On another thread the poster has pictured several electric outline locos that appear to be brass. I have a couple
of brass railbusses I suspect might be Ken Kidder, and several brass freight cars, and have seen the engines, brass,
with what look like tinplate flanges, identified as "International". (I think I have seen a Pacific and an 0-6-0) I
have been told the engines are terrible runners.
Does anybody know the history, or is it published somewhere, on these two importers and their products?
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That is a stunning railroad!
The steeplecab body is well made. The rest of IMP, in my opinion, is not very valuable at all. I don't know if Ken Kidder had any relationship to IMP.
Two to seriously avoid are the Atlantic and Pacific. They are brass, but have the characteristics of cardboard. You have to jack up the sand dome and build a whole new model under it. The sand dome is a worthwhile stamping.
Well, when I turned one of the International Pacifics over, I was looking at what
looked like crudely made and meshing brass cogs turning on each other, which I
suspected would be short lived, if they worked when you got it home. I do have
several of their freight cars, and, I think, a UP styled caboose.
A few Ken Kidder ads from my archives:
Jim
Wow, that's a bast from the past! Nice to see the name again.
Well, when I turned one of the International Pacifics over, I was looking at what
looked like crudely made and meshing brass cogs turning on each other, which I
suspected would be short lived, if they worked when you got it home. I do have
several of their freight cars, and, I think, a UP styled caboose.
Yes, the IMP steam engines are generally rubbish and require at minimum a complete replacement of all but that bit of the superstructure that appeals to the individual.
The freight cars can be dressed up to be acceptable.
Numerous traction offerings - the steeplecab is quite decent and there were numerous Japanese prototype box cabs (made by KTM) that provide a bit of fun for some.
There is some appeal to the the IMP stuff and there are some collectable aspects that keep the prices up on some items.
Kidder brought in a lot of scale traction items in addition to tinplate items for that market.
There were also a handful of odd little steam engines from Kidder; plantation engines and such.
Jim,
What year is that ad that has the McKeen car in it????? I've been trying to track down when those were imported - I've only ever seen one the O scale ones.
Don't wanna hi-jack this thread or its purpose, but man Don, that is one spectacular shot. 
Jim,
What year is that ad that has the McKeen car in it????? I've been trying to track down when those were imported - I've only ever seen one the O scale ones.
Martin,
That ad is from the August '59 MR.
But, here is a Trade Topics section from the Nov '56 MR about the HO version of the car.
Jim
You guys are right. I have some running gear from one of my electrics. Wow are they crude. I never tried to run on as it's DC two rail, but I can't believe they ever ran well even with a lot of tweaking. Don
Laid of sick, thanks and wasn't it fun to see those old ads and prices.
Jim,
What year is that ad that has the McKeen car in it????? I've been trying to track down when those were imported - I've only ever seen one the O scale ones.
Martin,
That ad is from the August '59 MR.
But, here is a Trade Topics section from the Nov '56 MR about the HO version of the car.
Thanks, Jim! I knew it was mid-late '50s. I probably should have bought that 1 that I saw a few years back.
Jim, thought I found one. It's on the bay under "O" scale but's it's HO. Don
You're welcome, Martin.
I try not to think of the ones that got away over the years, particularly the obscure ones like that. There are many items from that era that I've only seen once (or not at all) in many years of browsing shows and auctions.
Although Don's post shows that the auction sites have made many rarities suddenly less rare than previously thought! 
Thanks, Don.
Jim
You're welcome, Martin.
I try not to think of the ones that got away over the years, particularly the obscure ones like that. There are many items from that era that I've only seen once (or not at all) in many years of browsing shows and auctions.
Although Don's post shows that the auction sites have made many rarities suddenly less rare than previously thought!
Thanks, Don.
Jim
Yes, and although I'd like to have had it, it's not even remotely suitable for my layout or modeling interests.
The HO ones seem to more plentiful - those I see periodically and a friend of mine has one.
And, I expect one of the O scale ones will show up eventually -- estates happen.
I had a chance to bid on an O scale McKeen car at an auction run by that auctioneer in NE Indiana, when he operated in Indianapolis, some years ago. I was outbid, to my
considerable chagrin, as I have never seen another. I am sure I will have to scratch
build one. This one did have the correctly modeled front truck, didn't it? I, too, have
seen one or two HO ones. Of course, there has been an expensive brass one, with
trailer, since offered by PFM or somebody, but I don't think that is exactly common,
either.
This one did have the correctly modeled front truck, didn't it?
Yes, and the Kidder had an operating clutch in O scale
Of course, there has been an expensive brass one, with
trailer, since offered by PFM or somebody, but I don't think that is exactly common,
either.
Precision Scale - run up to as much as $2k for painted with one of the trailers. Those I see for sale maybe once or twice a year.
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