Do you remember this toy? Scary Train?

My husband and I are trying to find out the name of a toy that was likely in the Montgomery Ward Catalog in 1979 or 1980. It is a toy train that goes through some sort of haunted tunnel or scary cave. It is not a standard HO or N scale toy train. Does anyone remember this toy? The google search... it does not find anything! Tangaroa - I'm looking at you!

Feesh!

Funny you should ask about "Holiday" department store catalogs. I have great memories of being insanely unrealistic back in the 1970s whenever we would receive the latest JC Penny or Sears Holiday catalogs. I would obsessively go through the toy section, circling every single toy that I expected for Christmas, and then would pester my parents for the next few months showing them all my "choices" - fully expecting them to comply. All the items still not in my possession on December 26th made me completely nutso. I credit these evil catalogs with my collector mania beginning at just about this time. Star Wars toys in particular (I HAD to have every single playset, vehicle, etc)...

Anyway - about 2 years ago, I started searching for JC Penny & Sears catalogs on Ebay (my glory years being 1975 - 1983 or so). And surprisingly - these things are common on Ebay! I went through one of my usual "fits" and placed bids for about $50 worth of catalogs - felt guilty later & cancelled the bids before the end of auction. I still haven't gone back & bought any (I probably will at some point) - if only for the fact that they always seem to be up for sale, and pretty much any year you could want! For all the armchair historians out there, they are a great source for popular fashion, fads, and toys of the day.

Try this: Montgomery Ward 1979

or this: Montgomery Ward 1979

or this: Montgomery Ward 1980

You may have to buy 1978 - 1982 to find your toy, but I think the prices seem low enough, that it may be worth it. Post a pic if you find it!

Maybe the Lionel Black Cave Flyer?

Here's an image of the box from an auction site that lists that train for sale:
http://www.morphyauctions.com/images/dec05/800/0869_1.jpg

The item description: Lionel 1982 Black Cave Flyer Train Set with Original Box. Sealed. Unused condition. Box-14" x 25". (Unused). 100.00 - 200.00

(Auction site page itself is at: http://www.morphyauctions.com/trainsdec05.html)

And here's a description from an article on Trains.com about Lionel's whimsical trains ( http://www.trains.com/Content/Dynamic/Articles/000/000/001/225ddurb.asp ):

"The shadowy and sinister aspects were first embodied in 1982's 'Black Cave Flyer,' a very basic, unadorned, bottom-of-the-line steam train, with two freight cars and a caboose. What sold the set was a vinyl playmat and cardboard "haunted cave" scene - two skull-like tunnel portals and backdrop - in Halloween colors, with an assortment of bats, reptiles and other weird monsters that were supposedly waiting to attack the train as it passed through. A set of glow-in-the-dark decals for the operator to apply to the cars, augmented the locomotive, which had a phosphorescent boiler front, bell, stack and side rods. I don't know how many kids got to play with this train, but it was considered to be a hoot among the adults, particularly those who grew up with the Munsters and Addams Family on TV."

[ Edited by: Erika 2005-11-14 10:38 ]

That HAS to be the train, thank you so much! Jason had mentioned that the train went through a scary face tunnel, which I didnt metion here. Yaaaaay! Tiki Central comes through again. Now I'd better go run and cancel my bid on that 1979 Montgomery Ward catalog!

Not just a toy, a tradition since 1900!

Cool train.