Toy-Like Tinplate Bing Love

A beauty she is indeed Gaucho! But even more beautiful to me is your unashamed appreciation of the often neglected "toy" locomotives ! A passion I share entirely!

NICE! :-)

@Fatman posted:

A beauty she is indeed Gaucho! But even more beautiful to me is your unashamed appreciation of the often neglected "toy" locomotives ! A passion I share entirely!

Thanks! Good to hear others who appreciate the more “toy-like” trains! I’m an old soul who imagines being a kid in the 10s-30s opening up a great windup toy train box at Christmas and creates a world in his head that’s unlimited by his imagination. Ives, AF, Hafner, Bing... are all imagination starters

Hi everyone. Does anyone know how to identify whether the body of a tin train was either “lithographed” or “hand painted”? I’m having a hard time determining “this” particular train loco specifically. I’m assuming all these BW trains were lithographed, but what do the “surface cracks” mean? Heat application? SUN-ware? Any info on this I’d appreciate! Love to learn..

Ariel

I’m adding a more close-up of the body.
I’m assuming it’s a litho body... but noticing a lot of bubbles or bumpy surfacing. Just curious peoples thoughts.

Let us see some of your early Bing running if possible.

@Elgaucho posted:

I’m adding a more close-up of the body.
I’m assuming it’s a litho body... but noticing a lot of bubbles or bumpy surfacing. Just curious peoples thoughts.

Hi Ariel ,

My thoughts on this ... the cab is definitely lithographed , the boiler is possibly restored ( a long time ago ) or was factory dip enamel painted with waterslide/decal boiler bands ( or very skilled paintwork  ... then it looks like the boiler at least has had lacquer applied ... this was often done to older toys to make them look brighter/newer and or to preserve fading "dusty" paint .

The crackling effect is usually the lacquer layer reacting with the paint after many many years , the lacquer keeps shrinking and it cracks the underlying paint while the surface remains intact  ( also one way to tell true antique paintings ! )

So in my mind it is 100% possible that the finish is  exactly how it left the factory and age has wearied it , or equally as possible its had some restoration many years ago ... it was a common thing for UK modellers to use laquer to "preserve" finishes

looking at the cab the litho appears to have a slight gloss to it too , so it has probably had a light lacquer too , but as chrome-lithography litho ink is bonded more strongly like a skin to the underlying metal it doesnt crack as much as enamel will over time , but it still can just not as deeply , as the enamel is a much thicker coat ..

So if I had to call it .. I would say the cab is 100% factory litho and it is mated to a litho boiler which had had enamel dip ( for the black at the front)  and clear laquered , either ex factory , or by a well intentioned owner later on..

Fatman (name?) Wow!! Good information! (On lithography) Good to know these are relatively “original”. Honestly, if they’re in decent shape(with motor working) I’m OK with that 😊

Tinplate Art(Arne?) I’m posting a couple videos of these from a previous post. When I get an opportunity to make a larger layout(I have a large variety of Bing rails and switches with telephone posts and English stations to display. It’s a little hard with little ones currently though.

Im posting yet another loco received recently (green 3433) that’s also a gem!!

I took an underside Photo as well, of the windups, as it looks like the “width” of their springs varied from decade to decade(thinner probably meaning more most modem and cheaper I assume)

@Elgaucho I love these simple trains and am happy to see someone highlighting them.  I also really like the mantle clock! My grandparents had one on top of the China cabinet.   Seeing yours made me think of them and smile

Thanks Ariel!

You might find the following set of some interest ... because the Bing Name did not end with the factory in Germany , and when Stephan Bing migrated to the UK in the 1932 with his family to avoid the beginnings of Nazi Germany , as the Bing family were Jewish and the great depression hit them hard going into the 30's and no German banker would finance the necessary expansion to recover . that lead to the eventual death of Bing ..

Stephan was working with WJ Bassatt-Lowke beginning the Trix empire , but to finance himself he produced a few litho train sets , and began making clockwork boats as well as a projector which took off The Bingoscope!

Because of the war and probably low volume production as best I can figure there are only TWO sets I know of that remain along with some individual carriages surfacing only rarely .. but you can clearly see Stephan Bing was simply using a slightly different version of the ones you have presented here 

C.1933/4 Bing British trademark , ( a Double B ) which separates it from his German cousins ..

Oh BTW the name is ... Simon ( lol ) .. but Fatman is fine !

Hi Simon! Nice set! Yes, there’s quite a few similarities.

I did know the unfortunate history of the Bing brand being forced to leave Germany for England. Im really fascinated by how the Bing brand had become “the worlds biggest” toy manufacturer at the turn of the century. Sure,

Marklin made stronger, more unique trains but Bing made “affordable” trains(and various wonderful toys, like this lantern attached. I hope I can post non-train related photos here. I’m just happy to share my Bing collection so far)

@jhz563 posted:

@Elgaucho I love these simple trains and am happy to see someone highlighting them.  I also really like the mantle clock! My grandparents had one on top of the China cabinet.   Seeing yours made me think of them and smile

Thank you! Glad you’re enjoying them! And yes, these mantel clocks are wonderful and beautifully designed. My youngest actually chose this one online but needs restoration(which made it cheaper) from England. But I love it for even decoration purposes. Very attractive 😊

As long as we are talking about the various Bing offerings in their "basic" line we might as well remember the Vedes connection

  This Bing set was sold under the VEDES label.  VEDES is short for Vereinigung Deutscher

Spielwarenhändler. Which is a trade organization that specializes in sales to the leisure and hobby market – literally “play and leisure.”  The organization was founded in 1904 in Leipzig and moved its main headquarters to Nürnberger in 1929.  They took the name “VEDES” in 1920 and their first trademark was a Christmas tree with 3 candles and the name “VEDES” at the base – this is the trademark on the box lid of this train set (lower left of box cover).

Based on what I was able to find and translate from the German version of Wikipedia it would appear that VEDES is something like Montgomery Wards and, at least as far as the Bing trains are concerned, the marketing would be something akin to the American Flyer Nationwide Lines.

Box Cover

Managed to find my “one and only” Bing box! (from storage) Looks really good with the set!

I could add whatever number (or variety) of tracks from a large box of original Bing tracks I also have in storage from this era. Would anyone know the exact number (or layout) that this set was supposed to come with? 😊

The coaches has the last frame, which Bing had made after 1929, here a picture from catalog 1930.

Arne

@Arne posted:

The coaches has the last frame, which Bing had made after 1929, here a picture from catalog 1930.

Arne

Thanks Arne! Looks like this is the set I've got! I do have the original tracks that form the circle(8) And funny how its described as a loco that could pull all "three" coaches(lol) I've found puling "one" is enough for a decent speed

The box certainly is "attractive"

Getting some accessories out of storage, looks like the box might have held 8 circle tracks and signal house(?) maybe even an “X” crossing?

*Posting a simple English country station for decoration as well.

If anyone has any catalog images or information on early ‘30 Bing “sets” please let me know! Books or internet links? Thanks everyone.

Ariel