Tinplate photos 📸 and videos 📽

What great posts!  Daniel, thanks for the info on the baggage car in your JEP Golden Arrow set.  It certainly is a unique configuration and one that I have never seen before.  Arne - beautiful locos for sure.  Well my contribution today is considerably more mundane, although not for me.  I have had the Lionel #252 loco from 1927-28 for many years but I could not find the proper passenger cars to go with it.  Lionel used the #252 in a number of colors actually in set # 294 but the Lt. Olive color came with matching Lt Olive #529 Pullmans and #530 Observation.  I had the (supposedly) more valuable terra - cotta color but simply could not locate the Lt. Olive.  Finally on e-bay I was able to secure at least the #529 Pullmans (still have the #530 to go) in the Lt. Olive color scheme.  The #252 + two #529 Pullmans + #530 observation in the Lt Olive scheme was Lionel set #294 in 1927-28.  So at this point I have 4/5 of the set!!  By the way for trivia buffs, the #529/530 was exactly the same car as the #629/630 but Lionel (in 1927) charged $.15 more per car for the #529's.  Now $.15 in 1927 was not a trifling sum as it is today, for 2 Pullmans and an observation that was almost 1/2 a dollar.  Why so much more for just a different number ?  Lionel claimed it was due to the presence of the blue celluloid window treatments over the windows in the #529's ...who knows, but you can see the treatments in the following photo.

Here are the two Pullmans, note the blue celluloid treatment over the windows .  By the way, I know that there are no wheels and axles on the cars...they came with the proper ones but I have them cleaning and will replace them tomorrow.  These cars did not have journal boxes in 1927-28 so that is accurate.  These frames, properly, do not have the slots for journal boxes so they are correct.

Here is a close up of one of the cars.  you can see the window treatment, the fact that the frame is properly embossed with  two springs over each axle and a simulated air tank and steps under each door.  The earlier cars, even in this color scheme have rubber stamping on the bottom of the frame stating..."Lionel Lines, made in USA" however in 1927-28 they replaced that rubber stamping which what is called an "oil label", just a paper label glued to the bottom of the frame giving lubrication instructions.  These cars do have the appropriate oil label.

Well not the most rare or valuable, but the end of a (Partial) long term search for me.  I now have most of the correct consist for my 252 loco.

Have a great weekend everyone

Don

My contribution today are some photos of my cleaning efforts today.

I have had this Zephyr for about a year and I have had it set aside, waiting to be polished and cleaned.  A friend of mine told me how to clean the vestibules and other plated parts that have oxidized and turned green.  Here is the before picture

Both the vestibule and front window frame are showing this green tint.  I dipped a qtip into some rust and blue remover, rubbed the metal until the oxidation went away and then sprayed everything with WD-40.  Here is the end result.

NWL

@Nation Wide Lines posted:

My contribution today are some photos of my cleaning efforts today.

I have had this Zephyr for about a year and I have had it set aside, waiting to be polished and cleaned.  A friend of mine told me how to clean the vestibules and other plated parts that have oxidized and turned green.  Here is the before picture

Both the vestibule and front window frame are showing this green tint.  I dipped a qtip into some rust and blue remover, rubbed the metal until the oxidation went away and then sprayed everything with WD-40.  Here is the end result.

NWL

wow,i have one that someone sprayed with silver paint,,,,will keep this in mind,,,so you didnt have to use a buffing wheel???

@terry hudon posted:

wow,i have one that someone sprayed with silver paint,,,,will keep this in mind,,,so you didnt have to use a buffing wheel???

No buffing wheel used.  I only cleaned the cadmium plated parts (doors, trucks, vestibules, and front window frame) that were oxidized/green.  Simply used a q-tip to clean, WD-40 and a rag to clean the cleaned surface with. 

For the aluminum parts, the only thing I cleaned was the roofs and I used aluminum wheel cleaner.  The roofs were not that bad, just some light buffing. 

@pd As Arne said his King George is prewar ( 30's) , The Britannia and Royal Scot are early post war Brimtoy I believe

Ok today I have some real roughies !!!

First up was a set of Robilt tracks and tanker and open wagon that went for next to nothing praise be to the seller who didnt know what it was and listed it in just the normal toys section !

Not terrific to look at , but in any condition Robilt is pretty collectible here , but even better , as I already have a loco and tender ( in slightly better shape) that goes with all this to make a COMPLETE Robilt set ... Good things come to those who wait ( and stalk ! )

Next off the block is a deal struck with my Dutchy mate , who a couple of weeks ago sent me a photo of a spoorwegen/triebwagen ( or rail motor) he recently found with a very crude spring drive mechanism to see if I knew anything about it ... I didnt, and still dont ! ... but at the time he postulated it might be a well made, home built contraption with the crude spray paint livery obviously done with a template, masking sheet... But it really appealed to the "collector " in me , however I knew he probably wasnt going to part with it ( I wouldnt lol ) so I didnt really ask ... and then this week he emails me saying he's found another one listed on a local Dutch Buy/Sell page , along with some ADRIA carriages and tender ... Right says I .. this must become ours! so we made an offer and it came thru

I am keeping the railmotor, the Distler(?) ESSO wagon and the ADRIA tender ( its better than the one I have) , he will keep the tracks, mettoy bridge, and ADRIA carriages ( to restore) and we both got a good deal ! This second Railmotor is a bit rougher than his original example , but as the spray job is identical , its now obvious that some small Dutch Manufacturer must have made them ?

If any of our Europe Specialists can put a name to these I would be super grateful , otherwise they will be forever added to the Mystery Pile ( and I HATE the mystery pile! )

Driveline...

Dutchy's railmotor

And Mine ( which needs a connecting rivet )

Both reunited after who knows how many years ?

Dutchy assures me they appear to be styled after a form of railcar in the Netherlands in the 50's

Any ideas Brain Trust ?

This was my tables at today’s meet. Almost all tin. This was the best turnout since we started the parking lot meets to comply with current virus protocols

Steve

Lots of nice pieces, Steve. Standard gauge Pride Lines Mickey Mouse shells? I recently picked up the o-gauge trio.

@Carey TeaRose thank you for clarifying for me! Much appreciated! As is clear with your wonderful American Flyer Litho Land And other members’ layouts- when you collect & operatetoy trains you start collecting some other things too and/or incorporate things we’ve previously collected into our train layouts.

With die-cast, lead, hollowcast soldiers, thats something I’ve always collected, but now focus on .9” to 1.5” figures(25mm to about 40mm)-now I obviously collect a variety of such figures. Anyway, as it pertains to your Dinky die-cast figures, While researching die-cast vehicles, which I’ve always liked but started to collect b/c of trains, I came across the fact that Dinky made soldiers and then saw that they made o gauge figures! Even says so on the front of the box. I hope to get some myself one day.

@Fatman posted:

Kibri or Beckh ...that is a fantastic piece of tin.

@Fatman posted:

If any of our Europe Specialists can put a name to these I would be super grateful , otherwise they will be forever added to the Mystery Pile ( and I HATE the mystery pile! )

Any ideas Brain Trust ?

Fatman,

it´s a dutch model, so I had asked Fred. Was made by a small manufacturer called "Wester Metaalwarenfabriek" which existed from 1955 to 1959 and is practically unknown.

The train can be seen at the beginning of this video.

Arne

Terrific THANK YOU @Arne ... I was actually searching the web yesterday for Fred @sncf231e 's email for exactly the same purpose  , but hes an elusive bugger LOL ! There isnt even a contact me on his website I even contemplated leaving him a "call me " in the comments at youtube LOL!

Can you pass on to him my share of eternal thanks for this as well .... I miss the fellow!

Our Dutch friend, Fred, is definitely "da man" with his exquisite collection and that fantastic multi-rail outdoor layout! I so DEARLY miss his posts on this forum, but RESPECT his decision! :-)

Showing my Marx castle and my vintage Barclay skaters and sledders. This is near the 115 Station and Pride Lines passenger shed on my Upstairs Standard Gauge layout.  I re-invented the castle as “Castle’s Playland” (donated by Mr. Castle to the town) winter sports facility with a skating rink and sled run.

NICE!  :-)

Little bit quiet in here again so here is this weeks finds from me

From Dutch buy and sell place it looks like this Ottmar Beckh OB700 loco and consist shall be headed my way

Ignore the tin "whatever " in the smokestack lol I think someone "value added " it

Also missing roof on one carriage , but elsewise pretty complete ...

And just because I liked it .. a little vintage Diecast 0-6-0 locomotive from Budgie/Morestone in the UK late 40's/50's

Leipziger Bahnhof bei Nacht.

JKE: Der Schone bahnhof! Danke, mein herr!  :-)

Guys: Keep 'em comin!

A high voltage model from JdP, later became JEP, dating from 1924-25. I always enjoy running high voltage models, just have to take care and they are not more dangerous than classic 20v ones.

Have a nice weekend,  Daniel

First summer heat wave is on its way so it’s inside playing trains this weekend for me.. Hope to run the 1948 Maurlyn Clockwork Silver Chief set again this weekend..

Daniel: NICE engine and  interesting controller!

Nice find @Fatman!

https://ogrforum.com/...3#152477233913387873

They are the later ROBILT (Hornby style) rolling stock from when Rytime took over the reigns and formed ROBILT-Rytime c1955 IIRC. Quite hard to find these and it looks like you got them at a good price to!!

@Jamie Thompson I was holding my breath for 7 days expecting to get blown out of the water lol

But every now and then you find something where others dont and you end up taking it home ...

On the more recent front the Ottmar Beckh has arrived at Dutchy Mates and has had a radical "Chimonectomy" where the offending bit of tinware was plucked from where it was shoved in a tense groundbreaking Dutch Surgery !

Gratuitous before and after pic !

Sooooo much sexier after her nose job!

@Fatman posted:

@Jamie Thompson I was holding my breath for 7 days expecting to get blown out of the water lol

But every now and then you find something where others dont and you end up taking it home ...

On the more recent front the Ottmar Beckh has arrived at Dutchy Mates and has had a radical "Chimonectomy" where the offending bit of tinware was plucked from where it was shoved in a tense groundbreaking Dutch Surgery !

Gratuitous before and after pic !

Sooooo much sexier after her nose job!

I find it interesting that the red tube has tabs on it, indicating that it was originally designed to be a part of something.  Somewhere, somebody is desperately looking for that part.

Arrived today, a Fandor Caboose from the 20s.

Looks very similar to the Bing Caboose, but was not made with the same tools.

Arne

Arne,

That Fandor caboose is in fabulous condition!

NWL

Well tinplate fans, I can tell you that I always take away from this post a wide variety of things that despite my years of collecting I have never heard of before.  Fatman - you continue to amaze with that Ottmar Beckh locomotive and cars,   Never saw nor heard of that make before, thanks for posting.  Jamie Thompson - Wow another first for me...a Maurlyn Silver Chief, another brand that is a first for me.  It illustrates how in the post war "boom" many manufacturers pushed out toy trains to satisfy what must have seemed to them an insatiable market.  I know I got my first set (Lionel) at 3 years old in 1947 (not sure it wasn't more for Dad and Grandad however )   Daniel - you are more brave than I , messing with that 220 V power for trains!  Wow I bet "mom" really loved letting her kids play with that.  Your mechanism for varying the power into the tracks however, was also used in the US.  In fact I have some pictures of a speed control using 3 or 4 light bulbs in a row and you could speed up or slow down the train by turning each bulb individually on or off.  By the way, Europe was not the only place where you could get somewhat dangerous toys, in the 1920's I have a Lionel flyer showing "kids" how to make a power source for their trains by creating a battery with glass tubes filled with sulfuric acid!

OK so what is my input this week.  Well first of all its not tinplate...although it could be used with tinplate trains and in the more common versions of this kit many of us had this item on our layouts.  To me it is a bit of a mystery.  It is what I would have called a "Plasticville" Red/white Cape Cod house, very similar to the style of houses Steve Eastman showed back on 11/17 but all plastic not metal.  The mystery comes from the packaging and the box not the contents.  As you will see, nowhere on the box does the word "Plasticville" appear and even the maker ,  referred to in tiny letters on the bottom of the box (would not be visible in a picture) as "Bach Bros"  (likely a shortened version of "Bachman"?).  In addition, although the house is clearly sized for O-gauge toy trains, nowhere on the box does it show the toy being used that way nor does any of the advertisement relate to toy trains.  In fact it clearly markets itself as a "construction"type toy and also somewhat unique for the time period shows BOTH boys and girls having fun playing with it.  It does mention "Christmas Gardens" which is an old term for decorating under the tree but emphasizes "year round play".

Here is the top of the box, somewhat worse for wear but fully complete.  You can see it is being marketed to both boys and girls who are BOTH building the house (unlike toy trains at the time which always showed "brother" running the trains and "sister" watching ) and emphasizes "construction" and of course the fact that it is "educational" .  Looking at the clothing outfits the children in the illustration are wearing, I would guess the 1930's or so but its hard to be definite.  If you look carefully at the open circle at the lower right, you can see it is stamped "red" .  We know this kit came in several colors so I expect that the box would be the same except a different color stamp used to differentiate between the kits.

Side of the box - again the theme is "construction".

top and bottom of box - "Build a House" is the theme.

Here are the contents of the box.  You can see it is more or less the ordinary Cape Cod house that we all know from the Plasticville line - note missing the chimney.  This is the least interesting part of this antique store find to me.  It was the box and its unusual advertising that caught my attention.  If any of you Plasticville collectors can tell me...is this an early box, before the marketing of plasticville to the toy train community ?? or is it a late box when the manufacturer tried to broaden the appeal???

Well, that is my post for this weekend.  Keep hunting everyone!!

Don

This week a completely new item, just arrived in the mail today.

A seemingly unremarkable set, 3188 locomotive from 1931 with no reverse, log, gondola, box, and caboose.

Only thing that is slightly rare is the dark blue log car.

However, the set came in its original box, which is what makes it interesting.  The set is labeled for Nation Wide Lines.

The artwork is slightly off from the set, as the artwork shows the Old Dominion set of 1930-1931, which features a 3195 engine and smaller tender (as shown in the artwork, but not found in the set)  The artwork for the Old Dominion set is below

As you may have guessed from my username Nation Wide Lines, I like these sets made for JC Penney.  The early set labels are shown below.

These set labels were used from c. 1929 to c. 1930 and featured sets that were lithographed with JC Penney's store brand "Nation Wide"  similar to set 126/2 below.

However, as the Great Depression went on, the fortunes of JC Penney declined and they no longer were able to get specially lithographed sets.

The later NWL sets appear to be from c. 1931 and had differing labels.  The big difference is the labels showed the individual sets (or a reasonable representation of the set) and all of the sets were standard American Flyer items.

Set 128/1

Set 128/11

NWL

@Don McErlean the art on that box reminds me of an English construction set available about the same time and right up until the 60's the Bayko Construction sets

Although they were a different method of constrction , many UK train modellers used them . They were a bit like Lego but instead of interlocking pieces the bases had holes in the into which rods were inserted and the pieces all had holes which then slid onto the vertical rods , much like building a besser or breeze block wall in real life

While I might find obscure things ( or in effect not limit myself to one country or continent) embracing all manufacturers of clockwork  @Arne or Frenchy @FRENCHTRAINS always trump me in finding hard to find stuff in really good condition. I am like the junkyard dog picking at the scraps comparatively LOL!!!

Ottmar Beckh is the firm who bought out Adolph Schuhmann ( thanks to the Nazi Party yet again ) in 1939 and continued trading til 1973 ... they did Ogauge directly after the war but managed to semi succesfully board the HO train craze later with mainly battery powered sets in the 1960's

My Dutch friend has decided to let me have the ADRIA consist as well as the Spring drive railcar so kindly identified by @Arne via @sncf231e that we bought the other week , so some more rarities head south ... Again not great quality , but find me better ones LOL!

So this brings the ADRIA collection to in total one loco, 2 tenders and FOUR carriages

the "new " ones

I think @Fatman that we all learn from each other; we do not all collect the same thing and not all have the same possibilities to find stuff.  The forum covers three continents and it allows a lot of opportunities and discoveries of all kind. Some stuff is more common in a place than in another one, many of the trains you present are not easy to find in France, except maybe on auction sites, for me I prefer hunting in flee markets and shows. For the moment it is nowhere due to pandemic restrictions so no many new discoveries actually.

@Don McErlean  using high voltage for trains was a common practice a long time ago, as live steam models, chemical experiences also.... some very hazardous experiments have been made by young boys in those times, security was a little different, today we are subject to too many rules of all kinds, but it is just my opinion. It was a way to learn the basics of electricity and mechanic.

Today i will just run a classic Lionel model in standard gauge of the Baby State set, original one of course. I am still missing the #310 railway mail car in the same condition, if someone has an extra one for sale do not hesitate to contact me....

Daniel

Fatman and French Trains / Daniel :  Thank you for your comments and information.  Fatman I agree that the art work on the Bayco toy certainly resembles the artwork on my "House Construction" Toy.  The marketing is similar as well, emphasizing the construction aspect of the toy not what you might do with the house / structure after its built.  I like that both toys show BOTH boys and girls playing together in the construction of the house.  So many of the Lionel ads I have show sister (and sometimes Mom as well) looking on while Dad and brother get to play with the trains.  Daniel - wonderful set, I always liked the "baby state set" as its size seemed somewhat more reasonable to me.  Beautiful set for sure.  I also agree Daniel that I miss the "hunt" at local flea markets and train shows.  We have not had a train show in our TCA Division since last January!.

Best Wishes and good hunting

Don

Finished my American flyer Wide gauge NYC Pacemaker caboose. It looks good with my Pacemaker box car and And Gray 4644. Now  I need a few more cars that would be typical for a NYC freight train.

The one thing the caboose is missing is a second ladder. I tried Port Line Hobby but he's out. If anyone has ( the rounder top type) that they would sell please let me know.

Ron Fox’s latest item in his “Fox for Ferris” range is a cable flat car. Mine is the black sheep of the family as I ordered mine with Hornby couplers and not the usual Ferris couplers so I could run it behind my Hornby and ROBILT locos.. The chassis is in crinkle black replicating the finish Ferris used on some of there C38 locomotives.

So Arne, now you will have to start the hunt for the New York members of the Fandor caboose club. 

Hello,
this week, I have found a curious Issmayer loco with a lever outside the cab.

The front wheel part was missing, so I had made my own.

The lever is for start and stop.

I also found the locomotive in Michael Bowes' Issmayer book, but in green (page 159).
But the lever seems to be missing in place, at the point of the shaft you can see a slightly rusty spot, as if the lever had broken off.

Since the tender is missing, she got a temporary replacement, which is the wrong color, but I think it was made in the same time.

Greetings
Arne

Weathered Tinplate

    One of the many details scale modelers attend to when building their railroad empires is that of giving rolling stock and line side details a weathered finish.  Not including basket cases in need of restoration, weathering is not something one normally associates with tinplate. However, it is something that at least two manufacturers of toy trains took into consideration with some of their product.

  A number of years ago I saw my first example of a hand painted Bing Kalkwagen (lime transport) in what one might charitably describe as "poor" condition.  In addition to it's beat up shape I noticed someone had splattered white paint across part of the top and ends of the car.

  I happened to mention the paint splatters to a collector who specialized in Bing and he told me it was the standard paint treatment for that car. The idea being to give the impression of lime dust - weathering tinplate style.  Time passed and I managed to find and purchase a nice hand painted example (car on right) which I added to the collection.

   A couple of weeks ago a lithographed version of this car showed up on E-bay with a buy-it-now...so I bought it (car on left).

  As you can see, the lithographed detail includes the lime dust weathering.  The litho car is simpler in construction - litho has replaced the need for side embossing and instead of being a separate piece of metal the roof is now a single hinged hatch.

   The only other tinplate fresh-from-the-factory weathered look of which I'm aware is the un-named Ives O gauge set #476 offered in 1929.  It was described as "gray with black mottled effect simulating an alkali dust-covered train having passed through the Mojave Desert." Collectors call it the Mojave Desert Train.  I've never seen a real life example of this set but on page 66 in Robinson's book "Made in the Ives Shops" there is a small picture of the engine and the observation car.

The formation of the German Deutsche Reichsbahn (German National Railways) in 1920 foretold a major change in the Marklin line of model trains that was to commence in 1928. The introduction of the Model HR Pacific (4-6-2) steam loco model in 1929 represented what some consider the pinnacle of Marklin’s steam locomotive modeling. The HR was offered that year in four versions: two in 0 gauge (live steam and electric,) and two in gauge 1, also live steam and electric. They were lacquered in green and black with trim lines in red. This video shows a first series Marklin 1 gauge HR 64-13021 (1929-31) pulling two Marklin CIWL (Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits) Marklin cars. The cars are: first, a 57cm Marklin 1942 J Speiswagen (diner) 1934-42; and second, a 53cm Marklin 1947 J  Schlafwagen (sleeping car) 1930-37. (Reference: Technical Toys in the Course of Time, Vol. 9, The Golden Twenties.)

@Carey TeaRose posted:

Cannot remember if I shared pic(s) recently of the still-a-work-in-progress American Flyer O Gauge area (I lovingly refer to it as American Flyer Litho-Land) on the new layout... please forgive me if I'm being redundant. A few new items have been added recently.

Love the original "passenger shelter".

@Jim Kelly-Evans posted:

The formation of the German Deutsche Reichsbahn (German National Railways) in 1920 foretold a major change in the Marklin line of model trains that was to commence in 1928. The introduction of the Model HR Pacific (4-6-2) steam loco model in 1929 represented what some consider the pinnacle of Marklin’s steam locomotive modeling. The HR was offered that year in four versions: two in 0 gauge (live steam and electric,) and two in gauge 1, also live steam and electric. They were lacquered in green and black with trim lines in red. This video shows a first series Marklin 1 gauge HR 64-13021 (1929-31) pulling two Marklin CIWL (Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits) Marklin cars. The cars are: first, a 57cm Marklin 1942 J Speiswagen (diner) 1934-42; and second, a 53cm Marklin 1947 J  Schlafwagen (sleeping car) 1930-37. (Reference: Technical Toys in the Course of Time, Vol. 9, The Golden Twenties.)

Jim, the items in your collection and your knowledge of them is amazing, and seeing them in operation is phenomenal.  Thank you for taking your trains off the shelf and putting them on the rails.  I always enjoy your posts.

I hate to be morbid, but I hope that your information is being cataloged so that future generations of train buffs can take advantage of it.  The details which exist only in the minds (and basements) of a few talented individuals such as yourself needs to be saved.

@Mallard4468 posted:

I find it interesting that the red tube has tabs on it, indicating that it was originally designed to be a part of something.  Somewhere, somebody is desperately looking for that part.

Your smokestack looks like one from the smaller Lionel powerstation.

Scott Smith

Arne: That is ONE FINE Fandor caboose! Also like Daniel's "Baby State" set! Of course, JKE's exquisite Marklin engine is the proverbial "cat's meow"!

@Mallard4468 posted:

Jim, the items in your collection and your knowledge of them is amazing, and seeing them in operation is phenomenal.  Thank you for taking your trains off the shelf and putting them on the rails.  I always enjoy your posts.

I hate to be morbid, but I hope that your information is being cataloged so that future generations of train buffs can take advantage of it.  The details which exist only in the minds (and basements) of a few talented individuals such as yourself needs to be saved.

Thanks, much appreciated. The historical aspect has always enhanced my enjoyment of our hobby. I've tried to share what information I have freely with fellow hobbyists.

Some little clockwork models by JdP-JEP, dating from around 1928. The first one is a complete set with accessories.

And three variations around the same model. the green one is stamped GN on the tender sides, model for export in Great Britain. The two other ones have a more french look.

Have a nice weekend and take care, Daniel

So much goodness above!!! ^^^^^

Sometimes fate is a marvellous thing .... I have been striking out a lot and not finding too much lately within my tightarse means ... so much so that I actually deviated the other week and picked up a Vintage Danish Tekno motor as a kind of therapy ( lol ) However it can be used to run tinplate accesories so it counts right ?

Very dirty but I see no reason why it will not run again with some TLC .

But then fate stepped in and presented to me something I have been wanting for a very long time , and usually I could never justify the spend, as for what they are they cost a bit, but here was a lonely soul looking for a new owner and it had a LOT of value added upgrades, which many say are necessary, and the start price was pretty much the cost of the upgrades ... I sat on it for a week with no bids .... then with 24 hours to go of course it got one ... and I was 100% knowing I could not justify a bid war ... so I waited for 10 seconds to go and hit it with my very upper limit , expecting failure ... and it closed with a $5 premium on the opening amount ... The dude only bid the exact start bid ???

So yep coming is ...

Soooo...it's a Mamod SL-1 Steam Locomotive runs on O gauge as a narrow gauge style locomotive ... and the best part it's been converted to gas-fired boiler, and full radio control ( speed & reversing)

So, its not VINTAGE vintage, indeed its probably the latest timeline loco I own but man I wanted this all the way back in the 80's .. Forty years later ....

@Fatman posted:

I have always wanted a Mamod too. Please post a video when you get it fired up.

@Fatman posted:

So much goodness above!!! ^^^^^

Sometimes fate is a marvellous thing .... I have been striking out a lot and not finding too much lately within my tightarse means ... so much so that I actually deviated the other week and picked up a Vintage Danish Tekno motor as a kind of therapy ( lol ) However it can be used to run tinplate accesories so it counts right ?

Sorry Fatman, again no. This motor was made by Trix in Germany. Was an accessory for an metal construction kit.

Arne

Nice @Fatman   Mamod has made a very good loco and it was my first live steam engine also... "some" years ago and I still have it. The one i have is a basic model but yours have been greatly improved and must be nice to run.  The only problem with those locs is the flanges of the wheels are not very deep and that is a problem to use it on classic tinplate tracks; it also is sometime a speedy model.... and derails easily but that is part of the fun.

Daniel

@Arne posted:

Sorry Fatman, again no. This motor was made by Trix in Germany. Was an accessory for an metal construction kit.

Arne

Aha .. I looked at the fact it might be Trix .. but some Trix ones I have seen had TRIX stamped into the horseshoe magnet pole ?

Tekno must have got them from the same manufacturing plant lol ( most likely Trix as you say)

So its either a Trix without the stamping ( which further searching now shows me is possible) or a Tekno with the sticker removed Both firms had red and green variants

But based on probability you are probably right in it being Trix

Always living and learning !

Oh and for some AWESOME building work .. check out the Tekno built log mill I found on Youtube

Powered by SIX of these type motors

Fatman,

sorry was a missunderstanding, it´s all made by Trix, but in Danmark the sets was sold by Tekno under the own trademark.

Here a history of the Trix motors.

Trix

Arne

Video from last night.

Scott Smith

@Fatman nice find- as usual. You have been bringing great tin to this thread. I’m now both “jealous” of your life down under And tin! How I wish to get back to Australia some day

@scott.smith great video- awesome layout and wonderful tin! Great job of intermingling different scales!

here’s my Tinplate pick-up from the weekend, besides the unique Arts Caboose and Lionel 804. Bing water tower:

Also, some tootsietoy trains from my collection- in addition to the midgettoys trains I posted last week. A Santa Fe consist. These are longer than the midgetoy

Also, a station I’ve had my eye on- have no clue as to the maker. Anyone recognize this? Above the top clock it says “A.D. 1898”

The station above was At the market where I acquired the Bing water tower. If I knew more about it, I think I’d buy it. OTher items were the Flyer circus set in the box, Lionel 671 loco with set, Lionel 254 set, and Lionel standard gauge set and other cars. The Flyer set below is something in which I am interested. I would’ve bought one of the aforementioned items or the items below had I not just purchased other things at the meet.

American Flyer clockwork. I believe the engine was 13?

Hornby Mecanno station. Priced a bit too high but lookedgood nonetheless

The station was made by Issmayer but was sold through the Carette catalog.

Roland

@rdigilio thank you very much for your answer- much appreciated! I saw it months ago and was finally able to get a picture this time. The lack of markings was frustrating. I greatly appreciate your help

Glad I could help

Roland

A little morning action down by the freight house...

@StevefromPA posted:

Also, a station I’ve had my eye on- have no clue as to the maker. Anyone recognize this? Above the top clock it says “A.D. 1898”

Steve,

the station is similar to the Issmayer stations but was made by Karl Bub. This is model 184/II from Bub catalog 1902.

Was avaible in Carette catalog 1911 too. The most cheaper trains and station in the Carette catalog was made by Bub not by Issmayer.

Here a catalog picture from the Bub 1902 catalog.

Arne

I finished my Polar Express #318 this week.  I bought this old 318 shell and I already have a gray MTH #318. I won some unpainted 300 series cars at the Cabin Fever MTH auction.

Scott Smith

Hi Tinplate Fans!  Well my post this weekend is a little light, not too much new arrived lately.  However, I am expecting a pre-war American Flyer set to be delivered today and if that comes I will post it tomorrow.  For today, I have Lionel's "0-27" lithographed passenger cars, particularly the observation cars.  First is the "red/brown" livery 1691 complete with fishbelly and nickel journals and handrails on the door.  It was made 1936-39.  The series of cars, with several slight variations of color  ran from 1933-39 .  Next is the unusual find, the 1693 an uncataloged car that represented the last stand of these cars and was 1940 only.  Note it was manufactured without the fishbelly and with no journals (my car has nickel "journals" that were obviously home made and added after purchase) but it has Nickel hand rails by the door.  I chose to leave the home made journals in place as that is the way the car lived its life.  The big difference from the more common 1691 is the color scheme, the 1693 has greenish blue sides with and embossed yellow window frames.  This color scheme is sometimes called "peacock".  While a long way from perfect shape, it is the first opportunity I he had to add a car of this color scheme to my collection.

Well that's all for now, have a happy and healthy weekend everyone

Don

Along those lines, Don, a couple of 1679 box cars, the first being the transition Ives 1679, the second a late Lionel 1679:

Many versions in between and after, including the Lionel 2679 with operating box-couplers.

PD

Great photos pd...I have the "Baby Ruth" car myself, but could never locate the "Ives" transition cars.  Great find!

Don

@Don McErlean GREAT pick up with the “peacock” 1693 Lionel observation. I’m a HUGE fan of the Prewar Lionel 1500, 1600 and 1700 freight series and 1500, 1600, And 1800 passenger series. Whether litho or not, all are awesome. And,!let us not forget, the 610 series Ives passenger cars, while not litho I still Love these. That said, it’s the Ives trains from 1928-1932, although some don’t  consider the post-1930/non-AF involved cars to be Transition era, which I enjoy the most

Regardless, regarding the 1690  passenger cars and 1691 observation-I’ve seen/heard of the maroon with Ives R.R. Lines, Lionel-Ives, and Lionel Lines. Bright red with brown roof Lionel, all bright red Lionel Lines, Yellow Ives R.R. Lines. Then 1691,1692,1693 in blue and maroon and the peacock. Great finds!

Pair of original Blue Comet's exit the lift and bascule bridges leaving Chicago...Too bad they never really made it there!! LMAO

I am a little late this week, had to wait for a parcel delivery .  It contains that nice little storkleg from Carette in O gauge from 1910. O gauge ones seems rarer than gauge one models, I do not know why. Tt is from a "buy it now" on the auction site and was described as a Bing model,  very good deal...  It must have been fired once or twice so condition is nice and my only Carette O gauge gondola now has a loco.

Have a nice weekend,  Daniel

Well my American Flyer "Champion" set came and its really in nice shape.  Not only that but the engine is near perfect and when put on the track under power, it runs "like a Champion"... smooth and with more than enough power to pull this little consist.  The mystery is, what year was this sold or was it even a "set" or is this just a convenient set of cars/loco.  Maybe some of you folks more expert on pre-war flyer can help?  The mystery is that the loco is clearly the American Flyer called Type XIX by Greenberg was first illustrated in the 1933 catalog but as a 2-4-2.  It was offered again in 1934 under the catalog number 612R as a 2-4-0 with the Champion tender.  This loco clearly was never a 2-4-2 as there is no mounting for a rear truck nor is there any evidence that the loco has been altered.  It also has a huge casting from the motor that projects into the space a rear truck would occupy.  Greenberg states that the tender/loco combination was assigned Flyer catalog number 622R which indicates that the loco has a reverse, which it does.  The reference says that this loco was offered in 1934 in a Champion passenger train , labeled No 950-RT but does not give the consist.  Here is the engine and tender, note "Champion" name on the tender.  There is the vestige of a decal reading "American Flyer" under the cab windows.

Now comes the other part of the mystery.  The "set" came with two lithographed "Hummer and Express" type passenger cars with one variation.  These cars, the 518 Club Car and the 519 Passenger Car are one piece like other Hummer / Express cars but as opposed to the more normal Hummer cars which are 5" long, these are larger at 5 7/8" long.  These cars are in rather remarkable shape, no rust or scratched finish, some play wear but otherwise in great shape.  The "problem" to me as a historical researcher is that the Greenberg reference states in the section on such cars that these were produced in 1931-32 too early for the locomotive, YET the reference also says that cars of this type were offered in some sets from 1933-38, so the mystery remains.  Is this a "set" or just a convenient combination of cars of about the same period (does not really matter to me but I love investigating the history of these trains so I would want to know if possible).  Here are the cars.  They are clearly marked over the windows as "American Flyer" and not "Empire Express" or "Hummer" and as stated they are larger than the 513/515 car.  The Club car configuration with the open baggage door seems to also be unique to this pair.  Note they are pictured on top of page 201 in "Greenbergs Guide to American Flyer Prewar O Gauge by Alan R. Schuweiler, 1997  edition"

So I have an engine clearly offered with this type car in Champion sets but does not seem to have been made prior to 1933   (really prior to 1934 as a 2-4-0) seemingly combined with cars that  have been offered in a Champion set but were seemingly made in 1931-32  although some information indicates  they may be part of a set post 1933 !!  So the American Flyer pre-war confusion (to me) continues.  Help from others most appreciated.

Here are some pictures of the entire train:

Not sure I mentioned this but to me the great thing is that the loco is in just super condition, no rust or corrosion, gears are in perfect shape as are the rods and driving wheels, no zinc pest here.  She RUNS smooth and perfectly...so around my layout she goes.  Regardless of the few year discrepancy potential between cars and loco,  this group is around 90 years old and still functioning as when she was built!!  Doing better than me at 76 (LOL)

Best Holiday Wishes everyone

Don

Don,

Per the 1934 American Flyer Dealer's Price List, set 950T is shown with what appears to be that engine and tender, with two 6.5 inch 4 wheel passenger cars and a 6.5 inch 4 wheel observation car.  The cars shown are clearly not the 518 and 519 litho cars that came with your set. 

I do not see any offerings of the 518-519 cars in the dealer's price lists after 1932.  That is not to say that they were not offered in special sets, but I do not have any printed data that shows they were offered after 1932.

NWL

NWL Thank you, the consist of the 950T was the piece of information I was missing.  You are very correct, the cars described do NOT seem like the 518/519 cars that came with my locomotive.  The fact that you can't find 518/519 after '32 also makes sense and matches Greenberg's listing for the manufacturing dates for those cars.  Your information was key, thank you for responding.  I now know that while I don't have an "official" set, I still do have a great mixture of cars and loco that add's to my collection....and runs real good too!!

Don

Oh Dear .... I seem to have done it again ....

Just when I thought I was never likely to ever see another John Van Riemsdyk 4-4-4 loco for sale ... turns out there was another one here in Australia ... from the same estate collection !!!

so ... errrrrr.. seems I have .... errr two? ( this one is still to arrive at Casa Fatmanos )

He is reunited with his BR brother soon!

For those who may not have seen the original posting .. these are "Controlled Clockwork" locomotives with motors invented by JVR that have a controllable governor so you can set the working unwind speed , very high quality mechs and I believe only 600 of the 4-4-4 's were ever built so the above pics represent 0.33% of the total worldwide LOL! ( 2 out of 600)

Couldnt afford it .. couldnt afford to let it go for the opening bid to a stranger lol ... so tried my hand and got it for not much more than opening ... back to tinned beans for a bit ....

With Christmas approaching, now seems like a good time to run some tinplate.  264-E Commodore Vanderbilt with 600 series cars.  Have a wonderful day!   

Don, below is a picture of an AF Champion set I purchased a long time ago.  It's a close approximation to what you have. Unfortunately, there was no set box so about the best that can be said is what NWL has already stated - it might be a special set assembled at a later time.

Wow!! Robert S. Butler...that is just about the same exact set...my Champion tender has the back up light (simulated) but its cover is just a piece of the black sheet metal stamping.  In addition, by loco (at the moment) is a 2-4-0 not a 2-4-2 but that could be just the loss of a rear truck who knows.  There is no doubt however that the cars are the same.  Well, perhaps we have found a "special set" assembled for some retailer.  Well I know this, mine runs around my layout loop with her little 4 wheel cars  clattering like the 1930's so I guess that's enough to make me happy.  Although I admit I am a bit of a toy train "history" nut and very much appreciate your post and it does help to define this "find"

Fatman - you must be the luckiest guy in Australia!  What a fabulous loco and you even likely didn't have to pay the outrageous overseas delivery charges.  Beautiful loco for sure.

Merry Christmas to All!!

Don

Thanks @Don McErlean I am certainly not believing my luck .... that is several decades worth of looking under chickens teeth and rocking horse poo I think I have just used up, just thinking about the odds of finding two such locos 70 years after just 600 were made in the UK ... Anything special I find from here on in is "Bonus" in the fate stakes I reckon .

Merry Christmas to all !

Marklin made an electric motor-driven model of the Scheinenzeppelin in gauge 0 and gauge 1 during the 1930s. According to Wiki only one example of the prototype was ever built. It was superseded by the Flying Hamburger, and finally dismantled in 1939. However, we can still enjoy running the models on our layouts as long as we keep passengers away from the prop.

SUPERB!!! @Jim Kelly-Evans one of my very favourite pieces from pre-war ! Sadly none in my collection ...yet!

I would dearly like to come across a Bing version one day in my hunts ... Your Maerklin is stunning !

Daniel: LOVE that exquisite storkleg! :-)

@Jim Kelly-Evans thank you for sharing that- gosh darn beaut! Love the sound it makes on those tracks! What a layout!

Of all the things that caught my eye, however, the sheep. Are they a Random throw in that just worked with your one gauge and fit well in terms of size and appearance? If not- any info you can provide?  

@StevefromPA posted:

@Jim Kelly-Evans thank you for sharing that- gosh darn beaut! Love the sound it makes on those tracks! What a layout!

Of all the things that caught my eye, however, the sheep. Are they a Random throw in that just worked with your one gauge and fit well in terms of size and appearance? If not- any info you can provide?  

Thanks, Steve, the sheep came with the lovely Maerklin reproduction cattle ramp made by my friend Wolfgang Bauer who lives in Leipzig, Germany. I don't know where he sourced them, unfortunately.

Merry Christmas everyone!

My 1924 Lionel set with the twin motor 402 loco just received new bulbs, it still runs very well on carpet central layout. 072 curves are much better than the original ones.

Daniel

Daniel what a great set.  thanks for the pictures.  Jim Kelley-Evens the pictures of the Scheinenzeppelin are really neat, keeping the passengers out of the prop would be a "customer relations problem" for sure.  You know, the NYC (by my faulty memory) tried something similar in the 1960s, it used an RDC with 2 jet engines mounted high on the rear of the roof.  Not sure what ever became of that thing, but I believe there were some toy models of it.  Hard to remember today.

Don

Can’t even wait till I’m home to post it.I feel my tin has been lacking so I needed to make up for that, of course. Thank you to @rdigilio and @Arne for your input regarding this one

front(or rear)

Rear(or front)

side view with entrance and ticket window

Underneath

This station is either Bub or Carette produced by Bub. Produced from 1902- 1911 or 1913 per this link which is also a good comparison, in addition to Arne’s Bub 1902 catalog picture. https://www.historytoy.com/car...-toy-railway-station

Downs: it is missing the flags(at least it’s missing all of them, keeps it consistent lol), there’s some pieces broken off the structure- and awning and then the top bell on one side. Pros:  the litho is actually in pretty good condition- especially for its age! All the railings and posts are intact, no signs that they have ever cracked or broken off and been reassembled. No warping. Majority of paint seems original- except the roof of the station.

off to my next stop!

Well tinplate fans, I have nothing to compare with Steve from PA's 1902 -1911 station but I am pleased to report some progress in my search to complete a passenger set to go with my Light Olive 252 locomotive.  On Nov 21, I posted that I had at long last acquired two 529 Pullmans from 1927-28 with the light olive basic body color which matches the loco.  I reported at that time that I still had to find the 530 observation but since I had hunted the Pullmans for several years I was not optimistic on finding the observation.  I can now report on (Partial) progress.  I did find a light olive 530 however it has orange trim from 1928-29 instead of the red trim from 1927-28.  Well one can't be too choosy with things that are nearly 94 years old, so here it is.  For some reason, the Lt Olive color scheme (which ran for several years with various trims and journal combo's) seem to be much harder to find than the Orange or Red colors, not sure why.  So my quest is at least partially complete.  I do have the wheels and axles but they are soaking in vinegar to remove surface rust.  It is however missing the blue celluloid "window shade" treatment over the windows.  This is just an add on strip, I bet I can get some repro parts for that.  This car was really in bad (i.e. dirty) shape as was pictured by the seller so it was no surprise and it was quite inexpensive.  The "dirt" turned out to be a fine mist of some dark spray like substance.  My first guess was long exposure to an older oil home heating system.  We had one at my parents home in the 50's and Mom was always complaining about what it did to her wash.  Luckily, it cleaned up rather easily with metal polish and buffing.  The dark coating came off and the olive paint appeared.  Lionel obviously used quality enamel in those days.   This variation as you can see has orange trim and nickel journals.  Underneath it has a type 1 oil label and a square frame, dating it clearly to 1928-29.  The 1927-28 car I was looking for would have had the same oil label but no journals at all and of course the trim would be red (dark red).

Well, happy hunting tinplate fans.  Steve from Pa...marvelous station, what a find.  Thanks for posting pictures.

Don

StevefromPA - nice station...but, to be complete, a station needs arriving and departing trains...here's one ... KBN

@StevefromPA posted:

Can’t even wait till I’m home to post it.I feel my tin has been lacking so I needed to make up for that, of course. Thank you to @rdigilio and @Arne for your input regarding this one

front(or rear)

This station is either Bub or Carette produced by Bub. Produced from 1902- 1911 or 1913 per this link which is also a good comparison, in addition to Arne’s Bub 1902 catalog picture. https://www.historytoy.com/car...-toy-railway-station

Hi Steve,

This has always been one of my favorite tinplate stations. I see it in the Carette catalog, No. 647-32 and the fancier 647-33, and I have seen even larger double facade versions. According to Michael Bowes in his books these stations were made by Issmayer for Bub, Carette and others. Here are some views of my single facade example, which appears to be very similar to your station.

@Robert S. Butler posted:

StevefromPA - nice station...but, to be complete, a station needs arriving and departing trains...here's one ... KBN

Robert,

only the Loco is made by Karl Bub, the coaches are made by Issmayer.

There is a easy way to see the difference, look at the frame.

Issmayer rounded

Bub straight

Here a few examples.

Issmayer

Bub

Arne

Thanks Arne.  I know the various manufacturers made things for one another. This is a boxed set and everything has KBN markings. So it would appear the set is one of those sold under one manufacturer's label but of mixed parentage - correct?

Robert,

yes, many nuremberg manufacturers have sold or swapped models and individual parts to other manufacturers. Sometimes sets were put together by wholesalers themselves.

Arne

Merry Christmas everyone!

JKE: Beautiful station! Daniel: Very nice original set! MERRY CHRISTMAS to ALL! :-)

A video from the club last night.

Merry Christmas,

Scott Smith

Hi tinplaters,

I've posted my New Year's card on a couple of O Gauge Forum sites, but wanted to make sure

that my friends of the Tinplate Forum see it. Happy New Year.

Lew Schneider

Merry Christmas guys! 🎄🎅🏻 🎁

Merry Christmas folks...all my best wishes for a happy and healthy 2021 - may the new year be much better than the last!

This fellow came by the L&S today, demanded an engine, said something about...."why mess with 8 Reindeer when I can have 100's of horses !!...Need to make up time this year as all the elves are social distancing!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Don

Merry Christmas and a New Year full of tinplate trains, Daniel

@Don McErlean posted:

Hi Tinplate Fans!  Well my post this weekend is a little light, not too much new arrived lately.  However, I am expecting a pre-war American Flyer set to be delivered today and if that comes I will post it tomorrow.  For today, I have Lionel's "0-27" lithographed passenger cars, particularly the observation cars.  First is the "red/brown" livery 1691 complete with fishbelly and nickel journals and handrails on the door.  It was made 1936-39.  The series of cars, with several slight variations of color  ran from 1933-39 .  Next is the unusual find, the 1693 an uncataloged car that represented the last stand of these cars and was 1940 only.  Note it was manufactured without the fishbelly and with no journals (my car has nickel "journals" that were obviously home made and added after purchase) but it has Nickel hand rails by the door.  I chose to leave the home made journals in place as that is the way the car lived its life.  The big difference from the more common 1691 is the color scheme, the 1693 has greenish blue sides with and embossed yellow window frames.  This color scheme is sometimes called "peacock".  While a long way from perfect shape, it is the first opportunity I he had to add a car of this color scheme to my collection.

Well that's all for now, have a happy and healthy weekend everyone

Don

What? No Ives yellow?

Jim O’C :  great stuff. Ives made in Irvington, N.J.  Not far from my parents home ‘44-49 in Bloomfield. Got my first Lionel there in ‘47.   Was never able to connect with the Ives versions. Still hunting though!!

Merry Christmas

Don