Unique Art Mechanical Steam Engine

Electroliner - the topics you come up with for threads!  Very enjoyable.  Thanks for that.

definitely one of the loudest clockwork drives as is their electric powered steamer.  Marx 7" tin was a direct result of UA's claim of having the largest tinplate trains driving them out of the toy train business in just a few years.

besides those few Marx pieces, the only O gauge i know of that rivals their size are some of the larger Hoge models.

it's a shame that i see more damage resulting from poor storage rather than rough play.

Unique Art, the "King" of O scale clockwork ... ?

We had an interesting discussion about a Unique caboose a while back:

Benny the brakeman

You mean to tell me that's the Marx Brothers riding around in a Unique caboose?! 

I enjoyed both videos, well done! I passed up a Unique Arts Jewel Tea circus set about fifteen years ago, I still regret it. It was like new in the box. I hope it went to a good home, it was in West Virginia, near the Fenton factory. The price at the time was $700, which was a tad rich for my blood. 

Another hard on is the black tender. Doesn't make sense since there was no black loco, but it exists and is real tough to find.

Steve

I like trains, but not that much.

Is the information accurate about Unique Art trains being made only during 1949 - 1951 ?  That would make them somewhat rare?

The previous owner of the steam mechanical engine seemed to be a meticulous collector and it came from his estate. The tag glued to the bottom of the frame says 1949, which coincides with Overland Flyer's information. From my own searching, they appear to be rare. I was astonished by the variety that Overland as well, posted..more variety than I imagined and the rarity he cited also fits into this scenario. The Jewel circus cars are almost works of art ( unique art?) that compares favorably to the more elaborate lithography of old school European toy makers. Wow!  At least that how it looks to me. If I found a tender at a decent price that was not rusted, it would be miraculous.

Bruce

Gary I hope this helps. Its just a tad darker than the photograph but like anything the color depends on the effect of light. I got the tower as well as well as the same issue with the handle. That box must be very rare and I agree that rare doesn't equate with valuable, except in the eye of the beholder at times. 

Bruce

Side by side

yup... that's the one.  thanks!

The same tender, as part of the set.

Graeme

The darker blue loco, again from an eBay sale.

Interesting Unique Art track set

Here are photo's of probably the rarest UA piece. A working, not broken control tower.

Steve

Another rare set, but made up of common cars is the #400 clockwork set. Only came with a loco, tender & caboose. All instructions are on the box. The only thing missing here is the flint for the sparker.

Steve

Steve

That box is way cool and so vintage it has to be seen to be appreciated and for that, a hearty thanks is due. The lid would make a great poster, which brings up another area of collecting which is the collecting of vintage toy train ads other than from AF or Lionel which are very common. What struck me was how detailed the instructions were for a simple circle and a clockwork! Below is a reproduction poster up on my wall originally produced by Marx which is fairly large...it touts their switches and their new UP streamliner. I captured the image of the poster while doing a shot of the old Schuco Zeppelin. I have a collection of old non train clockworks which could be a sub-thread..I am awaiting the delivery of a clockwork version of the Lionel bump and go trolley only this is a bus. I plan to make a trackway ( highway) for it on the clockwork layout which I have been upgrading in recent weeks. When done, Ill do a post here.

Bruce

I love that banked track to give superelevation.

TrainsR Me

I have Hornby track, that, they too, superelevated. I am fairly sure it is Hornby as outside of the switches, my layout uses the track I got from the U.K Makes a huge difference. Maybe Graeme can verify this. The track is very heavy duty, makes the others look very flimsy. Made a cool turntable as well..In the foreground you might be able to see the superelevation..

Bruce

I have a few Hornby boxed sets and the track is pretty heavy duty, but not elevated. Maybe it depends on the time period?

Steve

I was hoping Graeme would pop back in to answer the questions on track..

Bruce

Hornby (Meccano Ltd.) catalogued superelevated clockwork track, both curves and straights, as early as 1920, and had similarly- profiled three-rail track as early as 1922, according to "The Hornby O Gauge System" by Chris and Julie Graebe.  The book has an entire chapter on "Rails". I don't own any, but it certainly would be a plus for a clockwork layout.

Hi Guys.  Still here.  Yes, the usual Hornby tinplate track that most of us are familiar with dates back to the 1920s.  There were two radii, 1 ft. and 2 ft.  Note UK users refer to the radius, not diameter, so the larger Hornby 2 ft. radius would be 4 ft. or 48 inch diameter - 048.  Both were available as clockwork or electric, together with the usual turnouts, crossings, turntable etc.  General rule is, cambered or elevated track is pre war whereas post war track was level.  All Hornby track should be marked - could be Hornby Series on one end of a sleeper (tie) or Meccano on one end of a tie and England on the other end.  Track pins were shorter, post war.

Post war, track pins were shorter, and, in England, only clockwork track was made.  However, Hornby in France continued making 3 rail track into the 1960s, with level ties.  Look for Serie Hornby trademarks.

Hornby 3 rail track has two pins at one end, and the third pin at the other end, unlike Lionel who put all three pins at one end.

Rugged is a good description of Hornby track, particularly the post war clockwork with level ties.

Graeme

Bruce, just realised I did not comment on your layout photo - sorry.

I can clearly see the turntable and buffer (bumper), but am not sure about the track.  I'm hoping there will be a photo below, showing a standard length of post war Hornby clockwork track.  There are three ties, the shorter pins, and each rail is ten and one quarter inches long.  Each tie is stamped MECCANO on top, at one end, and ENGLAND at the other end.

Cheers, Graeme

Thanks Graeme

The track on the layout is prewar and I used a fraction of what I have as well as painting the ties brown so I got the box of unused track out and sure enough, there's the stamping as you described it. The reason I have so much track is that I had to keep a sort of lottery going as the 48 diameter track, switches were predominant in the secondary market back then and I wanted a smaller portable layout..I just purchased my first Hornby clockwork whose freight cars remind me very much of Marx six inch tin being very small four wheel cars..are these prewar? Any good reference sites for Hornby?

Bruce 

try these guys,

http://www.hrca.net/

http://www.hrcaa.org.au

the Hornby tinplate 4-wheel cars are prewar, 1930's.

Steve, yes, unsecured track will disconnect very quickly, without the connectors.  I confess I usually use K-Line track for temporary layouts, where the track is not securely screwed to a board.

Bruce, I am not aware of a site with an identification guide to Hornby.  By far and away the best purchase for anyone interested in Hornby is a copy of the book by Chris and Julie Graebe, as mentioned earlier.  Quite often appears on Amazon, eBay etc., both sides of the Atlantic.  Volume 5 of the Hornby Companion Series, published by New Cavendish.

The Dutch HRCA (Hornby Railway Collectors Association) site is well worth visiting.  Not an identification guide, but there is a price guide to Hornby locos, with pictures, which at least gives an idea of what is available.  Their meeting reports are always worth looking at, for pictures of superb Hornby 0 gauge layouts.

URL<http://www.dutchhrca.nl/priceguide.htm>

URL<http://www.dutchhrca.nl/agm.htm>

Cheers, Graeme