Tinplate photos 📸 and videos 📽

Hello Peter Buco:  you mentioned that there are Buco successors to this day.  Are they still making these trains in Buco scale, so to speak, and who are these companies and where can they be found?  Very interesting. Thanks.

This week I worked on my tinplate churches; adding stained glass windows.

The club is allowing me to expand out another couple of feet. I hope this will allow me to run my Lionel Hiawatha on the lower level.

Scott Smith

Peter (Buco) :  Thanks for your response on my wooden station platform - I appreciate the help even just to eliminate a manufacturer.  

Fatman - thank you so much for your information on Figura in the DDR and Simplex firms, I will certainly try to research those firms to see if I can find anything similar.  Although the station stop you pictured and labeled as by Figura certainly is as close as anything has come so far.  You mentioned forwarding the pictures on to a friend who may have more data ... PLEASE DO!! This has become my mystery station and I continue to try and find out who made it.  I bought it for sentimental reasons, as my wife and I are planning a trip to Netherlands (eventually, it has been cancelled and rescheduled by the tour company because of COVID now 3 times) and I traveled in that country several times while working for the Air Force.  OH Yes, the Hornby coach "Mitropa" is super...and the rock grinder is really interesting although I wonder how "MOM" felt about letting junior play with something that could damage his fingers!  (LOL)

Best Wishes

Don

Tonight we shift to a somewhat lower quality shot of the SG train I have put together since Christmas.  It looks a little better at a distance than up close, but no piece is less than C6 (the caboose I think is a repaint, but I am not sure).  I had to replace the headlights on the engine, and I still need to finish the wiring.  I even have it displayed on Flyer track.

During my previous flirtation with SG years ago, I had Lionel and IVES, but no Flyer.  In fact, I have never owned a Flyer piece in my life until I started putting together this little set.  I have developed a real appreciate for Flyer WG, and I hope to get at least one of all the freight cars (if I can find a tank car that goes for less than one of my paychecks!) and also a representative passenger train.  As much as I would like to have a Brass Piper or other big steamer, that's probably not in the cards.  I really like the New Haven-style motor.

@palallin posted:

Tonight we shift to a somewhat lower quality shot of the SG train I have put together since Christmas.  It looks a little better at a distance than up close, but no piece is less than C6 (the caboose I think is a repaint, but I am not sure).  I had to replace the headlights on the engine, and I still need to finish the wiring.  I even have it displayed on Flyer track.

During my previous flirtation with SG years ago, I had Lionel and IVES, but no Flyer.  In fact, I have never owned a Flyer piece in my life until I started putting together this little set.  I have developed a real appreciate for Flyer WG, and I hope to get at least one of all the freight cars (if I can find a tank car that goes for less than one of my paychecks!) and also a representative passenger train.  As much as I would like to have a Brass Piper or other big steamer, that's probably not in the cards.  I really like the New Haven-style motor.

Nice!  I have almost an identical set running on my layout.   

NWL

@Nation Wide Lines posted:

Nice!  I have almost an identical set running on my layout.   

NWL

You're right!  Did you get it as a set or piece it together as I did?

@palallin posted:

You're right!  Did you get it as a set or piece it together as I did?

I bought mine as a set, but mine is the uncataloged JC Penney special Nation Wide Lines set, with all of the cars and the engine labeled with Nation Wide Lines plates.

NWL

@Nation Wide Lines posted:

I bought mine as a set, but mine is the uncataloged JC Penney special Nation Wide Lines set, with all of the cars and the engine labeled with Nation Wide Lines plates.

NWL

Wow!  That is really interesting!

Hence your forum moniker?

@palallin posted:

Wow!  That is really interesting!

Hence your forum moniker?

That set and the wall of Nation Wide Lines

NWL

NWL: IMPRESSIVE! :-)

@Tinplate Art posted:

NWL: IMPRESSIVE! :-)

+1!!

Morning waynew:

Sorry for the tardy reply, but life got in the way yesterday.

The history of the Buco model trains from its start in 1947 up to today makes for fascinating reading.

I have attached a link to the latest company (Buco Spur O GmbH) to continue on the Swiss tinplate tradition. https://buco-gmbh.ch/ This website also has a section of the Buco history and goes into a lot of detail about the different manufacturers who tried to keep the legend alive.

The guys (and one gal) that make-up the latest company are all devotees of the original Buco product, and have acquired all of the old machines and presses that were used in the original production. I have a very good relationship with them, and have purchased many of their "new generation" products and special releases over the past 10 years.

They still manufacture the tinplate wagons and passenger carriages in the original style, but with more modern rail names on the litho printing. They have also recommenced building the original "301" and "304" electric locomotives, and these can be made in different colours (brown and red), as well as the original green colour.

I commissioned them to build me a new 304 and a 301 in red, as this colour is very rare. Here are a couple of photos of the new red loco's on my layout. In both instances I have install an ETS (Czech tinplate train company) printed circuit board to convert the AC from my transformers into DC, to run the new Maxon can motors Buco now install, instead of the old open-framed wound stator field coils and armatures.

The Maxon can motor is very powerful, but only comes in DC, so I install the ETS circuit boards. This overcomes the voltage problem, and also allows me to change the loco's direction (and the lights at each end) through a micro switch on the circuit board. There is a small over-voltage button on the Buco transformer's face which can provide a momentary pulse/spike of 24V  to operate the change-of direction. The ETS circuit boards fit perfectly inside the loco bodies, and the new generation loco's then perform just like the old ones, and can be fully controlled from my original Buco AC transformer.

New red coloured 304 loco (longer body 2-4-2) on the station line, and the new red coloured 301 loco (shorter body 0-4-0) on the outer loop. An original green coloured 304 is parked on the siding between the two lines. Lots of original green coloured 301 loco's parked at the end of the station.

Brand new "301" loco built for me by Buco Spur O GmbH toward the end of last year.

I ordered mine with the "sprung" pantographs, so I can differentiate between the new generation loco's and my older original Buco loco's that have fixed panto's. This way I know that I have to bring the loco to a complete stop before using the over-voltage button to change their direction. The ETS circuit boards don't like to get the over-voltage spike while the loco in still travelling!!!!

ETS circuit board in position, and all the new wiring to change the headlight direction to match the loco's direction.

Once again, another big tutorial from this Buco tinplate fanatic!!!!  Sorry.

Peter.....Buco Australia.

Peter: THANK YOU for sharing your genuine passion for, and knowledge of, the Buco brand! :-)

Peter @Buco Never be apologising for sharing your love of all things Buco and edjumakating us

@Don McErlean I have had a lengthy reply and some photos from the infamous Dutchboy!

Rather than me paraphrasing the rather lengthy reply I will drop some relevant snippets from it for your consideration ( Emphasis is mine ) and excuse any misspelling etc as English is not his native language , and Dutchboy!'s english is 500% better than my Dutch !

"

These wooden Railway assecoiries are hard to pinpoint. Because sometimes the manufactor stamped its brand on it but often also the shop that sold it. Or the owner. Stamps can fade or cleaned of as well.

Anyway, I have one that looks close to it and it is stamped “Figura”. See picture.

It mentions “Station” on a piece of paper, which is the Dutch or English word for … station. (so it is not German Bahnhof or French Gare)

I have found out (on a site about Dutch dollhouses for all sake!) that Figura was (just like Simplex) a company that started producing wooden toys (such as this station, signals, vehicles, doll house furnitures and other stuff) just after WW2. The company was in fact located in Amsterdam during the 1950’s.

In fact, the author of the website had contacted the offspring of the founders and there is some nice information on the use of stamps on wooden toys and about the company Figura on it at: https://pwcollections.nl/dollhouses/red_furniture.php
The page shows a bottom of a dollhouse fireplace at the left, stamped “Figura”. This stamp is exactly the same as on my station (see pictures attached). So, as it is information from the off family of the founder I guess this is pretty trustable.

An other option for the sation could be Simplex. As the lettering on the boards is similar to the lettering on signs I have (see picture). I have mentioned this company before. This was a company that also produced wooden signals, signs, garages, cars, educational toys etc for the Dutch market. Mostly it had a little round sticker on the bottom instead of a stamp.
Simplex seized ( ceased ) the production of toys after a few years and focused entirely on production wooden jig-saw puzzles, that were mostly round in shape as they used the round plywood cut-outs that were leftovers from the loudspeakers cases production at Philips electronics factory in Eindhoven.
Actually Simplex was sold I believe druring the 80’s and production under the brandname is now in… China (where else??).

But my first guess for the station would be Figura.

I can imagine some will say it is a BUCO station. BUCO made similar items (and I thought Kibri also) but the BUCO stations had square poles instead of round ones and the platforms were often longer. Colors were different too, less brighter than the Utrecht station.  And of course BUCO did not produce for Dutch market.

He included a couple of photos of the paper stamps and the inkings on the bases of the items I will include for you here

So you can see its very easy for these items over time to lose their identification .. sunlight and play would quickly fade the ink and rub off the paper

And just to prove how crazy and mixed up the world of collecting can be ... Thanks to @Don McErlean and Dutchboy! with this info exchange happening , part of an earlier mail to him from me touched on U.S.A. made Hornby O Gauge which resulted in him sending me a shedload of links for American-style Hornby ...

Now in Colleczione Fatmanos I already have a full set of both the freight and passenger variants made up of mainly UK produced items when the tooling went back to the UK in late 1929 ( after Hornby really producing in the US for pretty much only one full year 1927-8 before the October 29 crash sealed their fate )

I also have a couple of full "Made in the USA" passenger and frieght wagons ...

However naturally Hornby already had some Litho and or stock from the U.S. that also went back to the UK and I am presuming they used this up before re-jigging the litho to be basically the same but with Meccano Liverpool added in for years of production after 1930 ... The American Outlines are not common, but nor are they "rare" because quite a few were made in the UK .

UK produced American outline caboose , ....Pic stolen off invaluable on the web as my stock photos of the ones in my collection dont show it clearly ..

Under the NYC you see the gold boxlitho with "Hornby series , Manuf'd by Meccano L'pool"  on the other side will be a plain "Hornby Series"

But the ORIGINAL U.S.A. ones will have " Hornby Lines Made in the U.S.A" high on each caboose end and a "Hornby Lines " and "Made In the U.S.A. " on the bottom sides FLANKING the NYC and 2528 litho printing.

Well on one of the links Dutchboy! sent me was one in Italy of all places , and the seller did not post to Australia , but DID have very cheap Speediezon postage to Paesi Bassi ( Netherlands) ... and guess what .. it is horrible , and crusty , missing a coupling , and generally not great, which lead to its 15 Euro price tag for sure , but it is indeed a USA produced caboose , that on return to England had the "Made in USA " overpainted by Hornby themselves ... making it the rarest possible combo of all ... Needless to say a quick email and thank Gawd Dutchboy! has a new born who gets him up early on weekends .. because I sent him the money while he was asleep and as soon as he woke he got my message on his phone and he bought it for me LOLOLOL!!!

Are there nicer ones out there ? I am sure there are .. but find me one lol ... til then there is this one to illustrate the history of the great Hornby failure "Coming to America ! "

( Now thats a movie Eddie Murphy should make !)

Edit BTW if ANYONE has a USA Hornby 2527 locomotive they no longer covet in any shape whatsoever this would be a great time to let it come and live with me Dont shoot me for asking lol !

@Fatman posted:

UK produced American outline caboose , ....Pic stolen off invaluable on the web as my stock photos of the ones in my collection dont show it clearly ..

That's a neat looking coupler on that car with that locking bale or "hoop".

.

Fatman and Unnamed Dutch fellow :  THANK YOU for your effort and information on my wooden "Dutch" station stop.  There is no way I could have found out so much in so short a time.  Fatman thank you for posting and taking the time to discuss it in this thread.  Please pass on to your Dutch friend my thanks as well.  OBTW Wife and I travel to Amsterdam this Oct, tell him I owe him a beer for his efforts and he can collect when we hit town (LOL).

Don

@G-Man24 They are the standard Hornby Automatic couplers fitted to tinplate from 1931 on .. simple and effective!

@Don McErlean Not a problem and happy to help! In a bit of coincidence Dutchboy! happens to live and work at one of the destinations on your station .. Eindhoven ! Your thanks have been passed on

OK now to WTF has Fatman found today ???

Well while its not a manufacturer unknown to me, it is however my FIRST locomotive in the collection from that Manufacturer ... and they say you never forget your first ...

From the small firm of Betal in the UK comes this rather wonderful toy-like locomotive...

This marvellous little fellow is really the red-headed step child of the Toy Train family ... He started out life being made for British Bub by a firm called Dunham and White in the UK but were marked "KB british made" Its thought that Dunham and White originally made the tooling for British Bub , but as Dunham White kept the tooling there is a good bet the Bub's didnt pay their bills !  ... and then British Bub kinda fell on its arse ... so Dunham and White retailed them under its own Branding for a year or so before WWII . Of course when war broke out it was all hands on deck and no time for red-headed step childs ...Dunham and White sold the tooling to Betal after the war and Betal produced a number of variations of sets for a while ... but noticibly there were no identifying logos at all .. just British Made ... It's thought a number of smaller manufacturers in the UK did not brand their low end stuff and the giant retailer Woolworths demanded that toys supplied to them be done so without industry branding ...

So this poor little loco was kicked to the kerb and unloved by at least three companies before being vanquished to the world of tin train obscurity ... But hey .. even a red-headed stepchild deserves some lovin

OK, because I've come to learn that "Clockwork guys have a spring in their step", I dedicate this post to you Fatman!!!!

You all know by now I'm a dyed in the wool 3 rail electric Buco tinplate rail fan, but I must remember their humble beginnings back in 1947 when all that Bucherer Buco made were 2 rail clockwork locomotives, and a very small selection of tinplate 2 axle passenger carriages and freight wagons.

Not wishing to omit these poorer cousins from my collection, I have, over the years, obtained (some would say "stole") three (3) such examples of the clockwork variety. Now for everyone's viewing pleasure, I introduce my three neglected "212" clockwork loco's, and the sets that occupied the bright red cartons with the picture of a real Swiss train on the box.

                                                The Buco clockwork train box set

The Buco label identifying what type of train set was in the box...in this case it is a P (passenger train) 212 (clockwork locomotive) /22 (2 passenger carriages # 8688, 8 sections of curved aluminium rail track, and 4 lengths of straight aluminium track). All track pieces came with a patented stainless steel joiner clamps to prevent the track from coming apart when in use.

                             The obligatory Buco key to arm these little devils.

The three (3) different types of passenger train sets that were available/listed in their 1952 catalog. I will show you the set pictured at the top, but I have all of the other passenger and mail carriages listed with the other sets.

Here is the goods train that came in the above set - G (goods train) 212 (clockwork loco) /2 (2 short high-side gondolas # 8660, 8 sections of curved aluminium 2 rail track, and 2 lengths of straight aluminium track). This part of the catalog (the 1952 catalog is the only one that had an English translation, the others were always just in German and French) gives some insight to the numbers attached to the different loco's.

This page of the catalog explains the different gearing of the 212 clockwork loco. It has a low and high forward speed, a neutral position (to wind the key), and a low and high reverse speed, depending on how far you pulled the direction rod out. I get the "2-1-2" sequence, and how they used this system to number the clockwork loco, but I am stuffed if I know how they came up with the 301, 304, and right at the end of the production, the 314 numbers for the electric motor range. Another one of the mysteries of life!!!

                My P212/12 train set - 1 clockwork loco and 2 short passenger carriages.

The 212 clockwork loco also provides the tinplate body and roof/pantographs for the 301 electric loco. The electric loco got working headlights (bulbs instead of chrome discs), chrome handrails to all four doors, and clear plastic strips fitted inside the body for window/windscreen glass. The direction rod is located at the rear on the electric loco, but is positioned at the front of the clockwork loco in all of their photos, probably to make it easier to activate the direction rod.

One of the short wheelbase 3rd class tinplate carriages that came in the set - carriage catalog No. 8671.

                               A peek inside my second clockwork loco, with the roof removed.

A peek from under the loco (albeit a little dark - sorry) of the drive gear, and how it only powers one axle, unlike the electric version that powers both axles.

This is the third clockwork loco train set I have - G 212/2 - with each of the colours (green and brown) the high-side gondola wagons were made in. These wagons are from the very first production in 1947/48 and have the "Type 1" couplers - they are becoming rare and collector items now. The drop link is very pro-typical and thin, and it is awkward to engage over the hook of the joining wagon.

                                                The original thin "Type 1" drop-link coupler

The "Type 2" drop-link coupler that was fitted to the loco's and wagons/passenger carriages beginning around 1950. This coupler was easier to engage over the adjoining hook, and was also compatible with the Marklin (German) coupling used on their "O" gauge 3 rail trains. The Buco "hook" would slide into the Marklin coupling in the same way as the Marklin coupler did, so Buco and Marklin wagons and carriages could be used together in a consist.

Well, that's the second tutorial you lot have had to sit through, and I apologize yet again.

Footnote: Just to spice things up, I sometimes add a clockwork loco to the end of a freight consist, or double-head it with an electric loco. I just put the clockwork loco in "neutral" and it gets towed around giving the impression it is helping to push/pull the long freight train. Welcome to my fantasies!!!

Peter.....Buco Australia.

Sunday's Run

Tuesday's Run

Scott Smith