Odd did Williams make an M1a?

I saw the listing.  The locomotive is most definitely the Weaver M1a from 1990.  Even the cab figures are stock Weaver brass.

I have a Weaver M1a, that's likely what it is.  My Weaver M1a looks EXACTLY like that "Williams" one.

I think, for a short period of time, those two were in kahoots. Construction from Williams to Weaver was indistinguishable, and occasionally quite good.  We two-railed a number of both.  Offering a Weaver as a Williams is forgiveable, and may actually have a slight negative value on price.  Opinion.

Williams never made an M1a.  The closest to it was the L1 2-9-2.  Weaver did the M1a and I remember buying the one I had because the paint was shinny.  I confirmed this before the post by conversing with Larry Harrington.  Larry not only works for Williams but is the best source of Williams product information past and present.  

Weaver M1a/b white walls removed.

Samhongsa, Korea, was manufacturing brass for Weaver at the time, about 1990.   Samhongsa also did brass for Williams.  ??M1a was Weavers first brass model??   Weaver box, which I have is much different. Standard issue Weaver black box with gold trim lettering. .

I sent an inquiry to the seller:

Is this really a Williams Brass M1a? It really looks like a Weaver brass M1a right down to the white tires and
incorrect red paint. Is there a mfg brass plate or etched marking underneath the loco?

and this is his response:

Thanks for asking. I believe it's Williams, it's made by Samhongsa and there's no sign of a Weaver number pate. Have a great day. Chuck

Samhongsa

There is no Weaver number plate on the one I pictured.

Not all the Weaver engines had a number plate.  What I wonder is, did it come in the box he pictured, or is that just window dressing?

Well, if it isn't a Williams, somebody went to a lot of trouble to make a very nice looking and detailed box! And to what end?
I'm not all that familiar with Griff's paintings and this one is very dark, but, is that really a M1a in the painting?

Those are pictures of Weaver.  Like I stated earlier in this post, I talked to Larry Harrington from Williams.  Larry not only works for Williams but is a collector and historian on everything made by Williams.   I purchased everything Williams made back in the day.  Williams first had a young kid named Mike selling his trains and then another young kid named Andy got Mikes job as Mike moved on.  I purchased the Weaver M1a and put an OTT sound system in it,  Back in those early days, OTT recommended putting a light bulb across the hot and ground wires on the system to help clear the sound up a bit.  A few years later while working with DCS before it got released I remembered that light bulb trick.  Guess what.

I trust my memory somewhat but trust Larry Harrington very much.

There were concerns about this early Weaver M1a brass model.  Original motor was a real electric hog.  The one I pictured, has had the motor replaced, with a more modern can with fly-wheel motor.  Relatively easy EOB upgrade, lots and lots of roooom in the tender.   It does have sprung drivers and is well assembled, There are additional detail kits available for this model.   I made a trip to the Railroad Museum of PA,  Strasburg, PA, several years ago and took many pictures of the 1:1 6755.  Sad that it rusts away.   Here is a link to my picture file of 6755 There is a lot of detail available from Precision Scale for this model.   Click on the underlined phrase.

That's the box my Williams T-1 came in. Don

scale rail posted:

That's the box my Williams T-1 came in. Don

Except THAT is NOT a "T-1"!

That's the box my Williams T-1 came in. Don

I wonder if Williams used this box for other Pennsylvania Engines. There is no marking on the ends that say anything of the contents. I bought the T-1 because it was such a great looking engine. You could get it many ways. Mine came with a brass finish and decals. I had it airbrushed but never put the decals on. It was the basic model. No reverse, forward only. I never ran it and kind of wished I had left it with the brass finish though is would be easy to add the bells and whistles because on lack of any electronics. As I recall Williams was in trouble at that time and they were trying to sell brass many ways for every budget. Don

This is the box that my Williams T-1 Duplex is still in, the picture on the box means nothing.

I have this engine that I bought as a special offering from QSI. It is a decent runner still, but I have a question. My model needs new roller pickups, does anyone know where I can pick them up? My engine always made a squeaking noise and I realized what was causing it  when it developed a wear spot on one of them. I tried to oil the roller and loosen it up but now the damage is done.

Is there any help available on this?

I'm sorry but I don't remember the box it came in, I will have to look for it in may storage shed. I store all of my old boxes in black plastic bags so finding it could take a little time.

But, it is good to know that Williams built it.

I just noticed that the engine we are talking about can be seen in my avitar sitting on my wall shelf just over my left shoulder. What a small world. 

Oh yea are the roller pick-ups available and where?