Crown model trains

I believe they used Weaver for O gauge. Nice, unique products, especially with diecast, sprung trucks

I can't help you with the history.

Bought some Crown PFE reefers a while back-a few detail parts and they stack up nicely to the newer stuff. 

Hi, having learn a lot about AMT, Kusan, and Kris trains on this forum, I like to learn more about Crown

 Model trains. I have a couple of their O gauge and about ten S gauge models. Did they make there own tooling. Looking at my S gauge Crown, very well made with a lot of detail Any information on Crown will be useful.

 

 

 

The Crown Train line were made by Don who owns Northeast Trains out of Peabody Mass. The hobby shop he owns is still there . The last time I visited he still had some Crown cars he showed me. He used to advertise in OGR magazine he still might I'm not sure. The Crown train line was built right in Massachusetts and the line was eventually sold to Weaver. 

Crown model products started off with Don and Mike McCormack. Shop was set up in the old Waltham factory in Waltham Mass, I believe. They did the dies for a outside braced car, ARA box car and a reefer. I have a number of their cars. During that time Buffalo Creek Graphics was having their cars done by them. CMP came to an end and Weaver picked up the dies and continued production. Buffalo Creek Graphics continued to have cars produced through Weaver till Weaver went out of business.......................Paul

Ok, the O gauge tooling went to Weaver, what happened to the S gauge tooling?

railroad man posted:

Ok, the O gauge tooling went to Weaver, what happened to the S gauge tooling?

I would expect to the scrap yard, as no "second life " S gauge cars have surfaced since.

Rusty

Possibly adding some more fodder. Crown Models also did a Gondola car and a Stock car in a joint venture with Peterson Supply. Those molds were the old Atlas molds I believe. I have a few of those cars. I also have about a hundred crown cars...........Paul

Did they ever make a Trainmaster  diesel?  Very similar to a Williams? (around 100 bucks)?

I see them at shows for 25 the Reefers. Pretty nice cars.

Paul,

Thanks for the background history, I have quite a few Crowm OB boxcars, ARA boxcars and reefers, its interesting that Weaver acquired the dies for these cars from Crown, I also have Weaver manufactured cars using these dies. Glad I purchased the vast majority of my rolling stock including Andy Petersen's run of gondola and stockcars Roco type cars years ago. 

paul 2 posted:

Crown model products started off with Don and Mike McCormack. Shop was set up in the old Waltham factory in Waltham Mass, I believe. They did the dies for a outside braced car, ARA box car and a reefer. I have a number of their cars. During that time Buffalo Creek Graphics was having their cars done by them. CMP came to an end and Weaver picked up the dies and continued production. Buffalo Creek Graphics continued to have cars produced through Weaver till Weaver went out of business.......................Paul

 I Believe Don (last name eludes me) who started Crown sold to Mike who then sold to Weaver. Again Don owns Northeast Trains in Peabody, Ma and I'm sure a phone call or visit/email will give you tons of information re; Crown trains. He is a nice guy, who is running a brick and motor and website.

Side note George Sellios famous HO & highly detailed Franklin and Manchester is a few blocks up the road from him right in the downtown Peabody area. This layout has been on many magazine covers.

Portlines Hobbies website has a few pics of some of their S reefers, http://www.portlines.com/crown2.htm.

Bill

The original Crown models was owned and started by Don Stubbs (Northeast trains) and Mike McCormack.   They had space in the old Waltham Watch factory building in Waltham, Mass.  The bodies were made in Massachusetts and painted and assembled in Waltham.  You could get the cars with Weaver plastic trucks and for a few dollars more you could get metal trucks.  

After time, Don sold out to Mike and Mike later sold everything to Weaver.  The outside braced cars you recently purchased from Weaver were originally Crown cars.    I  made two trips to Waltham with Don to view the painting and assembly process.  Don would work all day and do the painting late at night.  I had a few of the cars and can say they were a very good product.

I talked to one (do not know which)  of the early owners, I think at York?, some years ago, about doing custom painting of a run of western roadnames, when he was set up.  I never followed up fast enough, and then I didn't see Crown ads anymore.  I have only a few Crown cars, I think one bought from that owner there.   Is this where Weaver started doing custom painting, and when, after they acquired Crown?

I remember back in the 90's Don and Mike had a table in one of the halls. I think it may of been the yellow hall under the grand stand. I had already been buying cars from them. Mike was the last owner. I remember he repainted a car for the LCCA and I think that was about the last item he did. I think it became overwhelming for him at that point. He sold the dies to Weaver. Weaver was already doing special runs with their own line of cars. This became an added bonus. As to the S gauge reefer car that was the only die I believe. I don't think they ventured past that one. No idea what became of it...............Paul

Some of my Weaver cars have "CMP" on the bottom; they were at least in Weaver boxes. Don't care - they're interchangeable, to me.

Did not know that Crown did S scale. The comment above about the S tooling being in the "scrap yard" is one that is regularly heard about mystery tooling. In fact, tools are expensive and are seldom "thrown away" unless they are horribly worn or badly damaged in some way. If such a line existed, and the tools were still useable, it is likely that they still exist, somewhere. (Though valuable things do sometimes get discarded through ignorance when a company shuts down, to be honest.)

But, all this is supposition and spitballing. I never heard of Crown "S". 

Paul, good information.  They were in the purple hall one show.  

I have 11 Crown S gauge refers MIB. Purchased about 10 years ago. They are Swift, Central Vermont, Western Pacific, Union Bannana, PFE, West India Fruit, A & P Milk, Stroh Beer, Schlitz Beer, Post Road Ale & Clicquot Club. As stated above, if you go to Portland Hobbies website they show the complete line with pictures. They often come on the bay for about 25 to 50 dollars.

Ten years ago, Crown was long out of business.  I never heard of any S gauge cars.  A man from the Niagara area named Tom  did some S gauge with the word Crown in the title.

Marty, the man from Niagara area was Tom Gascoigne. He and John Slater ran Buffalo creek graphics. I was looking at their old list of cars and they did D & H reefer in S, a Buffalo and South Western reefer in S and a TH & B duo set of one O gauge and one S gauge box car. I think there may have been two dies made. One for a reefer and one for a boxcar under Crown Models.............Paul 

Paul, you tied up the loose end.  Thank you.  Tom is the brother in law of my close friend Frank Battaglia.    I remember Tom showing me some of his work at a party at Franks home.

Glad I could help Marty. I know both of them also. I lived in Western New York and was a member of the TTOS division there. Since moving to Ohio I have not seen them in many years although I try to keep in contact with Tom............Paul

Here is an "About Us" reference that talks about Buffalo Creek Graphics history and their purchase of Crown Model Products assets:  http://www.trainresource.com/about_us.html.

Bill

This link has some history about individual Crown S cars and O cars:  http://www.thegilbertgallery.o...rs_Crown_Models.html.

Bill

Bill, I couldn't open the last website......Paul

Not sure how I did that, but let me try again .

http://www.thegilbertgallery.o...rs_Crown_Models.html

Bill

Thanks Bill, the second time was a charm I got in. Interesting article. I wonder who ended up with the S gauge dies..........Paul

Okay, something's not working for me on posting the link.  Where you see ".o...rs", it should be ".org/reefers_Crown_Models.html".

So the whole thing in quotes (if posting this doesn't mess up again) would be "www.thegilbertgallery.org/reefers_Crown_Models.html".

Bill

Does anyone know what happened to the old tooling? I heard weaver had it, but didn't weaver leave the field?

I think Lionel may have the outside braced cars.

I think Atlas got all the off shore tooling and Lionel got the American tooling which would of included the outside braced, reefers, flat cars, tank cars and RS's FA's GP-38's but then again maybe Lionel only bought certain ones leaving others in limbo. Atlas is already using some of the Weaver tooling in the Orient already................Paul