Steve "Papa" Eastman posted:Because I’m not right in the head, just bought this for some parts. Need a complete shell?
Steve
Steve that construction crew has really been busy on that “Metropolis” that has been erected in the background. Really looks great.
Fatman: Possible ... hard to tell as Hornby (iaw the data I have) modified the M3 body to be identical for both cow and electric I will look closer at the mechanism however and compare it with my other 20v motors
The only good thing I can say is that IF they are Marx motors I know why they are such good and reliable operators! 
Don
Fatman. I am the victim of “spell check “. In my post above it should read “cw” for clockwork not “cow”. I guarantee what ever they are these loco ‘s don’t MOO !
Don
For my birthday, I found 3 un-opened, new old stock, American Flyer prewar accessories. What better present could I have found for myself? Photos coming.
NWL
Nation Wide Lines posted:For my birthday, I found 3 un-opened, new old stock, American Flyer prewar accessories. What better present could I have found for myself? Photos coming.
NWL
Happy Birthday!🎉🎁🎊🎂🎈
George
George S posted:Nation Wide Lines posted:For my birthday, I found 3 un-opened, new old stock, American Flyer prewar accessories. What better present could I have found for myself? Photos coming.
NWL
Happy Birthday!🎉🎁🎊🎂🎈
George
Thanks!
Here is a teaser from the group. This represents the 1 box that the seller opened to check the item
Note the original wrapping paper behind it.
NWL
Don McErlean posted:Fatman: Possible ... hard to tell as Hornby (iaw the data I have) modified the M3 body to be identical for both cow and electric I will look closer at the mechanism however and compare it with my other 20v motors
The only good thing I can say is that IF they are Marx motors I know why they are such good and reliable operators!
Don
Hi Don I grabbed the photo of the loco drive mechs from the sale
I was being quite subtle in my original post (lol) but these are 100% Not Hornby drive units
The wheels look very much like those on my British Marx ( which used USA supplied Marx motors )
I am not Au Fait with USA electric Marx in all their variations as I only have one old nasty CV electric in storage .
but British Marx as below ...
The Guy did a good job making them blend into the loco shells tho 
Oh and Happy Birthday @Nation Wide Lines
Rich Wiemann posted:Steve "Papa" Eastman posted:Because I’m not right in the head, just bought this for some parts. Need a complete shell?
Steve
Steve that construction crew has really been busy on that “Metropolis” that has been erected in the background. Really looks great.
Thanks Rich. The long delayed garage door fiasco is over and I can now start modifying and re populating the layout. Everything had to be removed so the installers could work on top and under the layout. Add to that 3 months of mostly rainy days made storing stuff outside difficult.
Steve
Fatman : You are clearly correct. The drive system is some variant of Marx and not original Hornby. I took the time to contact an acquaintance of mine who is far more expert in UK Marx and sent him some pictures of the drive system for his comments. He agreed that the drives are Marx and reiterated that all the Marx motors were made in the US and exported for UK production. He told me that re-powering clockwork loco's with Marx electric drive was relatively common in UK primarily because of the cost of the Marx components (low) and their reliability and durability. In fact he related that he had friends that traveled to York each year and gathered up $5-10 Marx loco's especially to take the motors home and install them in other makes. He said that the motors were sized such that they fit in a number of European and UK makes including Bing!. So we clearly have a Marx motor.
He did relate that he was unaware of an UK Marx that used the 3 gear reduction drive and indeed the pictures of your UK Marx loco appears to have a 4 gear system. Thus it is likely that the entire drive is US. I checked my US Marx locos and the 3 gear system seems common although with Marx who knows what other variations exist.
He did feel that the re-powering job appeared quite good and that the fit was good and this was my feeling as well. There does not seem to be one extra hole or new slot or fastener in the loco shell to accommodate the motor. In fact just the opposite, the end plates appear to have supporting slots for the frame ends in just the right place. So they are either Hornby motor sides or a very good job of fitting them out, or a very lucky fit.
The drive rods continue to mystify me. Marx seemed to favor rods that were just flat pieces of metal and these are obviously embossed. In addition, they have been modified to take the piston pins through the cylinders, which is also not a standard Marx practice. So perhaps there is one small piece of original Hornby in the mix but who knows.
So we have a trio of "HornBarx" hybrid locos. Yet when I purchased them I did realize that because of the paint jobs they were a long way from being of high collectable value. The green / black (SR?) engine is best with what appears to be its factory tinplate finish and no re-paint, the black is next with a good but clearly aftermarket spray job and the dark green one is hopeless in terms of finish, seems like a young boy took his dad's paint and brush and some old heavy green kitchen enamel and did a job ! I wanted them primarily because I had a number of Hornby "wagons" and "coaches" but no motive power except clockwork and on my layout if the clockwork loco runs out of power in a few spots getting to it can be a chore. Thus, although I admit to not noticing right off the bat that the power pick up was clearly Marx, it was their operating capability that was most important and if they just looked like UK locos that would be good enough. In fact after testing, I can report that all 3 work fine including the reversing mechanism. So after thinking about it and realizing that just like those fellows in the UK I now have some very reliable Marx electric powered UK type tank locomotives with fully functional remote reverse, I can say that I am well satisfied.
Fatman as always I learn a great deal from my correspondence with you, thank you. I realize in Australia its already early morning tomorrow (Thursday, 4/16) so maybe you can read this with your morning coffee !! When I worked for the US Navy I visited Sydney and Canberra a few times especially on the Australian F-18 program and we sometimes had Royal Australian Air Force engineers spend up to a year with us in our offices in the US (great fellows, both very smart and lot's of fun!) !
Best Regards
Don McErlean
OOOPS I forgot one thing...HAPPY BIRTHDAY NWL!!
Please show us pictures of your new presents!
Respectfully, Don McErlean
I just got a cool original Lionel 61 street lamp. Not sure what year it was made (my guess 1916-1917) but it still works great and looks great for it’s age. And it’s only getting harder to find original early standard gauge pieces.
take a look:
Trainfam
The light especially looks good with the lights off and a engine, in this case a 42, underneath.
take a look:
The street lamp reminded me of a old photo taken in front of the Lionel Irvington factory on 21st street. The photo was taken in 1925, around the time the lamp was made, although the light was first produced in 1915. In the photograph, all of the factory workers are standing in front of the main entrance of the factory. And above the factory workers, on the electrical pole, there is a street light. Is this the inspiration for the 61 and 67 street lamp? After all it is in-front of the factory’s main entrance. Just a theory...
The street lamp is circled in red:
Trainfam
Don McErlean posted:OOOPS I forgot one thing...HAPPY BIRTHDAY NWL!!
Respectfully, Don McErlean
Don,
Thanks.
Here are the photos. I did not want to post photos of everything, until I actually received the items.
In researching the date of the items, I focused on the first 3 items, all of which had been opened by the seller (at least that was my understanding).
First off
a box of curved 1/2 sections of track, numbered 622
and a similar box of 1/2 sections of straight track, numbered 621
As these were boxes of 1/2 sections of track I figured they would be somewhat unique. I also noted the black ties on the track, which is somewhat unusual for Flyer track, but I knew that late production track used black ties. I researched all of my dealer's price lists and numbers 621 and 622 first appeared in the 1936 price lists and also in the 1937 price lists.
Next up is a box of full length straight sections
The box of full length straight sections provided the key to dating the items. Full length straight track using the 681 number only appears in the 1937 dealer's price list.
So what did I get, besides the track?
The group included three 2218 block signals and a 2206 crossing signal. Only 1 of the 4 signals had been opened, the other 3 boxes remain factory sealed. The seller indicated that they had opened the 2218 in the group for photographs.
The dilemma now is to open or not? For now, I think not.
The 2218 block signal that was opened is as follows:
You can see that the bugs got into the box and feasted on the instructions, so these are definitely not perfect, but this item has to be at least C-8 condition.
With the decision to leave these items unopened, I am left wondering...Is Schrödinger's cat alive or dead? Are all of the 2218 block signals dark green? or is there a red one in the mix? What color are the die-cast light holders on the 2206? blue or green? are the die-cast light holders on the 2206 in perfect condition? or are they suffering zinc pest and rotting?
NWL
Yesterday, I received and unboxed the TCA 1988 San Francisco Convention cattle car and added it to my freight fleet. This was a good deal at $48 on EBAY plus $10 shipping. It was a brown box special, wrapped in orange spongy foam. It looks brand new, and seems unrun. I really like the colors, buff tan sides and light blue roof, with nickel trim. I didn’t own a cattle car, it was a nice addition to the fleet. Most of my freight fleet is TCA Convention cars, because I like the TCA, I really like the very colorful art work, and they are pretty cheap on EBAY.
On the maiden run, the wheels were squeaking like a banshee. So, I hit them with Labelle 102 oil on the outboard side of the wheel where the axle enters the truck side. That reduced the noise some, but they still squeak. I gave up for the night. This morning I did an OGR search for “squeaky wheels” and found this in a closed thread from 2013, Papa says “On a new piece, I put a very small drop of oil at both sides of the wheel. After that usually only at the outside (face) of the wheel”. That did it, oiling the inboard side of the wheel stopped the squeaking completely! Thanks Papa and the OGR Forum!
Happy Camper!
TrainFam posted:
The street lamp reminded me of a old photo taken in front of the Lionel Irvington factory on 21st street. The photo was taken in 1925, around the time the lamp was made, although the light was first produced in 1915. In the photograph, all of the factory workers are standing in front of the main entrance of the factory. And above the factory workers, on the electrical pole, there is a street light. Is this the inspiration for the 61 and 67 street lamp? After all it is in-front of the factory’s main entrance. Just a theory...
The street lamp is circled in red:
I would guess no, since this one is on a utility pole. There were a lot of free-standing streetlights around to serve as inspiration.
NWL: WOW..."Schrodinger's Cat" I have not heard that since advanced physics in graduate school (a very, very long time ago!). Never heard it applied to toy trains, what a HOOT man! I do not have a solution to your dilemma. I once bought a Marx 999 loco (at least when I bought it that is what it was described as by the seller) and it was sealed in a mailing box that had been sent from the Marx plant in Gerard, Pa to Allied Toy Distributors in New York, New York. There was no date but the lack of "zip" code and the form of the NY address would date the box from about the 1950's. Although a mailing box not a product sales carton there was a historical aura to the box and it was definitely sealed as shipped (seal and tape undisturbed). The question, like Shrodinger's Cat as you said, was did the box contain a 999 or not? and if so was it "new" as imagined by the seller or not? Well long story short, I could not resist opening the box and did indeed find a "new" 999 engine and tender. Why was the factory at Gerard sending a huge toy distributor like Allied a single engine? I suspect that a customer of Allied had gotten a defective or failed engine and Allied was securing a replacement for their customer. That was some time ago when I was much younger in the collecting hobby, whether or not opening the box was the right decision I am not sure, not sure I would have made the same decision today. I once saw (at York) a sealed carton for a Lionel Santa Fe F-3 with the Lionel factory tape still intact. The owner had kept it sealed and had managed to get an X-ray picture of the contents and it was certainly an F-3 by its shape but of course you still could not determine condition or even if it was a Santa Fe.
By the way, thank you for posting the pictures of the Block Signal and the track. We often don't think about track yet it is fundamental to our hobby and very interesting when you find it in such original condition. I certainly had never encountered boxes of "new" track like you posted. A question...if Flyer used small cardboard insulators (like Lionel did) to electrically isolate the center rail from the metal tie, are those on your original track still in good shape? I have encountered difficulty in using "old" Lionel track in that the cardboard sometimes is missing, oil soaked, or so dried out that it no longer insulates and you get a short. This became such a nuisance in my current lay out that i just bought all new from MTH and removed all the old track.
Thanks for sharing
Don McErlean
NWL - one possibility if opening them is too much to endure - try for X-rays - they should give you a good check on possible zinc pest. As for color - how about one of those very small light pipes that allow you to look around corners (like the one's they use in some of the adventure movies like Jackie Chan's movie The Foreigner? ...and yes, I'm having some fun....well sort of.
I can't vouch for the issue of the light pipe but a very long time ago I was invited over to see a collection of one of the local train collectors. I arrived at his house, was escorted down to the basement, and there on shelves along all of the walls were factory sealed train sets and accessories...and along with each was an X-ray picture of the contents. At first I thought he was kidding....but he wasn't.
Will posted:TrainFam posted:
The street lamp reminded me of a old photo taken in front of the Lionel Irvington factory on 21st street. The photo was taken in 1925, around the time the lamp was made, although the light was first produced in 1915. In the photograph, all of the factory workers are standing in front of the main entrance of the factory. And above the factory workers, on the electrical pole, there is a street light. Is this the inspiration for the 61 and 67 street lamp? After all it is in-front of the factory’s main entrance. Just a theory...
The street lamp is circled in red:
I would guess no, since this one is on a utility pole. There were a lot of free-standing streetlights around to serve as inspiration.
True. If you search for old New York City street lamps on google you’ll find many street lamps that look similar to the number 61. It always has intrigued me about where Lionel got there inspiration for these accessories and locomotives. Like the 42 being based off of the NYC s1 locomotive, Fascinating.
Oh, and happy birthday NWL!
Trainfam
Robert S. Butler posted:NWL - one possibility if opening them is too much to endure - try for X-rays - they should give you a good check on possible zinc pest. As for color - how about one of those very small light pipes that allow you to look around corners (like the one's they use in some of the adventure movies like Jackie Chan's movie The Foreigner?
I can't vouch for the issue of the light pipe but a very long time ago I was invited over to see a collection of one of the local train collectors. I arrived at his house, was escorted down to the basement, and there on shelves along all of the walls were factory sealed train sets and accessories...and along with each was an X-ray picture of the contents. At first I thought he was kidding....but he wasn't.
NWL, I think Robert is on the right track here. Before opening the box, I would try to see what's inside by using one of those inspection cameras used in automotive and plumbing work. The designs vary in terms of the diameter of the camera/light probe. You can get them as accessories for phones as well.
Nation Wide Lines posted:Don McErlean posted:OOOPS I forgot one thing...HAPPY BIRTHDAY NWL!!
Respectfully, Don McErlean
Don,
Thanks.
Here are the photos. I did not want to post photos of everything, until I actually received the items.
In researching the date of the items, I focused on the first 3 items, all of which had been opened by the seller (at least that was my understanding).
First off
a box of curved 1/2 sections of track, numbered 622
and a similar box of 1/2 sections of straight track, numbered 621
As these were boxes of 1/2 sections of track I figured they would be somewhat unique. I also noted the black ties on the track, which is somewhat unusual for Flyer track, but I knew that late production track used black ties. I researched all of my dealer's price lists and numbers 621 and 622 first appeared in the 1936 price lists and also in the 1937 price lists.
Next up is a box of full length straight sections
The box of full length straight sections provided the key to dating the items. Full length straight track using the 681 number only appears in the 1937 dealer's price list.
So what did I get, besides the track?
The group included three 2218 block signals and a 2206 crossing signal. Only 1 of the 4 signals had been opened, the other 3 boxes remain factory sealed. The seller indicated that they had opened the 2218 in the group for photographs.
The dilemma now is to open or not? For now, I think not.
The 2218 block signal that was opened is as follows:
You can see that the bugs got into the box and feasted on the instructions, so these are definitely not perfect, but this item has to be at least C-8 condition.
With the decision to leave these items unopened, I am left wondering...Is Schrödinger's cat alive or dead? Are all of the 2218 block signals dark green? or is there a red one in the mix? What color are the die-cast light holders on the 2206? blue or green? are the die-cast light holders on the 2206 in perfect condition? or are they suffering zinc pest and rotting?
NWL
What a find!
If they were mine, unless I planned to sell them soon, I would arrange for a series of "Christmas mornings" - open one at a time and savor the pleasure of time travel. Why not enjoy your good fortune?
O Gauge Guy posted:Robert S. Butler posted:NWL - one possibility if opening them is too much to endure - try for X-rays - they should give you a good check on possible zinc pest. As for color - how about one of those very small light pipes that allow you to look around corners (like the one's they use in some of the adventure movies like Jackie Chan's movie The Foreigner?
I can't vouch for the issue of the light pipe but a very long time ago I was invited over to see a collection of one of the local train collectors. I arrived at his house, was escorted down to the basement, and there on shelves along all of the walls were factory sealed train sets and accessories...and along with each was an X-ray picture of the contents. At first I thought he was kidding....but he wasn't.
NWL, I think Robert is on the right track here. Before opening the box, I would try to see what's inside by using one of those inspection cameras used in automotive and plumbing work. The designs vary in terms of the diameter of the camera/light probe. You can get them as accessories for phones as well.
Based on the way that the one opened 2218 was wrapped tightly in paper, I suspect that the suggestion of using a small camera would not show anything, other than paper wrapping. But it was a great thought.
NWL
The dilemma now is to open or not? For now, I think not.
What an interesting conundrum and one I'm sure a great number of us would love to have. While the prospect of a color variation is tantalizing, unless you have a specific need for those signals on a layout then I don't really see the upside to opening them. If it were me and I opened them to find they were all the same I would regret it. You already have the one example to study and admire and you can't feel guilty about that one since it was already opened.
There's something magical about a nearly century old unopened box and once opened, some of that magic is lost.
Of course this is just my way of thinking, it's a great find either opened or unopened.
Nation Wide Lines posted:Don McErlean posted:OOOPS I forgot one thing...HAPPY BIRTHDAY NWL!!
Respectfully, Don McErlean
Don,
Thanks.
Here are the photos. I did not want to post photos of everything, until I actually received the items.
The group included three 2218 block signals and a 2206 crossing signal. Only 1 of the 4 signals had been opened, the other 3 boxes remain factory sealed. The seller indicated that they had opened the 2218 in the group for photographs.
The dilemma now is to open or not? For now, I think not.
With the decision to leave these items unopened, I am left wondering...Is Schrödinger's cat alive or dead? Are all of the 2218 block signals dark green? or is there a red one in the mix? What color are the die-cast light holders on the 2206? blue or green? are the die-cast light holders on the 2206 in perfect condition? or are they suffering zinc pest and rotting?
NWL
So, I had to go look up Schrödinger's cat. I guess I didn't get this far in my Physics studies...
However, if I understand the theory correctly, the 2218 block signals in the box are both red and dark green. The light holders are both blue and green and the light holders on the 2206 are both in perfect condition and rotted from zinc pest at the same time, at least until you open the box.
George
Yup, that's pretty much about it lol. I think that is what baffled me about the old TCA grading, you could have an excellent 263E, but with a warped but still one piece frame and it was still excellent.. It was worthless to run.... but if you swapped frames, some would argue it was worth less than with the warped frame because you touched it. Not all viewed it that way, but there were those that did... drove me nutz, but I was never buying super nice stuff then anyway lol
G-Man 24 : What an interesting philosophy, when I read your post I thought, "now there is a man who would appreciate the dilemma of Shrodinger's Cat! "
NWL: I was thinking as I read about the idea someone put forward of using a "flex scope" (this is what we called a fiber optic scope in the USAF , we used them to inspect the turbine blades and stators on jet engines w/o disassembly). The comment that all you would see is the paper wrapping may be true. Then I remember that I have seem something very similar to the flexible scope but it had a tiny claw or fingers on the end. Perhaps using a tool like that along with the visual inspection tool would allow you to move aside the paper wrapping and see the item.
One other idea, although not as "pure" ... you could find an obscure location on the box, like say the center of the bottom, and carefully open an "inspection port" to allow you to determine the contents.
You have quite the choice to make, I hope you tell us what you decide to do...the tension is mounting 
Best wishes Don McErlean
I made a D&H observation car from another train show junk car. Now I have to get around to making the rest of the train. Can't show the other side since it's missing the door, which is a part I'm looking for if anyone has one.
Craignor posted:
Yesterday, I received and unboxed the TCA 1988 San Francisco Convention cattle car and added it to my freight fleet. This was a good deal at $48 on EBAY plus $10 shipping. It was a brown box special, wrapped in orange spongy foam. It looks brand new, and seems unrun. I really like the colors, buff tan sides and light blue roof, with nickel trim. I didn’t own a cattle car, it was a nice addition to the fleet. Most of my freight fleet is TCA Convention cars, because I like the TCA, I really like the very colorful art work, and they are pretty cheap on EBAY.
On the maiden run, the wheels were squeaking like a banshee. So, I hit them with Labelle 102 oil on the outboard side of the wheel where the axle enters the truck side. That reduced the noise some, but they still squeak. I gave up for the night. This morning I did an OGR search for “squeaky wheels” and found this in a closed thread from 2013, Papa says “On a new piece, I put a very small drop of oil at both sides of the wheel. After that usually only at the outside (face) of the wheel”. That did it, oiling the inboard side of the wheel stopped the squeaking completely! Thanks Papa and the OGR Forum!
Happy Camper!
I got that one too a few years ago. The red and cream colored refrigerator car is another nice one - those seem to always be on ebay. For cheap.
Jim
Here are two little stations by a company called J. Chein & Company (yes the "& Company" was always included in the name). Despite having an oriental sounding name, the founder Julius Chein started in 1903 in a loft in NY City making premiums for "Cracker Jacks". The company lasted until the 1980's (although the founder died in the 1920's in a horse riding accident in Central Park). It was a very successful producer of tin toys especially trucks, circus toys and miniature carnival rides. While these two stations will not show it, by the 1950's their skill in multi color lithography as illustrated in sand pails, water toys, play dish sets, and the such would be rivaled in the US only by Marx.
The two stations, although very different in lithography are identical in both size and general pattern of the stamping and construction. The platform measures 5 1/2" X 4" . The house, not including the platform, measures 4 3/4" X 2 1/2 " and 4 7/8" from the base to the roof peak. Based on the lithograph technique and the clothing and jobs depicted, I would date these stations to the 1920's.
As you will see, the windows and doors are just shaped holes punched into the tin sides. In the case of what I call the "brick" station, the separately applied sign reads..."Parkville Station" (sorry about the light spot in the photo). The main station building is lithographed in a brick pattern on all sides but the roof is lithographed in a tile pattern. Base, separately applied is green and only has a depth of about 1/8". Both stations are similar if not identical.
Here is the side of the brick station, the other side is the same. 2 windows and a circular attic vent. The whiteish circle under the left hand window is the J.Chein & Company logo and it also contains the words "manufactured in the U.S."
Here is the rear of the station. It contains the identical 2 windows and a door as the front, but no sign on the roof.
Here is perhaps a more colorful example, it is labeled in lithographed lettering over the 2 windows on the right "Toy Town" but does not have a roof sign. In addition, as different from the brick station above, the overall finish of this station is matt or flat as opposed to the shiny finish of the station above. Why...who knows? Perhaps that was needed for the multi-color work at the time these were manufactured.
Note that the actual building and the punched holes are nearly the same although the lithography is completely different from the brick station above and is much more colorful and two windows are depicted in the lithography rather than punched out.]. It is in 3 colors red, yellow and blue and contains considerable detail including in front two "suitcases" on the platform and a set of simulated steps up into the station and some sort of notice or schedule board to the right side. Also depicted are brick or stone arches over the windows.
The other cool thing about this station is that the lithography is NOT the same on the two sides. Here is the left side which just contains two windows which are NOT punched out (unlike the brick station) but are pictured much more elaborately in the litho design. Note also the repeat of the name "Toy Town" and the red outline around the attic vent and the J.Chein logo on the left side.
Here is the left side of the station and pictures the Telegraph Office. Note the detail depicted of the interior of the office. It contains the telegrapher including his suit and tie and green eye shade, a clock on the wall (essential to telegraphy) and the message board, likely displaying incoming telegrams that customers have yet to pick up or which have not yet been sent out with the delivery boy. To me, his clothing and the office depict a setting sometime in the 1920's.
Finally here is the rear of the Toy Town station and is yet another lithographed design. This one depicts the "American Railway Express" and Baggage windows. Note that the name is not exactly correct. REA as it was known stood for Railway Express Agency not the name pictured on the design. I suppose this could be an error or more likely the fact that J. Chein did not have permission to use REA's name. This side also includes considerable luggage on the platform, a scale, and a door to the inside.
The American Railway Express Agent is hard at work inside weighing and tagging luggage.
I do not know if these stations came with any trains, although it is likely that they did. I am unaware if J. Chein made any track trains, but given their extensive line of tin toys it is likely that they made floor toys. Yet I don't really know. The company went out of business in the 1980's when the last of the original patriarch's died and the US Government started the regulation and in fact ban of tin toys due to the possibility of injury caused by sharp edges.
Hope you liked my little stations.
Don McErlean
Hey y'all,
I bought a rough No. 805 box car on the bay. Eight dollars. I can replace the missing door on my good one. The car had a tough life. The body will find a home on my layout. I also bought a MARX #418 crossing bell. It's not here yet.
Wow Bill, that is quite a bend in that frame!! You know properly weathered, old box cars make great work sheds or maintenance sheds or just storage sheds in the yard area. In fact I think "Plasticville" even marketed a kit that sort of resembled an old box car as a storage shed.
Don McErlean
Don McErlean posted:Hope you liked my little stations.
Don McErlean
Don always enjoy your photo essays and the history lesson that accompanies them. There were probably a dozen or so people involved with producing one of those little stations from designers to artists, tool & die makers , machinists, lithographers, assemblers, etc. I'm sure they all took pride in their work but never could they have imagined that 100 years later people would still be taking such an interest in their creations .
Thanks to you and others like you for helping to preserve the history.
G-Man
G- Man24 Thank you for the complement. I do enjoy tracing the history of our early trains and I am glad you enjoyed it as well. You are correct, these little stations and the trains that went with them involved many people and I bet they were proud of these little guys. I also suspect that you are also right in the fact that they would be amazed that 100 years later folks would be talking about them after all it was the "roaring 20's" and everything was focused on the future not looking back. Thanks again.
Don McErlean
Chein made numerous floor trains and the first shed you pictured was available with four different station signs, Parkville, Glenwood, Glendale, and Grove. Toughest to find Chein includes the freight set and small trains that shared many elements with the Ohio Art floor sets, the Parlor Car and the Saratoga Pullman. Three locos, the 999, the 80 and the 714 that I am aware of. You notice one of the coaches in the 4-car floor set has wooden wheels rather than hollow balloonish wheels. That coach is Ohio Art who also offered a circus train set.
JimO'C : thank you for posting. Given J.Chein's postion as one of the early 20th century producers of tin toys I was reasonably sure that they had made trains, and it seemed that floor toys were most likely. Candidly to this day, I have not actually encountered any IRL although I have not diligently searched the web for them to this point. Pictures are great!.
When you mentioned Ohio Art, you have hit upon one of my favorite tin toy manufacturers. Like Chein, Ohio Art made beautiful sand pails / watering cans/ and play dishes and tea sets. Their lithography was terrific. However, again, I don't have any of their trains. My grandaughter and all my nieces received Ohio Art dish sets / tea sets at some point in their young life...don't know if any still have them. I bet the circus train was beautiful.
Don McErlean
JimO'C: Jim those pictures are great. Noticed a couple of things, the pictures on the Ohio Art circus cars (later) look very similar to those that used to appear on the little boxes of "Animal Crackers" that we all ate as kids, could be the same artist or illustrator. The other interesting thing is that the Circus Train cars are labeled "Toy Land Circus" and my Chein station was labeled "Toy Town" similar but different but perhaps there was some cooperation between the two makers or maybe a competitive response by one of them to the other?
Thanks for posting, I have never seen much of these trains.
Don
I had packed this building away about 5 years ago due to lack of room on the layout. Reworking it now to add a whole back drop of these buildings. Look what was in the box. One of my favorite knives that I lost years ago. The battery for the light still works. A long lost friend.
Steve
Steve "Papa" Eastman posted:I had packed this building away about 5 years ago due to lack of room on the layout. Reworking it now to add a whole back drop of these buildings. Look what was in the box. One of my favorite knives that I lost years ago. The battery for the light still works. A long lost friend.
Steve
Very cool!
Well recently we sort of got focused on Flyer stations with some great work by Robert Butler and NWL. I personally am out of ways to make a contribution to that thread so I thought I might bring back some Flyer trains. This is a consist that is from the same time period, 1928-29 but I have no idea if it was ever offered or even listed as a set. The locomotive is the 3110 Steeple Cab of 1928-29 and 1931 (IAW Greenberg / Schuweiler book) . If you have the book it matches configuration (A) perfectly although I am missing 3 of 4 handrails next to the doors. I have matched it with an unnumbered Pullman and Observation from the same time period, both in the same livery and lithographed "Oriental Limited" in gold over the windows which matches configuration (B) from the listing in Greenberg . There is also the notation in the book that these are NOT the cars from the Flyer Oriental Limited Set which were orange. So why are they marked this way...who knows! The 3 window, 2 sliding door baggage is also from 1928-29 and matches configuration (D) in Greenberg including the "Great Northern" logo on the side complete with goat and the words "United States Mail and Railway Post Office" in gold under the windows. So here you have a group (I will not use the word "set") of cars all from 1928-29 which MIGHT have come together or at least existed at the same time - plus they are all green !
To me one of the neatest things I discovered about this group today was that after sitting on my shelf for 18 years (I bought the loco in 2002 for $10) I hooked up the cars, put it on the track and powered it up with my ZW. The headlight came on and OFF SHE WENT pulling her 3 car consist. I even took videos although I still cannot seem to load them to the site. I hope and pray I can still do stuff like that at 90+ years old. She really ran well, even had no trouble traversing my Lionel switches and I have modern locomotives that can't seem to do that!! You know we sometimes forget that when these trains were purchased new, they represented a significant investment especially to a young middle class family, and they expected reliability and durability. Well I can attest that at least in this case, the American Flyer Mfg Company delivered.
Here is the engine and her small train ready to leave the station on the L&S
Close up of the engine and the GN 3 window/2 sliding door baggage car
Here is the observation and the Pullman both labeled "Oriental Limited" over the windows
Best wishes for a good weekend and upcoming week Stay healthy
Don McErlean
@Don McErlean posted:Well recently we sort of got focused on Flyer stations with some great work by Robert Butler and NWL. I personally am out of ways to make a contribution to that thread so I thought I might bring back some Flyer trains. This is a consist that is from the same time period, 1928-29 but I have no idea if it was ever offered or even listed as a set. The locomotive is the 3110 Steeple Cab of 1928-29 and 1931 (IAW Greenberg / Schuweiler book) . If you have the book it matches configuration (A) perfectly although I am missing 3 of 4 handrails next to the doors. I have matched it with an unnumbered Pullman and Observation from the same time period, both in the same livery and lithographed "Oriental Limited" in gold over the windows which matches configuration (B) from the listing in Greenberg . There is also the notation in the book that these are NOT the cars from the Flyer Oriental Limited Set which were orange. So why are they marked this way...who knows! The 3 window, 2 sliding door baggage is also from 1928-29 and matches configuration (D) in Greenberg including the "Great Northern" logo on the side complete with goat and the words "United States Mail and Railway Post Office" in gold under the windows. So here you have a group (I will not use the word "set") of cars all from 1928-29 which MIGHT have come together or at least existed at the same time - plus they are all green !
To me one of the neatest things I discovered about this group today was that after sitting on my shelf for 18 years (I bought the loco in 2002 for $10) I hooked up the cars, put it on the track and powered it up with my ZW. The headlight came on and OFF SHE WENT pulling her 3 car consist. I even took videos although I still cannot seem to load them to the site. I hope and pray I can still do stuff like that at 90+ years old. She really ran well, even had no trouble traversing my Lionel switches and I have modern locomotives that can't seem to do that!! You know we sometimes forget that when these trains were purchased new, they represented a significant investment especially to a young middle class family, and they expected reliability and durability. Well I can attest that at least in this case, the American Flyer Mfg Company delivered.
Here is the engine and her small train ready to leave the station on the L&S
Close up of the engine and the GN 3 window/2 sliding door baggage car
Here is the observation and the Pullman both labeled "Oriental Limited" over the windows
Best wishes for a good weekend and upcoming week Stay healthy
Don McErlean
Don,
That set was cataloged as the "The Explorer" from 1928 to 1929. The lettering of the cars can vary over the years, but they were 4 wheel green lithograph cars, and I believe that the Oriental Limited cars that you have did come with that engine.
NWL
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