Does anyone here know anything about Lionel Trains? My grandfather was a huge collector and left me his extensive train set. Unfortunately I don't have the space to set it up, and honestly I don't think I have the appreciation for these type of trains. I tried to donate it to a local children's hospital or group, but I haven't found one that is willing to accept this donation. I am now listing the collection on craigslist so I can donate the money, but other than comparing prices on ebay, I have no clue what a fair price would be. Any advice would be appreciated (or if you know a children's group that would use and appreciate this type of donation).

Here's a list of locomotives/cars:
- 2426w berkshire 6 wheel
- 726 berkshire locomotive
- 6220 black diesel switcher locomotive
- 8556 Lionel shell ~ 8556 B&O Chessie System diesel switcher
- 2403b Lionel 2403B Slope-Back Tender with Bell and Light
- 1656 pennsylvania c40
- 671 Engine #671 6-8-6
- 3482 milk car
- 2465 tank car
- 671W tender w/ whistle
- 2420 search light wrecking car
- 3461x-25 lumber car
- 3459 coal dump car
- 2460 work crane
- 6414 auto loader
- 2420 work caboose
- 3461 automatic car
- 2442 pullman car
- 2443 observation car
- x3464 observation car
- x2458 automatic car
- 2461 tansformer car
- 2755 tank car
- 3472 milk car
- 3559 coal dump car
- 2357 caboose
- 2452 gondola
- 2458 coal hopper

10/20/2014 11:03:18 AM

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1627001263/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=1627001263&link_code=as3&tag=lioneltrainsh-20&linkId=TBZDXNUCOOMAOEYC

maybe?

10/20/2014 11:21:53 AM

$texas

10/20/2014 4:53:37 PM

^^ thanks for the recommendation

I looked at how the things were selling on ebay, and then pretty much took 50% off to list it on craigslist. I prefer a quicker sale than higher return (especially since I am just donating the money anyways). These boxes have been in the living room for a while, and my wife would love for them to be gone.

10/20/2014 5:16:59 PM

How much for everything?

10/20/2014 7:50:16 PM

I know a girl that works for their office in Charlotte. Not sure if she knows how much they are worth, but I'm sure she has plenty of connections to the people into this stuff.

10/20/2014 8:33:11 PM

Check the local clubs for this sort of thing I'm sure there is one with a member of means

10/20/2014 10:58:48 PM

^,^^ both of these. This is a hobby that skews older and it may be harder to get in contact with an interested collector than the usual outlets (ebay, CL, etc.).

Also, I wouldn't just fire sale these to get rid of them. Obviously your grandfather spent his hard earned money and time collecting and maintaining them. It's not something you are interested but I don't think you should just fire sale them and not at least get what they are worth in return. Donation money or not.

10/21/2014 7:54:30 AM

thanks for your input, but it isn't a "firesale". I am doing my due diligence, but I am not going to spend a lot of time shipping 100 different parts across the country. I would rather find someone who is passionate about the trains or someone who would share these trains with others than find a way to squeeze the most money out of this train set. My grandpa wouldn't care about the money, but more about the person who is receiving the trains.

I got an offer of $1k for the set and based on the feedback I have received, that sounds like a fair deal. Thanks for everyone's help.

10/21/2014 8:11:50 AM

Here are a couple local groups that you may be able to send a quick message to and see if they have any interest as well.

http://www.carolinamodelrr.org/

http://www.trainweb.org/nrmrc/

The second one is the North Raleigh group.

10/21/2014 10:02:38 AM

^^Todd's train depot in Wendell may be able to help. They have odd hours and the old lady that works there is a bit crotchety. She wasn't too helpful when I was trying to find a part for a train set that was handed down to me... I guess because I had virtually no information on it at the time.

10/21/2014 10:22:31 AM

Good luck on trying to sell it. I'm in the exact same boat.

I've only had luck selling off a brass locomotive that was passed down to me.

All the other cars, I can't find a buyer for.

I'm getting to the point where I'm just going to throw them away.

10/21/2014 11:35:33 AM

People don't read. He already got an offer for 1k.

10/21/2014 11:45:56 AM

that doesn't mean he doesn't need/want more input. he has an offer. Which may be fair (according to him). Why not ask around a bit more to be sure?

10/21/2014 12:02:38 PM

Thanks for all the tips, I didn't expect TWW to be so helpful. I should have asked months ago.

Just sold the trains for $1k, it'll be a nice donation to the children's hospital.

10/21/2014 5:15:33 PM