The Tinscale Theme: Why Is It Chosen?

Mine is kinda based on the dealer layout's of the 50's, and just other layout photos I have seen from the 1970's and farther back. Their is also a lot that comes from my own mind.

I think my own came from the annual Christmas layout in the old Marshall Fields Department store in Chicago, or at least how I remember it, not in specifics, but in emphasizing the toy in toy trains.

My floor layout is not based on any specific pre-exisitng layout but "prototype" themed.

Tinplate New York.

I live in NYC and got into standard gauge tinplate with the acquisition of the Burplaspa tunnel which is a model of the Woolworth Building (tallest in the world at the time).

And since Lionel started in NYC a lot of their early toys are based upon NYC prototypes; Hellgate Bridge, street lamps, street signs, etc.

The #6 loco and #18 series cars I restored are based upon the famous New York Central Empire State Express speed record holding train. The Lionel #42 is based upon the New York Central S-1 electric locomotive and on...

I keep looking for and adding prewar buildings to try and fill out my tinplate Manhattan. Lately I've added some Bilt E-Z tin buildings.

I have a Dorfan bridge, which was made nearby in Newark, and an Ives power station is the centerpiece of the industrial area outside "The City".

I've also collected some tin cars and trolleys that were produced in New York by the likes of Chein, Mohawk and Nonparriel. Would love a Strauss taxi but they are pricey! There are other neat New York based toys out there too.

And what's fun about "tinscale" is things don't have to be in proper scale proportion. Big. Small. It doesn't matter. In fact, I like to arrange things with larger items in front and small in back to create a kind of "forced perspective" as you look into the layout... Then the big STDG trains run by and blow everything out of proportion.

Bert

Bert,

If you're doing tinplate New York, you could get the Chein roller coaster, carousel & ferris wheel and make the Coney Island area. You could have the street cars take trill seekers there to ride the Cyclone, Thunderbolt & Tornado! Just like New York in those days. I've always wanted to do an amusement park on my std ga layout.

That's a fun idea Bill.

Wish I had more room to have a crazy full on big action packed STDG layout.

Bert,

The kinetic action of accessories was another draw for me as well, and for guests that elicit the same reaction from them that I had when I saw the layout at Field's decades ago.  I hope at some time you post photos as I think this is a wonderfully original theme full of action, using the accessories as they were meant to be used.

Room is a big problem with me too. My layout is 10x30 and has 3 loop of std ga. With a switch yard with a line of freight sheds and turntable with 4 sections of roundhouse. Next winter I'm going to change the whole thing. I'm into gauge 1 European tinplate too. So I'm going to put a loop of gauge 1 three rail track down and at least one O gauge. I really messed up with I didn't put any O gauge on it 12 years ago. I'm probably going to have to take out the roundhouse for room to put in what we're calling "Germantown". An area with all Marklin, bing ect buildings & signals. I need to decide if I want to make the 5 rail track for my O gauge. I wish there was a factory made multi-gauge tinplate track out there. Also wish there was someone making new 3 rail gauge 1 tinplate track too. It shure does seem to me there's still money making ideas out there.

Bill

Room is an issue with me as well with a slightly different twist. I have collected two rail clockwork track, switches and recently acquired stop tracks and a turntable yet there is no way to incorporate them in the foot print of the layout. I read that article in Tinplate Times on the hybrid track and while fabricating it seemed involved, what a great result as far as flexibility. I wish the exchange rate was more favorable as some of those vintage Hornby ( electric and clockwork ) are just wonderful works of art.  Could you post some photos of your Gauge One engines? I have never seen one. I nearly bought a Gauge 3 engine but decided that it was so rare I would probably never find anything else to go with it.

I like all O gauge trains, which is fairly obvious because I have at least two O gauge layouts already, one tinplate and the other hi-rail, and am trying to find some space for an O gauge trolley pike.

 

I like tinplate because it represents the true "toy" in toy trains, without any regard having to be given to "exactness" in the trains or accessories.  They are colorful, fanciful, boisterous representations, and do not have to be regarded as anything more.  They represent fun, pure and simple, and isn't that supposed to be what a leisure pastime is all about?

Allan

I think that we have so many choices in O scale is a blessing and a conundrum as far as being forced to chose which way to go due to the room available which all aspects of whatever road we go down is a common denominator of a challenge to fit it all in. I bought the K-Line CNSM set and because of the tight radius of 0-27 and clearances, they are seldom run. Yet if I did a larger radius oddly, I would end up with less, given the guest bedroom's dimensions. It's ironic you mentioned trolleys, as that was my first choice in my "prototype phase". You could have tight turns in turn back loops and be  accurate. I have always been surprised at the lack of comparative interest in trolley\ interurban themes, as far as space considerations and whenever I see videos from West Penn, I have a pang of regret that it was honestly just laziness on my part to find suppliers etc way back when.

My layout is based upon the Lionel Showroom layout of the 1930's before all of the O-Gauge and T-rail modifications (additions).

To tell you the truth, in many respects I like trolleys even more than I like trains.  I have a fairly large collection of them, and am determined to give them some running space of their own.  Getting three layouts in this place is going to be a challenge, but that's part of the fun of it.

 

And if MTH ever comes out with tinplate trolleys in O gauge, I'm really going to be in trouble! 

I have a dream about doing track plan 35 "Denver & South Park RR", as shown in 101 Track Plans.  This dream would be a trolly line instead of a narrow gauge.  It could be done in O 27 on a larger layout of say 6X12 or so.  I may get around to building it some time, and if so, Allan, you will be my first invited guest.

Al

My Layout started an all O gauge layout with traditional scenery but little by little has been making a much larger tinplate footprint! Tom Snyders standard gauge layout has given me alot of insperaition to mix scale scenery with tinplate.Not traditional but I like it and Tom Snyder did too! Here is a pic from Tom's layout at hte NJHR and mine below.

 

 

Here's a video of the floor layout from last year. A new layout is in progress with more buildings, lamps, etc... Hope to make a higher quality video too.

https://vimeo.com/42004615

MrNabisco, that's just great.  Even Catzilla seems to fit right into the scene, and the Burplaza Tunnel is magnificent.

That is a really cool set up.  I especially like the sort of Art Deco skyscraper that fits right along with the Lionel Station and Hellgate Bridge..Looks like the makings of a city scene theme.

Glad you guys were entertained.
Am in the process of recreating the floor layout...

As a reply from 2 weeks ago for photos, the Marklin gauge 1 prewar tinplate is mostly like their O gauge, just larger. Like Lionel prewar tinplate. Here's a couple photos of Marklin gauge 1. The  first is a green British outlined loco & tender next to a standard gauge MTH Ives loco. The second is a black with red undercarriage German model HR66/12921. The marklin models of the British locos have driver fenders over the walkways. The German models don't. The brown loco & tender is also a British type, Marklin number E65/13021. They also made freight and passenger cars in 4 wheel and 8 wheel or "double bogie" as they call them.

Bill