Carlisle and Finch #18 trolley ...circa 1904

Hello tin plate world ...

Carlisle and Finch were " thee big players" in the electric toy train world 1896-1910 ...each year they would bring out new items and improve the old . 1904 was a big year for C&F with major expansion of several freight cars, big series passenger cars, improved Interurban, a Summer Trolley and the #18 trolley ...towering over the smaller #1 and #42 trolleys.

This particle #18 has been across the nation and back ...( not under it's own power) ..originally in the Krames collection of Trenton ,NJ. ( Krames was one of the original TCA members) . Krames collection was sold to Ward Kimball out in sunny CA...then sold again at auction back in NJ in 2004 , now enjoying the midwest.

C&F motors seem to be very reliable .... a bit of oil, clean armature ..apply some DC and off you go .

Brass embossed sides with tinplate painted roof, wood floor, bronze cast side frames , brass wheels...two rail ...

Had C&F gotten it's act together with sectional track there would have been no need for Lionel .

Cheers Carey

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5/13/173:14 PM

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PRR8976OGR Forum Member DIGITAL SUBSCRIBER

Carey,

Very interesting including the ties to Ward Kimball. Thanks for posting. Can you imagine an original price of $4.50?

Tom

5/14/179:14 PM

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philo426OGR Forum Member

Wow!sure runs well despite being over a century old! Where did you find the track and how many volts does it take to operate?

5/15/1712:35 AM

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Carey WilliamsOGR Forum Member

Hello all thank you for your kind comments .... drove out to see Ward Kimball from Chicago to LA when I was 17 so a piece from his collection is a treasured piece . The ribbon rail is original...with the skinny ties introduced about 1903/4 ... prior to that they had ties twice as wide .... but the wide ties and cause flats spots on your curves ... plus more wood ..so they reduced the width....just like Lionel did with the 2 7/8" line about the same time. Ribbon rail was the main way of doing electric trains from 1896-1908 . Lionel introduced tubular track for electric use with a hot center 3rd rail for the new standard gauge line towards the end of 1906 . #18 Trolley running on 6 Volts DC pulling 1/2 amps ...just like the catalog recommended 113 years ago.

Cheers Carey

5/15/176:36 PM

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SteamerOGR Forum Member

that would be fantastic to have something of Ward's great story.

5/15/176:51 PM

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