I CANNOT IMAGINE FINDING THIS CAR ANY CLEANER OR NEWER.
You are looking at the harder to find of the two auto loaders. This is the one with plastic AAR trucks and two disc style couplers. It has the four cars with chrome bumpers. This one is variation C in your Greenberg.
It is as CLEAN as you can imagine finding one except for a few light rubs in the black AND the P-6 BOX condition.
I believe this one is from EARLY 1958. It uses the 6424-11 body mold and Late Classic box, but the cars still come wrapped in the cardboard inserts.
Some sources indicate that the car wrap packaging was eliminated in 1958 when they went to the new flat car mold, 6424-11; others indicate it was eliminated when Lionel went to the gray bumper cars. In its Postwar Guide Volume 1, Greenberg indicates a more flexible deadline ("It probably disappeared at the same time gray-bumper cars were introduced, but this has not definitely been established.")
It is as CLEAN as you can imagine finding one except for a few light rubs in the black AND the P-6 BOX condition.
I believe this one is from EARLY 1958. It uses the 6424-11 body mold and Late Classic box, but the cars still come wrapped in the cardboard inserts.
Some sources indicate that the car wrap packaging was eliminated in 1958 when they went to the new flat car mold, 6424-11; others indicate it was eliminated when Lionel went to the gray bumper cars. In its Postwar Guide Volume 1, Greenberg indicates a more flexible deadline ("It probably disappeared at the same time gray-bumper cars were introduced, but this has not definitely been established.")
As you can see, this one is complete with cars and box. This is exactly how we got it.
- 1958
- Cars with chrome bumpers
- With AAR trucks
- "6414" on the left side of "Lionel"
- Body Mold 6424-11
- Late Classic Box
- Paperboard carrier packaging for the cars
You might also be interested to know that in our other listings right now, from the same collection is a box (and used cars) for the 6414-25 separate sale cars issued in 1955.
Condition: ITEM looks C-8++/C-9, perhaps UNRUN. The sides of the red flat plastic look untouched, and the printing is as sharp as it can be. The plastic has that newish look to it. The only thing keeping it from a full throated C-9 is that there are a few minor packaging rubs along the edges of the black metal likely from being slid out of the box. Pictured up close for you. The automobiles appear to still be new, wrapped in the "paperboard carrier"--a cardboard insert which is STILL GLUED closed as it came.
The BOX is P-6 and shows shelfwear such as creases, stains, a tear, rubs and end flap wear. Most wear is on endflaps. One end flap is hanging on for dear life. The print is good on both ends of the box, and the sides of the box are still in good structural shape.
SHIPS WITH INSURANCE AND SIGNATURE CONFIRMATION.