6464-125 New York Central Pacemaker, Cataloged 1954-56
6464-200 Pennsylvania Railroad, Cataloged 1954-55 and 1969
6464-250 Western Pacific, Cataloged 1954 and 1966
6464-325 Baltimore & Ohio Sentinel, Cataloged 1956
6464-425 New Haven, Cataloged 1956-58
6464-650 Denver & Rio Grande Western, Cataloged 1957-58 and 1966
6464-825 Alaska Railroad, Cataloged 1959-60
6464-960, Train Collectors Association, Uncataloged 1965
Lionel 6464 boxcars help Lionel Corp. mark 1953 as a turning point.
Yes, a year after blazing a new trail with classic streamlined passenger cars, the engineering and sales teams at Lionel fielded near-scale models of a modern flatcar, a triple-dome tank car, and a porthole caboose. Perhaps most important of all, the company released an O gauge boxcar with scale proportions that approximated those of the 40-foot cars in use on railroads across the U.S. and Canada.
Brilliantly, Lionel managers elected to offer the new boxcar in four road names. The quartet of newcomers came painted in eye-catching colors with the names and slogans or heralds of different lines associated with regions of the country west of the Mississippi River.
The four members of the Lionel 6464 boxcars series, available in 1953 as components of cataloged O-27 or O gauge outfits as well as separate-sale items, represented a mere beginning to what collectors and operators today know was an exciting chapter in the postwar saga. New entries appeared over the next several years.
Even in the 1960s, when Lionel’s fortunes were declining, new 6464 boxcars arrived. Occasionally, older models were reissued.
Eventually, the series of 30 eye-catching boxcars came to be emblematic of the postwar lineup. Their color schemes, railroad names, and variations captivated hobbyists, and demand for the models increased. Today, the 6464 boxcars are among the most desirable items Lionel made in the second and final thirds of the era.
