Advertisements for older LGB equipment is often accompanied by cryptic references to the older packaging. This section will attempt to provide details surrounding the earlier packaging and labeling, and its evolution to today’s product. The text shows commonly used abbreviations for different box types in [brackets].

In the beginning there was a gray box. It was adorned with the LGB Plaque Logo in red, and green line drawings of different LGB products, a great idea for spicing up an otherwise rather drab presentation. The gray box was a rather simple affair, just heavy card stock folded at the ends and stapled.

In 1971 the original gray box [Gray Box] was replaced by a bright yellow one [Yellow Box] with red and white logos and retaining the green line drawings. The bright yellow boxes were used until 1977 when the red box was introduced. These new early red (bright or caboose-red) boxes [ERB] used green and yellow logos with white train line drawings.

These folded cardboard boxes, often called "shoeboxes", were used until the late 1970s. At some point in this initial ten year period, Lehmann began to ship a heavy cardboard coupler protector with the cars. This was a folded and stapled square, about 1x1.5" and 1" deep that was slipped over the hook coupler to protect the coupler from damage in shipping. While cars of 300mm size and larger received new packaging in the early 1980s, the basic folded and stapled box with coupler protector is still used for short cars, flat cars and boxed accessories. The sides or edges of painted cars can show wear from rubbing against the inside of the cardboard box (i.e. the painted roof edges of 3041 excursion cars).

Some experimental packaging was used in the late 1970s. The 4032L Lowenbrau Beer Car was packaged in a yellow box with a plastic display window. [EYWB - Early Yellow Window Box] These early window boxes had inserts with wheel slots to keep the cars from moving in the box during shipment, but the coupler protectors were still used in most window boxes. Soon bright red boxes with windows [ERWB - Early Red Window Box] began to appear. They employed a large rectangular product viewing window with the LGB logo centered beneath it. The box end carries the Lehmann logo, usually positioned above the green and white contents label. These boxes were made of lightweight cardboard and are not easily confused with the corrugated packaging of today due to their color and slightly smaller size. These packages did not wear well, and most specimens found today will have a shop-worn appearance, even if the product inside is unused. The clear plastic window was also light weight (when compared to today’s packages) and easily displaced by small inquisitive fingers.

Other experiments of the late 1970s included the clear plastic box with opening end tabs shipped in a gray sleeve. Inside the plastic box was a 5/8" high cardboard base with a green stripe around the perimeter. A yellow tab and the Lehmann logo were printed on the stripe. The top of the base was printed in black and white with a picture of track and ballast. The top of the rail was highlighted in yellow. The bottom side of the base was printed in yellow with green and yellow logos. The one piece base had only one end panel, printed in yellow, with the LGB sticker which usually (but not always) depicted the contents.

Early in 1983, the dark red corrugated box [LRWB - Later Red Window Box] was introduced with a large rectangular display window for rolling stock. The LGB Logo under the window was retained, but the box ends now carry both the LGB and Lehmann logos. This dark (almost cranberry or maroon) red is quite different from the earlier box in that the heavier corrugated construction was combined with a heavier cardboard insert to secure the car in transit. This packaging provides a very attractive in-box display as well as more protection than either the earlier light-weight window box, or the folded and stapled cardboard box. Staple scratches and rubbed-off paint became a thing of the past. In addition, these boxes are shipped with a plain gray unlettered sleeve which assures that even the box will arrive in pristine condition. While the presence of an LRWB will definitely date a car as being produced in 1983 or later, it does not necessarily follow that a car with red folded cardstock box was produced prior to 1983. The 4065 caboose was apparently never shipped with the lightweight ERWB and used the red folded shoebox until 1986 when the 4049 searchlight car was introduced. Both the 4049 and 4065 used the same "taller" LRWB box starting in 1986.

This now familiar deep red box with the white and green stripes has remained basically unchanged since its introduction. Only the box ends have seen the tide of sweeping change. In 1994, the Lehmann logo was dropped and in its place are white letters proclaiming (reminding?) For inside and outside / Fur drinnen und draussen. This lettering is positioned either directly below the LGB logo, or at the bottom of the box end below the green and white product label.

In 1995, both the Inside / Outside lettering and the LGB Plaque logo were replaced with a single LGB Circle Logo in white. This packaging was further enhanced in late 1995 (or very early 1996) with a replacement for the folded white cardboard wheel and coupler retainer. This base had been provided with each car and accordingly each car size demanded its own base. The replacement product retainer is clear extruded plastic designed to fold at 90 degrees in the center. The lower half is the (universal) wheel retainer, and the upper or vertical half is the car end / coupler retainer. Two of these are supplied with each car, providing a secure suspension within the display box regardless of car length. A very ingenious and well engineered solution.

Product packaging remains one of the most reliable methods of dating any piece of rolling stock, especially for the more popular models where there was little opportunity to have a large stock of boxes to be used up before switching to the latest design. The 1983 anniversary car is an example and was first shipped in the newer LRWB. At the very least, it provides a date range framework from which other clues can be used to pinpoint the year of production. One additional source of clues is the green and white product label on the box end. These have been printed in several variations since the introduction of the Late Red Window Box [LRWB].

ERB product labels feature a white LGB Plaque logo on the top green field. The "subtitle" or second line is simply "LEHMANN". This label was used during the transition to the later red boxes and can be seen for production years through 1985, when it was replaced with one having a subtitle line reading "LEHMANN GROSS-BAHN The Big Train".

By 1992, the LGB Plaque Logo was removed from the top of the label and the statement of origin at the bottom of the label was expanded to nine lines of fine print.

In 1993, when the product numbering was changed to the five digit system, the product labels were modified to provide a "notch" in the upper green field to accommodate the bar coding., and at the same time the statement of origin returned to the smaller two line statement.. The boxes were also changed during this time period, and in 1994 the Lehmann logo was removed from the box end (probably to avoid confusion with the Lehmann product line) and the indoors/outdoors box was inaugurated.

The final step in the evolution of the product label coincides with the logo change on the box end to the white Circle Logo in 1995. The "notch" in the upper green label field was removed, and the bar code centered at the top of the white field. This most recent set of box and label changes is shown below.

The product label evolution is yet one more guide to establishing the manufacturing date of an LGB item. Labels, as other parts, are usually used until the existing stock is exhausted, thus some overlap of corresponding box and label types is bound to be noticed by the observant collector, but it is doubtful that label types would have any effect on a model’s valuation.