Tail End Tuesday

Well this fine Tuesday, I am pleased to post some vintage French Hornby locomotives and passenger coaches.  The first picture, (my T.E.T.) view shows two "M" series coaches.  These were the less expensive line for French Hornby and are referred to as "tinplated" trains and were available in this color scheme from about 1948-1956.  These coaches had a very long life and were available from 1926-1963 with a break from 1941-1948 due to the war.  They were basically "blue" from 1929-1956 (again except for the war years) with various small detail changes in livery and roof color over the years.   To me the detail is really amazing, down to including the lamps that are obviously supposed to be resting on the tables between the seats in the Pullman cars as well as the sun shades on the top of the window.

Despite it being T.E.T. I know that lots of folks are curious about the head end as well.  This little consist is pulled by an electric (unusual for Hornby trains which seem to be commonly clockwork, although electric drive is seemingly more common in France than in U.K.) This is the O-E tender loco in chocolate brown.  It was issued in this color when it emerged after the war in 1948 and continued in this color till 1950 when it changed to maroon.  It was one of French Hornby's most popular offerings.  This version, now just 4 years younger than me (1944), works really well and can pull her consist around my simple layout easily.  Does it have sound you say?  Well it does if you can say "Choo-Choo"!

Best Wishes, Don

Southern Pacific Tail End for this fine Tuesday

Mid 1920’s Pennsylvania.

@Don McErlean posted:

So in honor of Tail End Tuesday, here is the tail end of the power car.

Here is a better look at the entire unit.  Passengers, motormen and all.  Quite an elaborate lithography job.

Don

@Don McErlean  Don, nice.  I love the detail.

I have something that is similar is shape but with a completely different motive power.  No where near the detail as your Ichiko.  Would have been better if Lionel had populated it.

Boston & Albany #1299 is a 35-foot wood-sided steel-underframe caboose at the tail end of a train pulled by B&A 0-8-0 steam switcher #53 on my 10’-by-5’ layout. It’s an MTH model (20-91792) of a caboose built in 1916 by the New York Central Railroad’s Shops in Oswego, NY and was an exclusive custom-run delivered in 2023 by forum sponsor Jr Junction Train & Hobby.

MELGAR

@CAPPilot - Hey! thanks for the comment on my Japanese "Bullet" train.  I really love that propeller driven railcar you showed, in truth I had never seen one before - do you know when that was produced ?  I am an "aero" guy by trade and might be interested in a propeller driven train . As an aside, I actually had the experience of riding in a Bullet train in Japan and my my did it put Amtrak to shame.  Not just for speed, which if I recall was well in excess of 100 mph, but in terms of a smooth, quiet, ride on the track and very nice commodious passenger accommodations inside.  Plus the hostess served tea and biscuits!!

Thanks again CAPPilot

Don

@Don McErlean posted:

@CAPPilot - Hey! thanks for the comment on my Japanese "Bullet" train.  I really love that propeller driven railcar you showed, in truth I had never seen one before - do you know when that was produced ?  I am an "aero" guy by trade and might be interested in a propeller driven train . As an aside, I actually had the experience of riding in a Bullet train in Japan and my my did it put Amtrak to shame.  Not just for speed, which if I recall was well in excess of 100 mph, but in terms of a smooth, quiet, ride on the track and very nice commodious passenger accommodations inside.  Plus the hostess served tea and biscuits!!

Thanks again CAPPilot

Don

@Don McErlean  Don, This was given to my brother decades ago who then gave it to me because it wasn't Marx.  It is in storage somewhere and the pictures I have of the box do not show any kind of product number.  My database has "Lionel Wind Up 'Rail Zeppelin' tin train with spinning propeller in Lionel Lines scheme. Made by Schylling Co. under license by Lionel".  If you put 'Lionel Rail Zeppelin' in a search window several come up for sale.  Good luck.

@CAPPilot__- Hey thanks for the info, good information.  I know Schylling so perhaps I can find it on the Bay.  Thanks again

Don

Another Tail End Tuesday tail end.

Have a great day!

Happy Tail End Tuesday

Here are two Tail Ends that did better in the toy world than the real world.

The Rail Zeppelin was built in 1929 and set a rail speed record of 142.9 MPH in 1931. The car never went into production; investors were afraid of the open propeller in crowded train stations. There were also competitors building high speed rail cars. In 2003 Schylling made an operating model of the Rail Zeppelin in O Gauge. It was a tin clockwork and became a Lionel licensed product.

Around 1964-65, the U.S. Dept. of Commerce was seriously interested in high speed rail for commuter transportation in the Northeast. The New York Central Railroad worked on the idea and purchased surplus B-36 bomber jet engines and mounted them onto the roof of a standard RDC passenger car. The front of the car was modified to  a slanted design to lessen wind resistance. In 1966 the M-497 set an American rail speed record of 183 MPH. The experiment was later disassembled and the jet engines were later used as snow blowers.Lionel produced the NYC M-497 Jet Powered Rail Car, complete with streamlined cowl on the front end; as     6-38401 New York Central Jet Powered RDC Rail Car #M-497.

Boston & Maine center cupola steel caboose C124 (MTH 20-91064) is at the tail end of a train pulled by B&M Alco RS-3 #1506 on my 10’-by-5’ layout. The caboose was delivered in August 2001 at MSRP $54.95

MELGAR

Here's my rears for this fine Tuesday!

SF

- walt

In 1957 in an attempt to modernize the look of the 0 gauge line and rescue continually dropping sales, Hornby introduced the Type 50 wagons or vans.  They were all tinprinted (lithographed) to provide excellent detail at minimum cost.  These wagons were the true "last gasp" of Hornby's 0 gauge line and they continued to be offered until the last in 1960-61 when new production stopped, although existing stock continued to be sold.  The one below is the Type 50 "Brake Van" which was typically coupled on the rear of loose coupled freight (goods) trains where the guard used the brake to help stop the train and to control its speed in down hill sections.  They were inevitably equipped with a stove for winter heating, hence the chimney.  You will note that a side mounted cupola  is outlined in the printing, this like the bay window of US cabooses helped the guard keep an eye on the train.   You can see some "L" shaped brackets on the sides and end of the van, these were for mounting identification and / or signal lamps on the car.  Lamps were made by Hornby and were available for separate sale.

Best wishes

Don

MTH

@Mark V. Spadaro posted:

MTH

That caboose style is one of my favorites Mark. I picked up the B&O at York so long ago; it was in the Yellow Hall (under the Grandstand). There was no box; the dealer said that it was out of a set.

@Mark V. Spadaro- That is really an unusual caboose Mark.  Not seen that before.  Thanks for posting.

Don

@pennsyfan posted:

That caboose style is one of my favorites Mark. I picked up the B&O at York so long ago; it was in the Yellow Hall (under the Grandstand). There was no box; the dealer said that it was out of a set.

Bob - Very likely it was from the B&O Docksider 30-4026-0 RTR Set from years ago. The whistle was in the caboose, and the Docksider engines had scored drive wheels. No individual item boxes; all items in the set were encased in a double layered plastic tray with track and transformer in bottom layer, and train cars/engine visible in top layer.

@Don McErlean posted:

@Mark V. Spadaro- That is really an unusual caboose Mark.  Not seen that before.  Thanks for posting.

Don

Don - if you’d like to see a greater selection of this style caboose, go to mth home page, click product locator, and in first bar type “work caboose” (minus quotes). They were sold in sets, and open stock. There is also quite a good selection on eBay. Patrick (trumpettrain) has a great picture of his weathered B&O on a recent thread reply, but I can’t find it.🙁

@Mark V. Spadaro - Thanks Mark, I will do that.

Don

Lock and Load on this fine Tail End Tuesday,

@Mark V. Spadaro posted:

Don - if you’d like to see a greater selection of this style caboose, go to mth home page, click product locator, and in first bar type “work caboose” (minus quotes). They were sold in sets, and open stock. There is also quite a good selection on eBay. Patrick (trumpettrain) has a great picture of his weathered B&O on a recent thread reply, but I can’t find it.🙁

Mark & Don- here are some pics of my weathered MTH B&O work caboose.   I actually own two .. one with the air whistle and one without.  Both are identical in appearance.  

Mark, Bob, and Patrick :  Could this style of caboose be what was once called a "Drover's Caboose" in which the caboose had accommodations for the cowboys who had to accompany the cattle trains to get the cows out for water and feed?  Anyway, just curious.

Don

@Don McErlean posted:

Mark, Bob, and Patrick :  Could this style of caboose be what was once called a "Drover's Caboose" in which the caboose had accommodations for the cowboys who had to accompany the cattle trains to get the cows out for water and feed?  Anyway, just curious.

Don

Don - The photos of "Drover cabooses" that I've seen, are usually a much longer than a standard  caboose.  I've never had the opportunity to view the interior of these longer cabooses, however, I assume the added length was to accommodate a kitchen, day room and sleeping quarters.  These longer cabooses had several windows on each side.    Some had sliding cargo doors too.  Both the drovers and the rear end train crew worked out of this same caboose.

I think different roads had their own version of a Drover caboose.  Some others drover caboose photos I've see are of a car that sort of looks like a passenger combine car with a coupala.  

A couple of my best:

@trumpettrain posted:

Don - The photos of "Drover cabooses" that I've seen, are usually a much longer than a standard  caboose.  I've never had the opportunity to view the interior of these longer cabooses, however, I assume the added length was to accommodate a kitchen, day room and sleeping quarters.  These longer cabooses had several windows on each side.    Some had sliding cargo doors too.  Both the drovers and the rear end train crew worked out of this same caboose.

I think different roads had their own version of a Drover caboose.  Some others drover caboose photos I've see are of a car that sort of looks like a passenger combine car with a coupala.  

Thanks Pat, I learned something today.

I know it's Wednesday but here's my latest tail end.  A Lionel C4 caboose in WP Heritage paint.

End rails and roof walk need some work.

@trumpettrain- Thank you for your very complete answer Patrick.  I certainly learned something today.  Thanks for the information and for taking the time to comment.  All the best.

Don

@Mark V. Spadaro

@trumpettrain

Thanks to both of you for mentioning the whistle in the caboose. I checked my B&O caboose last night and was pleased to hear a nice whistle!

Bob, that Rail Zeppelin is Very Cool.    

Marx Tail End on this Tuesday.

Photos and video show three New Haven Railroad heavyweight passenger cars with parlor car “Flying Cloud” at the tail end of a consist headed by two Alco PAs on my 12’-by-8’ layout. Locomotives and passenger cars including “Great Republic” and “Westward Ho” by MTH. These cars were built by Pullman in 1929 for the New Haven’s “Yankee Clipper” train between New York City and Boston and entered service in 1930. The PAs in the orange/green/silver pinstripe paint scheme were acquired by the New Haven in 1948.

MELGAR

Lionel caboose on Tail End Tuesday

Here's my rear for this fine Tuesday!   Conductor Earl Evans on the back deck of his caboose.  

Well here are some "tail ends" that go back nearly 75 years.  In 1951, John Hafner decided to retire early and put his toy train company up for sale.  Interestingly although the Marx company reviewed the contents, they chose not to bid.  However the "All Metal Products Company" of Wyandotte, Michigan which had been making metal toys (especially toy trucks) for many years purchased all of the tools, dies, and inventory and the following year, continued production of the Hafner line of trains.  Initially, Wyandotte (as they called their toy line) made very few changes to the Hafner line of trains, sometimes  as with this caboose just adding the Wyandotte logo and not even removing the Hafner name.

In 1956 unfortunately the All Metal Products Company (Wyandotte) went bankrupt and ironically all the tools, dies, and inventory was finally then purchased by the Marx company who used them to make trains in Mexico for foreign sales.  

So from sometime between 1951 and 1956 here is the Hafner-Wyandotte #41021 caboose complete with a couple of trainmen in the windows.

Looking at the tab/slot coupler you might notice that the "tab" is pointed "up" and not the far more common direction of "down".  This design was common practice for Hafner and is sometimes used as an identifier for their products.

Best wishes for this fine Tuesday.

Don

don't recall if I used this or not. apologies if i did.

I already owned 5 Pittsburgh Brewery special run cream cars, along with the cream colored engine.  This was a must-have add-on.

- walt

The tail end of an open air passenger car I scratch built on a Lionel NH flat car. It looks like the lady is more interested in the views than his arm around her.

Gene

I have a few Tail Ends for this Tuesday.
First is a piece of child art that my Grandson gave me about 15 years ago.

Next is a Ives 16** Observation in Cream and Mojave. On the front end is an IVES / MTH 1694 electric. Across the platform is a Post War Lionel Observation, SUMMIT. With a Lionel Post War 2046 on the head end.
Next is a PreWar tinplate Lionel Lines 712 OBS blue on blue. on the front end is a diecast PreWar 226e.

In size contrast are 3 other tinplate tail ends. L-R Unique Art caboose with Benny the Brakeman, Hafner caboose colony an AF Limited Obs. They are all O gauge.

@pennsyfan posted:

I have a few Tail Ends for this Tuesday.
First is a piece of child art that my Grandson gave me about 15 years ago.

Next is a Ives 16** Observation in Cream and Mojave. On the front end is an IVES / MTH 1694 electric. Across the platform is a Post War Lionel Observation, SUMMIT. With a Lionel Post War 2046 on the head end.
Next is a PreWar tinplate Lionel Lines 712 OBS blue on blue. on the front end is a diecast PreWar 226e.

In size contrast are 3 other tinplate tail ends. L-R Unique Art caboose with Benny the Brakeman, Hafner caboose colony an AF Limited Obs. They are all O gauge.

Nice looking drawing Bob Mark

@pennsyfan posted:

First is a piece of child art that my Grandson gave me about 15 years ago.

What an excellent drawing he created Bob! Did he continue art as a career or hobby?

Gene