SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                             Washington, D.C. 20549


                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT

                       Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
                       the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

                         Date of Event: January 18, 1999
                        Date of Report: January 19, 1999

                             PLM INTERNATIONAL, INC.
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

                                    Delaware
                         (State or other jurisdiction of
                         incorporation or organization)


     1-9670                                          94-3041257
(Commission File Number)                 (I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)


One Market
Steuart Street Tower, Suite 800
San Francisco, California                                           94105-1301
(Address of principal executive offices)                            (Zip Code)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code:(415) 974-1399












ITEM 5.           Other Events

On January 18,  1999,  the Board of Directors of PLM  International,  Inc.  (the
"Company")  elected  Howard M.  Lorber as a Class III  director  of the Board of
Directors of the Company, with a term expiring at the 1999 annual meeting of the
Company's shareholders.  A copy of the press release announcing this election is
attached  as an  exhibit  to this  form.  In order to  facilitate  Mr.  Lorber's
election  as a Class  III  director,  the  Board  of  Directors  of the  Company
resolved,  pursuant to Article Sixth of the certificate of  incorporation of the
Company,  to increase  the number of directors of the Company from six to seven,
and designated the newly created directorship as a Class II directorship. Harold
R. Somerset, a director of the Company, resigned as a Class III director and was
immediately  reappointed  by the Board of Directors of the Company as a Class II
director  of the Board of  Directors  of the  Company.  The  Company  expects to
nominate  Mr.  Lorber  for  election  as a Class  III  director  of the Board of
Directors  of  the  Company  at  the  1999  annual   meeting  of  the  Company's
shareholders.

Attachment:

Exhibit 1:                 Press release, dated January 19, 1999







Exhibit 1

                                             Contact: Janet M. Turner
                                             Vice President, Investor Relations
                                             (415) 905-7214


              PLM INTERNATIONAL ELECTS LORBER TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

San Francisco, California, January 19, 1999 -- PLM International, Inc. (ASE:PLM)
today  announced  that Howard M. Lorber has been elected to its board as a Class
III director.

Mr.  Lorber,  50,  is  President  and  Chief  Operating  Officer  of New  Valley
Corporation,  an investment banking and real estate concern. He is also Chairman
of the Board and Chief Executive  Officer of Nathan's Famous,  Inc., a fast food
company.

Additionally,  Mr. Lorber is a director of United Capital  Corporation and Prime
Hospitality  Corporation and serves on the boards of several  community  service
organizations.  He is a graduate of Long Island University,  where he received a
Bachelor  of Arts  degree and a Masters  degree in  taxation.  Mr.  Lorber  also
received charter life  underwriter and chartered  financial  consultant  degrees
from the American  College in Bryn Mawr,  Pennsylvania.  He is a trustee of Long
Island University and a member of the Corporation of Babson College.

PLM  International  Chairman,  President and Chief  Executive  Officer Robert N.
Tidball  said,  "We are pleased to have Mr.  Lorber join our board of directors.
His  financial  and  operating  management  expertise  will  make  an  important
contribution to the Company as we continue to execute our strategic  growth plan
to improve financial performance and shareholder value."

PLM International is a diversified  equipment leasing company providing services
to transportation,  industrial,  and commercial companies. With a combined owned
and  managed  portfolio  of  approximately   $1.2  billion  in  equipment,   PLM
International operates one of the twenty-five largest asset leasing pools in the
United States  today.  The Company  specializes  in creating  equipment  leasing
solutions for domestic and international customers.







                                    SIGNATURE

Pursuant  to the  requirements  of the  Securities  Exchange  Act of  1934,  the
registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  in its  behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

                                             PLM INTERNATIONAL, INC.
                                             (Registrant)

Date:  January 19, 1998

                                             By:/s/ Susan C. Santo
                                                -------------------------------
                                                Susan C. Santo
                                                Vice President, Secretary and
                                                General Counsel