Does anyone recognize this box? For which manufacturer it belonged to? Any direction would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much 🙏
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Well it may be obvious to you but some things are reasonably clear. Its an American (U.S.) train for a couple of reasons. 1) the "cow catcher" front on the locomotive vice the European / UK "buffer beam" and 2) the configuration of the coaches with their "clerestory" roofs and general configuration and look. The engine appears to be a 4-6-0 which was the most popular steam configuration up to just before WW 1 but continued in service on light use local lines up to the end of steam in the late 40's and early 50's. Its a coal fired locomotive (because of the tender) which is common yet some western lines had already gone to oil fired. Now many of the larger European makes of toy trains did sell "American" configured toys so that is still a possibility. Unfortunately, it is often the case that the toys in the box do not really resemble the box cover art. Well sketchy as it is, that is about all I can offer. Good luck with your search, the picture is really neat.
Don
Are we sure it is a box for a train?
Some dimensions may help (length, width, and depth). Also if there is any writing on the sides of the box? it may be helpful.
Looks like possibility for a Ives or Dorfan O gauge set.
I believe the box is from a Bing set. While I have not found the exact image on your box, see this similar set box. Note that the Bing boxes often just had an image on the cover.
@GG1 4877 posted:I believe the box is from a Bing set. While I have not found the exact image on your box, see this similar set box. Note that the Bing boxes often just had an image on the cover.
However, that Bing box does have writing in the snowbank that identifies it as a Bing item. I have seen that label up close and the label clearly identifies it as Bing.
@Nation Wide Lines posted:However, that Bing box does have writing in the snowbank that identifies it as a Bing item. I have seen that label up close and the label clearly identifies it as Bing.
I saw that as well in the photo. The style of artwork is what stood out for me.
@Chuck Sartor posted:Looks like possibility for a Ives or Dorfan O gauge set.
Not Ives or Dorfan, as their labels always identified the manufacturer in the label.
Definitely not American Flyer.
One possible clue to the identity of the box, is the lettering on the tender B&H RR. In doing a quick search on the internet, I found a reference to the
Bath & Hammondsport Railroad
This seems to be a very obscure railroad in Pennsylvania that was founded in 1872.
I further note that the box top is not a label, but rather is a lithographed image in color.
It would be helpful if the OP would post the dimensions, especially the depth of the box and also if there is any other writing on the box, either on the sides or inside of the box.
This box might be something as simple as a puzzle box, rather than a train box, or a box for some other type of train toy, rather than an electric or windup train.
Thanks everyone for your inputs!
A little back story. This box came with a Hafner windup locomotive and one passenger car. The dimensions are 12 x 8 x 3”
Im starting to believe too that the image was glued on top(as per my close-up pic) Maybe if I took it off it would reveal the true box top?! Maybe a smaller manufacturer?
There are no other labels or typing on the box 
Curious indeed..
As per the Bing box suggestion, it’s not exactly the same illustration also. This one is more “hatch-like” in drawing style. Plus the Bing clearly mentions Bing. 
Attachments
Why didn't you start off the description that the box came with a Hafner set? It appears that it is a very early Hafner box.
https://www.liveauctioneers.co...rce-boxed-hafner-set
In fact, it appears that the box that was sold in the above auction is the box that you have, based on the tears / rips to the edges of the box label.
I would suspect that the box could indeed be a very early Hafner box, possibly from the 1914-1916 era, when Hafner was just starting out on their own. Possibly they had not settled on a name when the label was made, or since the car that came with the set sold on the Live Auctioneers auction was a New York Flyer car, maybe the label was a special label, designed not to note the maker. Many manufacturers offered lower priced sets under other names, possibly this was one such set from Hafner's early days.
NWL
I agree with NWL: That's a Hafner set box.
But I'll disagree on the B&H designation:
Bath & Hammondsport Railroad
This seems to be a very obscure railroad in Pennsylvania that was founded in 1872.
The B&H is a small ( 9 mile) railroad in western New York at the southern end of Keuka Lake.
Chris
LVHR
@Nation Wide Lines posted:Why didn't you start off the description that the box came with a Hafner set? It appears that it is a very early Hafner box.
https://www.liveauctioneers.co...rce-boxed-hafner-set
In fact, it appears that the box that was sold in the above auction is the box that you have, based on the tears / rips to the edges of the box label.
I would suspect that the box could indeed be a very early Hafner box, possibly from the 1914-1916 era, when Hafner was just starting out on their own. Possibly they had not settled on a name when the label was made, or since the car that came with the set sold on the Live Auctioneers auction was a New York Flyer car, maybe the label was a special label, designed not to note the maker. Many manufacturers offered lower priced sets under other names, possibly this was one such set from Hafner's early days.
NWL
Good investigating!! 👏 I should have started off saying it was sold as a Hafner set, but I wasn’t sure it was Hafner(given there’s no writing on it)
If this is an early Hafner box, then yay!!
The B&H RR history is quite intriguing as well. It was a tiny 9mile stretch in northern NY state(near Syracuse) The illustration does depict mountains (?) or are they the Appalachians?
Elgaucho,
Check this link. Expand the map a bit. You will find Ithaca well to the east and Corning closer, but to the southeast. Syracuse is waaaaaaaay to the northeast. The main geographical feature of the region are the Finger Lakes which run north/south. There are some pretty steep grades getting up to the plateaus between them. All of which combines to make east/west travel difficult. You have to go well north to the Mohawk River Valley and then pick up the plains south of Lake Ontario for anything close to a water level route. That's why the New York Central went up the Hudson River to Albany before heading west to Buffalo. It's also why the NYO&W was so expensive to build: They tried to go northwest/southeast, cutting across the north/south grain of the topography. That didn't work out so well... The other way is to go south of the Finger Lakes, starting at Sayre and heading west to Elmira and Corning. Then you take the Genesee River Valley or one of the others and head northwest to Buffalo. That's what the DL&W and Erie did.
I think the mountains and the 4 track signal bridge are "artistic" license.
Chris
LVHR
