Classic Lionel Trains - The Hudson 1937 - 1942 

These videos are amoung the most concise & informative online, superb in scope and brimming with the love and enthusiasm that is so very uplifting, ---and trimmed of fat and hubris.

The original marketing reason for the scale Hudson wasn't to sell it as a "toy train" although it was, naturally, in their regular full line catalog. But to sell to the "model railroading" market as it largely existed at the time. This was dominated by O scale and engines were very expensive and typically required a reasonable level of machining skills to build kits, or certain people custom built them. Many used 3-rail track and many used scale 2-rail with outside third rail and the Lionel 700 supported either. $75 for the completed 700EW is over $1500 in 2023 dollars so this was targeted for adult modelers, not children. The first advertisements in Model Railroad magazine made it clear as the "outside third rail" was discussed which was a farily common method of powering at the time. A couple years after introducing the scale Hudson, Lionel came out with the scale Pennsylvania B-6 0-4-0 steam switcher and that was the last scale steam engine Lionel produced back in the day. Of course, in modern times there have been many, but priced for an adult collector or operator market.

In my old issues of Model Railroader there were many little ads from companies that with two rail your three rail Lionel locomotive. In the photo sections of people's layouts there were many where guys had great big Lionel layout with outside third rail this way you could use Lionel on to rail track. I have an 00 gauge Hudson that went from 3-rail AC to outside third rail with collector shoes on the tender as well as the steam chest on the locomotive. I have an old Walter's O scale catalog from 1941 it was $0.25 from looking at it you could tell that 0 scale 2 rail DC was an adult man's hobby not something for toy trains for kids.

LOvely video!

Dang these things are EXPENSIVE! The one that costed 97 dollars would be 1,510 dollars in 1942! I hope the website is just wrong lol

Why is the chassis and tender shell of your 700e so shinny. They look repainted or replaced

Where can I get one of the originals?

The Hudson was one of the first I saw when I was like 5 by my Grandpa. It’s because of him I’m a Lionel fan sadly he passed in 2018 but the Hudson went to my dad as much as I wanted it I knew that I was still in the same house with it. I got the Ice Station and the Milk car if I combine those I will have again the train that got me started

Being a kid or even an adult in the 30s getting something like this for Christmas must have made that Christmas the best ever.

Wow for its time it was like as we know the vison line big boy. Fantastic vid6

I was fortunate enough to find a 763 Hudson. It was not running at the time and the coupler on the tender was missing. I know a guy near me who was able to restore the engine to working condition. Since the coupler was missing from the truck and I do not have many box coupler equipped rolling stock, I had a regular knuckle coupler added instead, and now my Hudson pulls Postwar Lionel madison heavyweights instead. It looks perfect

My 1946 train set is a release of prewar mft. engine and cars .

Is he enticing innocents with a Hudson?

Thought it only ran on the solid/t rail track

Can we get a collection tour?? You’ve got every piece that a Lionel collector would want!

I look and sound like you have to fix both of them.

2:15 In my opinion, I think that nameplate says Luke judging by the weird looking “k” and spaghetti like “E”

Lionel made some nice scale trains in 1936 to 1942 but American Flyer made the most beautiful hudson in S gauge and it looks exactly like the real one. Lionel did not have the realistic airchime whistle either that the AF 326 Hudson has. Two rail track is the real thing also. I do like Lionel postwar trains a lot because we had those for Christmas and they are better than all this so called scale stuff with those hand held control systems. Conventional controls make me feel like I am really driving the trains. That other stuff does not and it will never outlast a real transformer like the ZW or the AF 30B.

Awesome video!!! I love the 700e!! Thow it's as expensive to purchase one as it was the 1930s... 😢😢

Really good video Thank you

Wow almost 80 years old and runs good! Nice collection.

Awesome Luke! Loved the video! Since this is a hudson video, i was wondering if you have a lionel 685 in your vast collection? if so do you have a video of it? Thanks again and keep up the great videos!

I got a vintage lionel train lamp with the first hudson lionel ever made

Hey Master Luke, I was wondering if you can help me. I want to have a Lionel 700e Hudson, but the prices I have found them at are way too expensive for me. So, I decided that I will build mine from the ground up buying the parts for a 700e and using workshop tools or CNC if I need to make any of the parts. I saw how you referenced that the 700k came in six kits. My question is, did those kits come with a set of instructions that showed what parts were in that kit and how to put them together? If so, I want to buy those instruction plans so I have a reference of what parts I need and guide of how I will build my loco. Any help you can give is greatly apricated.

Your 700K is the only one I've ever seen where the original owner actually scratched their initials & the date into the ashpan tag. The fact that any of it is legible is incredible.

wats the minimum curve

Is this Boris Karloff?

speak up

I WISH I CAN UNDERSTAND THE PERSON NARRATING THIS