DORFAN REBORN

Great news Dave! I'll be in for some of those.

Sounds exciting.

 

Steve

Yes Chris, they look great don't they.

Hello Overland,

It will be part construction slot and tab and the body will be riveted like the Dorfan Wide Gauge cars.

Dporfan hook/slot couplers will be available too.

Cheers,

Andries

These Reincarnated Dorfan Trains look like they'll be very beautiful works of Tinplate Art.

Dave,

 

These look gorgeous; count me as "in" on these!

 

Also, what is that track that the Dorfan cars are riding on? I really like the look of it and the unique ties. Is it available to purchase?

 

Kind regards,

Mack

Hello Mack,

Thank you, the track is a mock up of the celebrated Marklin "Modell Schiene" from the '30s that we intend to make. Preferably in the USA or Europe of course.

Cheers,

Andries

Hi Andries,

Thanks very much for the reply. I believe that this track would be a great success with   

the O gauge tinplate community. It is very handsome.

 

Kind regards,

Mack

Bravo! The quality if it is as represented, is simply wonderful at a very competitive pricing..Looks like a winner.

Bruce

Thought MTH owned the Dorfan name? Still, would love to see some Dorfan Wide Gauge as it doesn't appear we will see anything new from LTC.

Hello Frank, thank you,

As written in my announcement we intend to produce the fabulous Dorfan Wide gauge range in O gauge and if there is interest enough we will do the same range in Wide gauge.

Cheers, Andries

I own some Darstaed products already and I can attest to the quality. I will be buying all variations of these Dorfan cars in both gauges. Thank you Darstaed for making these, I have been waiting for someone to reproduce these beautiful cars.

John.

I own some Darstaed products already and I can attest to the quality. I will be buying all variations of these Dorfan cars in both gauges. Thank you Darstaed for making these, I have been waiting for someone to reproduce these beautiful cars.

John.

According to the US Patent & Trademark site the following applied for the trademark "Dorfan" on August 30, 2012. It was published for opposition on April 16, 2013.

 

(APPLICANT) Andries Grabowsky DBA Darstaed INDIVIDUAL NETHERLANDS 99/93, Moo 5, Rama Rd, Samedum, Bangkuntian, Bangkok NETHERLANDS 10150

(APPLICANT) Paul F Hoover INDIVIDUAL UNITED STATES 1136 Castle Wood Terrace Casselberry FLORIDA 327073664

 

Ron M

Dear Overland,

 

Dorfan had an inexpensive pressed steel truck that they used also for either passenger or freight. The cast one was considered the premium one and that is the one we model in O gauge. Of course using Dorfan Alloy would be suicide and as we are almost 90 years down the line we use modern materials to get the result that they would have if they would have the same materials and manufacturing techniques as we have today.

Yes, they modeled leaf springs on the premeum Dorfan bogies and so do we, see the picture.

The journals are painted silver.

In my view we represent the true spirit of Dorfan.

 

This announcement has primarily the purpose to gauge the interest of you and all other tinplaters and we value your observations. We are open to any suggestions to enable us to offer you the best.

 

Cheers,

Andries

 

 

 

Since you say you are looking for feedback to gauge interest, let me be honest with you.  If you do a relatively faithful job of replicating pre-war Dorfan construction and lithography, you will have yourself a winner with collectors and operators.  There would be a tremendous amount of excitement and follow-through if you do this right.

 

Fabricating O gauge cars approximately modeled on Dorfan wide gauge stock, which never existed, with what appear to be lionel couplers from a later era, is a half-baked, hairbrained idea, honestly, which will garner you a few curiosity seekers and then fall on its face.  

 

"In my view we represent the true spirit of Dorfan."  We understand that, but if you are interested in getting feedback, put your view aside for the moment, and instead of arguing the point, listen.  The people on this forum know tinplate, and know the "spirit of Dorfan".   You've got an idea and you're running with it:  too bad you couldn't do it right.

 

Thanks.

 

 

Agree with above concerns regarding a Dorfan engine. I would personally like to see a "common" engine such as the venerable #51, as well as another such as a #54. Having two engines is always nice, and it will boost your sales, as many folks such as myself would like to have enough stock on hand to have two complete trains available, as well as extras to mix things up.

Of course, if you really want to make my day, a set of the clockwork 99-100 would make me extremely happy.

i believe i get it now.  you're modeling the wide gauge cars in O gauge.  but just to clear it up, those are not premium O trucks, they are merely wide gauge trucks scaled down.  all the O gauge Dorfan trucks were basically the same stamped steel design.  Dorfan premium O gauge cars had brass journal boxes on the sideframes.

 

again, they look like nice cars, i just don't think they'll fit in well with original Dorfan O.

 

something i'd definitely be interested in would be some of the colorful #55 steam locomotive/ tender liveries.

 

good luck with it...gary

 

Dear Hojack,

Thank you for your comment.  In the early ‘90s the Darstaed agent for the UK Ron Budd suggested I should do a replica of a Hornby loco, the 4-4-4 but in electric as Hornby only made this loco in clockwork. At the time the O gauge hobby was moribund and only originals were available at very high prices. So basically only collectors with big wallets were buying trains leaving the operators in the minority. Few could afford to play with originals that cost a fortune.  I took the step to make the 4-4-4 in electric and it became a great success.  O gauge playing became fun and affordable again and after Allen Levy joined as sales we developed a whole new range of products starting with the C1 coaches and expanding a line of locomotives never made before.  The C1 non-corridor coaches are in the same spirit as Hornby but a next generation as it were. The problem with O gauge in Europe is that WWII stopped all the fun.  Materials after the war were at a premium so the manufacturers made 00 instead of O gauge whereas in the USA the development of O gauge continued unabated until today.

What we did in the UK was continuing a line of tinplate initially in the Hornby style and make what Hornby would have made if the war had never happened. Of course nobody knows what they really would have done like nobody knows what Leonardo da Vinci or Michelangelo would have created if they would have a laptop.   But what we got right is the tinplate spirit of Hornby and the evolutionary path it would have taken would the war not have interfered. The proof is that nowadays tinplate is thriving in Britain.

Likewise Darstaed started in 1966 making exact replicas of the Marking 40 cm coaches but soon my predecessor Marcel Darphin added a range of new variations with detailed interiors that today are very thought after.

It is not our intention to make exact replicas of Dorfan.  Whereas European tinplate fell victim to WWII Dorfan was a victim of the Great Depression and of course in part of their Dorfan Alloy that disintegrated. Their products were too expensive because they wanted the best catering for the high end of the market. Their products are unique and the artwork fabulous. How would Dorfan have evolved would the Great Depression not have happened ? That is where we like to pick up the thread, we are not going to make exact replicas of what Dorfan did, we intend to produce a range of products in the Dorfan spirit as if the Great Depression would not have happened.  Just like we did in Britrain.

I do believe there is a market for beautiful lithographed stock and if it is a hairbrained idea only time will tell,  that is what I hope to learn from the knowledgeable members of this forum amongst others. What couplings we put is not relevant at this stage, we can put anything you like and make it interchangeable.

I hope it is a bit too early to conclude we didn’t get it right, after all we haven’t started yet.

Thank you for your contribution, I am listening…

Cheers,

Andries.

 

Dear Gary,

Thank you, yes, we are modelling the Wide gauge cars in O gauge including the diecast trucks. The trucks we make them as Dorfan would have done would they have today's technology and materials. Except we would not paint the journals silver unless the fraternity wants me to do so.

By reducing the Wide gauge cars to O gauge we will also apply the Dorfan O gauge artwork on them, in 3-D litho effect as you can see on the pictures.

A steam loccomotive is being mooted but lets go step by step.

Cheers,

Andries

Gentlemen,
Please find hereby our proposed Dorfan O gauge cars amended following your suggestions regarding the Dorfan O gauge hooks. This is posted by our Chief engineer Vijay as my abilities are confined to bashing tinplate. You can click the images to enlarge them. Looking forward to learn your opinion,
Cheers,
Andries

The coupler change is a huge improvement in appearance. I think it gets you closer to the "feel" of the Dorfan tin.

 

Steve

Vijay;  Thanks for posting the pictures.  These are terrific.   I will certainly be collecting these.  I hope you have some plans for Canadian railway models.  Also, I can't wait for your Darstaed's  hornby style litho loco shed to come out. I think these cars will fit in nicely with it.  Modern tinplate is just getting better and better these days.  Thanks, Wayne (walter)

I agree; They do look much better.

Hello waynew,

Thank you for your reply, not that we are short of ideas but if any one wishes to suggest us some very nice liveries to do please don't hesitate to contact Vijay or me or both PM with a picture. If we make it yours is for free.

Cheers,

Andries

Will you be making both wide and 'O' gauge items available in the UK?

Dear Ukaflyer,

Thank you, it is up to our UK disributors if they wish to stock US products or not but if not I am sure John Hoover will be delighted to supply you,

Cheers,

Andries

Andries,

 

Thanks for the update. If it was possible that a small number could be made available in the UK I know there are some  people interested especially in the wide gauge items. 

 

I don't think myself and the others would order from the US with the shipping and customs as they are now

Dear Ukaflyer, Thank you, first we will do the O gauge production and when that is well under way we may consider Wide gauge if there is sufficient interest. As we intend to produce in the USA the goods will have to come from there.

Cheers, Andries

Sounds like a fun product at reasonable prices.  I'll likely be in for a few of these.

These look great - especially with tab & slot couplers!  What time-frame do you have in mind for production?

Dear Randy, When we have enough customers lined up for the first batch it is a go. We are now finalising the drawings for the tooling but the large investment is setting up the production and our own litho printing in the USA so we like to make double sure. It is my firm believe that trains should be made by those who love and live them and that is in the West rather than the East.

Cheers,

Andries

I think these look great. It could be the start of my American rolling stock collecting !

 

Any new lines of tinplate has to be good a thing. In time a locomotive would be good.

 

Good luck Andries

 

All the best

 

David

 

I do not wish to commence my membership on a note of contention.

 

However I must correct Andries Grabowsky's version of events concerning the genesis of ACE Trains.

 

I was never the sales representative of Vintage Trains. I was their major customer who took all the risk on launching over 1000 examples of the original E/1 4-4-4 Tank loco.

 

I with my colleagues designed, manufactured all the tinplate for over 10,000 coaches to help Mr Grabowsky find a use for a factory in Madras that had been built to make caps for the Japanese market which failed. All this is detailed in Brilliantly Old Fashioned The Story of ACE Trains published in 1995.

 

Having said all this I think Mr Grabowsky's venturing into the American tinplate repro market is very brave.

 

We have been making top line three rail ( and two rail) models for over 17 years and at no time have we been tempted to enter into the US market other than with our British types. See our website <acetrainslondon.com>

Not knowing the Dorfan line that well did they make a caboose in O gauge? If so will one be produced to go with these cars?

Dear Chris,

Thank you,

Indeed we will make cabooses too with working interior lighting etc. The cabooses we intend to do with the locos.

Cheers,

Andries

Great to have you on board, Allen!  

 

I have your "Century of Model Trains" book here in my library, published many years ago.  Bought it way back before I even got back into O gauge, and I believe it may have been the first model railroading book I bought--at the former Liberty House department store in Honolulu--when I got back into the hobby as an adult (I was in N scale at the time).

 

Those Ace trains are true works of art, and your insights and perspectives are always welcome here.

That's good to know. Good luck in this new line; I think these cars will do well!