Lionel’s Nos. 2257 and 2357 cabooses changed the line of toy trains in notable ways. The all-but-identical models, first cataloged in 1947, introduced three-rail enthusiasts to a type of caboose that looked different from what Lionel had been showcasing during the final years of the prewar period and the first two years of the postwar era. The new cabooses influenced what engineering and marketing executives put on the market for the next 22 years — to the very end of the era.
Advances in technology — specifically, the path-setting development of injection-molded plastics — enabled Lionel to bring out a host of updated pieces of rolling stock, including new cabooses, in the years after World War II. In addition, decision-makers at the firm wanted to broaden the commercial appeal of their miniature electric trains by styling key pieces after what railroads were doing. The 2257 and 2357 Cabooses reflected and influenced those two trends.
Essential to the line
Throughout the prewar and postwar eras of toy train production — in fact, into the modern era that spanned the final quarter of the 20th century — there was a caboose coupled to the end of every freight train. No matter how long or how short the train, it hauled an “office on wheels” for its crew. This custom directed toy train production. Every freight set created by Lionel had to include a caboose. That elementary fact had pushed the company to manufacture untold thousands of cabooses annually for its Standard gauge as well as it O and O-27 gauge lines.
To Lionel’s credit, not to mention the delight of collectors and operators, it did far more, especially after World War II. Besides creating a few basic designs and mass-producing them, engineers studied full-size cabooses so the company could introduce new models that gave spark to the line and enticed enthusiasts into buying more for their rosters. Different types of cabooses, along with the extra features and attractive decoration added to the basic models, brought excitement to a part of the line that might otherwise have remained mundane.
Perhaps the place to start when aiming to appreciate the 2257 and 2357 Cabooses is with the classic scale No. 717 New York Central Caboose released in 1940 and its twin with tinplate trucks and couplers, the No. 2957. Both offered O gaugers the most detailed and realistic replicas of a modern caboose Lionel had ever contemplated. Leaders considered bringing the model back for 1946 and ’47 because a No. 2857 Caboose was shown in the consumer catalogs for those years, but dropped their plans, possibly because the scale model was expensive to make.
Instead, Lionel filled many of its O gauge freight sets between 1945 and 1947 with a different caboose whose roots also went back to the final years of the prewar era. The No. 2457 (descendant of the No. 2757 cataloged in 1941 and ’42) was based on a class N5 caboose on the Pennsylvania RR. Painted bright red or Tuscan Red, it stood out thanks to various details, including painted window frames, celluloid window inserts, and a smokestack on its roof.
In 1946 and ’47, Lionel expanded its roster with the No. 2472 Caboose. It was an O-27 version of the Pennsy N5 that lacked interior lighting and the other premium details. Also new in 1946 was the most desirable of the N5 cabooses, the No. 4457 Pennsylvania. It was equipped with the Electronic Control receiver that permitted it to function as part of the No. 4109WS Electronic Control Set.
Looking west
The different versions Lionel cataloged of the Pennsy N5 had a lot going for them. They looked nice and were familiar to the thousands of Lionel enthusiasts who watched Pennsylvania RR freight trains in action. But to their detriment, the 2457 and its kin were a bit too much like toys to satisfy much of the market. In addition, Lionel executives wanted to modernize the roster of trains while reducing production costs through the new technology of injection-molded plastics.
The answer came with the introduction of a different caboose, one based on a Southern Pacific RR prototype. Lionel’s engineers decided to look far to the west for inspiration and approved of the simple design they found, especially the way the cupola was located toward the rear of the caboose and not in the center as was true with the N5. The Southern Pacific likely provided necessary blueprints.
Then things get a little murky. Lionel mentioned although it didn’t show the planned caboose in its advance catalog for 1947. However, the process of production must have fallen behind because nothing was written or shown of the SP caboose in the consumer catalog released in the early autumn of that year?
Common and scarce
Somehow, the finish line was reached in time for Lionel to pack the new cabooses in O-27 and O gauge sets sold in 1947. And what had Lionel created?
The No. 2257 Caboose was the barebones version. It typically had a red-painted body and white hot-stamped lettering with two brake wheels and no other details. Scarce versions have been reported, notably a red model with a matching plastic smokestack and possibly rubber-stamped lettering and a Tuscan-painted model with a matching plastic smokestack and possibly rubber-stamped lettering.
The No. 2357 Caboose was the deluxe version. It typically had a Tuscan Red body and white hot-stamped lettering with two brake wheels. Its features included a plastic smokestack matching the body, interior illumination, a ladder at both ends, and a black-painted frame with battery boxes on the underside.
Scarce variations of the 2357 have been reported, notably one painted bright red with a matching smokestack but none of the standard deluxe details. There also are slightly less valuable versions with a tile red body, no smokestack, possibly no ladders, and only one coupler rather than the typical two couplers.
According to postwar collectors, the 2257 should be associated with only 1947 production while the 2357 can be connected with that year and the next. It should be clear that the two landmark models have much to inform us about the direction Lionel intended to take after World War II and have much for us to appreciate.
