David O King

I remember Walt Hulesweder talking about the DOK boxcabs in several of his Old and Rare columns.

I just recently acquired my first David O King, a three-rail O gauge trolley.

Don't know much about King, except that he's famous for his trolleys and also made some standard gauge.  The expert is Arno who posts as "moderneraSG" and can be found over on the tinplate forum. 

I had long heard DOK was into trolleys, but I don't think that is all he imported, and

wasn't there a similar importer, who did interesting and different stuff, in San Francisco (name?) about the same time?

Ken Kidder?

Yes, and thanks for the comments; I recall small thumbnail adds in Vane Jone's Traction & Models and perhaps RMC by DOK for what appeared to be a Westinghouse box cab in the 65 ton range, three & two rail. If you note the attached photo in the post is for a IR-GE Oil Electric (traction like but not) hence my curiosity about what else he actually produced; I vaguely recall a Bowser-like double truck streetcar/interurban piece and perhaps an open side car as well. I've noticed that DOK and some other "cottage industry" manufacturers products (albeit different models and production methods) don't float up on E-Bay often either like LWS, Ken Kidder, Western Railcraft etc. Opinion maybe but to King's credit think he recognized the dual market between 3 and 2 rail when very few of his contemporaries at the time did. 

My curiosity on this stuff is unrelenting

Ken Kidder was an importer of Japanese made models. David O King made his. He started in 1960.

DOK made many models in O gauge, S gauge and Standard Gauge. He called his O gauge line of trains "Scaleplate", which is, in his own words, "the operation of scale equipment on 3-rail tinplate track". The majority of his models were scale proportions and made for 027 track. It wasn't until the 80's when he ventured into full scale length models.

I really only cover his Standard Gauge models in my research, but other tidbits fall out when you start prying.

Steamer, where did Walt Hulesweder's columns run?

Here is an ad from 1972.

Hope this helps a little.

(How'd I do Hojack?)

ARNO

O Gauge Railroading...runs 90 to about 157.

I recall seeing a King boxcab on ebay once, IIRC it looked like it had a pretty crude drive but a lot of the early imports did.......DaveB

I remember drooling over those David O King offerings in the early 1970's. I had a catalog at one time (gone). Unfortunately, they were too expensive for me.

At one point, I was thinking I was going to model late 1800s RR.   DOK offered a tank car that looked appropriate.   I bought one.    It was a creditable model of a wooden tank car.   It was not super detailed, but it was as good as brass of the day.    I think it was made of tinplate, not brass.   It came painted two-tone brown and I never get around to lettering it.   It came without trucks and couplers which was typical of most scale equipment in those days.   I eventually sold it as my interests moved in a different direction.

Yes, Ken Kidder...shoulda remembered that, even late at night.  So DOK invented the

term "scaleplate" AND THE CONCEPT.  Hooray for him!  3rd Rail pursues that today,

but, I guess, due to economic realities, not with small engines.  I would like to see

an article, a book, a compilation...of the creations and history of DOK and Kidder, and anybody else who dared to be different in early O guage three rail or scale, such as Vandenboom.

There were a lot of brass trolleys from Kidder and other items like a McKeen car....and I wonder if anyone does have any accounting of what was imported and the numbers?

The term "Scaleplate" was penned by a company in the 1050's called International Models. They imported the first O-scale brass models from Japan. DOK liked the term scaleplate and used it when he began building models in 1960.

Ken Kidder imported brass models from japan and even sold them in kit form. DOK made all his trains. I think they are in different categories.

ARNO

Here is a photo of some DOK trolleys I found. At one time I had the model of the Toonerville trolley on top.

I understand that he was not an importer, but built the models himself, as the first ad seems to imply in talking about custom building.

I've heard that he often used re-purposed sheet tinplate from large cans, etc. Sometimes, you could see the original printing on the tin on the interior of the model.

Anyone know if he also imported any models?

Jim

Wow this is an old hobby!

Yes, I understand that William the Conqueror had a nice train set......

I believe Billy the C was into 2-rail.

"I've heard that he often used re-purposed sheet tinplate from large cans, etc. Sometimes, you could see the original printing on the tin on the interior of the model."

   I've seen that on the sheet metal parts of old Athearn O scale kits. Soft drink or other canned product printing....DaveB

Wonder if these guys took their metal recycling lesson from Marx, for which you can

find Marx cars, and other toys, with inside lithographs of other of their products, possible rejected litho, or ?   You can add International to that list of early stuff I'd

like to see a complete history of, and I have seen International addressed in another thread on here remarking on the...uh..lack of quality...of locomotives.  For a while, their brass freight cars and two cabooses were common in local shows, and I have several, some in orginal boxes in "lovely" tarnished, unpainted, brass.  Thought was to paint and  letter when I got/get around to it, for roadnames unavailable/uncommon in three rail.   I think I have seen some on the bay, but not lately.  Who did what with what and offered what is the question?  Maybe somebody will uncover a forgotten

warehouse stash of those Kidder McKeen cars. (put me down for a couple)  Hey,

don't laugh...two Chicago Marx fans found cases of Marx 3/16 new in the box in a

St. Louis warehouse, and you still see those cars for sale in shows.

Sharp eye there, mwb, but the hobby may even be older than that..........

Despite being an O scaler labeled as being a dinosaur, I don't go back quite that far. 

I'll leave this to the "elders",