TinPlate vs Plastic

The same thing happened to me.  Last year I purchased a tinplate set for under my Christmas tree and in April I came home from York with more cars and buildings.   I just harkens back to what my generation perceives as a better, more innocent time.

I'm seriously considering making a small tinplate layout in our spare bedroom.

-Greg

Those tinplate stream liners will be right at home flying around your train show displays.

At one time many years ago I was a big L guy , nothing but Hudson's, F3s and 6464 box cars . then it happened I picked up a lowly 0-4-0 Marx Army engine W/tender , search light car , and a officers tail car .   Now its nothing but tin and no looking back . Gary 

Popi posted:

So I used to be a Lionel guy, (although im not apposed to other brands). Then about a year ago I picked up a pre war Lionel locomotive w/ many tinplate cars. That got me into the tinplate world and since I have purchased Marx prewar M10000 streamliners, American Flyer tinplate streamliners and boy am I hooked on these tinplate trains. They have a beauty all their own.

I especially like the tin Litho of Marx on the 6 inch 4 wheel cars.  These have been a wonder to collect and to run.

Keep on collecting and I hopem you find everything you are looking for!!!!

very cool!

Greg Houser posted:

The same thing happened to me.  Last year I purchased a tinplate set for under my Christmas tree and in April I came home from York with more cars and buildings.   I just harkens back to what my generation perceives as a better, more innocent time.

I'm seriously considering making a small tinplate layout in our spare bedroom.

-Greg

Build one! We have very limited real estate for SG here, but we built a 5'6" x 8'10" art deco style layout table. With 2 simple 42 curve loops for now. With enough room for lots of goodies. You can get plenty of tinplate going in a spare bedroom!

Same here, I keep coming back to the tinplate, I just love it!

I've worked in a Litho plant for the last 18 years, and I really appreciate the printing process. The tinplate really has a lot of detail.

Darn Dave!  What do we have to do to get some litho sheets made up for some train cars?  I've seen some only litho companies that do small runs of containers etc and have always wondered what it would take to get them to do some sheets for trains.  Something like a refrigerator car.  They could just send us the flat sheets after litho if its too much trouble to form them into car shells....

probably just need the press plate (like a photograph negative) and what color ink.....call Crown Corporate in Philly, mention my name (and they'll probably hang up)

SOME "plasticplate" is acceptable: LGB!  :-)

Marklin Maxi was metal!  I really liked that stuff, but it was to expensive for me at the time and of course, now...well...they do not make it!

I moved onto Lionel prewar O & standard (mostly low cost items like electric type engines). Also have ETS engines and rolling stock all with conventional trucks and couplers. Now McCoy standard gauge. Just get a engine and cars of prewar tinplate and you will be hooked.

I prefer the feel of metal. Aside from my 4 diesel switchers, and a 90s rectifier, I have a 1061 just for the plastic case motor, and a RI dockside I bashed for cab forward, but that was "free". Traded stuff for a Berk and it was tossed in just to be rid of it, lol. (Hey it has a metal plow!)

Long ago, I dug up a 30s Marx CV out of the dirt after being buried 30-40 years...literally, and once the dirt was washed out, and wheels and shoe cleaned it ran, and still does...nuff said?

(50% of the cars are fine, 50% were red-brown dust)

I have the blue pencils and a razor in my teeth; "Ready for the keylining!"

Steamer posted:

I've worked in a Litho plant for the last 18 years, and I really appreciate the printing process. The tinplate really has a lot of detail.

 

Whaaaaaat? When were you going to tell us that little tid-bit, about your interesting secret life? You know JFK said something about "ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."  Here is the plan to allow you to help at least 2 in the country out... OK so you just run off a couple of dozen O gauge cars for Dennis and I, what could be more patriotic? Then you deliver the sheets to us in that Road Runner. Then, we would be willing to allow you to use us as references to help you find a new job! A win-win for everybody. 

Tom 

it's no seceret...I'm sure I've mentioned it before...tell ya what...hold on for eight years...that's when I'm aiming for retirement, then I'll do a run on the last night.

He thinks we won't remember....

What is it you print most often? 

just tell my wife...she NEVER forgets anything......unless she doesn't want to.

well I've been on the shear side driving forklift the last 12 years, and this Febuary I moved up to shear line stacker, so I'm kinda outta touch, but we used to run tons of Gerber (baby food) caps until they went plastic. I know we run a lot of Delmonte,DelGrosso,Old El Paso salsa etc.Any jar cap you see with a Crown on it, it's ours.

Will they print flat sheets of a stamdard size without cuttkng them?  What is a std sized sheet? I know some of these places will do small runs  say 500, no idea about yours. But a tinplate litho beer reefer would be real cool. Design it to fit an existing frame

we shear the steel coils, then they either ship out to a customer raw, or we coat them or coat and print at our place. then the metal ships to another plant near Pittsburgh for forming into the caps.

as far as size, we do several sizes of sheets. no idea of how small a run we would do.