Tinplate photos 📸 and videos 📽

Hi tinplate fans...my input today is really limited since I am traveling (yes by air) dual masked, sitting as far away from anyone that I can, etc...However, I noted Fatman's picture of his original purchase of Hornby M0 clockwork trains.  So as a quick add to what he posted, here is my M0 loco.  Its of the original 1930 vintage, no cylinders or drive rods and the number 6100 on the tender.  This is the red livery, but it came in green as well.  Cylinders and rods were a later addition.

Here is the loco and the 6100 tender

Here are the coaches, two in this set.  "JOAN and ZENA".  These are also in their 1930 (first) configuration.

Fatman, interestingly enough, this set was my first Hornby acquisition as a train set.  I had 2-3 cars but no loco's and no track etc.  So we share that in common.

Don

Orange Blossom Special

Steve

I haven't posted in some time, but I figured you folks have probably missed my prewar Lionel steam switchers, so here we go... please excuse the postwar couplers (from a prior owner). She is a good runner, this #228.

Stay safe everyone, Tom

Speaking of first train buy, mine is also a HORNBY model and it is the most common one as the production has been very extensive around 1955-60. Of course I paid a little too much for it but lesson learned.

Daniel

@FRENCHTRAINS posted:

Speaking of first train buy, mine is also a HORNBY model and it is the most common one as the production has been very extensive around 1955-60. Of course I paid a little too much for it but lesson learned.

Daniel

Difficult to imagine "paying too much" for a complete set in that condition that has such a crisp box. I'm guessing there are very few sets in that condition. The cost will seem irrelevant very soon.

Nice Hornby set, Daniel! While not my first train purchase, I was fortunate to acquire this nice set about ten years ago.

@FRENCHTRAINS posted:

Speaking of first train buy, mine is also a HORNBY model and it is the most common one as the production has been very extensive around 1955-60. Of course I paid a little too much for it but lesson learned.

@Jim Kelly-Evans posted:

Nice Hornby set, Daniel! While not my first train purchase, I was fortunate to acquire this nice set about ten years ago.

Two sets in such beautiful condition - sad that those lucky kids hardly played with them.

@Steve "Papa" Eastman posted:

Orange Blossom Special

Steve

Love that set. Who made it? Marx?

@Will posted:

Love that set. Who made it? Marx?

Yes, it’s Marx

Wow...Daniel and Jim Kelley Evans...what beautiful sets !.  Thanks for posting.  I note that the picture on Daniel's set is much closer to the contents, Jim the picture on your set box is really dynamic and of course the engine pictured is steam while the set is electric or box cab diesel.  Toy train manufacturers, American included, had no trouble exaggerating the contents on their set box pictures.  Neither one of my M0 sets, either French or UK came with a box lid, so I am not able to determine what sort of picture they might have had.  Anyway, great stuff.

Steve you certainly show some of the most impossible sets to assemble, thank you.  A Seaboard A-B-A plus 3 coaches and an observation all in the green/yellow livery.  WOW...those are really hard to come by for sure.

Regards

Don

@Steve "Papa" Eastman posted:

Orange Blossom Special

Steve

Steve I’m having a senior moment and can’t remember the manufacturers name of your metal cityscape building sets. Thanks for filling in the blank.

@Rich Wiemann posted:

Steve I’m having a senior moment and can’t remember the manufacturers name of your metal cityscape building sets. Thanks for filling in the blank.

Bilt-E-Z

Steve

Bilt-EZ made several sets marked A-OO and maybe more. The larger sets such as "B" had 363 pieces, the "F"set, 1825, the standard "O"set had 73, with the "OO"set having 146.

Tail End Tuesday, Dorfan style.

Drug a few larger structures out. Still need to dig out the power station and Marx Skyscraper. Putting a lot of smaller structures away and going big.

Steve

The 1927 American Flyer Wide Gauge President's Special has to be one of the most spectacular tinplate sets ever offered. The lithography is exceptional and the color scheme is stunning.

@Jim Kelly-Evans posted:

The 1927 American Flyer Wide Gauge President's Special has to be one of the most spectacular tinplate sets ever offered. The lithography is exceptional and the color scheme is stunning.

Very nice. I like the front and rear articulated platforms on that locomotive.

I also like that pale green color you painted your layout board , it plays well with all the old tinplate colors.

I'm curious as to what this accessory is, I notice you have several of them :

Gerry, that small accessory is a Dorfan circuit breaker. Dorfan also used the same case for other accessories, e.g., on/off switches.

WOWSA: JKE and Daniel and those beautiful Hornby sets! Steve's Marx "Orange Blossum Special" is also a treat! Finally, Don M's "Joan" Pullman is a real treasure!

A complete set from JEP. those cars have been made during a long time, they saw the light in 1936 and the ones below are the latest ones made dating from the fifties; changes have been made on bogies and couplers. They where representatives of high speed trains in France and where pulled by the famous CC7100 who had the world speed record in that time.

Have a nice weekend, Daniel

Jim  Kelley-Evans the AF Wide Gauge "President's Special" is one of the peaks of American Tinplate in my view.  It is truly beautiful and it was great to see it running.  thanks for posting.  Tinplate Art thank you for your compliment on "Joan"...those little cars are humble but fun and I always get a smile thinking of the joy that they might have brought to some young person in 1930 as the world began to collapse.  Daniel - what can I say, your offerings are spectacular.  Beautiful JEP coaches.

My offering today, which I also posted on the layout thread, is my singular accomplishment in improving my layout in months.  It is the installation of the 1953, Hornby No 2 Junction signal.  It will now protect the team/passing track that goes behind my City Depot.  This signal was made for many years then was unavailable during the war.  It re-entered the Hornby line in 1953 with a few changes, mostly it was slightly smaller.  My Hornby reference fixes the date of this one to 1953 because in 1954 they changed the color of the dummy lamps behind the signal lenses from white to black.  Anyway, here is my new signal installed on the layout.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy weekend everyone

Don

Yes, the Christmas layout is still up. Plugging away at it in my own dogged way. Except for the woeful lack of signals, it is pretty much accessorized. You will note (horrors) snow glued to the roofs. This is a mix of joint compound, washable Elmers glue and diamond dust, so completely reversible. (I hope) Doesn't matter, this is their final destination.

I posted the unfinished balustrades a few weeks ago. For now they are "cream", matching the bridge posts. I could make the actual rails and turnings green as suggested by John Shelter, but will it be too busy?

Still have to finish the ballustrade on the other three sides, make legs, and add a few more figures and cars.

Will, the layout looks great. Incorporating the balusters into the perimeter looks very classy as does the finish matching the Lionel sign. Painting the balusters green is a tough call, I wonder if you could photoshop that to see how it would look.

The layout looks great, Will. My opinion, I'd leave the balustrades a cream color. It works well with the winter theme, and darker coloring would likely appear garish against the white of the layout. On the other hand, if you're looking for contrast, a nice apple-green might look nice.

Don, I have a Hornby semaphore on the layout as well. I'm not sure of the vintage, and a previous owner repaired it with two same-height fixtures (one should be taller than the other). While the mechanism is manual, mine has a pair of connectors on it which are presumably for lighting...not sure, haven't spent any time trying to figure it out.

Will when you previously solicited opinions on the balusters I thought cream and green like the 102 bridge based upon the photos you had posted. Now that I see your “Classic” looking layout in its entirety I would just leave them cream. They are a nice subtle contrast to the table facia and adding green may look too busy.  I also like your pale green control panel corners. Overall the layout is great and features some very nice pieces of Lionel memorabilia.

PD;  signal looks great. Note you have “lattice work” on the uprights which date your signal as pre-war. Not sure about the terminals but expect they were for the lights as you suggest. The chevron color does coordinate somewhat with year of production as do a few other small details like whether you have finials or flat caps on top of the uprights. I can try to see if my Hornby reference gives any clues as to Year if you wish.

Don

PD.  That signal is nice. I just got finished redoing a few old AF signals.

Will / PD great layouts.  Will that "Lionel Lines" table is really neat, was that a commercial product or did you make it?  OBTW I have used "Elmers" white glue to temporarily hold things (mostly my layout people) and it is normally reversible but it does seem to get tougher with age.  In addition packing stuff with Elmers on it away in the attic (hot/dry) seems to make the glue tougher to get off.

Well besides my "new" Hornby No2 Junction Signal I also managed over the Holidays to acquire a little Karl Bub cw train set.  This little guy is not old, most certainly post war, likely fairly new (plastic wheels).  However he was auctioned off at a very low price and  I just couldn't resist.  Loco is all tinplate except for the plastic drive wheels and has a clockwork motor (which works fine).  Motor is also all metal, both frames and gears and incorporates a simple brake with a lever in the cab. Cab is marked    "413E" under the cab window whatever that means.  Loco has a rear swiveling hook coupler also made of sheet metal.  Rest of consist has simple hook and eye couplers where the eye is just an extension of the frame stamping.  The tender has an "eye" on both ends whereas the gondola has one eye and a swiveling hook similar to the loco.  No idea when it was made although it is marked "Made in Western Germany" which, if accurate, would put the date before October 1990.

Here is the full train, showing the small consist of just the tender and a gondola.  Note the "lightning bolts" on the smoke deflectors.  I liked the neat black / orange color scheme as well.

Here he is coming at you showing the (simulated) marker lights (just a tab with holes) and you can see the "BUB" name on the front pilot.

Side view close up of the locomotive.  He is just 4 3/4" long and 2 3/4" high to the top of the cab or smoke deflectors.

Here is a boiler front view, showing some detail embossed into the boiler front stamping and more easily showing the "BUB" name printed on the pilot.  By the way, there appears to be some sort of vertical mark just ahead of the word "BUB".  Under a magnifying glass it is simply a short vertical stripe, no idea what it means or perhaps it is just left over from a part of the paint stamping that has eroded - like perhaps the BUB was supposed to be surrounded by a printed rectangle.

The tender, with its orange frame and rivet / leaf spring  detail. It is but 3" long and 2" high to the top of the coal pile

The gondola, appears to have writing on it, but under close evaluation the writing is just simulated with a series of short "dots".  It does have a number, "62541" and the legend "made in western Germany" . The black panel in the lower left is just a simulated car data panel but it contains no actual writing.   It also has an odd logo of sorts in the upper right hand corner.  It is hard to describe but resembles a semi-circular head with a capital "T" under it.  ??? who knows what this means, help from anyone most desired.  Gondola is 4 " long (not including couplers) and 2" high. Frame shows same leaf spring detail as tender.

Although this is likely an inexpensive toy, I remain impressed with the quality of these German made toys.  The construction, while inexpensive, is solid, well executed, and without obvious production defects.  The finishes are solid and well done, embossed detail is high, and one gets an overall impression of quality work.

Well that's it for me today.  Anyone who can help with any further information on the Karl Bub train set it would be most welcome.

Best wishes

Don

Nice job, Pete. I have a well-worn Lionel 76 that could stand a refurb, but then part of me says leave it as it is.

Thanks for the Hornby info, Don. Someday I'll take some time and trace the circuitry on it. I tried connecting it to a transformer years ago and it immediately tripped the pack circuit breaker.

I'll post a pic when I get a moment.

PD

Daniel: Love that beautiful JEP set!

Don M: DELIGHTFUL Karl Bub set - a real little GEM!

Here's another piece from storage I had not seen in many years and one I'm quite proud of :  Lionel's Scenic Park from 1932.

Aside from my Grandfather's 390E and passenger cars, which hold great sentimental value to me, this is probably my favorite piece from 50 years of collecting. In fact I own very little in the way of rolling stock as I have always focused on the factory built accessories and scenery. Given it's size of almost 5 ft. long and low production numbers (offered 1932-33 only), this piece stands alone for me because of how hard they are to find, especially complete and in good condition.

From Greenberg's Guide : 920 Scenic Park (1932-33). Rectangular plywood two-section base with rounded corners and raised felt composition terrace, hand-painted and detailed with grass, trees, hedges, and shrubbery, two 184 Bungalows, two 189 Villas, two 191 Villas, 910 Grove of Trees, 914 Park Landscape. 57" x 31 1/2"x10" high, illuminated.

I really like the abundance of trees , the ground covering, and especially the hedgerows.

Each Bungalow or Villa has it's own set of hand made wooden stairs which descend from the top of the terrace to the "Park" area below. Some of them lead to the sidewalk which runs along the backside of the platform .

A brass makers plaque adorns the front

Each house is wired for lighting and there's a recessed wood cavity that allows the wiring to jump from one section to the next when the two halves are joined. I wanted to show this as well as the underside framework  but the post is already getting photo heavy . Perhaps I will make a separate thread for it someday and add some of the construction details for anyone who may be interested.

Hope you enjoy seeing it as much as I do.

That Lionel factory-built scenic plot is too awesome for mere words!    Literally priceless!

Gerry, I am VERY interested!

Gerry, that is a pretty amazing possession to have.  I don't think I've ever seen such detailed photos of one. Did you see my winterized scenic plot on the Christmas layout I posted a few posts up?

Yes I did Will,  I added my "Like" this morning. Looks like you made your own corner elevation in the back left. Very nice work I enjoyed looking it over and I agree with the others who say the balusters look good in that cream color. Looks factory.

@Don McErlean posted:

Will / PD great layouts.  Will that "Lionel Lines" table is really neat, was that a commercial product or did you make it?  OBTW I have used "Elmers" white glue to temporarily hold things (mostly my layout people) and it is normally reversible but it does seem to get tougher with age.  In addition packing stuff with Elmers on it away in the attic (hot/dry) seems to make the glue tougher to get off.

Don

Don, I love the Bub set. As for the table- home-made. I still have to make the legs which will be tapered straight legs in the same ivory color. One thing different than the Lionel factory tables is the chamfered corners.  A lot of work, but it sure makes walking around it in a tight space easier.

Scott Smith

ALL great artifacts shared here by seasoned collectors who truly appreciate their found treasures! THANK YOU from this vicarious "armchair" enthusiast!

Hi All !

Well AGAIN .. no new tinplate from the Aussie this week .. things are looking dire indeed!

( I did buy a little Gama clockwork tank , but its in no way train related lol )

@Don McErlean Your little Bub is in really great condition and as you have already decided it is probably from the late 60's to late 70's time frame due to the plastic wheels ... the "T" mark is often found on european wagons... I have a few Kraus Fandors and other German makes  with it ... I am assuming it was a makers mark of the real life wagons, or a designation from real wagons that has been carried over to our "toys"

bub

Kraus

Will / Fatman:  Thank you for your comment on my "Bub" set.  Fatman, I agree likely 60's or 70's for the manufacture date due to the plastic wheels.   Thank you also for your illustration of the symbol on my gondola car.  There is  no doubt that the one you showed in the pictures of the cars you posted is the same symbol.  Have to try and find out what it means.

G-Man-24 / Gerry :  WOW!!! I have never seen this item before in fact until you quoted the Greenberg reference I never knew it existed.  What a find!  Candidly I cannot imagine how wealthy a family had to be in 1932 (depths of the Great Depression) to afford such an item for their children.  I did read some articles on Lionel Factory displays and it mentions that each one was hand built so they differ slightly one from another.  I have never seen even a picture of one as elaborate as yours.  Thank you for posting.

Don

One of the hazards of a garage layout in an area where strong winds are common is the need for regular cleaning. Another section depopulated, track cleaned and carpet vacuumed. Now to clean the buildings and put this section back together. This is my European section. Good view of the over the top cloth wiring.

Steve

1666e and small tank cars

Whew !!!

Finally broke the drought !!!

Nothing uber fantastiche but I will take anything at the moment LOL

Locally here in Aus I scored two little passenger carriages .. one Marklin and the other Pionerexpressen

Yet to do full dilligence on them but I was so excited about finally having something to share I could not wait .

Marklin is 1926-31 apparently from a quick search while posting and the Pionerexpressen is the first item from this Danish manufacturer in my collection ... for now it will only have the Wittrocks to keep it company until I find him some friends

@scott.smith posted:

Scott Smith

Scott, I really like the way the lower level tracks sit down in the weeds. Reminds me of branch line tracks as opposed to the high iron. Nice work.

PD and Fatman:

Fatman: If you ever make that trip to the US, you will be pleased to know that your Pionerexpressen Coach has an identical  "mate" here in Texas.  I purchased mine during a business trip to Denmark sometime in the 90's.  My recollection is that I bought it at a "flea" market (in UK this is often called a "Boot Sale") while walking around and paid some inconsequential sum for it.  I know very little about the manufacturer, which I assume is "Pioneer" and would love to know more if you have any information.

PD:  I took the liberty and did some investigation on your Hornby Junction Signal.  Here is what I can make out from your picture

1. It is definitely pre -war.  The "lattice work" on the uprights was offered from its introduction in about 1925 until the signal was withdrawn along with the rest of the line for the war in 1939.  

2. Your two uprights above the spectacle brace galley are the same size.  That indicates that someone may have modified the signal as you mentioned in your post.  I have no pictures of any other signal, pre or post war that the two posts were not tall to the left and short to the right.

3. I cannot see the base, but its color is important for dating.  There were 3 colors black (early), blue (middle years) and green (common to late pre war and all post war signals)

4.  I can see the color of the ladder and the bell cranks , both black .  However, again it see a possible modification, as all the illustrations I have show the bell crank at the base and yours appear at the gantry.  (Note - my reference states that there were many, many variations to these signals and the position of that bell crank may indeed have been one).  

5. I note that the top of your uprights have flat "caps" and not finials.  This alone does date the signal to post 1934

6. Finally a GUESS!  If the ladder is black as it seems in the picture and the base is green.  The flat caps and this combination of colors dates your signal from just prior to withdrawal due to the war in 1939.

7. One more thing. My pictures do not show the combination of chevron (yellow) and stripe (red) flags.  Most No. 2 signals have flags of just one type.  However, Hornby made a "dual arm" signal (two flags at different heights on one upright post)  that almost always had the two different flags.  OBTW the "Distant" signal was the yellow chevron and the "Home" signal was the red stripe.  Again my reference allows that variations on these themes were numerous, in fact the book claims they were too numerous to completely list.

For your information.  My  data comes from..."The Hornby Companion Series, The Hornby Gauge O System" by Chris and Julie Graebe, New Cavendish Books, UK, 1985.

Hope this helps you to date your signal.  Note, if the base is NOT green, let me know the color and I can most likely quickly date the signal by that alone.

Don

Ok, a bit late, but I finally made a video of the Christmas layout I have been working on and posted stills of earlier. (The layout is not quite finished but close enough) You'll have to get in a Christmas mood, but I thought you might possibly find it entertaining. It is dedicated to my Dad as most of the trains are his from the late 1920s to the mid 1930s.  As I said in my earlier post, it is a "what if" Lionel table layout. But there two things that are not Lionel (aside from cars etc.). One will be obvious to prewar collectors (repainted to disguise it a bit).  The other is this set of 4 telephone/telegraph poles that were my grandfather's.  I think they might be Voltamp, but I really don't know. They seem to be cast, no markings, and are 10" high. They add some nice forced perspective to the scene. Can anyone positively identify them?

Please check out the video and tell me what you think. And keep in mind that this is my first youtube video ever (shot with an iphone 7) and first time using an app called MoviePro and first time editing in iMovie. It was an adventure to try to shoot the darker scenes and this is about the limit of my current abilities and equipment.  There is a certain amount of noise and motion blur.  It was one or the other or a bit of both. Anyway, I had a lot of fun learning the software and making it and look forward to making more "movies". The soundtrack is a Christmas favorite recorded by Joe Moss and His Society Orchestra in 1935.

Will, what a great layout and a super video.  It really looks neat including all the captions and the background music.  Super job.  I for one have been fully unsuccessful in getting any video I shoot with my iphone to transfer to this site.  If you have somewhere that instructions or guidance was posted, I would really appreciate the link or source.

Don

@Don McErlean posted:

Will, what a great layout and a super video.  It really looks neat including all the captions and the background music.  Super job.  I for one have been fully unsuccessful in getting any video I shoot with my iphone to transfer to this site.  If you have somewhere that instructions or guidance was posted, I would really appreciate the link or source.

Don

Thanks, Don, for the compliments. I think Rich has a sticky topic about imbedding video. But mine isn't embedded. I just copied and pasted the youtube link. You might need to post it to a site like youtube or vimeo and embed or link from there. I don't know for sure, but I suspect you can't upload a video directly to this forum.

@Will posted:

Yes, the Christmas layout is still up. Plugging away at it in my own dogged way. Except for the woeful lack of signals, it is pretty much accessorized. You will note (horrors) snow glued to the roofs. This is a mix of joint compound, washable Elmers glue and diamond dust, so completely reversible. (I hope) Doesn't matter, this is their final destination.

I posted the unfinished balustrades a few weeks ago. For now they are "cream", matching the bridge posts. I could make the actual rails and turnings green as suggested by John Shelter, but will it be too busy?

Still have to finish the ballustrade on the other three sides, make legs, and add a few more figures and cars.

Will , that is fantastic looking ! And great job on your ballustrades , they add a lot to the look of your display .

Will,

your telegraph poles are Märklin

Roland

@rdigilio posted:

Will,

your telegraph poles are Märklin

Roland

Ahh, what vintage?

@JohnnieWalker posted:

Will , that is fantastic looking ! And great job on your ballustrades , they add a lot to the look of your display .

Thank you, Johnnie Walker. I also posted a link to a video of the layout a few posts up.

@Will posted:

Thank you, Johnnie Walker. I also posted a link to a video of the layout a few posts up.

I watched it and gave it a thumbs up!  

Will,

according to Schiffmann they are #2402 (later 2355) and were made from 1904-1923

Roland

@Will posted:

Ok, a bit late, but I finally made a video of the Christmas layout I have been working on and posted stills of earlier.

Great job with the video I enjoyed it. The telegraph poles fit in nicely.

Annnd the floodgates are opening again

Just scored an addition to my post-war US-zone Wimmer 8-wheel carriages

A nice little DSG Carriage wending its way to me from snowy Denmark to mate nicely with his green brethren already in the collection down here in the sun 

( although someone has had a great time turning his usual downward facing couplers into exited erect bananas! )

@Don McErlean Pioner expressen ( if searching you have to get the spelling right lol ) is a Danish maker of mainly O guage stuff founded in 1947-8 by Knud Petersen in Copenhagen and shut up shop about 1965 . Knud P. was the original name applied for the very first sets ...in 1948 Knud bought out another Danish manufacturer of train sets CEPAS ... a short history can be found here

https://translate.google.com/t...v=search&pto=aue

https://www.binnsroad.co.uk/railways/cepas/index.html  <----CEPAS

Which shows how the family diversified into eventually Slot and Jukebox machines along with  model train production ( It is thought they saw the writing on the wall when Marklin began its push into the Scandinavian countries in the late 50's )

A catalogue can be seen here for the trains & history etc as part of the 50th anniversary of Knud P .

Sadly as its a pic its still in Danish lol

https://translate.googleuserco...DcVEmvM3Wv1Vc3QRxmyA

Fatman:  Thank you very much for the information on Pioner Ekspressen and its founder and history.  I looked up all the links you provided and downloaded the info, so now I have some data on this company that I had never had before.  I was struck as I looked through the catalog (although as you said the captions under the picture are still in Danish)  of the similarity of the small loco with the orange colored platform to the small Karl Bub loco I posted pictures of on 2/6.  Perhaps some of those tools sold in 1978 made their way to Bub to continue a line of inexpensive toys??

Don

I got my shipment from ETS. Now my Banana Train is complete.

Scott Smith

@scott.smith posted:

I got my shipment from ETS. Now my Banana Train is complete.

Scott Smith

Scott- thanks for posting these.  I have been telling myself for years I am going to buy an ets engine directly,  and I think with this year's tax return it will finally be time.  How do you like your engine so far?  How was the buying experience from ets?

The engine isn't new; I purchased it on the Buy-Sell forum several years ago with two passenger cars. I also have a small articulated Cass Railroad engine I bought at York about 10 years ago. Recently I purchased 3 of the banana cars off of Ebay and decided I needed to get a caboose as well. I noticed the cars were just as cheap new directly from ETS as I was paying used on EBAY. So I bought another banana car and the caboose add to the set.

They are good to work with but shipping from the Czech Republic isn't cheap, about $40.00 FedX. Still I am happy with the train. The little engine you see pulling is a nice gem that runs well in-spite of the fact it derailed from my top loop and crashed all the way to the floor. I can't believe it runs like nothing happened to it. They sure make a great product.

One of these days I am going to buy one of their Garrett's.

Scott Smith

Scott Smith

@scott.smith posted:

...They are good to work with but shipping from the Czech Republic isn't cheap, about $40.00 FedX. Still I am happy with the train. The little engine you see pulling is a nice gem that runs well in-spite of the fact it derailed from my top loop and crashed all the way to the floor. I can't believe it runs like nothing happened to it. They sure make a great product....

Thanks for the info about dealing with them.  Considering that domestic shipping would probably be about $20, I think that what you paid was reasonable.

A better pic of my prewar Hornby signal:

It needs a good cleaning, a few repairs, and a rewire for the lights.

My only ETS locomotive, a Glaskasten:

Crazy fun...

PD

Finished painting the replacement gate for my Maerklin engine shed No. 2112/1 (1925-33.) I got pretty close.

@Jim Kelly-Evans posted:

Finished painting the replacement gate for my Maerklin engine shed No. 2112/1 (1925-33.) I got pretty close.

@Fatman posted:

Whew !!!

Finally broke the drought !!!

Nothing uber fantastiche but I will take anything at the moment LOL

Locally here in Aus I scored two little passenger carriages .. one Marklin and the other Pionerexpressen

Yet to do full dilligence on them but I was so excited about finally having something to share I could not wait .

Marklin is 1926-31 apparently from a quick search while posting and the Pionerexpressen is the first item from this Danish manufacturer in my collection ... for now it will only have the Wittrocks to keep it company until I find him some friends

I have the CEPAS version of the same coach with simpler couplers.

You can also see the red cross coach came both ways.

Classic all original train set from 1935 by JEP. It is a mid range model with a shortened loco which should have been a Pacific model. A train with a lot of charm....

Have a nice weekend, Daniel

Daniel:  What a wonderful set.  I will tell you that I am glad to see that wonderful JEP engine, primarily because it shows the beautiful "brown" color and markings in (sort of ) gold lettering.  This is because my French Hornby SNCF locomotive came in the same color scheme and its good to see that the livery is authentic. Here is my, much less detailed and smaller, Hornby loco but the color and lettering is of the same format.  Thanks for posting.

Best wishes

Don

Hello Don, nice to see your Hornby loco. It is an original one of course, the color of that model is more redish than the JEP one which is brown. All those colors are not realistic, as they where toys and far from scale models. If you enjoy French Hornby there is also another color variation which is less common in brown.... also a black one and the oldest was green...

That's all for the post-war models,   Very Best, Daniel

Daniel:  WOW!!  that is what I love about this post / thread.  So many you folks on it know so much more about the hobby and the trains involved than I do .  Thank  you for posting the alternate color schemes for my French Hornby loco...now I have even more interesting things to find! 

Don

Annnnnd straight out of the " What were you thinking when you bought this Fatman" Box

May I present to you Gennermen and Laydees.... ( drumroll)

Possibly one of the saddest and sorriest Hornby No.1 Special Southern Tank locomotives that still runs on a track

Well may you ask kind folks, "Why Oh Why did you ever buy such a thing?"

In truth I can only shake my head and look sheepishly at my feet .... but then I will lift my head high and feel the quickening of my heart as I try to justify my actions here ...

First of all it was born sometime between 1929 and 1939, and when it left the factory it was the flagship of its kind , with a revised clockwork mechanism that was one of Frank Hornby's Finest , being a Southern it was made in lesser numbers than its more "hoighty-toity" L.M.S. or L.N.E.R Brethren and with its brilliant deep green and gold/white pinstriped livery it was the most striking. This fellow has been played with and loved for many generations, you can see its history, the poor fellow has been stepped on with his wonky cab and mismatched coal hopper , but he was bent back into shape , and at some point his wheels fell to pieces and his side-rods took off, but he was loved enough for someone to take on the job recreating him new ones turning up brass and soldering in place ... But most of all I love the paint wear around the keyhole ...and on the opposite side you can see a corresponding wear patch and also on the once painted boiler dome, where the fingers holding him when he was being wound has taken his once great finish back to bare metal ...

This fellow has LIVED , and his heartbeat in that beautiful mechanism still beats strongly, his spring shows no tarnish and his gears tho desperately needing a clean in modern times still look sharp .. The No.1 special mechanism is a good one and he was worth the price of admission just for that alone ... Sadly he must have fallen on hard times and he was advertised on ePay for the massive sum of $25AUD ( about USD$18.50) Buy it Now .... So how could I resist? ... I told myself he is worth that for just the mech alone , but looking at him now I think he deserves a clean up, a little drink of light oil and nothing further, no restoration, just appreciation for all the amazing times he shared with someone ( or ones) over the last 90 odd years ...

And somewhere along the line he picked up that gorgeous key that is coming with him

It’s Stephen Girard appreciation week!

@Fatman posted:

This fellow has been played and loved for many generations,

T

We all like to see the pristine examples still in the original crisp box because it transports us back in time and allows us to see things exactly as produced and exactly as they looked in the ancient catalogs.  That said, this is what a nearly 100 year old toy is supposed to look like. A train that brought so much joy and play value that it was deemed worthy to fix and cobble back together over and over again until the wheels literally fell off it. Love the solid brass replacement wheels soldered into place. They're not just cut-off blanks,  someone took the time to machine some very nice detail in them. Still a handsome looking machine . If only it could talk and tell us the places its been and the people it's been with.

So glad it found a good home where it's still appreciated and safe from the vagaries of fate .

.

Farman: fully agree with Gary C in the fact that your loco shows the joy of many years brought to its (likely) young owners.  You do find the most amazingly things as the No1 Special in any condition is hard to come by. Thanks for posting.

Don

Well, I thought I would post a small item I acquired during my longish vacation on the east coast over the holidays.  I found a couple of antique stores in Savannah, Ga that advertised antique toys.  In one I found some neat Corgi cars and in another I found this lead figure, I am assuming it is Barclay as it is a perfect match to my RR (and Christmas) figures.  This one is a bit unusual and out of character but it was in near perfect condition and it has a strong bond with our family.  It is a Nurse.  My wife retired in 2007 after 40 years of nursing as a career.  So this is going on the layout somewhere to symbolize her being a strong part of the RR.

Here she is.  I date the figure from about the 1950's likely due to the length of the skirt on her uniform.  In addition my wife told me that in the 1970's the nurses changed their work attire to "scrubs" like most of the doctors and nurses you see on TV today and thus they abandoned the cap that had been part of the uniform for decades.  So I would have to say that the figure was made sometime between 1950 and 1970.   She is going to reside on the station platform, patiently waiting for the local train to transport her downtown to the main hospital.

Happy weekend

Don

New week-new video

Scott Smith

@Don McErlean posted:

Well, I thought I would post a small item I acquired during my longish vacation on the east coast over the holidays.  I found a couple of antique stores in Savannah, Ga that advertised antique toys.  In one I found some neat Corgi cars and in another I found this lead figure, I am assuming it is Barclay as it is a perfect match to my RR (and Christmas) figures.  This one is a bit unusual and out of character but it was in near perfect condition and it has a strong bond with our family.  It is a Nurse.  My wife retired in 2007 after 40 years of nursing as a career.  So this is going on the layout somewhere to symbolize her being a strong part of the RR.

Here she is.  I date the figure from about the 1950's likely due to the length of the skirt on her uniform.  In addition my wife told me that in the 1970's the nurses changed their work attire to "scrubs" like most of the doctors and nurses you see on TV today and thus they abandoned the cap that had been part of the uniform for decades.  So I would have to say that the figure was made sometime between 1950 and 1970.   She is going to reside on the station platform, patiently waiting for the local train to transport her downtown to the main hospital.

Happy weekend

Don

Hello Don , Nice find regarding the nurse . Yes it is a Barclay piece  B83a Nurse, hand on hip . The nurse first appeared in  a Barclays  catalog in 1936 or 1937 , I'm not sure how long she was in production , maybe into the early 50's .  Barclay went out of business in 1971.  I got this info from a few toy soldier books that I have .

Johnnie:  Thank you!!  The info on my new nurse figure really appreciated and it confirmed my suspicion that it was Barclay.  Thanks for taking the time to post the info.

Best wishes

Don

@Don McErlean here is a pic of my Nurse. The bottom says Made in USA and Barclays #744. As with a lot of their figures the color schemes vary. My base is white with a red/burgundy bag. I’ve owned her forever so I can’t ever remember purchasing her. I’m not sure of her age.

@Rich Wiemann posted:

@Don McErlean here is a pic of my Nurse. ... I’ve owned her forever so I can’t ever remember purchasing her. I’m not sure of her age....

And if you're smart, you won't ask her.

@Mallard4468 posted:

And if you're smart, you won't ask her.

Never tick off a medical professional.  They know how and where to make you hurt but not leave any evidence

Tinplate accessories from JEP, stations are all original and have been produced during a long time from the end of the twenties for the small ones to the end of JEP in 1964; there is just some color variations.

My favorite one is the biggest and all the lead people are French manufactured from MDM. Unfortunately JEP has never made those accessories in comparison with Hornby France or Great Britain who have made a lot of them.

have a nice weekend,  Daniel

Package arrived today.  Here is my version of the NY&NE White Train albeit pulled by an Ives Nr 17 and a replica NYC&HR tender.  Also, poor Harvard (my alma mater) is missing.  But I'll keep looking. Lew Schneider

On my gauge 1 European tinplate layout currently is a nicely done reproduction of the Marklin Coupe Vent locomotive made in France by Maurice Gautier. The cars are a Marklin No. 1946 53cm Wagons Lits Teak Speiswagen (1921-28) and a Marklin No. 1846 Gepackwagen (1902-09.)

Hi Tinplate Fans...Rich Wiemann thanks for your input on my Barclay Nurse.  Candidly, I hesitated before putting her in the post as she was not trains per se, but your response and one from Johnnie Walker was most welcome in providing info on the figure. Mallard 4468 and Palallin your comments as well showed great intelligence, I have been living with "my" nurse for 55 years and I agree with you both !! 

Daniel - the JEP stations and accessories are really great.  That large station and all the figures is really impressive.  Thanks for posting

lewrail - enjoyed the NY&NE white train by Ives.  Good luck finding the "Harvard" car.

Jim Kelly-Evans - The Gauge 1 layout is magnificent...the trains shown in the video are really great.  Thanks for making the video.

Have a great weekend all, stay warm

Don

@JohnnieWalker posted:

Hello Don , Nice find regarding the nurse . Yes it is a Barclay piece  B83a Nurse, hand on hip . The nurse first appeared in  a Barclays  catalog in 1936 or 1937 , I'm not sure how long she was in production , maybe into the early 50's .  Barclay went out of business in 1971.  I got this info from a few toy soldier books that I have .

Funny, I was just looking at Barclays figures today on Ebay. That got me curious and it turns out there is a modern company that bought the rights in the 90s and is making the figures, including some of the original ones.

@Will posted:

Funny, I was just looking at Barclays figures today on Ebay. That got me curious and it turns out there is a modern company that bought the rights in the 90s and is making the figures, including some of the original ones.

I have a lot of the “modern” ones.

Steve

@Will posted:

Funny, I was just looking at Barclays figures today on Ebay. That got me curious and it turns out there is a modern company that bought the rights in the 90s and is making the figures, including some of the original ones.

@Steve "Papa" Eastman posted:

I have a lot of the “modern” ones.

Steve

I too have some of the new ones , they look great  , both the new and old along side of standard gauge.  I now must have a 100 or so soldiers and related accessories.  There are  Manoil soldiers as well that go hand in hand with Barclay.  Plus the civilian people and winter scene figures .              Another company that was formed I believe sometime in the 70s? is Eccles Bros.  And we cannot leave out PrideLines  !!

Nice scenes filled with vintage bits, Johnny. Very cool.

A recently acquired Hafner semaphore:

It will look brilliant in the Christmas "garden".

PD

@Steve "Papa" Eastman posted:

I have a lot of the “modern” ones.

Steve

Steve,

On the Barclay website which of the collections look best with standard gauge and which look the best with O?  As I have looked at the site I can't tell what the sizes of each set of figures are.

Thanks,

Northwoods Flyer

@Greg J. Turinetti posted:

Steve,

On the Barclay website which of the collections look best with standard gauge and which look the best with O?  As I have looked at the site I can't tell what the sizes of each set of figures are.

Thanks,

Northwoods Flyer

Greg

The Large Scale Figures and Winter Classics work for Standard and Classic O Scale for O. See the pics below to see more details including the size of each.

1- Touch a pic to bring up the Quick View

2- Select View More Details

3- Figure size is shown

If you are willing to do a little touch-up painting (or if you care about pristine examples), search Barclay in the toy and hobby at that eVil Auction site.  I have bought many figs in the last few months, usually for a couple bucks/fig.

How do you tell the difference between old and new?  Here are some "Barclays" on a trip

to Europe.  Lew Schneider

Wow...tinplate fans.  When I posted my "nurse" I thought it just an afterthought.  However with the pictures and info supplied by Steve, Johnnie Walker, Will, lewrail, Rich, Greg, and others its been a (great) flood of info and pictures.  Thank you all.

My offer for today, is well away from the venue of Barclay and more aligned with the input from Daniel, although not nearly as elaborate. By the luck of the draw or auction if you will, I was able to acquire an Ives #114 Passenger station from about 1922.  In looking up the data on this station from my Ives reference, I can tell you that this station stayed in the line for many years and underwent many changes over the years, so 1922 is sort of a best guess from changes in color and lithography.  Like Fatman who often comments on how his things may not be perfect, I am in a similar situation.  I have to compromise between perfect, what is offered (after all its a century old), and what I can afford.  I obtained the #115 Freight station years ago so now I have its compliment.

Here is the station, lithographed to simulate a timber / board type construction.  The sign under the roof overhang unfortunately obscured by the shadow of the roof, says "Ticket Office".  Key parts of the lithography for dating include the several rows of simulated yellow brick under the white walls and the wide plain border under the simulated brick.  The doors which did change labels over the years, in this example say "Ladies" on the right and "Gentlemen" on the left (as you look at it in this picture).   The roof has a chimney and it is offset to one side.  Roof color, chimney (yes or no), and chimney location changed many times over the years.

Another view giving a somewhat more clear view of the "Ticket Office" sign.  Note the station attendant.  It is difficult to see in this picture but he is holding tickets in one hand and sits in front of an old fashioned "candle stick" telephone.  The clock on the wall says 11:45 and behind him is some sort of representation of an announcement board showing (I expect) train times.

The end view, identical on both ends, shows the sign "R.R.Station" , the simulated board and stucco outside, along with the simulated brick under the window with the smooth border at the bottom. You can also see the lettering "Ives No 114" on the smooth section below the simulated brick.   The platform is mostly grey and appears to be the original color.  There are two electrical contacts, which may or may not be original, that carry power to an overhead light inside the station.  However, since the only openings for light to escape are  the partially open doors, this seems a somewhat limited capability.  Note the two women passengers depicted in the window.  Their attire, especially their hats, would seem to indicate a period somewhat earlier than 1922 and is perhaps a left over from the initial artwork of around 1918.

Well there you have my latest acquisition, 99 years old (more or less) and still able to shelter our imaginary passengers while they wait for their trains.  When I find things of this vintage, I cannot help but wonder at how the young person, a century ago, felt upon receiving this station for their Rail Road "empire" perhaps at their birthday or Christmas.  If only our old trains could talk! 

Have a great weekend

Don

@lewrail posted:

How do you tell the difference between old and new?  Here are some "Barclays" on a trip

to Europe.  Lew Schneider

The old ones were hollow cast and the new ones are solid .

Mine seem to be all hollow but some have Barclays embossed with the catalog number and others seem to have no marking.

Lew

@lewrail posted:

Mine seem to be all hollow but some have Barclays embossed with the catalog number and others seem to have no marking.

Lew

That’s pretty typical from what I’ve seen on mine .  Then again you may have some Manoil figures mixed in with your Barclays .  Sometimes it’s hard to read the markings on them and they are marked in odd areas . Not always on the bottom.

@lewrail posted:

How do you tell the difference between old and new?  Here are some "Barclays" on a trip

to Europe.  Lew Schneider

Good question. I just ordered an old one from that auction site today. To me, the new ones don't look exactly like the old ones. I wonder, did they make new molds? I think so. I prefer some of the old ones. Plus the new ones are very shiny of course with perfect paint.

@Will posted:

Good question. I just ordered an old one from that auction site today. To me, the new ones don't look exactly like the old ones. I wonder, did they make new molds? I think so. I prefer some of the old ones. Plus the new ones are very shiny of course with perfect paint.

I’m not sure of the repro civilians but the army men are new molds . Many of the new soldiers were never made by Barclay.  A lot of the soldiers back in the day were not necessarily true copies but copies none the less of German soldiers .  I’ve seen original German soldiers at various shows and one can see the obvious copy by Barclay.   Some people have suggested that you spray a dull coat on the repros to kill the shine .