bid? $250,000 - enough for the seller to build their own scale model city.

How much is a 1957 Lionel train set worth?

If you happen to be sitting on a Lionel set from the late '50s that's in good condition with all of the pieces, you can expect to go home from auction a happy hobbyist.

What do you do with old model trains?

The question of whether or not to sell really comes down to how much sentimental value you get from keeping your trains. If they have the potential to bring you in money to invest further into your hobbies and bring you even more joy, it's definitely something to consider - especially when you consider the joy that the buyer of your old trains will get out of them. There are numerous online auction sites like eBay that make it easy to sell at your convenience no matter where you're located. If you do decide to sell, the best time to do this is in the lead-up to the Christmas and holiday season, when the popularity of these antique locos and accessories spikes and you can thus expect higher prices. Parents will be out buying toy trains for their kids and then might consider updating their own layout. Before talking to sellers, you can have any of your questions answered at your local hobby shop with a professional appraisal. These estimates are based on everything from track gauge like HO scale and the era such as the 1950s, early 1900s, World War II, or post-war, but it also has a lot to do with the market in recent years. Sometimes different variations of certain models like diesels will sell better than others simply due to their rarity or popularity. Other times, novelty trains like the Polar Express will rack up the highest bids. On the other hand, if your scale locomotives are something you're just not ready to part with, there's no harm in displaying them on your shelves for as long as you want.

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