Rare Postwar Lionel Trains 3376 Giraffe car Mockup!

A look at a rare Lionel 3376 Pre-production Mockup for the popular operating giraffe car. The video starts off discussing the 3376/3386 giraffe cars and then shows in detail the decaled mockup. The video finishes with a running display of multiple giraffe cars in action for you to enjoy. Part of the Rare and unusual Lionel postwar trains highlighted on this channel. Thanks for watching.

[@stevenmiller5696]

Very clever and simple to operate!

[@BriansTrainRoom]

Yes, that is why they sold well and were inexpensive to produce. Lots of action and were included in many uncatalogued sets to add value at a low cost.

[@UKHeritageRailways]

The helicopter wagon, the searchlight, and the giraffe car shown at 0.33, all appeared here in the UK and are shown in the Triang Railways catalogs starting in 1959. In these earlier catalogs there appear to be quite a few rebranded Lionel products from locomotives to coaches and freight cars.

[@BriansTrainRoom]

Interesting and good to know. Lionel was constantly searching for new items to add their railroad empire. The giraffe car was very popular and a crowd favorite in any scale. Thanks for the comment. Brian.

[@modelrailpreservation]

Some of Lionel's slot car sets were done in cooperaton with Scalectrix too. I'm a bit fuzzy on details, as the paperwork bureaucratic business side of operations are all beyond my scope as "Guy who makes working things out of broken things", but my understanding is that Lionel offered British slotcar stuff, Tri-Ang, who owned Scalextric got some Lionel designs for trains in return..

[@leverettrailfan5414]

A good few of Lionel's HO operating cars had likenesses in the Triang line. Their log dump car is very similar to Lionel's design as well, though it unloads automatically as the car is pulled by the platform, versus the Lionel 0300 which was activated remotely via pushbutton and the 0900 operating track section.
It never occurred to me that perhaps Lionel and Triang had some sort of working relationship, as opposed to them simply copying Lionel's designs.

[@tomshannon7513]

Thanks for another cool look into lionels history

[@BriansTrainRoom]

Sure is! Love the fascinating trains they made back then and the ingenuity they used. Thanks for the comment. Check out some of the other episodes, lots to see. Brian.

[@rogerlee3941]

Brian, I really enjoy the format of your videos. They're interesting, informative, and well done. Keep up the good work!

[@BriansTrainRoom]

Thank you for the comment. I really want to share my passion for postwar Lionel trains and the oddball stuff that is out there. Always trying to strike a balance between being informative and fun to watch. Love the giraffe car, fun to see it work. The mockup is just such a cool piece to see as well. Brian.

[@jrmeindl]

It is always interesting to see what someone's vision was of a future product and then to see the end result.

[@BriansTrainRoom]

Yes, such a simple design, yet loads of action and sold very well. Versions of this car are still being produced in the modern era!. The mockup just embodies the ingenuity of the people who worked there!. Thank you for the comment. Brian.

[@JacksTracks-jw5mv]

Great video!!!

[@BriansTrainRoom]

Thanks, such a cool operating car and the mockup is just awesome! Enjoy. Brian.

[@caseyvillemodelrailroad3877]

Great vidio, love the car , got 3 for my circus train , 1 is the blue yellow.Thanks for the morning coffee...

[@BriansTrainRoom]

My pleasure, the giraffe car is a cool piece and every layout should have one for sure!. Thanks for the comment and support. Brian

[@huntercoleman460]

Cool giraffe cars Brian.

[@BriansTrainRoom]

Yeah, the giraffe car is one of the cars everyone should have on their layout. The Mockup is neat as well. Thanks. Brian

[@TooManyHobbiesJeremy]

Good video. Constructive criticism: at 2:57 you mention the door is glued on, at 3:31 you mention it again. Similar thing also happened with the decals vs heat stamping.

[@BriansTrainRoom]

I agree, realized that when doing the read out and editing. Wanted to describe the piece, then also highlight the differences from regular production. Duplicated info and gave it too close together once edited. Appreciate the comment. Will keep in mind for future videos. Thanks. Brian.

[@patrickgrogan4382]

There was also an earlier mock-up that was done in green with no lettering. I wonder if the original plan was to make the car green, but it didn't catch on until later.

[@BriansTrainRoom]

Yes, this would have been a later mockup due to the number designation. Maybe even for artistic use in catalogs. This piece looks very similar to advanced catalog image. Would love the set of all the mockups, would make a great episode,. Working on it!!!. Thanks. Brian

[@SOU6900]

Was wondering how this car worked ever since I saw it in a video.

[@BriansTrainRoom]

Hope I was able to show how it worked for you. Great car and tons of action on the cheap!. Appreciate the comment! Brian

[@johnblair8146]

I see an interesting 6517 variety behind you at the end of this video. Let's learn about it.

[@BriansTrainRoom]

You are in luck, I did a one minute short on the 6517's already. Check out my other videos and look for the 6517. Factory errors! I have some 6464 factory errors coming soon as well. Thanks. Brian.

[@BriansTrainRoom]

th-cam.com/users/shortsQ3w6QbR68DM?feature=share

[@duanestroh8419]

I have a 3376 giraffe car, blue with yellow doors. The doors slide open and closed. Does that increase the value?

[@BriansTrainRoom]

That is pretty cool, would love to see pictures of what you got. Feel free to do so at [e-mail]. B

[@duanestroh8419]

I was wrong, its a box car. Giraffe car doors are fixed.