Tinplate photos 📸 and videos 📽

Here is one from the layout.

NWL

Tinplate at home, some Lionel Standard Gauge...

From the archives:

Lionel 258 with a drag of 800-series freights.

I think I reached ( for me anyway) a bit of a milestone in my forbidden love of all things clockwork trainish.... Normally I subject you lot to a bit of an essay with whatever relevant stuff I "think" I "know" about it lol, but today I present a guessing game instead !

I know very well what it is ... and I honestly never thought I would own one in matters of scarcity and $$$'s but I was very lucky to find it here in Australia of all places ..

Sooooooo what I am yapping about .... This Minty Fresh beauty ... ( if you ignore the slight bump on a front buffer ... it will bend back   )

First to correctly identify it gets a Fatman Hug (tm)

Chris,

I love the cover photo of the 840 power station.

i think it is the most spectacular of the Lionel pre war structures.

My power station is by T Reproductions. I did not use the platform in order to fit it into a tight space.

Jim Z

The first customers have arrived at the station cafe.

@Jim Z posted:

Chris,

I love the cover phot of the 840 power station.

i think it is the most spectacular of the Lionel pre war structures.

My power station is by T Reproductions. I did not use the platform in order to fit it into a tight space.

Jim Z

 

Thanks Jim the 840 is the center piece of my layout.    I love the way you have the street laid out in front of yours with the street lights and cars well done! 

FATMAN: Super exquisite engine and NICE find! JKE: LOVE those figures and the table! Do you have a waiter figure? DANIEL: NICE standard gauge assortment!

GUYS and LADIES: Keep 'em coming!  :-)

DANIEL: Your apple green 408E is one of my favorite SG engines. I had an MTH one and currently have an MTH dark green twin-BAL powered one. It is pulling two MTH 214R reefers and an LCT 217 caboose in the video below. All my SG are shiny new repros!

I'm sure folks have seen these pictures before but...

Marty: NICE matching consist!

@Fatman posted:

I think I reached ( for me anyway) a bit of a milestone in my forbidden love of all things clockwork trainish.... Normally I subject you lot to a bit of an essay with whatever relevant stuff I "think" I "know" about it lol, but today I present a guessing game instead !

I know very well what it is ... and I honestly never thought I would own one in matters of scarcity and $$$'s but I was very lucky to find it here in Australia of all places ..

Sooooooo what I am yapping about .... This Minty Fresh beauty ... ( if you ignore the slight bump on a front buffer ... it will bend back   )

First to correctly identify it gets a Fatman Hug (tm)

That's a great one @Fatman ..... I think it is a Van Riemsdjik loco no ?  I wish I could have an opportunity to find one but maybe I won this one no ?

@Tinplate Art posted:

DANIEL: Your apple green 408E is one of my favorite SG engines. I had an MTH one and currently have an MTH dark green twin-BAL powered one. It is pulling two MTH 214R reefers and an LCT 217 caboose in the video below. All my SG are shiny new repros!

The 408E is also one of my prefered loco Art, with the 402 it can pull all you want to couple to it. Even if I prefer original one with some scratches the new shiny ones are very nice to see . I have recently bought a Lionel 200 trolley, very pleased with it .

Daniel

VERY NICE Lionel Classics trolley with a very accurate repro motor! Do you also have the matching trailer?

Variations on a B&O theme

American Flyer

Bing

Ives

Marx

RSB: VERY nice variations! ALL nice, but the AF is my favorite! :-)

PD: I am a fan of the Lionel 258 and yours looks great! THANKS for sharing!

RSB,

You forgot one!

NWL

@FRENCHTRAINS posted:

That's a great one @Fatman ..... I think it is a Van Riemsdjik loco no ?  I wish I could have an opportunity to find one but maybe I won this one no ?

100% Correct Daniel!

Its one of only 600 manufactured by John Van Riemsdijk between 1946 and 1948. Riemsdijk after the war saw that other manufacturers were churning out the cheaper models into the recovering marketplace and was convinced that there would be a market for clockwork loco's of much higher quality like those that were prevalent before the war , so utilising a Basset-lowke type drive he set his engineering mind to work and mated the high quality mechanism with a user variable certrifugal governer , which gave an ability to run the locomotive at slower speeds without losing the torque of the motor or sacrificing the run down of the mechanism in effect the modern birth of the controlled clockwork motor ! ( in regard to model railways ) A Similar concept was invented and implimented before the war in 1928 by Walker-Fenn utilising a gramophone governor bolted onto a Marklin chassis but it was a costly piece!  ... sadly in the post war boom electricity was becoming more and more available and it was now truly the time of the electric locomotive which somewhat took the winds out of the sails of these brilliant clockwork beauties ...

He made a lot of tinplate trams and over 1000 0-6-0 locomotives and they show up from time to time , but the 4-4-4 is much less common to appear , so snagging this one was amazing for me ..

His products were sold mainly thru upmarket stores such as Walkers-Holtzapffel and Gamages in London ( thus they are often called Walkers-Riemdijk's )

Van Riemsdijk was an incredibly interesting fellow from what I read of him , born in 1924 ,He spent a lot of his childhood traveling all across Europe on trains with his father , he joined the Royal Navy, and in WWII in recognition of his inventor side and encyclopedic knowledge of Europe he was signed up by the UK's SOE (Special Operations Executive) and among many things designed and made Clockwork "Moo-Horns" which were included in airdrops to the French Resistance to enable them to find the packages in total darkness... Mooing every few minutes .. Ze Germans never caught on ! and what a great excuse for being out at night ...looking for a lost cow! "Moooooo! " Oh its over there !  LOL!

He also invented a Steam Powered radio so the resistance didn't need electricity to contact the Brits !

He sold his clockwork business in 1956 and took up a position at the National Science Museum ( UK ) ... and he went on to pretty much source collate and set up the UK National Railway Museum

Oh and he made Gorgeous Locos like this one ...

And here is my W&H V Reimsdijk in the much more common 0-6-0 wheel arrangement.  There was also a 4-6-0 which is not easy to find. The Flyer LNWR luggage van now resides in the collection of a very good friend.

@Fatman posted:

...Its one of only 600 manufactured by John Van Riemsdijk between 1946 and 1948... (etc.)

Thanks for sharing the details.  It's always interesting to read about the smaller makers.

Whenever I read something like this, the following thoughts come to mind - a) thankfully, someone still knows this stuff and is willing to share it, b) is this information well-documented, stored, and made available such that people can find it in the future, and c) will anyone care?

I have a computer folder on controlled clockwork locomotives that I'd be happy to share with interested parties.

Lew

lewrail - thanks for the morning laugh - I needed that.  The "joke" is strictly my doing - I did a quick read of your post and what registered was "I have computer controlled clockwork locomotives...."   

  Needless to say, that gave me pause so, of course, I went back and read it properly...thinking about my mis-read I must admit I kind of like the way it turned out - what comes to mind is the idea that if one had computer controlled clockwork locomotives one would probably have to have a mechanical computer like Babbage's Difference Engine to control them. 

I'm perfectly capable of making strange typo mistakes. Fortunately I seemed

to have typed it correctly --- this time.  Thanks  Robert

@Tinplate Art posted:

PD: I am a fan of the Lionel 258 and yours looks great! THANKS for sharing!

Thanks Art. While I enjoy my Flyer steamers, the 258 stands as my favorite:

Nicely refurbished, I love listening to that thing clink-n-clank around the layout.

Paul

A few news in the collection.

AS Adolf Schuhmann coaches from the late 30s.

Brimtoy No 300 train in a uncommon orange colour.

Bub 1045/0 car made 1927-1928

Bub indicator made 1931-1933

Arne

PD: The Lionel 258 is a "baby" 384, another favorite of mine. ARNE: Your Bub cars and that very nice destination sign are my favs!

Fatman /lewrail :  Wow, Van Riemsdjik a maker of trains that I had not heard of before.  You guys and Arne with Adolf Schuhmann have identified two makers that are new to me for sure.  This forum is the only place that this knowledge gets shared, thank you all.  Frenchtrains, great Standard Gauge display.  TinplateArt - like you I love the 258, they seem rugged yet have the classic tinplate look at the same time.  Thanks for the pictures.

As an aside, Fatman...wife and I have been watching an Australian mystery TV show called the " Mysteries of Dr. Blake" set in the late 50's early 60's in Victoria, Australia.  In the episode the other night the culprit was found (a lady) whose small child left a clue at the scene...a Hornby MO steam engine!  He puts the engine with the tender still in the boy's possession and wha-la has a suspect. 

Well we are about to head home to Texas from the East Coast and I am anxious to study a Bing tank car (Peerless Tank Lines) that I scored on e-bay but had shipped home.  Will post pictures later in the month...

Don

And here is a photo of the Walkers & Holtzapfel 4-6-0 tank locomotive.  I was the underbidder at a hammer price of 380 pounds--when the pound was worth a lot more than now. Hey Don and Fatman, we also watch Dr. Blake. Lew

A signal or three. Don

It should be noted that John Van Riemsdjik is also famous for his collaboration with the late founder of Fulgurex, Count Antonio Giansanti-Coluzzi and Aster for the design of many of their famous high quality gauge one live steam models including the incredible Big Boy and the more pedestrian, yet delightful, LGB/Aster Frank S. He was at least as famous for the Aster live steam program as for his clockwork patents.

The live steam Schools Class 4-4-0 loco was Van Riemsdijk's first design for Aster at the bequest of his friend, Count Coluzzi, the noted European manufacturer and collector of high-end model trains.

Fulgurex, by means of Tenshodo and other precision model manufacturers, produced some very high quality models including the well known Swiss Crocodile. The Count had some brass engines made by the Korean firm of Samhongsa, which also once famously produced trains for MTH. Count Coluzzi had an enviable  collection of high-end European model trains in several gauges, many of which are documented in a coffee table style book entitled The Trains on the Avenue De Rumine (Random House, 1983) which was the Count's actual address in Lausanne, Switzerland. This handsome tome contains 3000 color photographs of some of the world's finest model trains.

To sum up, John Van Riemsdijk and Count Antonio Giansanti Coluzzi were two very important men in the international history of model trains, whether mechanical, steam or electrical propulsion.

@Robert S. Butler posted:

lewrail - thanks for the morning laugh - I needed that.  The "joke" is strictly my doing - I did a quick read of your post and what registered was "I have computer controlled clockwork locomotives...."   

  Needless to say, that gave me pause so, of course, I went back and read it properly...thinking about my mis-read I must admit I kind of like the way it turned out - what comes to mind is the idea that if one had computer controlled clockwork locomotives one would probably have to have a mechanical computer like Babbage's Difference Engine to control them. 

James Pakarek has a radio controlled clockwork.

Steve

Thanks for all the information Tinplate Art...the forum is one of the few places that folks like me can increase their knowledge of the model / toy train hobby.  lewrail the picture of the Walkers & Holtzhaphel 0-6-0 was really interesting and again lists a manufacturer I had not heard of before...and to think the data came from another Dr. Blake fan !!

Thanks to all for posting  - I will be back home in a week or so and hopefully will be able to post some of the tinplate that has arrived from e-bay over the last 2 months.

Don

Hello everyone,

May I second Tinplate Art's statement that the Fulgurex/Tenshodo models are exquisite. Over the years I have been able to aquire a few of these in 2 rail and they are second to none!

Miketg

Fire truck delivery on the carpet express 

I’ve been busy lately with other things and haven’t had many new items to share. Here is something I recently acquired.

George

Interesting. What is it and who made it? Some type of coaling station? 

@Tinplate Art posted:

Interesting. What is it and who made it? Some type of coaling station? 

It's a windup toy dredge. It was made by Oro Werke in Germany under the trade name Orobr around 1920. The windup mechanism is in the engine part of the toy and moves the pistons up and down. The black wheel is some type of flywheel that prevents the windup mechanism from moving until it starts to turn. There is a lever on the opposite side that turns a lever on the bucket elevator to make them move. It's a fascinating toy that is very addictive to play with.

George

GRORGE: Thank you for the explanation of your find!

Some miscellaneous photos from the past.

Double headed Lionel Hiawatha engines - did you add a front coupler to one of the engines?

Jim

NJCJOE: WOWSA! GREAT selection! :-)

@Jim Waterman posted:

Double headed Lionel Hiawatha engines - did you add a front coupler to one of the engines?

Jim

Jim,

They weren't physically connected. Just posing for the photo. 

I bought this old new stock MTH Ives 3245R early this year. Just found the old new stock 24x series cars to go with it. Beautiful set.

Steve

Beautiful, INDEED!  :-)

Keep 'em comin! Maybe Carey and JKE will submit some gems.

Tinplate never gets old! 

My standard gauge inspection car. I didn’t built the chassis but I added the LED’s and painted the body.  🚗 

Here are two electrics that were rotated onto the prewar layout today.

A mixture of old & new and large & small Ives

Steve

Paya - tinplate boxcar

RSB: That is one very nice PAYA boxcar! I likes! :-)

A recent buy is this O gauge BING loco, it is just fresh from the barn and in needs of some restoration and cleaning. It is a high voltage model from 1912, maybe Arne will have some more informations. Pictures are from the auction site and I will post better ones when restored and with her original passenger car set I have since a long time. Not bad for more than a hundred years old piece.

Daniel

It is not a SNCF model, it looks more German but it is a toy.... What makes it interesting for me is thay it bears the stamp of a French toy shop and the passenger cars I have has also French marking on them.

Here they are, roofs have been repainted but I really enjoy the teack litho. They where also made in gauge one.

Daniel

That Belpaire boiler is interesting!

A very nice set at any rate! :-)

Apropos Tinplate Art's discussion of Fulgurex, they issued a remake of the 1930 Marklin Rheinuferbahn in 1980. The "White Train" has three cars and was made in gauge 1. Elsewhere someone commented that the remakes were few in number and currently command prices almost as high as the originals. Here is a video showing my Fulgurex set in operation.

JKE: Fantastic set! I just received a very nice copy of Count Coluzzi's 1983 book this morning. I did not have time this morning to remove it from its clear plastic wrapper, but  am looking forward to reading it this weekend!

WOWSA! The Count had a nonpareil collection spanning most of the Twentieth Century of premium toy train production in Europe and Asia and some USA models as well. This book and the collection it depicts deserves its own thread!

Interestingly, his chosen company name, Fulgurex, translates to "king of thunder"! Utilizing precision Japanese and South Korean manufacturers like Tenshodo, Samhongsa and Aster, Fulgurex commissioned very limited and museum quality model trains.

Coluzzi book and collection thread coming soon. Stay tuned on OGR Tinplate Forum! 

A European O gauge (2-rail, DC) Fulgurex crocodile set (NOT from copyrighted book or photo):

Its a good thing I collect rather than "invest" in my little clockwork tinplate beauties , because I am pretty sure that last nights purchase was definately an "OverPayer Experience " and I really hope what I bought IS what I think it is ( lol ) for which I will hand it over to you gentlemen for confirmation ......

But i am pretty sure I just bought an early American Flyer "Hummer" locomotive ... the seller did not list it as anything other than " O Gauge Pressed Steel Wind up Locomotive Train Works Unknown Maker " ????

Normally I shy away from the ePay Global Shipping Extortionaganza, but where am I gonna find another one?

Someone else was fairly interested in it too , so yeah , I paid for it lol!

So please tell me its a Hummer .... pleaaaaase

I think there were two variations of this dependant on years? And this is the later version ? Earlier one having a squarer cab and box window?

I admit the sexxy little curved cab window grabbed my attention and told me I had to buy it

@Fatman posted:

Its a good thing I collect rather than "invest" in my little clockwork tinplate beauties , because I am pretty sure that last nights purchase was definately an "OverPayer Experience " and I really hope what I bought IS what I think it is ( lol ) for which I will hand it over to you gentlemen for confirmation ......

But i am pretty sure I just bought an early American Flyer "Hummer" locomotive ... the seller did not list it as anything other than " O Gauge Pressed Steel Wind up Locomotive Train Works Unknown Maker " ????

Normally I shy away from the ePay Global Shipping Extortionaganza, but where am I gonna find another one?

Someone else was fairly interested in it too , so yeah , I paid for it lol!

So please tell me its a Hummer .... pleaaaaase

I think there were two variations of this dependant on years? And this is the later version ? Earlier one having a squarer cab and box window?

I admit the sexxy little curved cab window grabbed my attention and told me I had to buy it

Yup, it’s a Hummer. I think I may have a spare #50 tender somewhere.

Steve

So thats a hard "yes" then @Steve "Papa" Eastman

      ............

Very interested in Tender if you wish to rid yourself of the pesky critter .. or indeed a carriage if anyone has them

Since we are talking modern Fulgurex, I thought everyone might enjoy the following from my collection. The second item is from Metropolitan who also produced some hi end tinplate. I know this is not tinplate, maybe time for a thread spun off, but nice items anyway.  Miketg

@Fatman posted:

Its a good thing I collect rather than "invest" in my little clockwork tinplate beauties , because I am pretty sure that last nights purchase was definately an "OverPayer Experience " and I really hope what I bought IS what I think it is ( lol ) for which I will hand it over to you gentlemen for confirmation ......

But i am pretty sure I just bought an early American Flyer "Hummer" locomotive ... the seller did not list it as anything other than " O Gauge Pressed Steel Wind up Locomotive Train Works Unknown Maker " ????

Normally I shy away from the ePay Global Shipping Extortionaganza, but where am I gonna find another one?

Someone else was fairly interested in it too , so yeah , I paid for it lol!

So please tell me its a Hummer .... pleaaaaase

I think there were two variations of this dependant on years? And this is the later version ? Earlier one having a squarer cab and box window?

I admit the sexxy little curved cab window grabbed my attention and told me I had to buy it

shoulda known that's where it went. 

I think that makes us pretty square then @Jim O'C I cost you a few $$$'s last week or so , and you cost me it back last night by the sounds of it LOL! ...

If this keeps up we need a system Old Chum

From the archives, my Flyer 3322:

@Fatman posted:

I think that makes us pretty square then @Jim O'C I cost you a few $$$'s last week or so , and you cost me it back last night by the sounds of it LOL! ...

If this keeps up we need a system Old Chum

hey it was mine at $10 all week

As we had a very hot weekend, i spent some time restoring my little BING loco from 1912. Cleaning, replacement bumper on the tender, original front part on the tender which was missing, couplers have been replaced as they where broken, always useful to have original replacement parts; wiring replaced as it was shorting, just too old. Just two screws are non original.Here is the final result.

Daniel

@Jim O'C posted:

hey it was mine at $10 all week

wasnt going to tip my hat too early because I figured out if someone bids on it its likely they know what it is It was on my watch list before you bid , and I wont lie ... a little "#$%$" escaped my lips when you did !

I managed to score a nice little Karl Bub c 1930 locomotive from my Dutch Friend in Eindhoven which took some of the sting away

@FRENCHTRAINS Marvellous sympathetic restoration on the Bing ... Lovely!

OK, trying something new.  I created a youtube channel so I could upload video content.  The test video is about 30 seconds long, but my aim is to create longer videos in the future.  So here are a couple of prewar American Flyer items running around the track.

NWL

Nice video! Thanx! On 2 of the tunnels are red & green lights, were they added or is that original? I've never seen lights on a tunnel before.

@balidas posted:

Nice video! Thanx! On 2 of the tunnels are red & green lights, were they added or is that original? I've never seen lights on a tunnel before.

American Flyer cataloged lighted tunnels for 2 years in the middle 1930s.  The first year included the 2 tunnels shown in the video and the 2nd year featured a new and different tunnel.  You will have to watch the next video to see the 3rd lighted tunnel that American Flyer sold.

OK, here is a longer video of some trains running on the layout.  

These are two c. 1918 American Flyer electrics running like crazy.  Here are photos of the two engines/sets, taken a few years ago, the last time I ran them.

NWL

You have done nice videos, a real pleasure to look at. A great layout an I especially enjoy the color of you trees, perfect color for AF trains.  Daniel

Had to make a hook coupler so I can use the rest of my ETS cars with a Dapol tank engine I have coming from the UK. 

Between 1902 and 1904 Marklin offered a model of a suspended "floating" tram or "Schwebebahn" inspired by the system that still exists in the town of Wuppertal, Germany. This vintage film features a ride on the system. I don't know if any examples of the original Marklin model survive.

Jim Kelly-Evans that "floating train" is a real wonder and its age and the fact that its still operating talks to the skill and level of engineering that went into it.  I especially liked the fact that they put it over the river, thus not taking up any of the land in the village, quite a feat of construction I would imagine.  NWL those flyer trains really do "fly"...I have many of the cars but the engines have remained elusive at least to me... I wonder do they travel that fast due to a fixed voltage setting or is it possible to control the speed and run them slower.  Nonetheless they are really cool, thanks for posting the video. 

Happy and healthy week everyone

Don

Hi Jim,

A few examples of the Marklin Schwebebahn do survive. I have seen one at the Hara Museum in Yokohama, Japan and I believe there is one at the Technorama in Winterthur, Switzerland. There are also a couple on youtube, but again, a very rare, but wonderful piece. Miketg

@Don McErlean posted:

 NWL those flyer trains really do "fly"...I have many of the cars but the engines have remained elusive at least to me... I wonder do they travel that fast due to a fixed voltage setting or is it possible to control the speed and run them slower.  Nonetheless they are really cool, thanks for posting the video. 

Don

Don,

The early engines are being run on a regular transformer, but they seem to either go or stop.  I was running them at the lowest setting I could in order for them to run.  I tried running one on the inner dog bone loop, but it kept flying off the rails due to the limited ability to vary the speed and the tighter curves.

The passenger set was running with a very early motor that seems to be some sort of experimental engine that has tube brushes, something that American Flyer did not make standard on their engines until 1925.  This engine is the earliest American Flyer engine that I have ever observed and is believed to be either an engineering sample or one of the 50 engines that American Flyer made to test the market.  It has several unusual features, as compared to the known production engines.  All I know of its history is that it came to me via a Chicago area flea market.  Since it came to me missing its brushes, it was running with new springs and brushes.  

The engine pulling the freight cars was running with its original brushes, which are simple copper fingers (no other brush of any sort) so it was running a bit slower.  This engine is also an early engine, with the machined cast iron wheels, which are found on the early engines.

NWL

NWL: THANK YOU for the pictures and explanation on the early Flyer engines.  Data on these cast iron guys is hard to come by and really interesting.  I saw one on e-bay recently but with the normal high shipping charges it was a bit out of my reach and the ad really had no information beyond the fact that it was reported to be AF (based on what it said on the tender).  I will keep looking. 

Thanks again for taking the time to post the data.

Don

Jim Kelly-Evans,

in the last 30 years, I have seen 5 of the Marklin Schwebebahn.

Arne

@Arne posted:

Jim Kelly-Evans,

in the last 30 years, I have seen 5 of the Marklin Schwebebahn.

 

Arne

Wow, that's something!

@Don McErlean posted:

NWL: THANK YOU for the pictures and explanation on the early Flyer engines.  Data on these cast iron guys is hard to come by and really interesting.  I saw one on e-bay recently but with the normal high shipping charges it was a bit out of my reach and the ad really had no information beyond the fact that it was reported to be AF (based on what it said on the tender).  I will keep looking. 

Thanks again for taking the time to post the data.

Don

 

Don,

If you want an early engine, especially one with the bigger casting, with the square windows and the cast iron drivers, be prepared to pay for it.  They tend to sell at premium prices.

NWL

@Arne posted:

Jim Kelly-Evans,

in the last 30 years, I have seen 5 of the Marklin Schwebebahn.

Arne

Now that is very cool! 

@Arne posted:

Jim Kelly-Evans,

in the last 30 years, I have seen 5 of the Marklin Schwebebahn.

 

Arne

Great video.  An amazing model, in great condition, and it RUNS.  

Looks like it could be an interesting project to build a facsimile from erector set parts and a passenger car.

Here is a version that was made out of Marklin 's version of the erector set. Miketg

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ISzwhyYybH8

JKE, Arne and Miketg: You ALL get the honors for sharing those unique and awesome videos ranging from the REAL thing to a RARE Marklin model and finally a CREATIVE Marklin model from their construction set. BRAVO, gentlemen! 

I want to second the comment made by Tinplate Art...3 versions including the real thing...of an amazing train and superb models.  What a thread today.  NWL thanks for letting me know about the pricing of the locomotives, its good to know that what I see is reasonable.

Don

Chris: THANK YOU for this wonderful thread!

Let's share some more awesome models! :-)

Return to old tinplate model, I just got the most classic and common Bassett-Lowke model, the Duke of York 1927. This one is the electric version which is far less common than the clockwork model.  Now I have one to go....  but not easy to part with..... This model has been made from 1927 to the thirties and is a very good quality piece.

And the sister clockwork model,

Have a nice weekend, Daniel

Here is a video for the weekend.  Some Prewar American Flyer freight sets c. 1925-1930

OK, so the outermost loop of O gauge is not a cataloged set, but rather a grouping of cars behind an engine and the middle O gauge set has an extra car, but they are great to watch!

NWL

NWL:  I observed your video of the American Flyer freights.  I wondered about the standard (wide) gauge set on the outer track.  I obtained from my brother (he was  not interested in trains) an AF std gauge set which was cataloged (I think) as "The Pioneer" which contained the 4644 New Haven type box cab in red (just as your video shows) with the green gondola and red caboose but no box car.  I wondered if you might know, if the box car came in the original set or if you added it for the video.

Don

Daniel: Two very NICE locomotives! :-)

NWL: ENJOYED those aptly named speedy Flyers! :-)

@Don McErlean posted:

NWL:  I observed your video of the American Flyer freights.  I wondered about the standard (wide) gauge set on the outer track.  I obtained from my brother (he was  not interested in trains) an AF std gauge set which was cataloged (I think) as "The Pioneer" which contained the 4644 New Haven type box cab in red (just as your video shows) with the green gondola and red caboose but no box car.  I wondered if you might know, if the box car came in the original set or if you added it for the video.

Don

 

Don,

The set running on my layout is the Nation Wide Lines standard gauge set that was sold through JC Penney as a store brand train.  All cars are original and marked 4667 and Nation Wide Lines.  The engine has a different number, but also the Nation Wide Lines plates on it.  So yes the boxcar is original to this set and was not added.  However, there are many different variations of freight sets and I am not that knowledgeable about Standard Gauge.  I would have to consult the catalogs to learn more.

NWL

NWL:  thank you for the information. 

Don

Hello everyone,

Here are some items you do not see too often, all Austrian tinplate. I aquired these through a friend in Vienna. The first car, meant to compete with Marklin prewar, is by Herkules of Vienna, who were producing trains from 1946 until the early 1950s. The other three are by Loma of Vienna, who also produced trains during this period. We always here about the great German, French, Swiss and British producers, but so much less about the Austrian and othe Central European producers of the same period.

Miketg

Mike: Very NICE, but need better lighting in your photos. :-)

@Nation Wide Lines posted:

Here is one from the layout.

NWL

NWL, what are the toy cars? Are they Dinkys?

MESG smash up 

@Will posted:

NWL, what are the toy cars? Are they Dinkys?

 

A mix of Tootsietoy and Hubley.  They are the c. 6 inch long sized cars.

Hello,

my news of the week.

Karl Bub L&NWR post car 834P, made 1925

Karl Bub sleeping coach 4632, made 1933-1936

Bing small coach 10156 in red, made 1909-1911

Bing small coach 10156 in blue, made 1909-1911

Bing small post car 10157, made 1909-1911

Arne

Hi Arne,

your LNWR Guards van was also cataloged in the Carette 1911 catalog.

There are variations, the duckets on this one are brown, I also have one like yours with the "spilt milk" duckets.

Plum & Split Milk is a description of LNWR colours that I have seen, LSWR being described as Chocolate & Salmon!

Roland

Scott Smith

Arne: VERY NICE selection of both eight and four-wheel gems! THANK YOU for sharing! :-)

I know this is not really tinplate, but I repainted it in the spirit of the prewar CV locos like Lionel did in the late 90s blue and red versions. This started out as a mid 90s 777 in silver. I bought this real cheap because someone decided to attempt a repaint with a brush on this poor thing. The color is gunmetal from Hobby Horse Products, the silver squares are Krylon metallic shimmer. Decals are home made. The TMCC electronics in the loco work fine, but the sound system in the tender was really fried. I installed an "analog" motor driven air whistle. These locos get a bad rap on being poor runners, with some tuning this runs and pulls quite well. I am using it to pull my 14 car USTTC repainted box car/caboose set. I am using a knuckle to latch coupler adapter.

My new Dapol pannier tank engine with some tinplate add vans. 

I've always wondered what a McCoy TTOS Circus passenger set would look like. Now I know. 

"Flats" on my layout..I don't know who made them or when.

JKE: Interesting! Likely European provenance?

An old freight station from MARKLIN in O gauge, around 1910. the roof has been repainted, not great so a future restoration job to do. Lead railway staff is British from the thirties, Britain or Johillco.

Have a nice weekend, Daniel

@Jim Kelly-Evans posted:

"Flats" on my layout..I don't know who made them or when.

I have a couple of flats on my layout too!

Don't know who made them, but the figures are recognizable.

INDEED! VERY nice! :-)

I just posted some interesting JEP photos on the O Gauge tinplate forum.  Am I allowed

to put the same photos into  this week's Tinplate Photos and Videos--Chris?

lewrail - just run the pictures through Photoshop and flip them - they will provide a completely different view and everyone will be amazed at the apparent similarities and differences between the two posts.   ...seriously, just go ahead. I'm sure no one will mind.

The Head Scratcher Special.

   I purchased this single American Flyer Ambassador Passenger car many moons ago.  I was interested in the car because of the yellow rubber stamped message on the underside.  It is illegible, but, at the time, both the seller and I assumed it was the "Sold As Shopworn" notice Flyer would put on items that either were assembly line rejects/ used items/ etc.  For whatever reason I didn't get around to putting the car on display in my train room and it sat in one of my storage boxes for several years.

  Time passed and I acquired a couple other American Flyer items clearly marked with the rubber stamp "Sold As Shopworn." A few months ago I pulled this car out of storage and looked at the illegible rubber stamp notice again.

Car underside with rubber stamped notice (left hand side)

  Whatever the message is, it is too long  for the phrase "Sold as Shopworn".  

  I mulled this over for awhile and then, for the first time ever, I set it on the track.

  As you can see the car is a tad unlevel. An examination of the wear on the pickup roller indicates the car did see a fair amount of running at some point (the wear on the roller is deep and off center) so it was not a shelf queen.  I thought possibly something had been added or changed after manufacture (the obvious item being a replacement of the left hand truck) but there is no indication of after market additions, changes, or modifications.  Since  the car appears to be as built I'm guessing the rubber stamp is some kind of notification of rejection and since it is illegible I'll let your imagination run wild as to what it actually says.

Addendum - 22 August 2020:  This morning I checked the "Sold As Shopworn" rubber stamp on the bottom of an AF station I have.  In addition to "Sold As Shopworn" the rubber stamp has, in smaller font, the words "American Flyer Mfg Co." below the shopworn notice.  The dimensions of the station rubber stamp and the the rubber stamp on the underside of the car are almost the same.  The only issue are the round dots at either end of the last line on the car.  If those are just some sort of artifact of the actual rubber stamp then the stamp on the bottom of the car may just be, in fact, the the shopworn label.

Here are some photos I posted earlier on the Tinplate Forum site which I hope will be of interest.  They show the beautiful JEP CC-7001 20V DC electric pulling a train of JEP tinplate coaches.  After taking the photos I suddenly discovered that my two Hungarian Mint Company coaches labeled MAV and PV were virtually the same size.  You can see them at the end of my train in one of my display cabinets.  MAV is the Hungarian National Railway and PV was the name of the toy train. Enjoy.

Been a quiet week or so for me ... but in the "Why is this here in Australia?" file comes my latest little addition .... a nice little Hafner Glen Ellyn Station with semaphore in quite good nick for age methinks?

Am I right in thinking mid to late 1930's?

MTH US Army ammunition train made an appearance on the S&Y RR.

Fat man;  great station. Hafner is a favorite of mine. I have the same station but no semaphore ( station made both ways)   Dating Hafner is hard only one thing for sure if station marked Hafner and not Hafner Wyandotte its pre ‘57.

BillT what a great train.  MTH did a super job of re-creating the original Lionel version that is completely out of reach both cost wise and availability to most of us. Thanks for posting. 

I am not a huge fan of fully restored trains but when this poor loco appeared on the French Craigslist and, as it was just a one hour drive, I had to see it and .... buy it of course. As it was a bargain price that is fine.

So this engine is a gauge one live steam model by BING. it dates from 1925-30 and is just fresh from the attic. Some minor parts are missing, handrails along the boiler, front coupler and tender draw bar but despite his appearance it is not so bad, still work with compressed air. It is extremely dirty, kept in oil sheet of cloth since a very long time which has preserved the main parts. That poor piece has never been cleaned during her life and has been used intensively but it will be salvage. With it the complete set of cars and an oval of tracks. The cars have been repainted...maybe destroyed but i will look at this later.

Now keep it with that wonderful weathering or restore, I think restored will be better....

And a picture from the 1930 catalog

Daniel

Hello everyone...Frenchtrains I have no idea where or how you find these amazing pieces but it is really interesting, Gauge 1 and live steam, Wow what a piece!  Thank you for sharing.  You know you mentioned ... restore or not? ... just a thought, I like to leave my finds (none as unique as yours) with some scars and play wear...it gives them a patina that indicates they were loved and played with.  Maybe just clean it up and add the missing parts and then let it show off its age and wear. 

I am continuing my quest to complete a full set of Marx early production from 1934-35 which was the first year of Marx 6" cars and the first offerings of Marx Trains after he took over Gerard Model Works.  The big identifier for these cars is the short wheelbase, silver lithographed black frame, and in the  very first versions, the "JOY LINE" coupler.  I posted earlier my 241/246 Bogota / Montclair coaches and this summer I managed to find the 552 Gondola, 553 Tank, 817 Refrigerator Car, 694 caboose, and 1935 Dark Green Mail/Baggage Car. I was really pleased to recently find the 1678 NP Hopper. This car brings me up to 8/13 cars in the series.  Still missing the 201 Observation, 547 Red Baggage, 550 Crane, and 559 Floodlight plus the (very rare and expensive) 551 Tender.  All these cars, with the Joy Line Coupler are referred to as Series 1, 6" cars, and were made in 1934- 35 only.  So the quest continues, but here is my Early Gondola. Note the short wheelbase and the silver lithographed black frame. 

This picture shows the tell tale Joy Line coupler, note large round hole plus tab and not the traditional tab / slot coupler that came along with Series 2 cars about a year later.

Well 86 years old and still functioning... maybe there's hope for me! 

Don

@FRENCHTRAINS Daniel what a wonderful find ! She is truly a majestic old girl , and so encouraging after all this time and neglect she will still turn over with air !

Normally I am personally 100% against restoration of old tinplate , but in cases like yours where there is no real visible trace of the manufacturers finish to be found , then the case for a restoration certainly has more weight , because you are not really replacing original with new , you are replacing "nothing" with something perhaps? It would probably be worth more to the general collectibles market if left untouched , but you will always find there is someone on the secondary market that likes "Pretty" ... I very much suspect tho that it will not be looking for a new home for a long long time , and that then says to me that whatever you choose to do is the right decision

If it were mine I would leave it though ... but that speaks more about my crap restoration ability than anything else

@Don McErlean posted:

Well 86 years old and still functioning... maybe there's hope for me! 

Don

@Don McErlean I wish I could say the same for me .. I am buggered already LOL!

Lovely hopper and once again your dedication to research and the hunt for treasures inspires us all !

You are lucky I dont live in the US or we would be bitter rivals LOL!

Thanks @Fatman,   I totally think the same thing. I think I will restore that poor little engine.

I could make it look as new but a model with patina may look better, in fact I will try several things to obtain the best aspect. Maybe a solution will appear after the total cleaning, just some black paint, maybe wheels repainted and some red lines but no more.

As I will keep it for me the lost of value is not important at all, it will never be a collector piece, just a running model, and with live steal models of this period the patina tends to come very fast with heat, oil, and flames.

Result in the future as I do not have many time to do it....

Very best, Daniel

Hey Fatman...I don't accept "bitter" rivals...after all this is Texas and there is always a convenient Saloon (Pub) where we would work things out...If you ever get to the US...I also have a  nice big "Barbie" just waiting to cook steaks! 

No Worries!

Don

@FRENCHTRAINS posted:

I am not a huge fan of fully restored trains but when this poor loco appeared on the French Craigslist and, as it was just a one hour drive, I had to see it and .... buy it of course. As it was a bargain price that is fine.

So this engine is a gauge one live steam model by BING. it dates from 1925-30 and is just fresh from the attic. Some minor parts are missing, handrails along the boiler, front coupler and tender draw bar but despite his appearance it is not so bad, still work with compressed air. It is extremely dirty, kept in oil sheet of cloth since a very long time which has preserved the main parts. That poor piece has never been cleaned during her life and has been used intensively but it will be salvage. With it the complete set of cars and an oval of tracks. The cars have been repainted...maybe destroyed but i will look at this later.

Now keep it with that wonderful weathering or restore, I think restored will be better....

 

And a picture from the 1930 catalog

Daniel

I replied to your post on the FB tinplate page (Not realizing until now that you are the same person) It's such a beautiful patina, I'd be tempted to leave it.

@Will posted:

I replied to your post on the FB tinplate page (Not realizing until now that you are the same person) It's such a beautiful patina, I'd be tempted to leave it.

Hello Will, as you i didn't notice....  First step will be cleaning and after try to do the best, but leaving it as is may be an option, a sort of rat loco would be funny and it will be fun to run it.

It makes me remember one thing, many years ago in a toy show, I have presented a selection of Lionel Standard gauge trains, running on an oval with accessories all in perfect condition, beside me a friend who has founded an old JEP train in the same battered and rusty condition, worst than my Bing engine,  and just cleaned the motor has run it all the day.

Who had the most success..... not me, the general public was admiring this old train in such bad condition but still running....

Very best, Daniel

A little ETS electric passing through on the S&Y RR.

REGARDING "FLAT" FIGURINES...and posts by Nation Wide Lines and @jim Kelly-Evans...

The "flats" are German...go to this link...there should be a picture of the boy with the bulldog and others...

https://www.zinnfigur.com/en/F...isenbahnfiguren.html

Howard...

One of two Biaggi gauge 1 locos in my collection, this Cock 'o the North model has working rotary cam-activated poppet valve gear, true to the 1934 prototype before it was re-built with Walschaerts valve gear by 1939.