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Lionel TMT-18416/LT-702 Flatbed Truck with Non-Powered Diesel Locomotive
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?Taylor Made Trucks? are made by ?The Toy Collector?, and were designed by a 25 year TCA member, who was both a train collector and operator. They are 1/32nd scale.
Number 7 in the continuing series of Lionel licensed items by Taylor Made Trucks carrying an O/O-27 gauge non-powered display diesel locomotive decorated in full Lionel markings! The familiar Lionel orange and blue toy truck features the Lionel New York City address on truck cab door and special Lionel license plates on front/rear bumpers. The flatbed trailer has a blue toolbox underneath, which, based on lettering, ?carries? LIONEL ZW TRANSFORMER and LIONEL HOOKUP WIRE.
Each of 4 truck mud flaps feature the Lionel ?L? logo in 3 colors. The truck/trailer also feature operating lights, realistic truck sounds and ?engraved? serial numbering on the battery box cover. The flatbed trailer has three 0-27 rails imbedded into the decking with appropriately colored orange wheel stops. These rails are powered when the truck lights are switched on because the locomotive also lights up the front/rear headlights and illuminated front/rear number boards. The non-powered display locomotive is decorated in official Lionel orange/blue colors and is lettered ?LIONEL ELECTRIC TRAINS? on cab side and ?LIONEL LINES 2002? on the car body side.
Each end features ?LIONEL LINES? printed in contrasting orange or blue colors. The non-powered display locomotive itself is securely mounted on the flatbed truck rails and power for locomotive lights is transmitted through the rails to the metal roller pickups of the locomotive chassis.
Both the toy truck and mounted locomotive are packaged in an orange/blue Lionel style box with appropriate Lionel markings and inside a 2-piece clear plastic blister surrounds and protects the items during shipment. A nostalgic separate instruction card is inserted into each box, reminiscent of those paper instructions that accompanied Lionel items in the 1950's. The colorful packaging is then inserted into a brown corrugated end-flap carton to prevent any shipping damage, as Lionel did this too!
The locomotive itself has a unique toy train history. Originally molded and manufactured by Kusan in the 1950's, then AMT in later years with a similar design also made by Williams in the late 1970's. Evidently more than one mold set was made, perhaps when early Kusan production went to Mexico.
These locomotive mold toolings were then dormant for almost 30 years as they traveled from Mexico to Eastern Europe and finally China where the entire locomotive was re-tooled by Taylor Made Trucks. Metal handrails were produced instead of the Kusan plastic handrails, body end drop steps and chains were added, cab windows and full headlight/number board lenses were made. All Kusan mold markings were removed as the body shell detailing was restored.
Operating knuckle couplers replace the Kusan plastic dummy couplers and the body shell pilots have been modified to allow full coupler 'swing'. Completely new electronics includes lighting, PC board, and metal chassis components instead of plastic and dual roller pickups instead of wheeled pickup.
Licensing requirements from Lionel required that the locomotive be a truck mounted non-powered display diesel locomotive but the outstanding re-make of original Kusan tooling has resulted in a very unique Lionel trademarked flatbed toy truck that will look appropriate on any Lionel 0/0-27 gauge toy train layout or part of a Lionel collection.
The lighting feature of both toy truck and diesel locomotive has to be seen in a darkened room to be fully appreciated.
This one is brand new, mint and is serial number 2231. Two "C" batteries required for lights and sound, not included.