Stockcars are among the types of rolling stock some railroads had a lot of. When it was time to move livestock to market, railroads would often make up entire trains of these or string together long blocks of them in their speediest freight trains. Since they were dealing with live animals, it was imperative they move as quickly as possible.
O and S gauge models of stockcars were made. Lionel released its no. 6356 in 1954 and cataloged it again the next year. It represented a car that hauled smaller animals, such as pigs and sheep. To maximize the number it could carry,it had two decks, each with its own door for unloading (the model has only one deck).
The odd thing was, Lionel decorated the 6356 for the New York Central. While the NYC had stockcars, it remains a mystery why the toy train maker didn’t choose a railroad whose heritage was associated with hauling livestock, say the Union Pacific.
At any rate, the 6356 is a near-scale model. Lionel painted the body yellow and equipped the car with bar-end trucks with magnetic couplers.
Variations include rubberand heat-stamped versions with different lettering sizes. As with many postwar cars, examples with original boxes can exceed the $25 limit for Fleet Filler inclusion. However, used examples of the 6356 in reasonable shape (remember, these are cars transporting livestock, after all) without their packaging can be had for $15-$25 at swap meets, in online auctions, and at hobby stores dealing in used toy trains
