Tinplate photos 📸 and videos 📽

I agree with NWL those trains look like Hafner.  Below is the Hafner freight set without the boxcar.

Lovely Collection @Arne  

My finds have slowed down to an absolute crawl lately so I am forced to dig into the archive just to participate and keep this thread rolling

I dont have a lot of Fischer but I do have a Gauge 1 consist floating about

( most would have seen it , but I really feel my slackness has me missing out lately .. so repost ! lol )

I am in the same situation as @Fatman , nothing new for the moment as I spend some time trying to classify what i have accumulated since many years and decide what I want to keep..... mainly everything, and what I could sell.....mainly nothing....

So a little original JdP train from around 1925 founded many years ago to keep the thread in activity..

Have a nice weekend,  Daniel

@StevefromPA- Thanks for your comment on my "Gatekeeper's House" and yes the lithography (less the writing) seems quite good.  I don't know if I have a place on the layout at the moment, its mostly track these days for running trains and modest scenery.  I have to consider where it might fit.  In the meantime I have it in my den/office on my desk (being selfish )  Thanks again for your comments.

Don

@Robert S. Butler- great Hafner consist, thanks for posting.  @Fatman-the Gauge 1 Fisher consist is great, not seen too many of those here in US.  Thanks for posting @FRENCHTRAINS -Beautiful JEP trains and station.  OBTW - your philosophy on keeping and selling matches mine exactly !  Unfortunatley at 7Bes8 years old, I am facing the question...what do I do with the trains?  I have no family members interested in them so eventually they have to go somewhere...question for another day.

Best wishes tinplate folks, glad we are back.

@Robert S. Butler - forgot to mention, I just got my October Train Collectors Quarterly and found another of your pictures was selected as the cover.  Congratulations on a terrific picture and being selected as the cover.

Don

Thanks Don, the cover is a bit of a curiosity - I'm not sure why but it is the same cover as the one for October 2019.

Well Robert when something is good its good forever!  Great picture for sure.

Don

@Robert S. Butler posted:

Thanks Don, the cover is a bit of a curiosity - I'm not sure why but it is the same cover as the one for October 2019.

In speaking with Mark Boyd, the reason for re-using the same cover photo was the fact that they went with a new printer for the TCA Quarterly and it is for comparison purposes for the new versus the old.

NWL

Daniel, congratulations on the well deserved retirement. I hope to be heading in that direction in a little less than two years. I really look forward to more time with my trains, especially doing more research and layout building.

Well, on the topic of layout building, while recently visiting a dear friend in Europe he helped to connect me with these really nice Marklin signals, most in their original boxes. While unwrapping some of them, my heart almost skipped a beat as I could see they had been boxed for a very long time and were extremely well cared for.

Finally, the passenger coach is a Hermann two rail Eurofirma express coach for my two rail layout “Georgenstadt.”

All the best,

Miketg

Thanks very much Mike, it is finally time for hobbies.

Your Marklin signals are really nice and representative of Marklin quality.

Very Best,  Daniel

Afternoon Miketg:

Lovely signals.....but just a little clarification....if you will allow.

Your second photo of the "stop/go" signal is not Marklin, but infact a signal from Buco - Bucherer manufactured in Switzerland in the early 1950's, before they went into liquidation in 1957. Your particular signal has been "rotated" on its base so that the wire connections are at right angles to the globes, where-as the original signal had the wires running parallel, so the other set of signals (distant) could be wired in series.

I have taken some photos of this particular signal in operation on my layout, as well as depicted in the 1952 Buco catalogue, and one I have (among many) in the original box it came in. The catalogue also shows how these signals could be all wired in series to holt and hold a train on the layout using the "interruptor" center rail sections, and a special switch box.

Peter......Buco Australia

Peter,

Thank you for the clarification. This is quite informative and helpful. When I took the signal out of the box, I had a feeling it was something different but was not quite sure.

I have always admired your posts and have some friends in Europe who have some very nice Buco pieces in their collections. You can never beat Swiss quality!

Again, thank you for the clarification!

All the best,

Miketg

This week a Distler station is arrived. Here together with 2 other.

All 3 with the same baseplate

Made by Heinrich Fischer in the 20s

Made by Distler in the 30s

And made by Distler in the 30s.

And a train from Joustra was also included in the purchase. It´s from a monorail, but is small, more like S gauge.

Arne

@Arne- Fantastic stations, beautiful lithography and very interesting that the base plates were the same.  Thanks for posting.  The monorail from Joustra was also very interesting, is it electric or clockwork?  I see what might be electrical contacts on one of the two cars but can't be sure.

Thought I might try to keep our thread going with a VERY humble offering but interesting in its own way.  This little house or cab or cabin does not directly come from a train maker but is very close.  It was part of an "Erector Set" a toy introduced by A.C. Gilbert of American Flyer fame in 1913 (way before he took over American Flyer from William Coleman in 1939).  It was likely provided to represent an operators cab or shelter for a bridge or a crane that you created with other Erector pieces.  This idea of making items from Erector pieces to use with your trains continued throughout the duration of the company.

This is about 2" square at the base and while small, the doors / windows are clearly represented in "O" scale (the door being about 6-7 scale ft high for example).  The opposite sides and ends are the same.

Here is the side view, showing the "Erector" trademark (note line connecting the "R" and the "T")

I did post this on "Buy Anything Cool Today" as well since I purchased it today for $5 at a local "antique" store however it is lithographed tinplate manufactured by A.C. Gilbert one of the most famous names in U.S. toy trains.

Best Wishes

Don

@Don McErlean

The Joustra Monorail is clockwork. That´s no electrical contacts, they are rollers that run on a single rail.

Arne

The Erector shacks are versitile little buildings.  Here it is mounted on a Flyer light tower.

You can also find it used as a bridge keepers shack on the top of girder bridges.

Enjoying the World's Greatest Hobby

Northwoods Flyer

Greg

@Arne- thanks for the data on the Joustra monorail.  Now looking at the underside closely I can see how that works.

@Greg J. Turinetti- Neat picture Greg, I agree I think the little Erector house will find a suitable place on my layout.

Best wishes everyone

Don

I apologize if this is not the right thread for this question, but it seems those on here might be most qualified to answer.  I recently took the California Zephyr to visit the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento (with a side trip to see a new grandbaby: tough competition there).  I was bowled over by the whole museum and recommend it unreservedly.  However, one of the tinplate displays stuck another needle in my arm.  Does anyone know anything about this "life size" replica of the No. 57 (I think) street light? I want one! I want one! Waaah!

@Golden Prairie Railroad posted:

I apologize if this is not the right thread for this question, but it seems those on here might be most qualified to answer.  I recently took the California Zephyr to visit the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento (with a side trip to see a new grandbaby: tough competition there).  I was bowled over by the whole museum and recommend it unreservedly.  However, one of the tinplate displays stuck another needle in my arm.  Does anyone know anything about this "life size" replica of the No. 57 (I think) street light? I want one! I want one! Waaah!

I enjoyed seeing the life-sized lamp when I visited the museum during the 2011 TCA Convention in Sacramento.  I would suspect you would have to have someone make a life sized version for you, if you want one. 

@Golden Prairie Railroad posted:

I apologize if this is not the right thread for this question, but it seems those on here might be most qualified to answer.  I recently took the California Zephyr to visit the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento (with a side trip to see a new grandbaby: tough competition there).  I was bowled over by the whole museum and recommend it unreservedly.  However, one of the tinplate displays stuck another needle in my arm.  Does anyone know anything about this "life size" replica of the No. 57 (I think) street light? I want one! I want one! Waaah!

That's very cool.  Looks like a convincing paint job.  Guessing that it's made of wood??