Un-Sealing a Lionel 68 Executive Inspection car! Brand NEW!!

[@alsvintagetoytrains7042]

Great unboxing! It was a great addition to the motorized units that Lionel produced during the 2nd half of the postwar period.

[@BriansTrainRoom]

Yeah, great motorized unit, So nice when new as well. Thanks,. Brian

[@leverettrailfan5414]

I had the pleasure of servicing a friend's 68 that belonged to his Grandfather, and was delighted with how nicely it ran after a thorough cleaning of the mechanism and some fresh lube. I think the reissue of the blue inspection car is a nice thing- with only an estimated ~10 original cars, it provides a chance for toy train operators to acquire an inspection car in this attractive paint scheme without having to pay a large sum of money for such a rare gem. If you aren't sure if a 68 is the original or the reissue, check the bottom- an original car will have "The Lionel Corporation New York NY" stamped into the chassis. Reissue cars just say "Lionel"- the location is the same as on the postwar car. Note that there is still a chance someone could mount a reissue shell on a postwar chassis- if you have any doubt of the authenticity of a piece, it can't hurt to reach out to another experienced collector for advice.

[@BriansTrainRoom]

Yes, the 68 is a great piece and I recommend it to any young kid who is getting into trains. There are a few things that are looked at when determining the reissue from the original. Lionel didn't do the collector community any favors with this one. But such great cars!! Thanks. Brian

[@rogerlee3941]

Fresh out of the box and still has that "new car smell"! I've still got the one I got for Christmas in 1958 with its original box. And yes, the "light" on top shows definite signs of wear.

[@BriansTrainRoom]

That is awesome and hope you enjoyed the heck out of it! Nice running motorized units as well. Yes, it had that new car smell. Thanks. Brian.

[@joshuacampbell9990]

Great as always!!

[@BriansTrainRoom]

Thanks for the comment and support. Having fun with these videos and nice hearing from everyone!. Brian

[@johnfroio4910]

That’s a real gem, Brian Looking forward to seeing you open that set!

[@BriansTrainRoom]

I am looking forward to that as well, still working out my techniques and how I am going to show it. Probably next month. Glad you enjoyed it! Brian

[@garygreene578]

Incredibly well researched! Brings back so many memories of a wonderful era in Americana / Lionel. Thanks again for all of your hard work of collecting, editing and producing these well-thought out segments!

[@BriansTrainRoom]

Thank you. This one was fun to do as well. Always wanted to open one of these. Surprised by the lack of the opening instruction paper, but pleased to see an unworn top button. Love this stuff. Glad you enjoyed it. Brian

[@alsvintagetoytrains7042]

That was awesome to see the inspection car opened for the first time! So cool, I had to watch a second time... I enjoy collecting Lionel's postear motorized units and this one is cool.. A great and well done video!

[@BriansTrainRoom]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it. Such a nice piece and these trains have such a great look when new!. The 68 is surely a collector and operator favorite. Appreciate the support. Brian.

[@williamloeber6253]

It's really nice! Thank you. 😊

[@BriansTrainRoom]

My pleasure, having fun doing these videos, thanks for the support. Great car! Brian

[@stevenmiller5696]

Very cool! Thank you!

[@BriansTrainRoom]

Thanks, the 68 is a collector and operator favorite, so getting to open one and add it to my collection is such a cool experience. Glad you enjoyed it. Brian

[@paulbervid1610]

That is very sharp

[@BriansTrainRoom]

Had a ton of fun doing this one! Just a beautiful piece! Thanks. Brian.

[@johnczyzewski116]

Brian; Hello your video's are very good great, your way of explaining give very good information. Your Layout is Super -0 , just what l use great realistic track from 57 to 67 , your train display under your platform my 🚂 are under the way you have . I have coaters so l pull my engines out and others.its nice to see your that way. Just beautiful display. Keep up those great videos. Thanks Lackawanna John.

[@BriansTrainRoom]

My pleasure, glad you are enjoying the videos, having fun doing them!. Got some great stuff in the works. Love the super O as well and my "running" stock is easy to get to on in the cabinets under the table and it gives me good access to any under table work as well. Enjoy! Brian

[@johnchambers8528]

Thanks for the video. I received a #58 red inspection car one Christmas. Unfortunately I never got to open the box. It was given to me without the box. I had fun running it for years and keep it in good condition. However one occasion with company I had a guest operator and he ran it too fast and it fell off my raised platform. It did survive the wreck but sustained great body damage. I recently purchased Lionel’s newer version of the inspection car and run that one. Needless to say I do not let guest operators run that car. When not running it is on display in my train room.

[@BriansTrainRoom]

Love it, glad you still have it and still run trains. Great hobby! Hope this episodes brought back some good memories about the inspection car as well! Thanks for the note! Brian

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

I don't know about everyone else Brian but in my case I have no "shelf queens," EVERYTHING in the collection earns it's keep or it doesn't stay. So that being the case I say "Sure! Open that box up and run that thing! THAT'S what it was made for!" And I'm sure it's a thrill for you to be the first to set eyes (and hands) on that inspection car since it left the factory decades ago. (Hey, I just noticed, the windows look like they're all steamed up. What's goin' on in there? 🤩) Fun video! Thanks for posting!

[@BriansTrainRoom]

That is what makes this such a great hobby, there is space for operators, collectors and even a few crazies who collect just the mint stuff! I like to run trains, but do have some shelf Queens that just look too good to run. Had a blast opening the 68 and it is now in the display case. Love this hobby! Glad you enjoyed it! Brian

[@momatmach1]

New subscriber, thanks for your videos I am finding them enjoyable

[@BriansTrainRoom]

My pleasure, glad you like it. having a ball doing these and have some great stuff coming up. Brian

[@paulmatulavich7321]

Another must-watch video, Brian. Hey, after you open that sealed 11740 set, let me know if you would like to sell it. I would like to own something from Brian's Train Room, or have a crack at it.

[@BriansTrainRoom]

Wow, I appreciate that so much. It's a pretty cool set and I look forward to opening it. I will be willing to part with the set once opened. Talk to you then. Brian

[@brianturner8477]

It’s made for Super “0”. Let’s see it run around a bit. Maybe compare with the blue reissue: innards and all. Bought one in 1973 in the box which still runs great.

[@BriansTrainRoom]

Good point, since I opened it and was un-run, I put in my display case. They do run well, but are a little loud. B

[@JeffMazdra]

We had one of these back in 59. I always thought they were kind of noisy.

[@BriansTrainRoom]

Yep, always sounds like they are grinding the gears a little. Hope you got years of enjoyment out of them. Hope this episode brought back some great train memories ! Brian

[@philliprowe2656]

I have one that runs well but not in mint condition.Just for fun I made a teardrop trailer for it and made an aluminum trailer hitch in order to pull it.

[@BriansTrainRoom]

Love it, great running motorized unit and glad you are having fun with it!. Thanks. Brian

[@philliprowe2656]

Seriousl piece of model engineering!

[@XCELERATIONRULES]

The quality of pre and post war Lionel is legendary.Too bad today's Lionel cannot even touch that quality with their plastic junk.

[@BriansTrainRoom]

It is true that postwar and prewar Lionel trains are quality pieces. There are some really great modern train being made, which is great for the hobby. But, there is some trash out there! Thanks for the comment. Brian

[@miltoncallan1471]

I wasn't impressed with this car when it was introduced, because of its ridiculous scale and poor workmanship. It was in the Lionel catalogue and I also saw it in a store back then. I never put it on my "Christmas" list because there were so many other much cooler Lionel items. Today, I feel the same lack of desire to own one. Thanks for reviewing it.

[@BriansTrainRoom]

No doubt, the inspection car is out of scale, was loud and bulky. I totally agree for the money, there were so many other things in that catalog I would have liked to have had as well. As with other Lionel items, wish they had come out with another color or two just for the collector side of it. Appreciate the comment. Brian

[@THEWEIM]

NOOOOOO !!!!!!!!!! LOL

[@BriansTrainRoom]

Yes, I know! But it was so much fun and that car now resided in the display case, well cared for and can be seen and enjoyed! Brian