@G-Man24 posted:Amazing find and amazing condition for a 1908 train . I'm curious about that metal sphere in the cab is that the on/off lever for the clockwork mechanism ?
when the train has entered the ship, the wire is pushed under the locomotive and this metal sphere is raised. The brake is then applied.
When the ship arrives on the other side, the wire below is released and the metal sphere falls down under its own weight and the train continues.
Arne
Those looking at my messages recently have seen that almost all of the fotos focus on the operating layout. But, in a second room is my "office museum". From time to time I've posted the "Wall of Trains" and the Fireplace Display from this room. Today I'd like to share with you the North Wall Display which now includes from the right -- 3 Bing and 1 Cabo station, my collection of Minic buses and railway vans, and in the upper left corner my Western Hobbycraft trolleys. You might also note the relatively rare Minic blue and cream double decker and the custom flags I had made for the Bing 10/236 sandstone station.
Lew Schneider
@Arne posted:when the train has entered the ship, the wire is pushed under the locomotive and this metal sphere is raised. The brake is then applied.
When the ship arrives on the other side, the wire below is released and the metal sphere falls down under its own weight and the train continues.
ArneFantastic bit of mechanical ingenuity. I wonder if any of those layouts with the water survived.
Fantastic bit of mechanical ingenuity. I wonder if any of those layouts with the ship have survived...
@G-Man24 posted:Fantastic bit of mechanical ingenuity. I wonder if any of those layouts with the ship have survived...
Hello Gerry,
yes one of them is in the Issmayer book from Michael Bowes. You can see a complete previev of the book at Blurb.
The boat train is on the pages 134/135
Arne
Wow, tinplate folks what a week. Arnie...I have a small book on Issmayer and it does mention the "boat train" but only shows the illustration you had in your post, candidly I never thought I would ever see any part of it in real life. What a find, thank you for posting. Fatman - great Hornby long splasher loco with nut and bolt motor and the two clockwork 00 engines especially the box cab were just fantastic. Daniel your green long spasher in the box with the matching coaches - wow! And Lewrail - what a fantastic layout. Super! Thanks again to all for the pictures.
My contribution today is almost trivial by comparison, however it does extend a little sequence I have been on lately to gather up some pre-war (?) signals and signs. This one is an official MYSTERY as it contains no indication of its maker. It is most likely pre-war (no electronics, no plastics, manually operated) but it is not marked with either a country of origin or its maker.
I suspect it to be American Flyer (Chicago Flyer) due to a comparison of the base with some other pre-war Flyer signals posted on this thread a few weeks ago. The diameter and rise of the "dish" at the bottom of the stalk is identical. The color is also very similar but color changes with age so I doubt that means much. ANYONE (NWL, GregTunitti,etc ) who has added signals and information on these things to my earlier posts please comment if you have seen this before.
It is a very simplistic (but cute! ) RR crossing sign. In the first picture the "lights" are not lit and so it would be a "go". In the second picture, the red lights are "lit" and it would be a stop. The change from open to red is affected by a red painted screen or flat piece of sheet metal that is slid, via quite an arrangement of levers in the rear, down to block the holes and show through. The center top of the staff was painted red (now worn off) and did not appear to have any lettering and the identification "Railroad Crossing" is lettered below the cross bar.
Any and all help in identifying this Warning Sign (Crossing Sign) would be most appreciated.
Best wishes for a great week
Don
@Don McErlean posted:Wow, tinplate folks what a week. Arnie...I have a small book on Issmayer and it does mention the "boat train" but only shows the illustration you had in your post, candidly I never thought I would ever see any part of it in real life. What a find, thank you for posting. Fatman - great Hornby long splasher loco with nut and bolt motor and the two clockwork 00 engines especially the box cab were just fantastic. Daniel your green long spasher in the box with the matching coaches - wow! And Lewrail - what a fantastic layout. Super! Thanks again to all for the pictures.
My contribution today is almost trivial by comparison, however it does extend a little sequence I have been on lately to gather up some pre-war (?) signals and signs. This one is an official MYSTERY as it contains no indication of its maker. It is most likely pre-war (no electronics, no plastics, manually operated) but it is not marked with either a country of origin or its maker.
I suspect it to be American Flyer (Chicago Flyer) due to a comparison of the base with some other pre-war Flyer signals posted on this thread a few weeks ago. The diameter and rise of the "dish" at the bottom of the stalk is identical. The color is also very similar but color changes with age so I doubt that means much. ANYONE (NWL, GregTunitti,etc ) who has added signals and information on these things to my earlier posts please comment if you have seen this before.
It is a very simplistic (but cute! ) RR crossing sign. In the first picture the "lights" are not lit and so it would be a "go". In the second picture, the red lights are "lit" and it would be a stop. The change from open to red is affected by a red painted screen or flat piece of sheet metal that is slid, via quite an arrangement of levers in the rear, down to block the holes and show through. The center top of the staff was painted red (now worn off) and did not appear to have any lettering and the identification "Railroad Crossing" is lettered below the cross bar.
Any and all help in identifying this Warning Sign (Crossing Sign) would be most appreciated.
Best wishes for a great week
Don
Flyer, but don’t recall the model number.
Steve
Steve: Thank you for responding! I searched my Lionel, Mike Bowes books on UK trains, Hornby, Marx and Ives reference material and could not find it. Thus my suspicion it was Chicago Flyer...this is the one "hole" I have in my reference material, almost no data on early Flyer accessories (cars, locos, etc but not accessories). Thank you for the information.
Don
@Don McErlean posted:Wow, tinplate folks what a week. Arnie...I have a small book on Issmayer and it does mention the "boat train" but only shows the illustration you had in your post, candidly I never thought I would ever see any part of it in real life. What a find, thank you for posting. Fatman - great Hornby long splasher loco with nut and bolt motor and the two clockwork 00 engines especially the box cab were just fantastic. Daniel your green long spasher in the box with the matching coaches - wow! And Lewrail - what a fantastic layout. Super! Thanks again to all for the pictures.
My contribution today is almost trivial by comparison, however it does extend a little sequence I have been on lately to gather up some pre-war (?) signals and signs. This one is an official MYSTERY as it contains no indication of its maker. It is most likely pre-war (no electronics, no plastics, manually operated) but it is not marked with either a country of origin or its maker.
I suspect it to be American Flyer (Chicago Flyer) due to a comparison of the base with some other pre-war Flyer signals posted on this thread a few weeks ago. The diameter and rise of the "dish" at the bottom of the stalk is identical. The color is also very similar but color changes with age so I doubt that means much. ANYONE (NWL, GregTunitti,etc ) who has added signals and information on these things to my earlier posts please comment if you have seen this before.
It is a very simplistic (but cute! ) RR crossing sign. In the first picture the "lights" are not lit and so it would be a "go". In the second picture, the red lights are "lit" and it would be a stop. The change from open to red is affected by a red painted screen or flat piece of sheet metal that is slid, via quite an arrangement of levers in the rear, down to block the holes and show through. The center top of the staff was painted red (now worn off) and did not appear to have any lettering and the identification "Railroad Crossing" is lettered below the cross bar.
Any and all help in identifying this Warning Sign (Crossing Sign) would be most appreciated.
Best wishes for a great week
Don
Don,
You are correct, it is an American Flyer, the number of which escapes me at the moment. You have the earlier version which has the rod to move the hidden red parts. The later ones do not have the moveable rod.
NWL
@Nation Wide Lines posted:Don,
You are correct, it is an American Flyer, the number of which escapes me at the moment. You have the earlier version which has the rod to move the hidden red parts. The later ones do not have the moveable rod.
NWL
Model 223 in the 1932 catalog.
Steve
#223 it is:
And it comes in two colors:
Sorry for the fuzzy photo
And the green version comes with and without the activating rods.
Northwoods Flyer
Greg
Greg, NWL, Steve : Fantastic - what a response, THANK YOU! I now know that its #223, American Flyer, comes in green and blue, and the top where mine is long faded and gone once said "Danger" and its the earlier version with the rod to activate. WOW due entirely to you three, my knowledge of this little guy has really gone up.
Thank you all again for your response
Don
@Don McErlean posted:Greg, NWL, Steve : Fantastic - what a response, THANK YOU! I now know that its #223, American Flyer, comes in green and blue, and the top where mine is long faded and gone once said "Danger" and its the earlier version with the rod to activate. WOW due entirely to you three, my knowledge of this little guy has really gone up.
Thank you all again for your response
Don
Actually, per Greg's catalog image, I see that I was wrong in saying that it is the earlier version. There are two descriptions in that image, one is the 223 which has the operating lever and the other, which is described as "same as above, but without operating lever" is the 203.
Oh, and the color does not have anything to do with it being a 203 or 223. I have both the 203 and 223 in green.
NWL
NWL: Thank you for pointing that out...my mental computer is "updating" as we speak 
Don
sure miss doing bigger shows. So many happy faces.
https://youtu.be/HwuhJ_xdFvs
Steve
Anybody know anything about the blimp hanger in "Papa's" video?
Charlie
@CPC posted:Anybody know anything about the blimp hanger in "Papa's" video?
Charlie
It’s by Tucher & Walter. This one is actually a locomotive shed, but repurposed. They did make a blimp hanger with a different name on it.
Steve
Great to see the clockwork get a run Steve !!! 
even some Technofix 
I love the Blimp Hanger as well 
However I feel I have let the team down this week ... with NOTHING new at Casa Fatmanos 
( its a sad sad time )
Here have a sad lonely Schuco Clockwork mouse as a compensatory post 
He's in remakable nick for his age and the abuse most suffered .....
@Arne posted:A few news in the collection.
Beckh train indicator from around 1940.
Arne
Great piece. Love the corrugated roof and other details in it and the fact that it has a lamp to illuminate the map/schedule.
Like our friend FM I have nothing new to offer this week . However, I was moving some "stuff" around to store it for the summer months and it struck me how well these two items play well together.
The Lionel mountain backdrops you see were not sold with the Scenic Park (1932-33) in the foreground they actually belong to the earlier Scenic Railway layout (1924-1928) but it would have made a nice combination for someone looking for "right- out-of-the-box" landscaping. Lay some Standard Gage track around it and you were ready to go !
Could this be considered early "kit bashing" ? :-)
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