Production: 1965

History
The 6401 was only available for a single year: 1965. Lacking a freight load and void of any side decoration, this freight car is one of the most unadorned and basic postwar items produced during the postwar era. Looking back, it certainly echoed the times and stability of the original Lionel Corporation.

This freight car is commonly confused with the 6402 or 6406 freight cars. Although the flatcars are virtually identical, the 6401 never included a freight load while both the 6402 and 6406 included either cable reels or a single auto as their load.

Features
The 6401 flatcar contains the following standard features: unpainted gray flatcar, no side lettering plus AAR trucks. The trucks are usually include one functional and one non-operating coupler. Finally, the 6401 never included wire truss rods on the bottom of the flatcar.

Additional Detail, Photos & Box Information
The length of this type of flatcar is approximately 9.25" long (coupler to coupler). Finally, locating an original box for the 6401 is one of the rarest postwar boxes and is worth many, many times the value of the freight car.

Only Known Variation - Shown in the photo above - All 6401's flatcars were gray with one functional and one non-functional coupler.