Looking to sell my 23 turtle deck that's been sitting on my 15 hacked tourning. I have no idea what it is worth. Hoping to build a wood pickup bed for it this winter.

Saying thank you again for everyone who helped me find an engine. I should be installing it tomorrow night . If I don't do the pickup bed I think a box like this would be fun to build

That is one cool utility box! I wonder if it interferes with the lowered top.

I restored the tobacco truck for the late Wayne "Joe" Southward in Olivet, Michigan. It was based on a 1917 roadster with a set of later demountable wheels. The advertising signs stayed original. The top will go down but won't set in the saddles. I was wondering where the car is today and if the restoration is holding up. It probably has been 15 years since I have seen it. Joe was a kind of a grandfather figure to me when I was in my 20s and think of him often. I think I restored it in 1998.

There is a similar vehicle with a lionel train advertising box...full to trains and erector sets. Way cool

If you weren't so far away, I'd drive over and take it off your hands, no charge!!!
It's actually too nice for Barney though. . .

Neil -- The turtle looks pretty nice. I'd say $400 would be in the ballpark.

That's a nice turtle deck. A 400.00 price and no less. If you have the key with it that would be a plus!

Neil if interested in the western ma model t club send me a pm, they are out of North hampton. Another forum contributor and myself just joined in the last week.

Jon Crane,

Myself being a train nut and a former Lionel employee, do you know of any photos of the car with the "lionel train advertising box...full to trains and erector sets" Sounds interesting!

Thanks,
David

David,
Yah, but Lionel Trains and Erector Sets in the same box is really bad Karma--since Erector was made by A C Gilbert, who made the superior American Flyer Trains that run on realistic two rail T track!

David "my trains are betterin' yours" Dewey

OK, for non-train folks out there, after WWII there was a fierce rivalry between Lionel owners and American Flyer owners. In reality, each brand had neat stuff that the other didn't--but I'm not going to admit that and be drummed our of the American Flyer camp!!!

PS, Today, Lionel makes American Flyer trains. Long story, but the sixties were some tough times and some old-time companies just didn't make it.
David, What did you do for Lionel??

I am surprised. In our part of the country you would be hard pressed to get the paint work alone done for much less than $400. (though it does look like there is a ding in the back panel to get repaired). I bet it will be an easy sell!

Hello Neil if I had that in my part of the country would be asking $600
$400 seems awfully cheap to me

Niel, I paid 400 for one about 19 years ago (and never used it).

These pictures are my cousin's attic. I wonder how much he has invested. It takes a small crew to operate it

If your interested in selling count me in. I sent you a pm, about my interest,please let me know.

Hal,
Your cousin's attic is a most incredible replication of Dunsmuir, CA back in the late 40s. It is uncannily "dead on." Oh, how I wish it still looked like that. The turntable is still there, as is the square building in the foreground of the bottom picture. The rest, sadly, long gone.

John, sent you a pm

Just bought the wood for the pickup box. I hope it come out as nice as this one.

David,

My time with Lionel was quite recent. Started in 2008 when Parts & Service was brought from Chesterfield, MI to Canfield, OH. The company (in case some folks didn't know) was merged with the Die-cast car portion of Nascar Collectables. Shortly thereafter, around late 2014, the operation in Canfield was relocated to Concord, NC. It was not an option for me to make the move. So... as some folks say, "Stuck in Ohio"
I created on-line part lists with photos for all items in our product line. It was a most enjoyable job! I was slated to become part of project engineering but, we all know how things change with no guarantees! Another FYI for some, is the entire product line has been manufactured in China for about the last 17 or 18 years.

Hal,

Great photos of your cousin's railroad! Nice gathering of Southern Pacific motive power. Pair of AC class (cab forwards) possibly an MT class 4-8-2, three unit set of F-3 or F-7 in the 'Black Widow' scheme, Alco PA units in 'Daylight' colors and last but not least the Alco switcher, either an S-2 or S-4. I like the dynomometer car in the second photo. I don't think I've ever seen a model of one! I admit looking long and hard to try and tell if this layout is O scale by chance or is it HO? I kind of think it's HO.

Sorry folks for "Off Topic" but when they were "handing out Brains, I thought they said Trains" and I took a slow one!

Regards!

I do like the American Flyer S gauge trains better then the Lionel O-scale; the two track and the slightly smaller scale made AF better then Lionel. HO (Half O scale) is too small to work with easily. Strange - the best scale didn't end up as the most popular. Today I have a bunch of 1:32 G-scale stuff. I can actually see it well enough to work with. I wish that there were more models available though, but large-scale equipment is expensive to produce.

Neil,
I don't want to line jump, but if no one else wants it for $400, I'll take it and I'm local.

John, Minor correction, some folks have said "HO" stands for "Half O" but, it is actually a bit larger than half. O scale is 1:48 and HO is 1:87 I never knew how or why it was calculated on the metric scale of 3.5 mm equals one foot. Still don't!
So I can make this 'T' related, I know a guy with excellent modeling skills. Has a beautiful layout done in O scale and On3 with some dual-gauge track and switches. He has at least a half dozen Model T's on the layout. These models are true 1/4" to the foot. I don't recall who produced them. The thing that has perplexed many O gaugers is the nice looking cars and trucks Ertl has produced, the fact they are 1:43 scale makes them 'close' but too large for correct O scale.

Ah, but they have made many in 1:64, perfect for the "perfect Scale" of "S"!
There IS a reason Superman wears an "S" on his chest!!

David D.

Hey David, Superman... HA! That's a good one! I'm getting the idea you like S gauge???
And I sent you an email.

Gee, does it show??
Yep, I need to respond eh?

Back to the OP. I have a nice '23 turtle deck that I could bring to the Indiana Covered Bridge Tour if anyone is interested. Dave

John sent you a PM

David & David - Just to "stir the pot" a bit here, I guess first of all, I'd have to admit that I am, and always was a "Lionel Guy", but I'd be the first to admit that both had their good points and weak points:

American Flyer's "S" gauge sure made sense, as it's nearly as large and easy to see and work with as Lionel's "O" guage, and the "S" gauge realistic two-rail track sure looked better, however,..... (and maybe this was because my father was an IHB switchman in Chicago) but even as a little kid, I always though Lionel's actual knuckle couplers were very realistic, both in appearance and operation, and America Flyers' klunky looking couplers looked and operated like an old gate latch! So there! (:^)

Now then, as David H. said,..."to keep this Model T related", regarding the value of your turtle deck (which looks perfect by the way) I believe having an original working latch and appropriate key adds considerably to the value of the turtle deck, and I think is something might also be considered, .....FWIW, ......harold

Harold,
Nah, it doesn't look "perfect" for me--it's too nice to put on Barney--I'd have to refinish the rest of the car!!
As for couplers, you're talking about the pre-1954 "link" couplers, after that they had a pretty good working Knuckle coupler. Both Lionel's and Glbert's were a bit oversized for the scale, but that helped make them work better with our clutzy kid hands!
And, yes, I will admit both had their good points--but don't tell anyone in the AF club I wrote that!!

I will "Sweetin the pot" ,so to speak.I have a 24-25 turtle for sale .It is a pretty fair piece,will need repainted,and some latch work.Can be picked up here,if you're on covered bridge tour,or going/coming to Hershey. $300 OBO.I will not ship.

DAng Jack, that sound just like what I'm looking for--but in the wrong part of the country!! Barney doesn't need no stinkin' paint!
Can't see how you could ship something like that anyways!
RATS!!!

If all I was going to get for it was $400, I think I would put it in the attic. You might change your mind later and it would be tough to find another turtle that nice.

I see them frequently at swapmeets floating atround 300 for really straight nice ones.