Weekend tinplate photos 📸 & video 📽 4/20/19!

A HORNBY electric French model, 1S serie from 1935 just cleaned, some patina but it is fine for me,

And a steeple cab PO in near new condition from the 50"s, 

Have a nice Easter weekend,  Daniel

Happy Easter ALL!

It has been a big week at Casa Fatmanos .... coming from the UK are a couple of nice loco's

Firstly a nice Karl Bub from the late 20's

Not sure if the carriages are from that period , I need to do some follow up when they arrive

I already have this model loco in my collection , but this was such a nice example I could not pass it up

There are however differnces in finish and painting , possibly different years?

This one below is already in my collection...I note the differences as being the Bright Plated front and dome, and the rivet paint blobs being much cruder, also the KBN being litho plated on the above example on the front boiler base plate ... My existing one I had narrowed down to a 1927 year so possibly this new one is a year later?

Also coming is a Bing wagon and buffer stop

Sometimes its not all about the loco's wagons, and nifty trackside accesories

I also picked up a key which I think might also be for the Planck Loco I got a few weeks back?

Its from the same seller I got the Planck loco from , but as it was part of a box lot  of German Loco's and rolling stock it may not be necessarily Planck ? Just rolling with my gut on this one , and interesting piece nonetheless? The other locos were Bing and Bub so I am assuming its not them ..

Now on the local front I managed to pick up some nice interesting British stuff mainly from the 50's

The centepiece being a wonderful Chad Valley Merlin Streamliner

This was a nice "transitional " piece as it was the first battery powered Loco from Chad Valley and was advertised as being the perfect way to "electrify" your old clockwork sets

Operating off 2 'D' Cells it had forward/reverse and stop in the cab and could be triggered to off with an underside track switch trigger ...

From the same place I picked up a gaggle of same period wagons

The good and the ugly

And as a final treat some more smaller Chad Valley, with ONE noteable exception ... can you tell which?

Hidden amongst the little wagons and tenders is a sleeping gem of a "Wells 'O' London " crane which I suspect is much earlier ... searching the web I have only (so far) found a single picture of one, in which the crane had been substituted by a Mecanno one at some point in its life ...

(Edit ... actually in combing the web I found Freds excellent PDF on his crane trucks which confirms my suspicions !!! Thank you @sncf231e yet again   Is there anything you dont have LOL! ... However the similarities between the things we love keep turning up over and over )

It reminds me somewhat of the early Bing/Marklin cheaper ones..

All in all a very satisfying haul

And lastly for this week I have a mystery loco for your examination and possible identification if you should choose to accept this mission

German made , but no visible marks I can see in the photos provided ..

The fixed key, tinplate punched wheels, and boilerside brake/on/off lever being the biggest clues I would think?

I have no decent photo of the writing on top of the boiler , I suspect it will only say "Made in Germany" or Bavaria or such

Any Ideas?

My next e-book will be on continental European Pacifics, so I started to make pictures. Here pictures of 2 different tinplate 0 gauge French Nord Pacifics. The first 3 pictures are from the JEP Nord Super pacific, this version was made by JEP in the thirties. The second three are the Chapelon Nord Pacific made by AS in the Eighties.

Regards

Fred

Here are a few shots of one of my favorite steamers, the late early American 2" gauge Carlisle & Finch No. 45 Atlantic, ca. 1909-12. The No. 45 was introduced in 1903 and sold until 1915, when C & F stopped producing model trains. The No. 45 was re-designed in 1909. Earlier versions had a six-pole motor with a Gramme Ring armature, while this later version has a three pole motor similar to those found in other C & F locomotives. Unlike other toy train manufacturers at the time, C & F locomotives never featured an illuminated headlamp. 

Easter Favorite of mine 

https://youtu.be/XAh3rajiMnE

Here's another one of those uncatalogued American Flyer sets from the 1930's.  The set box number is 376X.  The cataloged set (and this listed only in the 1931 dealers price list) that is the closest match is the #909 Express Electric set.

Set #909 - Express Electric - Illustrated in the Dealer supplement for 1931

Set #376X

  The difference between the two is the engine heading the set.  #909 has AF #1090 which looks identical to #1097 but, carries the number 1090 and instead of the words "American Flyer" on the emblem in the upper center of the cab side has "Empire Express". 

Truckin' ... !

Some Dorfan cars with a Bing or Carette station canopy.

George

Not long ago on the Discovery Channel's Expedition Unknown: Egypt Live, the host Josh Gates had the excitement of opening a sarcophagus containing a 2,500 year old mummy.  It reminded me of the archaeological dig I was on for 5 weeks in Israel while I was in Seminary. There is an unmatched excitement to revealing something that has been hidden from sight for the first time in centuries.  

Collecting trains can be a bit like that. You never know what you might find in an old cardboard box tucked away in a dark attic, basement or closet. Recently this box came into my possession.

While the set number has faded away the label is recognizable as  coming from the prewar era.   Open the box and the excitement continues.

More boxes!

And these boxes still had the numbers of their contents stamped on them.

And the best discovery of all was finding the engine, tender, and cars in the boxes.

With a little research in the American Flyer catalogs it was possible to discover more information about this set. This is Set No.5, Northwestern Passenger from 1938.

Automatic Couplers

This is my kind of archaeology.

Have a Great Tinplate Weekend

Northwoods Flyer

Greg

REALLY like Fred's two exquisite Nord Pacifics, and JKE's C&F Atlantic is ONE beautiful machine! Those are my picks for the blue ribbons so far!

George, the passenger shed is Bing.

Robert S. Butler posted:

George, the passenger shed is Bing.

And the Issmayer is pretty.

It must be that time of the years again , I went out to check the flower beds this morning and look who I seen coming around the curve. Happy Easter.

Greg J. Turinetti posted:

..

More boxes!

And these boxes still had the numbers of their contents stamped on them.

R? ... red?

i've got the "short" line version ...

Robert S. Butler posted:

George, the passenger shed is Bing.

Thanks Sam. Yours is in real nice condition! There's one like that on eBay with the extra sidewalk. The seller wants 8  times what I paid for mine. 

George

Fatman posted:

And lastly for this week I have a mystery loco for your examination and possible identification if you should choose to accept this mission

German made , but no visible marks I can see in the photos provided ..

 

The fixed key, tinplate punched wheels, and boilerside brake/on/off lever being the biggest clues I would think?

I have no decent photo of the writing on top of the boiler , I suspect it will only say "Made in Germany" or Bavaria or such

Any Ideas?

 

Was made by Heinrich Fischer in the 20s, here a similar of them:

Fischer train

Greetings

Arne

Scott Smith

overlandflyer posted:

Greg J. Turinetti posted:

..

More boxes!

And these boxes still had the numbers of their contents stamped on them.

R? ... red?

i've got the "short" line version ...

 

Yes,

The R designates red.  As you probably know you have the 3140 and the 3141. I can't make out in your photo if the cars are numbered. They are in remarkable condition.    I don't  have any that nice in my collection, and I tend to shy away from the 4 wheel cars.  My collection would be huge if I decided to collect the 4 wheel variations too.

Northwoods Flyer

Greg

Greg J. Turinetti posted:

overlandflyer posted:

R? ... red?

i've got the "short" line version ...

Yes,

The R designates red.  As you probably know you have the 3140 and the 3141. I can't make out in your photo if the cars are numbered. They are in remarkable condition.    I don't  have any that nice in my collection, and I tend to shy away from the 4 wheel cars.  My collection would be huge if I decided to collect the 4 wheel variations too.

Northwoods Flyer

Greg

the silver on red doesn't show up too well, does it.  the coach is 3141 and the obsv is 3142 actually.  i have a few 4 axle cars, but i prefer the 4=wheel versions.  even though prewar Flyer is far from any "scale" size, i have the same strategy about space conservation.... especially when i figure in Marx and Hafner, too!!

glad you posted the "automatic coupler" picture.  i think i heard that the curly-Q couplers weren't called that in the 30's, but i wasn't sure if "automatic" referred to that one or the later link/ pin.  the catalog pictures do not really indicate much.

Hello. Something new that I didn’t know I needed until I saw it. Question is, if anyone out there has one, how does one get inside of it to change the bulbs if / when that is ever needed? Luckily, I only had to tinker with the top one. The cap comes off to access the top bulb, but no clue how to get to the middle and bottom layer.

Happy Easter / Passover! - Chris

PhillyChris posted:

Hello. Something new that I didn’t know I needed until I saw it. Question is, if anyone out there has one, how does one get inside of it to change the bulbs if / when that is ever needed? Luckily, I only had to tinker with the top one. The cap comes off to access the top bulb, but no clue how to get to the middle and bottom layer.

Happy Easter / Passover! - Chris

Well now you did it. I need one too! Who knew?

George

Robert S. Butler posted:

Here's another one of those uncatalogued American Flyer sets from the 1930's.  The set box number is 376X.  The cataloged set (and this listed only in the 1931 dealers price list) that is the closest match is the #909 Express Electric set.

Set #909 - Express Electric - Illustrated in the Dealer supplement for 1931

 

Set #376X

  The difference between the two is the engine heading the set.  #909 has AF #1090 which looks identical to #1097 but, carries the number 1090 and instead of the words "American Flyer" on the emblem in the upper center of the cab side has "Empire Express". 

Here are a couple more uncataloged sets with 1090/1097 engines

NWL

Hi Fellow Tinplaters. Happy Easter or Passover all.

Finally...This is the best part of my day after a $1,500 car bill. I convert that in my head to 2.5 prewar switchers, which then really aggravates me! Serenity now as George Costanza's father would say! 

Here is one of my prewar #228's with a Dorfan boxcar. 

Tom

Thank You @Arne  Fischer is certainly the one of the brands I was considering it could be , but with your research you seem to have hit the nail on the head Until it is in my hands I wont be able to truly check but it really does look like there is no actual "fish" trademark above the Made in Germany, so I wonder if Fischer was doing a "plain Jane " version for a UK distributor perhaps ... So frustrating when they do that !

I have to admit these weekend threads are my favourite across the entire interwebs .. Such GORGEOUS and diverse stuff just keeps appearing every week .... Sigh.. if I see another Issmayer my head might just explode with envy !!!

Just something about the cartoony yet historical appearance that makes me want one so badly

Here is a video of my wedding anniversary present my wife got me last year. I had run the engine a little before but just got time to open and set up the passenger cars.

All quiet. 

Some European-flavor O Gauge fun. After some repair work Saturday I got both my Ikaria tram and the Zeuke electric locomotive running. The Ikaria tram was made in Brno, Czechoslovakia, early 1960's. I picked it up at York, but found it was not running. Correcting an obvious wiring error solved the problem and it zooms around just fine, although it can get stuck on the one end of the layout where I have 0-32 curves. More on Ikaria from the Binns Road website: www.binnsroad.co.uk/railways/tioka/index.html

Fatman posted:

Now on the local front I managed to pick up some nice interesting British stuff mainly from the 50's

The centepiece being a wonderful Chad Valley Merlin Streamliner

 

 

Thirty-three shillings and ninepence - what luxury!

PhillyChris, is there any chance that the whole thing is being held together by the nut/bolt combination on the piece of insulated material on the bottom?  It sort of looks like if you unscrewed that and also unscrewed the nut/bolt that looks to be the feed for the live wire that the whole assembly would slide out.  This, of course, is just a guess but based on your pictures it looks like the only way to take the light fixture apart.

First picture: picked up the Ives Railway Lines water tower on ebay. Needs some pieces yet to complete but it’s still a nice addition. The trailer house I got from my Pop’s attic, one door opens on each side. Nice piece

Marx Gravel Truck(wind-up) and what I believe is a Hubley dump truck. From pop 

Ives Railway Lines Chair Car #551. Need to get couplers for it, but plan on adding it to  my Ives/Bing consist.

Up front: Corgi Major Series Construction Crane. 1 wind-up Ambulance And a Friction racecar(Fance #55)- made in Japan. On the right is a Portland cement truck, behind that is a Boston Red Sox car. In the middle: Matchbox Crane and a Tonka construction car. In the back is a wind-up Marx tank.

overlandflyer posted:

Greg J. Turinetti posted:

..

More boxes!

And these boxes still had the numbers of their contents stamped on them.

R? ... red?

i've got the "short" line version ...

 

@overlandflyer those are two cars I’ve been thinking for picking up- very nice !

Great Easter weekend pick-ups/pictures everybody! Some of the coolest things I’ve seen on this thread, on the the whole, in general!

Found this at York.  Had to replace the crossarm, but thought it was pretty neat.  Love the wording.

Somebody Stop Me !!!

Found ANOTHER variation of the late 20's Karl Bub loco ... and seriously for less than 10£ (13US$) How can you say no ?

Just missing a side rod on one side and a bit of cab straightening...

So now we have THREE variations of the same loco

#1 with Bright Chrome boiler dome, blobby rivets, and Bright Nickel front, 10 Spoke wheels, Cab lever

#2 with Normal Nickle dome, small neat rivets, and Black boiler front, 12 Spoke wheels, Cab lever

#3 with Bright Chrome Boiler dome, blobby rivets, and Black boiler front, 6 Spoke wheels, Side brake lever

#1

#2

#3

They must have gotten free beers at lunch at the Bub Factory

I would guess at chronologically ?

#3 earliest, #1 next, #2 last? I dont think there is more than a few years between them tho?

JON: That is one VERY NICE crossing signal! Anerican Flyer?

Jon G posted:

Found this at York.  Had to replace the crossarm, but thought it was pretty neat.  Love the wording.

JON,

A number of years ago, I did very much the same thing.  In my case, a friend just kindly handed the AFMCo. No. 2206 to me. I replaced the cross arm and did a mild restoration. Zinc pest in the die cast cross arm is a common problem with these. Some fun, hey!

Bob

 LTC 381e in Two-Tone Blue with Protosounds 3:

Nice, all the headlights and lanterns are lit by LEDs.

As an experiment, I tested it with 6 State cars, and it pulled them all with no problems.