Another "whatzit"

the crossing gate almost looks home made.

Marx?  Just a guess. 

Hafner

 

Steve

Hi Jim • I have two "Whatzits" on my layout.

    These are from my grand fathers layout and he had Lionel trains form 1936 - 38.

Could be Lionel...........

  Click photo to enlarge.

Gary

Yours are Hafner also.

 

Steve

Hi Steve: I agree, found this on the TCA Web page.

http://www.tcawestern.org/hafner.htm

 

Steve is right.  The square, slightly raised tinplate base with two holes in it, on opposite diagonal corners, is the Hafner base.  Also, the solid rod pole (rather than tinplate hollow tube) is what was used on most Hafner signs and signals.  

 

The Ives square base is slightly different, with four larger holes in the base.  Ives also usually used hollow tinplate post.

 

There was a lot of cross-fertilization though.  These solid rod pole signals and signs were actually manufactured by a company called Fergusson.  They sold them under their own name, and also sold them to many other companies to sell under their own names.  When sold as Fergusson signals, there was no separate base: the solid rod is bent into a flat "G" shape to form the base.  All the Hafner signals pictured above also came with the Fergusson "G" base. The "Next train Leaves" clock is a classic Fergusson made item, but shown here with the Hafner base, so this one would have been sold as Hafner.

 

Lionel, Ives, and Flyer each had their own distinctive designs for signs and signals, and mostly made their own, sometimes filling in with Fergusson items.  Hafner however does not seem to have made any of their own signs and signals:  they bought them from Bing, from Lionel, and especially from Fergusson.

 

Most of Ives' crossing signs are of their own design and manufacture, using the rolled tinplate post.  But there are examples of the "Railroad Crossing Danger" sign made by Fergusson, on the solid rod Fergusson pole, mounted on the Ives square 4-hole base. 

 

These companies were all competitors, but they were also pragmatic.  It was probably quite cost effective to order a batch of signals wholesale from Fergusson to fill orders with.

 

 

I was at a train show in Medina, Ohio this past Sunday and saw a "next train leaves" clock with the G shaped base. I'm glad I read this post because now I know a.) what item I saw, and 2.) that it came in a number of configurations.

Jim,

Your clock says, 4:35 PM.

That's our nap time.

 

Next nap leaves . . . 4:35

 

Here's a quick picture of the crossing gate and sign with the Fergusson curly-que base, and the gate with the Hafner base.

 

 

Thanks, guys.

 

Jim

I have the same sign as Gary, got it in a train show junk box years ago.Same wording, but black letters. flaking chrome base,white pole and sign face. 

Dave, that's the Ives version.  The square base is just a little higher profile, and those are the four larger holes i mentioned.  That "chrome" you mention is the shiny, anti-corrosive  tin plating on the sheet metal, hence "tinplate".  Didn't hold paint worth a darn, hence the infamous Ives paint flaking.

 

 

thanks hojack.