Do we have any Clockwork(wind up) tinplate fans here? Lets see your CW trains

I picked up a cute little Hornby at York last fall.  I really like it but it just doesn't go as far as it did for the first few wind ups.  I checked it for debris,  oiled all over.  Not sure what the issue is.   Although the first few wind it seemed to take more tension.   Now after a few turns there is a pop noise - like a wind stop maybe?  Don't know if its actually working as designed or not, it the only one I have!

jhz563 posted:

I picked up a cute little Hornby at York last fall.  I really like it but it just doesn't go as far as it did for the first few wind ups.  I checked it for debris,  oiled all over.  Not sure what the issue is.   Although the first few wind it seemed to take more tension.   Now after a few turns there is a pop noise - like a wind stop maybe?  Don't know if its actually working as designed or not, it the only one I have!

If it is popping, it sounds like the spring is broke unfortunately. That is usually a sign of the tension releasing. Sometimes it could be broke where it attaches to the winding axel and can be fixed. I haven't worked on clockworks, but did work on a pull-start spring. I don't have great advice on how to work on them. I just know it isn't easy. One thing to do is to lock the spring with something like a zip tie before disassembling the drive.

George

Lets not get all "wound up" over this guys. 

Lmao!   Lets wind up some trains instead!  Hopefully mine will be here early next week.  I will have my tinplate live steamer tomorrow.    

French JEP

Marx Joy Line

Hafner

A classic from HORNBY, a Royal Scott from 1934-35 of the LMS

And the French one in the livery of the North Railways,

Daniel

Clockwork is my favourite motive power. 

I like the pur noise of the governors as they kick in.It’s closer to steam power (in my view ) in that it is a stored energy.
I also enjoy the mechanical aspect and find them more logical to work on then elec-trickery ones.

Here are just few pictures of the many ones I have had over the years...

Nice Robilt, Jamie. Tough to find here in the US.

I concentrate on collecting O gauge windup toy trains that were made in the USA.  The majority of my collection are Marx, but I'm a fan of Ives, Hafner, and American Flyer too.  Plus, I like the Durham windups even though they are made overseas.  Yes, I do have a few from across the Atlantic as well...

This is a view of part of my windup train collection, as well as my windup layout.  The layout is all two-rail track with no track power... all I run are windups and the occasional battery powered train:

I'll look through my pictures and pick some out for this thread...

Here are a few of my favorites from the windup fleet:

1912 Ives:

1922 Ives No. 6... nothing rare, and has a broken pilot, but is a favorite because it is such a nice running locomotive.  I bought it with a motor that had exploded (not unusual when something turns loose and a fully wound mainspring unleashes all that stored energy at once) and did a lot of work to it to get it running.  The governor was broken, so I replaced it with a modified Marx governor.  By happy accident, it runs relatively slow and for a long time:

1936ish era reversing Marx Commodore Vanderbilt.  It was a "train wreck" that I restored some years ago, given to me by one of my Marx friends.  These early Marx locos with the die-cast drivers and screw-in key are nice running locomotives:

Marx Canadian Pacific 3000 - not only is it a hard to find locomotive, it's a treasured gift from (another) Marx friend of mine that also frequents this forum:

One last one, a custom I made from some Marx 401 windups... my 1203 Marx Triplex.  Yes, it has three Marx windup motors in it.  It will pull quite a few cars around the layout:

OK, that's all for now.  It's hard to narrow down distinctive or favorite windups to post!

Posted before in other threads, but the only ones I have to contribute.

Most of my toys are put away , along with my Hornby layout , but these 2 Hafner Zephyrs are among my favorites. I also have several domed engines and a number of cars. Red and a blue M10000 passengers, Several Marx M100005 passengers

I still have my Hornby 0-4-0 boyhood set with the braking slide, which I run now and then. I'll have to dig it out for pics. All the gents across the pond who used to run timetable-operated, scenicked clockwork layouts have all passed on, but there are a few pics out there. Norman Eagles' Sherwood layout was probably the best known - I have the June 1971 Railway Modeller article around here somewhere, and read it when I get the clockwork bug.

 http://www.binnsroad.co.uk/rai.../sherwood/index.html 

https://reader.exacteditions.c...ssues/60900/page/104

https://reader.exacteditions.com/issues/59883/page/76

WindupGuy posted:

I concentrate on collecting O gauge windup toy trains that were made in the USA.  The majority of my collection are Marx, but I'm a fan of Ives, Hafner, and American Flyer too.  Plus, I like the Durham windups even though they are made overseas.  Yes, I do have a few from across the Atlantic as well...

This is a view of part of my windup train collection, as well as my windup layout.  The layout is all two-rail track with no track power... all I run are windups and the occasional battery powered train:

I'll look through my pictures and pick some out for this thread...

this is really nice, wish I could bring some of my cw over

Bassett Lowke Mogul.. tempermental.. fall-y apart-y.. time to go-ee. Clockwork was a curiosity that didn’t take root for me (thank god).

TedW posted:

Posted before in other threads, but the only ones I have to contribute.

love the one with the beard

PhillyChris posted:

Bassett Lowke Mogul.. tempermental.. fall-y apart-y.. time to go-ee. Clockwork was a curiosity that didn’t take root for me (thank god).

let me know before you throw it in the dumpster

Here is my Bing windup train. It really goes! I have a three rail layout but will run this without the power on. I haven’t run it on the layout yet. I think it will run on my reversing loop since the switches are not track powered.

George

Just for fun, a quick video of my windup triplex hauling a train of two dozen cars around my clockwork layout:

James, loved watching your Clockwork creation fly around your layout! Great postings of your Clockwork trains everyone, keep them coming!

Rusty

My little Hornby set, with a face to face against an mth tinplate Hudson just for fun.

WindupGuy posted:

Just for fun, a quick video of my windup triplex hauling a train of two dozen cars around my clockwork layout:

 

Okay that triplex is fantastic. The articulated boiler reminds me of the polar Express

Hey Dodger, it’s WindupGuy who has the cool layout with what looks like wooden roadbed, not me. I’m the one with a ton of stuff and no place to run it. - Chris

I had to get some socks out of the dryer, now my coffee is cold and I'm late for work... Priorities, amIrite? @WindupGuy, I love your layout! Have you done a thread on it? 

Cool. I'm new to the forum. I didn't realize there were so many clockwork guys out there!  And actually running them on great clockwork layouts!  It's all great!

I have a few clockwork (windup/I know there is a difference) sets in my collection. The photos are of my Marx and Unique sets. Don't mind the dust, they are on a shelf in my office above the windows near the ceiling.  I have been meaning to get up there and dust!

Jackshobbyhut posted:

<SNIP>

Cool Unique Art set. Those things are always super interesting with ghe detailed lithography. Welcome to the forum. 

A clockwork electric - American Flyer set 824S

Marx 10005 AA

I have always been amazed what could be done with litography way back then.  The artwork and detail just amazes me.  Some the later clockwork drives were very high tech when it came to the govenor set up to control speed and extend duration.  

They truly are works of art, not just toys!  The history is unreal!

Just to answer a couple of questions about my layout:  I haven't done a thread on it, although I may do so in the future.  My roadbed is 1/2" MDF that is cut to size using a jigsaw.  I painted it with a textured stone spray paint to simulate ballast.  I really like the look of it, but the downside is that it is a lot of work to make changes to the trackplan.  On my previous windup layout, I used gray sandpaper cut to shape to simulate the ballast... much easier to make changes to the trackplan, and that layout went through several major trackplan revisions.

Here is a picture of the engine terminal on the new windup layout - it gives a better view of the roadbed:

On my previous windup layout, I cut, painted, and installed extra ties on the mainline.  I did like the look of it, but I haven't yet done the same thing for the new layout... it will need a lot more ties than the old 4x8!  Here is a view of the old layout in it's final form before I dismantled it:

I really liked the engine terminal on the old layout, although it was in a cramped area.  The wonderful little cast iron locos used to congregate there:

I just started on the new layout last year, so I don't have a lot of videos of it yet.  Most of the videos on my YouTube channel were shot on my old layout.  Here is one of a little Lionel diesel switcher that I converted to windup power using a somewhat modified Marx Riser Gear Motor... it runs for almost 8 minutes on a single winding:

Finally (for tonight) here is a pre-war American Flyer #429 that I converted to clockwork power with a custom made, dual mainspring motor with mostly Marx Ratchet Motor internals:

Ohhh this thread was made for meeeee! ( lol )

I have a peculiar addiction to clockwork and it is combined with the ability to treasure pretty much ALL forms of locomotives, whether they be cartoonish or scale , I embrace the toy-like nature of many offerings and dont get too serious about it . I only really have one main rule ... no plastic

My collection spans pretty much from the early 1900's up to the late 50's with an occasional 60s ( mainly Japan after 1960)

I have pretty much posted every loco and carriage on the forum that I have.... lol .. so will spare you 1000 odd photos and just whack up some faves and oddities 

The first train I collected , a 1920's Karl Bub ( Now I have 6 variations of the same )

A CzechIGRA boxed set

A Mettoy Set (UK)

A French Louis Roussy ( LR ) .... ( I have a particular fondness for French trains)

A Wells Clockwork Minnie and Mickey ( UK )

A Rico HO streamliner set from the late 30's ( Spain)

Clockwork Lionel

British Marx

Perhaps the rarest set I own, a 1934 Bing British made by Stephan Bing when he fled Germany and in the period before he set up TRIX , He also built boats ( another foible of mine , clockwork boats! )

French Charles Rossignol

The Grandfather of the collection 1900's Ernst Planck

Hornby Zulu , one of the first Hornby trains produced C.1922 It was the non-constructional version of the Hornby Clockwork Train (1920) which could easily be disassembled and reassembled as they were constructional like meccano .. The Zulu marked the evolution into tab and slot construction for Hornby.

A slightly later Hornby M1

A mystery Loco possibly Wells/Brimtoy/maybe Bing which is outfitted in a factory cow catcher , possibly for the US Market?

A Johann Hoefler set

Not just tracks either ... I love my Tippco ( Germany) Floor train too!

I also have a few Robilts and Maurlyn's , Aussie trains but they have already made an appearance

I think I have taken up waaaaay too much real estate with this post already but I have one favour to ask from the knowledgeable folk here ... while in essence not train related I bought the item below recently ...

I have searched and searched and come up with ONE reference which denotes it as a BING from the late 20's

Just wondering if anyone has seen it in a catalogue ? (mine is slightly different from the pic I found )

C1927??? Bing??? Sumpfboot??? ( swamp boat)

Still on its way here from Europe ( UK ) no markings I can see and the only reference is here ...

History Toy page

Photo of their version ...

( I think I am on a real rarity here ? apologies for non train subject but I thought if ANYONE knows they might be found in our great group of collectors )

Just a short vid of my other 1010 set, a passenger one, and my favorite clockwork locomotives, the Marx Seaboard FM's. Remember to keep your rolling stock and motor mechanisms clean and oiled!

That looks like a early version of an "air boat" but with pontoons for a hull holding up the clockwork propeller drive.    Love the UK style Bing set.   Bing did some great work.  The majority of the nice Bassett Lowke stuff made before they got their own shops going in the UK was done by Bing.  WJ Bassett-Lowke helped out Bing and Carette(I believe) escape the rise of the Nazi party and helped them get restarted making trains in the UK.   Love the video.  I always keep all of my trains clean and lightly oiled to minimize wear and tear.  But I do run them as I believe they were ment to be run and sitting allows them to get stiff.  I also do not fully wind any of my CW trains or my over 100 year old mantle clock.  I dont know of anybody in the states that can replace a main spring in a CW train.  Not sure our local clock shop would attempt it or not.       AD

Got three American Flyer clockwork engines, here's a No. 1 with a 328 tender. I have posted this picture before, but it's still a good one. Also have two No. 13 Type XIV's, one with a red 119 tender and the other with a closed frame 120 tender. One was a set (No. 13 with 120 tender) and the other I bought coaches at the same time I bought the engine and tender.

No. 1 with 328 below:

BING has also made nice clockwork models and their motors are always good quality ones,

A George the Fifth made for the British market, this one is from around 1928-30, there ismany variations for this model.

And a classic wind cuter in german livery made during the twenties,

Daniel

Fatman posted:

Ohhh this thread was made for meeeee! ( lol )

I have a peculiar addiction to clockwork and it is combined with the ability to treasure pretty much ALL forms of locomotives, whether they be cartoonish or scale , I embrace the toy-like nature of many offerings and dont get too serious about it . I only really have one main rule ... no plastic

My collection spans pretty much from the early 1900's up to the late 50's with an occasional 60s ( mainly Japan after 1960)

I have pretty much posted every loco and carriage on the forum that I have.... lol .. so will spare you 1000 odd photos and just whack up some faves and oddities 

The first train I collected , a 1920's Karl Bub ( Now I have 6 variations of the same )

K

A CzechIGRA boxed set

 

A Mettoy Set (UK)

 

A French Louis Roussy ( LR ) .... ( I have a particular fondness for French trains)

 

A Wells Clockwork Minnie and Mickey ( UK )

 

A Rico HO streamliner set from the late 30's ( Spain)

 

Clockwork Lionel

 

British Marx

 

Perhaps the rarest set I own, a 1934 Bing British made by Stephan Bing when he fled Germany and in the period before he set up TRIX , He also built boats ( another foible of mine , clockwork boats! )

 

French Charles Rossignol

 

The Grandfather of the collection 1900's Ernst Planck

Hornby Zulu , one of the first Hornby trains produced C.1922 It was the non-constructional version of the Hornby Clockwork Train (1920) which could easily be disassembled and reassembled as they were constructional like meccano .. The Zulu marked the evolution into tab and slot construction for Hornby.

 

A slightly later Hornby M1

 

A mystery Loco possibly Wells/Brimtoy/maybe Bing which is outfitted in a factory cow catcher , possibly for the US Market?

 

A Johann Hoefler set

 

Not just tracks either ... I love my Tippco ( Germany) Floor train too!

 

I also have a few Robilts and Maurlyn's , Aussie trains but they have already made an appearance

I think I have taken up waaaaay too much real estate with this post already but I have one favour to ask from the knowledgeable folk here ... while in essence not train related I bought the item below recently ...

I have searched and searched and come up with ONE reference which denotes it as a BING from the late 20's

Just wondering if anyone has seen it in a catalogue ? (mine is slightly different from the pic I found )

C1927??? Bing??? Sumpfboot??? ( swamp boat)

Still on its way here from Europe ( UK ) no markings I can see and the only reference is here ...

History Toy page

Photo of their version ...

( I think I am on a real rarity here ? apologies for non train subject but I thought if ANYONE knows they might be found in our great group of collectors )

 

 

Nice Plank! 

I’m thinking your swamp boat might be a reproduction. There are a lot of them being made now. I have a few repro Paya windup cars. The people in them look similar to yours.

George

George S posted:

Nice Plank! 

I’m thinking your swamp boat might be a reproduction. There are a lot of them being made now. I have a few repro Paya windup cars. The people in them look similar to yours.

George

My mind went down the reproduction path too George

The bloke also looks like the Marx tractor drivers too However in my searches not even reproduction models showed up ? Which I would assume they would if they were like the Paya re-issues (*cough chinese made )

I didnt pay a lot for it but it was listed rather badly too as possibly an Arnold (which I am pretty sure it isnt  )

I dunno , things like the patina on the brass prop collar etc

It's either been repainted or exceptionally well stored , the ref pic above shows the Bing as painted rather than litho as well ...

I think the only way to figure it out will be when it gets here if I can see the mechanism ?

Another thought I had is after the 1st world war Japan was ripping off some of the weirder toy designs so it might be from that era as well ... Light bulb going off!!!

( rushes to check my photo gallery )

Bingo???

Key on it has the same markings as a post WWI Japanese Automatic Car set up I have ( idea stolen from Technofix)

Interesting to note the box this came is has Made in Japan painted out and the car is marked FOREIGN ( which the UK instituted as Made in Germany had "stink" about it at the time , so manufacturers instead had to mark as "foreign, japan did the same on many toys between the great wars )

This set was made by WU which has very limited information ... I hit a brick wall researching this one too

So maybe early Japanese which opens a whole 'nother can O worms

artfull dodger posted:

I dont know of anybody in the states that can replace a main spring in a CW train.  Not sure our local clock shop would attempt it or not.       AD

I've replaced a lot of main springs in various makes of windup trains, so if you have one break, don't worry, you can probably fix it yourself. 

I'll do one little plug for my book, "Windup Train Repair"... it's available on Amazon if anyone is interested. 

Gotta keep those windup running!