6536 Minneapolis & St. Louis

Production:  1958, 1959 & 1963

History
The 6536 M. & St. L. Quad hopper was another colorful -- and prototypical -- hopper produced by Lionel. It's eye-catching bright red body with white lettering continue to make this a sought-after and attractive freight car.

Unfortunately, sales of this freight car were significantly less than expected by Lionel. Initially, Lionel catalogued this hopper in an 027 and Super-O freight set, but after only two years in the consumer catalogue, the 6536 temporarily went into retirement. For 1963, Lionel decided to catalogue the hopper one final time in an 027 gauge set -- mainly to deplete leftover and remaining inventory from 1959!

Due to its poor sales record, the 6536 is not an easy item to find -- in any condition. Nice examples of these hoppers will command a premium in price. Additionally, since most were included as unboxed set components, locating an original box in collectable condition is even harder than finding the hopper.

Features
Standard features include: red painted body with white lettering, dual operating couplers plus a brakewheel.

For 1958, the hopper included bar-end trucks. Sometime in late 1958, Lionel converted the hopper to their standard AAR freight car trucks. The AAR trucks were used in 1959 and 1963.

Finally, most hoppers included a metal spreader bar. However, this car has been documented without the spreader bar.

Additional Detail, Photos & Box Information

Bar-End Trucks - For 1958, the all metal, bar-end trucks were mounted to the hopper. This is a hard variation to locate.

AAR Trucks - Shown in first photo above - For 1959 & 1963, the plastic AAR trucks replaced the bar-end trucks.

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