6517 Lionel Lines or Erie

Production: 1955 - 1959 & 1966

History
The 6517 is a common caboose manufactured in the mid to late 1950's and was Lionel's top-of-the-line caboose for their O gauge line. Based upon looks, the bay window caboose was a radical change from the standard cabooses in the Lionel family. This change was well received by the train community as it reflected changes within the real railroading community and remained in production for five years along with a brief appearance in 1966.

For the first five years, the bay window caboose was produced with Lionel Lines as the road name. When the caboose was re-introduced for a single year (1966), it worn the Erie road name on its sides. The Erie version is a desirable caboose and very difficult to locate. This is also the only postwar caboose to ever have the Erie road name.

Features
The 6517 standard features did not change during the entire production cycle. They include: red painted body with white lettering, dual operating couplers, 027 gauge passenger car trucks, dual ladders, end-railings, illumination plus a small smokestack and center window shades.

Additional Detail, Photos & Box Information
The only variation to the Lionel Lines version involves the lettering. There is a version with the 'BLT 12/55' and 'Lionel' underscored. This variation is harder to find that the version without the underscoring.

Lionel Lines - No Underscore - Shown in first photo above - The common version.

Lionel Lines - Underscored (Second photo above) - A harder version to locate is the Lionel Lines bay window caboose with 'BLT 12-55' and 'Lionel' underscored. Exact production dates are unknown.

Erie (Third photo above) - A one-year-only item from 1966 and rare.

TCA (Fourth photo above) - Although not assembled by Lionel, Lionel did supply the components to have approximately 700 orange TCA bay window cabooses available for the 1966 TCA convention in California. Like the Erie version above, this too is difficult to locate.

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