Cool!
With that color scheme I can see why it's called a "Tiger" set!
Didn't they also call that one the "Halloween set"?
Same me, different spelling!
I think it is called that in collector's circles. In the 1930 catalog it is called "The Tiger".
I have a second pullman for my set so I guess it can be The Halloween Set.
Enjoying the World's Greatest Hobby
Northwoods Flyer
The Northwoods Flyer Collection
of
American Flyer Trains
"The Toy For the Boy"
A small portion of my collection is Lionel. I wanted a few good representations of what they produced. Over the years I have been able to find some excellent examples in very good condition.
This is the O Gauge Baby Blue Comet.
I think that Marx made some beautiful lithographed tin trains. I made up a unit train with New York Central equipment. I particularly like the Pacemaker scheme.
Not NYC but it looks good with the other cars.
Another manufacturer that I have grown fond of is Dorfan. While their equipment is difficult to find in excellent condition; suffering from poor paint adhesion and zink pest, they produced some beautiful pieces. I like the concept that they had that their toys were designed to be taken apart and put back together again.
Here are some of their passenger cars.
Many of their passenger cars have these delightful tinplate passengers.
I only have 2 Dorfan pieces, this little gondola and a switch controller.
Northwoods Flyer I think that Marx made some beautiful lithographed tin trains. I made up a unit train with New York Central equipment. I particularly like the Pacemaker scheme. Not NYC but it looks good with the other cars. Enjoying the World's Greatest Hobby Northwoods Flyer
Paul
Penny and Paul,
Thanks for adding your posts. Penny I think that my first purchase of Dorfan was one of the o gauge gondolas.
By far the largest portion of my collection is American Flyer. I am the youngest child in my family of origin and my Father purchased trains for my older brother. I have inherited those trains; Wide Gauge, Narrow Gauge and S Gauge, and they have been the core of my collection.
This is a train that I heard about from the time I was very young. It was stored in the attic of the house in which we lived and I didn't see it until my Father dug it out when I was about 3 or 4 years old. It has always been a treasured part of the collection.
This is the Ives O Gauge Oriole Limited from 1930.
It came with the engine and two cars. Personally I like it with a third car so I added another pullman.
Here is another example of Prewar Lionel Tinplate.
This is the Marx M10000
Here is another set of shorter Dorfan Passenger cars...
...paired with an American Flyer engine and tender.
They combine to make a good looking set.
You're makin' us green with envy out here man, you know that don't you?
Envy isn't the goal of my postings. I'm trying to encourage others to post photos of tinplate that they have in their collection. 40+ years of collecting has allowed me to acquire some fun toys. Plus its a way to encourage CTT to add some additional pages to the magazine highlighting PreWar trains. So join the fun and post a photo or 100.
Here is "The Merchant" set from American Flyer.
The Merchant was headed up by two different engines; one a manual reverse and the other a remote control reverse.
Enjoy the World's Greatest Hobby
OK. Here's a coupla hunderd pictures!
Thank you Becky! It's been so hot here lately I needed a little "Christmas in August" just to beat the heat a bit!
Loved that cocktail lounge version of "We Wish You A Merry Christmas!"
And the first thing I thought of when I saw the still of the Fokker D-7 was "Cool! Ernst Udet's back in town!"
Wayne
Thanks Becky, the video is great.
In 1930 Ives produced The Yankee Clipper.
1639E by Lionel.
Here are the cars that go with the engine above.
Northwoods Flyer Here are the cars that go with the engine above. Enjoying the World's Greatest Hobby Northwoods Flyer
I know I am pushing it here but I think most folks would still consider this tinplate, at least the engines are.
Santa Fe by Marx.
Maybe. But those Marx 21 diesels are right near the top of my want list. My mechanical CV probably pushes more than a few buttons with hardcore Marxists though...
Here's a video of a train that is a must for me. It was the first item I went looking for and became my first ebay purchase 20+ years ago. If you've never seen one in action...
My second Ebay purchase was a postwar 45N. And BOY has it gone on from there!
I lucked onto some 21's at a train show a few years back. My wife thinks they look like they should have cookies inside...
The Dorfan portion of my colection is small so today's post is only one car; the lumber car.
PS Great video Becky, thanks for posting.
By the way, I have the red with a brown(?) roof 1690-91 cars (2 Ives, 2 Lionel) and this is exactly the engine I'm looking for to go with them.
Becky,
Good luck in your hunt. They aren't too hard to find. Lionel matched this engine up with a number of the Lionel\Ives transition passenger cars. I will look in the archives for some photos.
Back to American Flyer. This is a Wide Gauge freight set that belonged to my wife's uncle. I'm happy that it is still in the family.
This is one of my favorite O gauge sets by Ives. (Its a repaint of an original set.)
The Patriot set:
Most of my collection is in storage as I get the basement ready for the new layout. What I have to post for Lionel is a little thin until I can locate some of the boxes. I do have one box available that contains the very first items I bought for my collection when I was 12 years old.
This is a 2817 caboose.
I've got an 817. Body style the same, different graphics.
This is the only boxed set of Marx that I have. Its pushing the tinplate definition again, but this portion of my collection is limited.
Gorgeous set and a great find!
And don't worry about definitions, if those passenger cars are sheet metal they're "Tinplate." Consider it at the end of the era.
Here's my 333. It's a smoker.
I need to get those beautiful passenger cars, like you've got.
Another weakness of mine are the Marx E7's. But that's another topic altogether, sorry.
Great Photos Paul.
Thanks for Posting. Keep them coming.
The Dorfan portion of my collection is relatively small. I have been trying to limit it to the O gauge line. The lumber car that I posted above came with a home made lumber load. I have been trying to create a lumber train.
I have limited the variations that I will collect to examples with black trucks with or without brass journal boxes. There are other variations.
Here are two more examples:
The Ambassador by American Flyer. Some of my favorite passenger cars.
The Greyhound by Ives.
"Greyhound"...by MTH :
Sorry. Couldn't resist!
I'll redeem myself with one of my favorite photos. A repro Paya trolley between a Repro #68 and a repro #57:
Absolutely charming!
Delightful photo Penny. I think that I have at least one of those trollys packed away somewhere. Thanks for posting.
Here is a #2813 by Lionel from the first train purchase I ever made.
I coming down to the end of the archived photos of the Marx items in my collection. These are the B&O diesels. I have the caboose too, but apparently I didn't take any photos of it.
Here are some recent acqusitions I made. A 1938 American Flyer Hudson green streamliner set and a lionel OO gauge set. I'm not sure if they're considered tinplate or not but they're all metal and prewar.
Northwoods Flyer I coming down to the end of the archived photos of the Marx items in my collection. These are the B&O diesels. I have the caboose too, but apparently I didn't take any photos of it. Enjoying the World's Greatest Hobby Northwoods Flyer
Northwoods, is this the caboose for that Marx set? My brother likes Marx too.
Nice finds JonEddy. Those streamline cars look excellent. Thanks for posting.
Yes that is the caboose for the B&O diesels. Mine is the 8 wheel version.
Thanks, I have a set of the chrome cars too. Now I just need the blue and red versions.
Northwoods Flyer Nice finds JonEddy. Those streamline cars look excellent. Thanks for posting. Yes that is the caboose for the B&O diesels. Mine is the 8 wheel version. Enjoying the World's Greatest Hobby Northwoods Flyer
Northwoods,
What radius track do you run your streamliner hudson set on?
Jon
JonEddy Thanks, I have a set of the chrome cars too. Now I just need the blue and red versions.
Actually I think you will also need the orange cars from the Hiawatha set, and the yellow cars from the Union Pacific set.
I believe that the Hudsons were designed to run on the 4 rail whistle track (40" radius?). I always ran my Hudsons and their streamlined cars on O-48 Fastrack and they operated well.
I figured it wasn't a good idea to run them on O36 curves. I like the Hiawatha and the Union Pacific sets but I can never find all of the cars at once or in nice shape.
JonEddy
Northwoods Flyer Thanks, I have a set of the chrome cars too. Now I just need the blue and red versions. Actually I think you will also need the orange cars from the Hiawatha set, and the yellow cars from the Union Pacific set. I believe that the Hudsons were designed to run on the 4 rail whistle track (40" radius?). I always ran my Hudsons and their streamlined cars on O-48 Fastrack and they operated well. Enjoying the World's Greatest Hobby Northwoods Flyer
Marx tin plate tunnel I got at the same time as the Hudson Flyer set.
Funny you mentioned the Hiawatha, I found these sheets for streamline 12" car assembly and the Hiawatha\Burlington Zephyr in a box full of manuals I got yesterday too.
Here is a nice tin plate bridge I came across. Marx is the manufacturer, not sure of the time period though.
Great posts JonEddy. I particularly like assembly sheets for the streamliners. I have not seen those before.
Here are two variations of the Dorfan 607 caboose:
Black trucks without journal boxes,
and black trucks with brass journals.
I love the Eagle litho cars. This is the engine that came with mine but it isn't the correct one.
The Boadway Limited by American Flyer
Northwoods Fyer
You gents have some great stuff, that's for sure!
Good thing I'm not into tinplate or pre-war or I'd be drooling all over the keyboard. Yuck!
Well this has escalated quickly Northwoods, I went to a local train store that has lots of prewar Lionel and very rarely some American Flyer but it is gone as quickly as he gets it. Not today though......
He got this set of cars with the matching Hudson and tender. Someone had spoken for the engine and tender but didn't want to buy the cars because he already had a set. He also had two sets of Hiawatha's one was spoken for and I'm getting the other one which has the whistling tender that works. It needs a couple of wheels replaced, that they're ordering. I'll post pics when I pick it up.
These cars are much larger than most. At one time, I wanted to put together a whole train of these big cars. I wound up with only the caboose...
But, I did put together a complete train of the smaller pre war cars...
Oh, sorry! I'm talking about the Lionel 2813, 2817 and such...
Many of these cars were carried over to the early postwar years, with new trucks and couplers.
A full train of these cars!
The Blue Racer by Ives.
Is that the shade they call "Cadet" or "Kadet"?
Yes it is known as Cadet Blue.
Before I found the engine I had the cars paired with an Ives tender and an American Flyer #401.
They look nice together and I like the 3260 in Cadet Blue with the cars too.
Lionel 2814
The Wells Fargo set from Marx.
Again, a stretch for the "Tinplate" category, but its the last of the Marx portion of the collection that I have available.
Another set to which I added an additional car.
I apologize for the poor quality of the photos. They were taken a long time ago with an old camera I was using at the time.
Northwoods FlyerI apologize for the poor quality of the photos. They were taken a long time ago with an old camera I was using at the time.
A REEEEEAAAAALLLLLYYYYYY extended vision caboose?
A Bekh and a Marx.
I've got one of those Marx "Tales of Wells Fargo" sets! Got it for Christmas when I was six or seven years old. Actually, all that's left of the set is the train, the rest of the pieces disappeared long ago.
Still runs and smokes too!
Here are two variations of the O gauge Pennsylvania box car by Dorfan.
Without journal boxes....
And with brass journal boxes....
Set #1726 Northwestern Freight from American Flyer
The Green Mountain Express 1926-1927 by Ives
#2817 Red Hopper by Lionel
When a person collects toy trains, on occasion people will find trains for you at garage and estate sales. Last year my wife's boss bought a box of trains for me at a garage sale. I finally found the box in the storage building this week. They are Marx; so I have some items to add to that part the collection.
This is a 556 caboose by Marx.
Lots of great trains on this thread!
Lovin' it!
New York Central gondola by Dorfan.
Black trucks without journals.
Black trucks with brass journals.
American Flyer Wide Gauge #4644
Green with grey frame
Green with black frame
Red with grey frame
Ives apparently used the same name for two sets. A few entries back I posted one version of the Green Mountain Express.
Here is the second set with the same name.
Lionel #2811 Lumber
Marx 4485 State of Maine Products
The American Flyer Dixie Queen Set #1314 circa 1930-31
Beautiful set Jon. Now you can start your search for the violet/blue version.
Thanks for posting.
My offering for today. O gauge Indian Refining Oil Tanker by Dorfan.
Northwoods FlyerBeautiful set Jon. Now you can start your search for the violet/blue version. Thanks for posting.
To compliment JonEddy's posting here are the two versions of the Dixie Queen by American Flyer.
This is the blue variation like JonEddy's
I was fortunate to get it with its matching individual boxes.
This is the blue/violet variation (no boxes this time).
It's difficult to see the color differences in these photos, however it is more apparent when you see them in person.
Two obvious differences are that the blue variation has the car number stamped on the side while the blue/violet version has A.F.L. stamped on the side. The bottom of the frames are also different.
The O gauge Ives Limited from 1927 - by Ives of course.
Enjoying the Word's Greatest Hobby
LIONEL 106 Bridge
fife,
I like your use of the Lionel 106. Your layout is looking great. And thanks for noticing the color coding.
2815 tank car by Lionel
How about a nice custom painted tin plate? American Flyer 4667 I got on eBay that was repainted horribly. I just got done repainting it a custom prewar Lionel Midnight Blue. I left the frame original and just cleaned up as much of the repaint red as I could.
Before:
After:
JonEddy How about a nice custom painted tin plate? American Flyer 4667 I got on eBay that was repainted horribly. I just got done repainting it a custom prewar Lionel Midnight Blue. I left the frame original and just cleaned up as much of the repaint red as I could. Before: After:
Lookin' sharp! Great job!
Postwar PaulOMG! Lookin' sharp! Great job! Paul
Thanks!
Nice work Jon. Are you going to restore passenger cars to match?
#738701 by Marx
Northwoods FlyerNice work Jon. Are you going to restore passenger cars to match?
JonEddyI got on eBay that was repainted horribly
I've had more than a few pieces with the same problem. What, did they have a sale on red paint somewhere that I never heard of? Why are the crappy repaints always RED?
Here's one of the victims of "the red menace":
pennytrains've had more than a few pieces with the same problem. What, did they have a sale on red paint somewhere that I never heard of? Why are the crappy repaints always RED? Here's one of the victims of "the red menace":
Union Pacific box car #126432 by Dorfan
black trucks no journals (the only version that I have so far)
The Commander by American Flyer Wide Gauge
Northwood,
Do you happen to have any pics of the Flyer wide gauge Brigadier set? I believe it consisted of a red 4644, one red pullman, and a red observation car. Does that sound right? A friend said it had black spoked steamer wheels on it too.
Thanks,
Hi Jon,
I have the Brigadier set. However the only photo I have of it is in the wall display I had before we moved.
This is a cropped photo and shows minimal detail.
This is the engine for the set.
I believe that the engine is re-wheeled so I can't be too much help with what the original wheels were like. The set is in storage so I will have to go looking for it.
Northwoods Flyer believe that the engine is re-wheeled so I can't be too much help with what the original wheels were like. The set is in storage so I will have to go looking for it.
1928 Fort Orange set by Ives
#2816 Hopper by Lionel
This is the rubber stamped version. Notice the "New" date
It is in tough condition. This is the way I got it when I bought it in 1966 at the age of 12. It lived a tough life before I got it. It must have been a hard worker.
#553 Tank Car by Marx
#610 Derrick by Dorfan
Black trucks with brass journal boxes version
Set #1350 New Paul Revere by American Flyer
This is one of my favorite sets from Ives. The orange cars with green roofs are from approximately 1923-1924 according to the Ives Train Society site.
There is also a full baggage car #131 that I am still looking for.
It's certainly deserving!
A couple of Bing O gauge cars I acquired today.
And a couple of Flyer pieces too. The 3020 doesn't run though
Nice Bing Jon. I don't have any in my collection.
#2812 gondola by Lionel
Northwoods FlyerNice Bing Jon. I don't have any in my collection.
Jon, thank you for sharing. I agree with you. The detail on the cattle car is amazing.
swede
#555 Box Car by Marx
LIONEL 270 Bridge
Beauty in Black and White.......... and orange.
Pennsylvania Hopper by Dorfan. Black trucks with brass journals version.
Lookin good Fife!
One of my favorites:
Sandwiched between Dorfan and Ives gondolas no less.
A little Bing water tower and my first Ives engine I found this weekend at an outdoor train show here in St Louis, yes an actual train show! It was small but still a train show. fyi, the tower cost as much as the engine!
Set #4001 (from 1940) Pioneer Passenger Train
by American Flyer.
Enjoying The World's Greatest Hobby
JonEddy fyi, the tower cost as much as the engine!
Doesn't surprise me.
Based on the photo, it looks to be in original and very good condition.
Good find and I'm happy to hear that someone was able to attend a train show.
I am not sure what engine originally pulled these brown cars by Ives.
I have matched them matched up with a #3250.
This is a second version of the #2812 gondola by Lionel.
I bought this orange version of the #2812 to go with the cars that I had from the purchase back in 1966, only to discover that Lionel used two different coupler heights. I bought the green version posted earlier so that I had a car that would couple with those earler cars.
#1392 Lift Bridge by Marx
My resources on Dorfan are fairly limited so I posted these cars on the Dorfan Enthusiasts site on Facebook seeking information. The cars are #s 498 and 499. They are from an uncataloged set #275 called the Mountain Limited.
Wide Gauge The Hamiltonian by American Flyer
Passenger Station #114 by Ives
#2814R by Lionel
Of all of the Lionel cars that came in the box of trains that I bought when I was twelve I am the most sad about this one. It is in the toughest shape.
I like the opening doors.
At least I get a glimpse of what the beautiful blue roof looked like before someone repainted it. (not the best photo)
Maybe someday I will have it restored.
#551 Tender by Marx
Manual O (Narrow) Gauge Switches by Dorfan
I have a controller for Dorfan switches.
At least, I think I do.
This is a timely and enjoyable thread... I just happened to check in here on a whim. While most of my layout is Lionel standard gauge, I have some flyer equipment and would like to find more. It's great to see it all here!
penny,
I think that the red object on the lower level is a Dorfan controller. I have only seen pictures of them, and that is what they look like. That is quite the powerhouse you have there. I don't remember seeing it before, could you show some more photos and tell us about it?
Kens std gauge,
I'm glad you stopped in. Feel free to post photos of your trains. That is what this thread is about.
Here is The Lone Scout (Wide Gauge) by American Flyer.
Its not in the best of condition. It was one of my first Wide Gauge purchases, back in the day when I bought things from lists without seeing them. (pre internet )
thanks, I also have the Lone Scout passenger set, but not the 4685 locomotive. I usually pull mine with a 4019. I also have, temporarily, a complete Pocohontas set, but it was one I got last year for service and the owner said to enjoy it a while, then Covid... someday I'll get it back to him!
here's a night operation link that features the Lone Scout set, taken a few years ago. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gAAo9YnWxw0&t=78s
and a daytime one that shows both the Lone Scout and Pocahontas set in operation. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=r_SdB7ywW9U&t=60s
Northwoods FlyerThat is quite the powerhouse you have there. I don't remember seeing it before, could you show some more photos and tell us about it?
Sure! It's currently out of use so I can have more room for more buildings. (Plus it's REEEEAAAALLLYYYY heaveeeeeee when fully stocked with transformers! )
I built it using 2 expansion floors for a Playmobil Victorian Dollhouse as a base. The roof section is scratchbuilt styrene plus a few wood letters:
The staircase was an internal component, but I moved it outside. The opposite end of the building has a PVC pipe smokestack and that's where the terminal posts for the transformers and 2 barrier strips were located. In this first floor view you can see the inside ends of the posts in the "red room" plus the wires heading to the strips:
Also on the first floor you can see the air whistle mounted to the ceiling. The power cords dropped down from the second floor through the opening left from the stairway, passed through the door between the two rooms and plugged into a three outlet extension cord with a breaker switch built into the plug.
The power floor:
This is where the A, T and K transformers were with the 95 rheostats mounted in front of them.
In earlier days I had my AristoCraft transformer on the lower floor to run G-Scale but when it went to standard gauge only I started using Playmobil furniture for the empty rooms. If you look hard, you can make out some of it in this pic:
Now I just have the T (O table) and K (Std. floor) in front of my paper scrapers. If the planned table layout had materialized the powerhouse/factory would have been set up on an end but on the floor the front side with the signage always faced a wall.
P.S. The dollhouse pieces fit together well enough but there were no fasteners or glue holding the pieces together, and with a foamcore board floor as a base it was just a wee bit difficult to carry up and down the basement stairs!
Kens Std Gauge,
Thanks for the links to the videos. It looks like you have a lot of fun with your trains. I like the looks of Oakwood Cottage too. Is that your home?
Penny,
Thanks for posting the photos of your "Power House". I always enjoy seeing your work. I appreciate your imagination and adaptive reuse of things.
Here is the #115 Freight Station by Ives.
And a Photo of #114 and #115
Keep it up people, just keep it up, you're going to give me an uncontrollable urge to get involved with pre-war tinplate. As if I don't have enough things to worry about.
In the meantime, "Party like it's 1939!"
American Flyer 4220 Trestle Bridge i just got from Stout. It's missing the telegraph poles but I have repro cross arms and original poles to fix her up. Also got a nice Flossmoor station #96
Congratulations Jon, nice find on the bridge and the station. You seem to be adding pieces to your collection at breakneck speed. Great fun isn't it!
Here is the #2820 Floodlight Car by Lionel.
Marx 74 semaphore. I've found that the older, all metal base versions, hold up much better under extended voltage loads.
Northwoods FlyerCongratulations Jon, nice find on the bridge and the station. You seem to be adding pieces to your collection at breakneck speed. Great fun isn't it!
I thought that your previous layout was spectacular. However, I think your current work is even better. Thanks for posting.
Jon,
I happily take resposibility for infecting you with pre war pox. Now if I could only figure out how to become a super spreader.
Here is an example of engine #597 Commodore Vanderbilt by Marx. And yes it is a restoration that I purchased to pull those Marx cars previously posted.
And here it is with the #551 Tender previously posted.
I'm discovering that Marx has a tendency to grow on you.
Northwoods FlyerI happily take resposibility for infecting you with pre war pox. Now if I could only figure out how to become a super spreader.
American Flyer 1218 steeple engine. She's a bit rough but ran as soon as I put her on the track.
Looking good Jon. Enjoy the hunt.
I am getting to the end of photos of my Dorfan equipment. This photo is from the archives and shows what I had in my collection as of March 2019. It had taken quite a while to assemble this amount.
Most of it is still packed away and I think I have photos of everything posted already.
Here is my favorite photo of the Hiawatha by American Flyer.
The 1936 and 1937 versions.
Northwoods - Thanks. After a dozen years of a winter layout, decided I wanted to run pretty trains through pretty scenery.
Now, which is your favorite Hiawatha, Miss '36 or Miss '37?
Here are two 8 wheel tenders with Ives brass tags.
This one came with my Ives #1122 Steamer
I believe that this one was a purchase all by itself.
I am guessing that the one with Lionel latch couplers and journals is from the transition era after the bankruptcy sale.
fifedog Northwoods - Thanks. After a dozen years of a winter layout, decided I wanted to run pretty trains through pretty scenery. Now, which is your favorite Hiawatha, Miss '36 or Miss '37?
That's a tough one. Miss '36 has the whistle in her tender. Miss '37 has the redesigned front truck
so that she runs on 3 rail track instead of the 40" 4 rail track designed for the whistles - no whistle in her tender. If I had to pick a favorite it would be Miss '37.
Northwoods FlyerI am guessing that the one with Lionel latch couplers and journals is from the transition era after the bankruptcy sale.
It's virtually identical to the 258T I have paired up with my 259 (no E) so I'd say you're right on the money.
This is the 2810 Crane by Lionel.
I have always thought this car had an amazing amount of play value.
With a gondola it makes a great work train.
After posting a number of Marx cars individually I thought I would post what I have assembled.
It isn't a set officially, however in my collection it will be known as the Northwoods Freight.
BTW Its October 17 and we are having our first snow here in Duluth Minnesotsa. I'm glad I have an indoor hobby.
Since your show casing some Marx trains how about this little Marx rider. This is not mine, I saw this at a local antique shop.
Although the photo does not show it, I believe this was a toy that had a wooden T on the boiler and a child actually sat on the locomotive. Am I mistaken??
Thanks, swede
Earlier in the thread I stated that I only collect Dorfan rolling stock with black trucks, with or without brass journals. Well somewhere along the line I picked up this version of the #607 Dorfan Lines caboose.
rrswede Although the photo does not show it, I believe this was a toy that had a wooden T on the boiler and a child actually sat on the locomotive. Am I mistaken?? Thanks, swede
A quick image search for "Marx Lightning Express" shows several with a t-shaped handle just behind the stack. It also should have had a large bell just above the stack.
The 3/16" O gauge Royal Blue Passenger Train by American Flyer.
In October of 2018 I made my first and so far only trip to York. I picked up the following Ives items including the 1926 catalog. While not a cataloged set its close, and all of the components are in the catalog.
The closest set that I can find in the catalog is "The Manager's Special"
It has one less car and the two passenger cars are lighted and mine are not.
#259 and tender by Lionel
MARX Girard Whistle Station, Oak Park Diesel horn Station, and the original "touch pad" Control Panel.
Not the most exciting of offerings but this is a pair of lighted manual Dorfan switches.
The switches came with light hoods, however I suspect that they are really Lionel hoods.
I like the blue jewel added to the top. Does anyone have a photo of what the Dorfan light hoods look like?
As far as I can tell this is the last of the Dorfan equipment in my collection. If I find any additional pieces or purchase something I will be sure to post it.
Take a look at these: https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/dorfan-prewar-gauge-switches-glass-1879918838
I got on eBay that was repainted horribly
[deleted]
[/quote]
Red paint huh?
When I followed the OldTools group (old woodworking tools), it seemed a lot old tools had the same color of green paint dripped on them.
pennytrains Take a look at these: https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/dorfan-prewar-gauge-switches-glass-1879918838
Thanks penny,
There is definitely some similarity. I wonder if my switches originally came with these hoods. I'll be looking for something similar now. I'll be the guy going through the parts boxes and crawling around under the tables when its safe to go to shows again.
This is the earlier version of The Oriental Limited by American Flyer.
#62 Parlor Car and #68 Observation Car by Ives in Cadet Blue.
The cars were paired with a matching #3260 engine in a set they called "The Blue Comet". I don't have a #3260 to match up with them yet so I put them together with an additional passenger car and a repainted #3255R.
I'll have to come up with a name for this one.
American Flyer 3100 circa 1930-33. I got this at a local train store yesterday and they were debating if the roof was a repaint or not. I think it looks original. It'll look good on the layout with my oddball four wheel cars on a small elevated loop.
I was going through my photo archive and I came across photos of some of the shorter freights by Lionel. I have no idea where the box is that they are stored in but at least I have the photos.
This is the #651 Flatcar/Lumber Car, obviously missing its lumber load.
Earlier in the thread I posted photos of the B&O diesels by Marx. I found the box containing the engines and the 8 wheel caboose. I thought I would post them together.
Today's posting should be about Dorfan. Sadly I have come to the end of photos of the Dorfan equipment in my collection, and there isn't anything in the pipeline coming my way. So today will be my last entry about Dorfan until something more shows up. This is the cover of the only book that I have in my library that provides information about the items produced.
And the first page of the section on Dorfan.
Another great resource is the Dorfan Enthusiasts page on Facebook. There is some very excellent information there.
I hope some of you reading this thread will post some additional photos of Dorfan equipment in your collections.
Set #4009 Northern Pacific Passenger Train by American Flyer.
What year is this set from Northwoods?
Starting in 1940 the first two digits of the catalog set number of O gauge sets are the year of the catalog. So this set is from 1940.
This is the #67 caboose by Ives.
They used it for sets with both their short lithographed freight cars and their long lithographed freight cars until the bankruptcy.
Then they had access to the longer cabooses by American Flyer
and Lionel
The larger cabooses were both numbered #121
#652 Gondola by Lionel
Ives 63 gravel car and 567 caboose:
While this entry is not a vintage piece of Marx it does illustrate how the new Marx Trains company carried on the heritage while innovating.
This set holds quite a bit of nostalgia for me. I grew up in Chicago and rode the CTA El trains until I graduated from college. As a child the El was always connected with excitement and adventure.
Coming
and going
The set was sold as a 3 car set with additional center cars available. It took quite a while but I eventually found a 4th car to add to my set.
Now if I could just hop on the El at Logan Square with my parents and ride it downtown to the Loop to look at the Christmas windows on State Street.
(Nostalgic) Northwoods Flyer
Very smart of Marx to come out with those CTA El trainsets! Considering the size of Chicagoland that was a big, neglected market just waiting to be tapped. And unless I'm mistaken no-one else would try the same until MTH came along.
Wow I too also caught the EL at Logan Square to ride down to U of I at Circle. On the walk home in the fall I always purchase a Taffy Apple at the vendor in the station. When the EL went over the elevate train tracks you had a fantastic view of the whole downtown Chicago. You know where I always sat coming and going.
Major,
I travelled back and forth to Circle too. I worked at Marshall Field for two years while going to college. The factory for "Affy Tapples" was on Fullerton, sometimes I walked all the way home just so I could stop for a treat. I agree, the view of the city was amazing.
Here is set #4010 The Northern Pacific Freight from American Flyer. The sibling to set #4009 that I posted earlier.
And here they are together.
Set #482 Southern Special 1929 by Ives
#653 Hopper by Lionel
This might not be the most exciting accessory by Marx but it certainly added a lot of play value to their trains and options for layout building.
Meet the Marx trestle:
Check out this set on Ebay. I never saw one like it: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-1920s-Coca-Cola-American-Flyer-Train-set/164485690346?hash=item264c1c73ea:g:wo8AAOSw2zpfkkIp
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-1920s-Coca-Cola-American-Flyer-Train-set/164485690346?hash=item264c1c73ea:g:wo8AAOSw2zpfkkIp
There you go. Must be a real rarey, it doesn't look like much, but what do I know?
The heritage of tinplate also includes the beautiful lithographed and tinplate accessories.
This is the #108 Swithch Tower by American Flyer.
Flintlock76 https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-1920s-Coca-Cola-American-Flyer-Train-set/164485690346?hash=item264c1c73ea:g:wo8AAOSw2zpfkkIp There you go. Must be a real rarey, it doesn't look like much, but what do I know?
The car says "Drink Coca-Cola... (plus something I can't make out)" on one side of the roof and "Pure as Sunlight" on the other.
I think it says "Drink Coca-Cola in Bottles." I've seen that on vintage Coca-Cola ads.
Flintlock76 I think it says "Drink Coca-Cola in Bottles." I've seen that on vintage Coca-Cola ads.
As opposed to post mix prepared at soda fountains (where the mix is not controlled by Coca -Cola?)
I've only heard of sunlight being used in conjunction with soap advertising....
Peter
M636CAs opposed to post mix prepared at soda fountains (where the mix is not controlled by Coca -Cola?)
Exactly! The "Pure as Sunlight's" a bit of a puzzler but they did use it as a catch-phrase.
Interestingly, Coca-Cola varies the mix to local tastes depending on what part of the country it's being served in, or they used to. They still might.
I took a peek into Coke history: https://www.coca-colacompany.com/news/history-of-coca-cola-advertising-slogans
"Pure as Sunlight" came around 1927 and I saw adds from the 40's that still used it. It's better than the 1906 slogan: "The Great National Temperance Beverage" or 1939's: "Whoever You Are, Whatever You Do, Wherever You May Be, When You Think of Refreshment Think of Ice Cold Coca-Cola".
Look at the history section for a neat advertising brochure in pdf form you can download and peruse.
The #116 Station by Ives. It has colorful and detailed lithography. This is why I like the accessories produced for pre war trains.
The front and the back use identical lithography.
#654 tank car by Lionel
Northwoods - I'm loving all the detail on your Ives 116 station. Scale-wise, is it closer to O or Standard?
The Ives #116 is rapidly becoming one of my favorite stations. I have space to put it on display now and I enjoy looking at it more and more.
Here are some comparison photos:
With a Flyer Wide Gauge engine;
And with a Marx O gauge Commodore Vanderbilt;
And a side by side;
The door in the station measures 3 3/4" high which is equivalent to approximately 15' high in O gauge.
Personally I think it looks the best with the Wide Gauge (Standard Gauge) engine. However, this is the world of tinplate so accuracy in scale is a matter of personal taste.
Thanks for asking.
Northwoods FlyerHowever, this is the world of tinplate so accuracy in scale is a matter of personal taste.
Yeah. Just ask your nearest gateman!
Northwoods - Thanks for the comparison, answers my question.
I found another car for The Northwoods Freight. Here is the #552 gondola by Marx.
Here is a string of Steeple Cab variations by American Flyer.
#1122 O gauge Steam Engine and Tender by Ives.
#655 Box Car by Lionel
#20102 NYC Caboose by Marx
I just picked up this boxed set today from someone 5 miles from my house! American Flyer 1347 The Merchant set. The box was missing the set number but a fellow collector helped me out with the identification.It looks like at some point the wheels were replaced and also they converted a Lionel 820 Searchlight car to Flyer couplers too!
Nice find on the Merchant set Jon.
Here are 3 variations of the #3011 Box Cab by American Flyer.
Why are there screws(?) in the wheels?
pennytrains Why are there screws(?) in the wheels?
Motor 3254 electric by Ives.
JonEddy pennytrains Why are there screws(?) in the wheels? Good question, wish I knew. Jon
Good question, wish I knew.
Are there attached gears on the inboard side of those wheels? I can't think of another reason why the drive wheels would have screws in them.
Flintlock76I believe so, I showed pics of it to a friend and fellow collector and he thinks that is why they have screws. I'll know for sure when I go to clean them up and put new brushes and springs in the motor. Jon JonEddy pennytrains Why are there screws(?) in the wheels? Good question, wish I knew. Jon Are there attached gears on the inboard side of those wheels? I can't think of another reason why the drive wheels would have screws in them.
Here is what they look like with the shell removed. They seem to turn alright, I just need to clean a little surface rust off and lube them up after I replace the old brushes and springs.
No. 656 Stock car by Lionel
#554 Coal Hopper by Marx
Here are three variations of the #3012 box cab by American Flyer.
#3252 by Ives
And a Happy Thanksgiving to All.
And to you too!
#657 Caboose by Lionel
#412 Gantry Crane - New York Central by Marx
Ready to play.
#417 Locomotive by American Flyer 1939
#3260 by Ives
I don't have much Lionel tinplate but I did acquire these beauties from a train shop near me. Unfortunately they didn't have the matching engine but I couldn't pass up this consist in this nice of shape. Prewar O-gauge two-tone blue Lionel pullman car 2613 x 2, Observation car 2614, and Baggage car 2615. I plan on running them with a nice 226e until I can find a suitable two tone 263e and tender.
Great find! Well done!
Beautiful set in beautiful condition Jon. They will look splendid being pulled by a 226E.
My set is the 6xx series cars.
My Lionel offering for today is the #659 Dump Car.
#550 New York Central Wrecker by Marx.
Set #1469 Frontier Town by American Flyer
This set did not come to me with all of the components. I assembled them over 20 years of collecting.
Can you imagine being lucky enough to find that beauty under the tree?
That is a beautiful set!
pennytrains Can you imagine being lucky enough to find that beauty under the tree?
I got the 226e and tender I mentioned earlier to pull my Comet set until I can find a 263 and tender. The tender is a late version with the white heat stamp instead of silver but I think it looks great with the cars. I can't wait to get her running on some track.
I have often wondered what the scene was like when items in my collection were received by their original owners. I have a feeling it didn't matter what their original cost was, I'm sure their original owners were delighted.
The 226 looks great heading up those cars. Please post some photos when you have them running around the tree.
Here are some examples of the #3261 by Ives. 1929 - 1930
JonEddyI got the 226e and tender
About a year ago I was lucky enough to handle a 226e the owner was dropping off at the local train shop for some repair work. To say I was awestruck by the experience was putting it mildly. First off, it was a lot bigger than I thought it would be, photos don't do it justice. Secondly, in an odd way I could almost feel the power of American pre-war industry by holding that toy. Toy indeed, it seemed to weigh as much an an M-1 Carbine!
And soon that power would be unleashed on the Axis. Amazing, toy train and American history wrapped up in one package. In a real way, there's a lot more to toy trains than the trains themselves.
Flintlock76About a year ago I was lucky enough to handle a 226e the owner was dropping off at the local train shop for some repair work. To say I was awestruck by the experience was putting it mildly. First off, it was a lot bigger than I thought it would be, photos don't do it justice. Secondly, in an odd way I could almost feel the power of American pre-war industry by holding that toy. Toy indeed, it seemed to weigh as much an an M-1 Carbine! And soon that power would be unleashed on the Axis. Amazing, toy train and American history wrapped up in one package. In a real way, there's a lot more to toy trains than the trains themselves.
Northwoods, I will definitely be videoing the comet set headed by the 226e along with a few other sets I have acquired this year under the Christmas tree. I won't have an elaborate layout but they will get to stretch thier drive wheels.
Flintlock76 ... First off, it was a lot bigger than I thought it would be,.... Secondly, in an odd way I could almost feel the power of American pre-war industry by holding that toy. .... Amazing, toy train and American history wrapped up in one package. In a real way, there's a lot more to toy trains than the trains themselves.
... First off, it was a lot bigger than I thought it would be,.... Secondly, in an odd way I could almost feel the power of American pre-war industry by holding that toy. .... Amazing, toy train and American history wrapped up in one package. In a real way, there's a lot more to toy trains than the trains themselves.
Flintlock,
You have pretty well summed up my fascination with collecting pre war trains. They preserve the history of industry, the political climate of the world, the social structure of our country and the family during the time of their manufacture. Add to all of that the "thrill of the hunt" , the camaraderie with other collectors and a sense of nostalgia and you have the reasons that I have been at this collecting hobby for 30+ years.
Today we have the #620 spotlight car by Lionel
Thanks Northwoods!
As one who's been a student of history and collector of historic artifacts for years let me tell you, the best of those artifacts are the ones that grab you and pull you back into their own era, and sometimes before you even realize they're doing it!
They all don't do that, but that 226e sure did!
Here is a vignette of the recent acquisitions and posting from Marx.
#4696 Wide Gauge Brass Piper Locomotive and Tender by American Flyer
I love the Brass Piper, it maybe my favorite Flyer wide gauge engine. Someday I will find one! I did find a restored 263e with what appears to be original 263w tender. The tender has a couple of holes drilled in the frame that are not original but other than that looks in great shape. I just need to rewire the tender and clean it up just a little.
Northwoods Flyer #4696 Wide Gauge Brass Piper Locomotive and Tender by American Flyer Enjoying the World's Greatest Hobby Northwoods Fyer
I got to handle one of those last year. THIS one seemed to weigh as much as an M-1 Garand! How did kids ever pick one of those things up?
Flintlock76 I got to handle one of those last year. THIS one seemed to weigh as much as an M-1 Garand! How did kids ever pick one of those things up?
Maybe that is one of the reasons you don't find too many in nice shape, it's so dang heavy a kid would drop and break it or thier foot.
JonEddyit's so dang heavy a kid would drop and break it or thier foot.
Break the locomotive? Doubtful. Break the foot? Undoubtedly!
pennytrains JonEddy it's so dang heavy a kid would drop and break it or thier foot. Break the locomotive? Doubtful. Break the foot? Undoubtedly!
JonEddy it's so dang heavy a kid would drop and break it or thier foot.
True, my dad used to ride around on the floor on his wide gauge engine when he was a few years old. They're tough engines!
Here are examples of the #129 - #132 passenger cars in orange by Ives.
As many collectors know it can be difficult to collect complete sets in pre war tinplate. I have found this to be true when collecting Ives. In this case I have found the 4 cars with brass journals from different sources.
I like the Ives #1122 steam engine, which can be very difficult to find in good condition. So in order to make up a set to run I added a #25 Ives tender that was paired with the #1122 and substituted a #423 steam engine from American Flyer that has a few modifications.
Its great fun playing with trains.
EDIT:
On closer examination I realize that the photos of the "set" are missing a car. It should have the
No. 129 Saratoga
No. 130 Buffet
No. 131 Baggage - Express
and the No. 132 Observation.
I try to avoid adding 4 wheel cars to the collection. I like the realism of 8 wheel cars. ( What a joke, this is tinplate we are talking about.) However every once in a while a 4 wheel car sneaks its way in. Such is the case with this No. 803 hopper by Lionel.
Here it is with its cousin the No. 653 8 wheel hopper.
Northwoods FlyerI try to avoid adding 4 wheel cars to the collection. I like the realism of 8 wheel cars. ( What a joke, this is tinplate we are talking about.)
Don't feel bad, I kind of do the same thing on my own layout, that is, not mixing up eras or different 'roads from said eras, then I have to remind myself "For crying out loud, they're TOY TRAINS! Stop sweating historical authenticity! Relax!"
I have come to the end of items in my collection from Marx. If I come across anything else or purchase something I will add it back into the rotation. So for now let me reprise the Union Pacific M10000 by Marx.
Possibly the only thing in my collection that has the distinction of being at least slightly rare is my 520:
This is the Type IV car that had the green painted over the terra-cotta resulting in a crackle finish:
Looking through the wiring holes on the underside you can get a better idea of what shade of green it was way back when:
By the way, is this wiring correct?
Look at it this way, if it works, it's correct!
Flintlock76 Look at it this way, if it works, it's correct!
That's the problem. What looks right only lights one lamp. I can't get both to light at the same time.
O gauge #435 by American Flyer
OK, if that's the case then something's wrong.
Looking at the picture of the underside of the car I see there's a circular "connector." Looks like wires come from the left and attach to screws at 11 o'clock and 7 o'clock. I'd assume the wires from the right side should attach to the screws at 1 o'clock and 5 o'clock. The screw post at 5 has nothing attached to it. Try that and see if that second light comes to life, assuming the bulb's good.
Here is a representation of Set No. 502 "The Managers Special" by Ives.
The only difference is that the actual set shown in the catalog has the lighted version of the cars.
Here is a little Lionel Jr Streamliner I recently picked up. It runs like a demon, just needs to be cleaned up a bit.
I had some time over the Holiday and managed to rummage through some boxes. This is engine #224E and tender #2224W by Lionel.
No. 554 Northern Pacific General Coal Co. Hopper by Marx
Station Platform No. 91 by American Flyer
Happy New Year 2021!
I believe that these are Saratoga cars from circa 1914 - 1916 by Ives.
Northwoods FlyerStation Platform No. 91 by American Flyer
I've never seen that one before. Simple construction yet extremely effective!
2 - #2640 Pullman and #2641 Observation in green by Lionel to run behind my 224e.
#28500 Lehigh Valley High Sided Gondola by Marx
The 2004/4004 Crossing Set with Automatic Bell by American Flyer came in 2 variations. It was made up of a #214 Watchman Tower and a #2222 Crossing Gate.
#86000 Delaware, Lackawawanna and Western Hopper by Marx
Here are some examples of the Lionel - Ives transition era equipment.
I've always liked those. I guess it has something to do with the cab windows.
Lionel - Ives
Here is the Ives version of this set.
Here are the same cars in Lionel Lines livrey.
Just for good measure here is the #1651E with Lionel-Ives Lines livery.
The set came to me with Ives R.R. Lines cars.
Since I have a Lionel 1690, a 1691 and two Ives 1690's I've been searching for a L-I 1651E to complete the set.
They don't come up very often, but I have seen them on eBay. This hobby is all about patience and waiting for one to show up. I have been looking for the yellow and blue version for years.
One more set of transition era Lionel/Ives transition cars. This time in red.
I'm not sure which engine pulled this set of cars.
Set #1344 The Potomac by American Flyer
Here are some additional Lionel/Ives transition pieces.
Lionel/Ives transition era box car.
Handsome boxcars.
Fife,
They are handsome looking cars. I like the fact that Lionel used the cars and graphics for a while. Its too bad that they never came with Ives couplers.
Here are the cabooses from the Lionel/Ives transition era.
Northwoods, are these cars lighted? The Lionel 2640 and 2641, that is. I have a set of them but no lights or pickups are installed.
Yes the #2640 cars are lighted. At least mine are.
In this number range of cars in the Lionel/Ives transition era there is one car that Lionel did not duplicate in its own livery, although they did use the Lionel coupler on the Ives branded car.
This is the Ives 1708 cattle car.
Putting the two transition era sets together in a comparison shot we have Lionel on the upper track and Ives on the lower track.
There are also other freight cars that were produced in the Lionel/Ives transition era.
Lets start with the #1677 in Ives and Lionel livery.
1680 Tank car in Ives and Lionel Livery
Not a train accessory but 100% tinplate, here is a cool Marx Sky Flyer wind up toy circa 1937 I saw in a recent online auction. I thought it would go well with my wide gauge Flyers and in the near future will find a permanent place on my layout. It does work when you wind the plane the propeller turns as should but I'm not sure about the balance. If anyone has info on it I'd appreciate it.
Nice Marx tin accessory. I always enjoy adding tinplate accessories from other manufacturers to the tinplate empire.
Here is another tinplate car from Ives that Lionel did not carry over into their line. It is interesting that they didn't carry over the stock cars in either of their transition sets featuring Ives cars.
1678 Stock car
This is my first Lionel standard gauge engine and tender. A beautiful 400e and 400t. I figured go big or go home. The only blemmish is the frame has been pinned just behind the 400e emblem on the boiler and a few small paint chips. Now I need to save up for some 200 rolling stock .
I am not a collector of the 600-series Lionel but I have one of these cars - I have always loved the color combo on this since I was a teenager (30 years ago) and finally found one in a box of stuff at a yard sale. Not in superb shape, but reasonable.
Welcome Hoffman,
I assume that you are referring to one of the early postings in this thread. What color Lionel 600 series car do you have?
Here is the Ives 1679 and two of the Lionel versions using the same body and number.
It is amazing how much mileage that Lionel got out of the Ives designed box car #1679.
I just acquired a 4th version of the #1679. This one is also in the Lionel livery and advertising Baby Ruth candy bars.
The family grows.
A peacock roofed 1679 (or is irt a 2679?) is one of the first tinplate cars I actively sought. Needless to say it survived my downsizing and remains in my collection.
pennytrains A peacock roofed 1679 (or is irt a 2679?) is one of the first tinplate cars I actively sought. Needless to say it survived my downsizing and remains in my collection.
I'm glad to hear that your tinplate car with a very long heritage will be staying in your collection. Thanks too for reminding me about the 2679. I will have to go looking for my example. It just shows how well used that body style was.
I haven't posted here in a bit but I just had to share this on the forum. I lucked into a couple of Wide Gauge Flyers this weekend. I answered an ad on FB Marketplace for a nice looking 4021 deluxe caboose and a 4022 machine car. I asked the seller if she had any other Flyer items but got no reply. When I got there she had the Ives transition 4694 and golden state tender on the table next to the cars! Then she told me she had a boxed set which I soon found out was this beautiful Brigadier set with an extra car, all in the individual boxes and in beautiful shape! The 4644 R\C needs some rewiring before it will run but the 4694 started right up. Have a great weekend!
BONANZA!
pennytrains BONANZA!
Time for a musical interlude?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksbP3Amjxug
Well done Jon!
Its nice to see that there are still some treasures to be found out there. Thanks for posting your newest finds. At the rate you are acquiring tinplate trains you are well on your way to becoming a Titan of Tinplate.
The next car in the Lionel/Ives transition 16XX freight cars is the #1682 Caboose
Northwoods FlyerWell done Jon! Its nice to see that there are still some treasures to be found out there. Thanks for posting your newest finds. At the rate you are acquiring tinplate trains you are well on your way to becoming a Titan of Tinplate.
Thanks! I got really lucky to find these in such good shape! Here is a link to a video of the engine after I rewired it and fixed the R\C function.
Here is a comparison shot of the 16XX freight cars from the Ives/Lionel transition era. On the top we have the Lionel versions and on the bottom the Ives versions. As mentioned in the posts above the stock car was not carried over from the Ives line to the Lionel line.
This one got sold:
1682's aint' s'posed ta have staple end trucks!
pennytrains 1682's aint' s'posed ta have staple end trucks!
Do you suppose that a previous owner swapped out the trucks?
I feel sad when I think that you had to downsize your collection so drastically. Will your new dwelling place allow you to have some space to follow your hobby? At least you have photos and the amazing videos that you produced. I know that until I get a new layout up and running (tentatively named the Arrowhead Division of American Flyer Lines) I will miss the Blueboard Central Division of American Flyer Lines.
At least I have photos.
Northwoods FlyerPenny, Do you suppose that a previous owner swapped out the trucks? I feel sad when I think that you had to downsize your collection so drastically. Will your new dwelling place allow you to have some space to follow your hobby? At least you have photos and the amazing videos that you produced. I know that until I get a new layout up and running (tentatively named the Arrowhead Division of American Flyer Lines) I will miss the Blueboard Central Division of American Flyer Lines. At least I have photos.
No doubt the trucks had been swapped. If it had been done at Lionel to sell of prewar equipment after 1946, it would have had bar-end trucks. But I'm also guessing it was done at a Lionel Service Station because whoever did it, did a very good job:
Wherever I end up living I kept a lot of goodies to have fun with. I kept this little resto I did:
I kept my 259:
I'll still be running Standard Gauge:
Kept all my street lamps and these glitter trees too:
Kept this little beauty too:
But the plane, the brick viaduct and the board itself are gone.
But my own version of the "Beast of the East" remains!
And it will run under this tree around these Plasticville buildings:
So, I'm going back to my roots and I guess you could say I'll be "specializing".
pennytrainsBut my own version of the "Beast of the East" remains!
You saved the Blockbuster! Outstanding!
I'm still looking. Didn't find one at the last show but I DID get the Dreyfuss, so I can't complain.
Remember a number of entries back when I posted a photo of the #1679 Ives/Lionel transition box car?
I was commenting on the amount of mileage that Lionel got out of the acquisition of the Ives tinplate line. Look what happened.
It appears that I have started down a slippery slope.
1679
Another 1679, note the coupler and trucks
and here is the 2679
It always surprised me though that Lionel chose not to use the Ives stockcar. Maybe they didn't want to do the cut-outs?
As long as I posted the #2679 with the Baby Ruth herald, let me add the #2679 with the candy bar graphic.
Here they are together.
Their lineage obviously shows that they use the same Ives body with different graphics and different couplers.
I think I'm doomed.
Nothing a little duct tape won't fix.
There are a number of ways to get cars with different couplers to run together. My exclamation of doom was more a result of the realization that the number of cars that Lionel made from the Ives designed box car body seems to be endless.
I got lured into buying some additional Lionel cars that reuse Ives designed bodies, all numbered in the 26xx range.
These will go along with the examples I already have.
I know there are more out there but I am going to have to stop looking. Wish me luck.
Here are some Ives 55x cars that I recently acquired. I believe that they are from 1916 - 1922.
550
551
It looks like Bing is a tad under represented on this thread...let's do something about that.
In the pre-war period Bing chose the role of fidelity to the prototype. Their line of freight cars copied the prototype markings of the day - sometimes right down to the actual prototype car serial number.
Most of their graphics came from the 1902 AC&F car catalog. They made a total of 10 boxcars for the American/Canadian Market.
AT&SF
B&O
Canadian Pacific
Woodside
Outside Braced
CNJ
Erie
Illinois Central
NYNH&H
PRR
Prototype Picture of PRR Boxcar
P&R
Their boxcars can be found with two different roof styles - American and European. The American style is stamped to represent a catwalk on the roof whereas the European roof is just a simple arch - the pictures above have examples of each.
In addition to this all of these cars came in a range of prototype colors. All of the color variations except the very light tan are illustrated in the pictures above. As a result, if you want to have a string of solids you could assemble a string of boxcars, all from the same railroad, but with different colors (of course, they will all have the same car number).
Along with their line of boxcars Bing also turned out tank cars, reefers, hoppers, gondolas, and cabooses - all with prototype markings most of which were copied from the AC&F catalog
The only generic cars were their flat car, cattle car and side dump.
Bing Take 2
Hopper Cars
LS & MS
Penn Coal & Coke
Tank Cars
US Leather
Peerless
S.P. Cal
Generic Double Dome Tank
Generic Flat, Cattle, and Side Dump
Flat
Cattle
Side Dump
The flat car load was either lumber or bales of hay.
Bing Take 3
Reefers
Bing made a series of 5 reefers - two representing general reefer transport - Swift and Cudahy - and three beer reefers - Budweiser, Pabst, and Schlitz.
With the exception of the car serial number the Swift car is an exact copy of the Swift reefer in the AC&F catalog. The Bing Cudahy is representative of the Cudahy line and I suspect it probably represents an actual car. I have never seen a prototype picture of the exact car but Atlas has manufactured true-to-prototype Cudahy reefers whose graphics are very close to what Bing offered.
Swift
Cudahy
Atlas Model of a Cudahy Prototype Reefer
Budweiser
Pabst
Schlitz
Schlitz - censored
Schlitz Prototype Model
The second Schlitz reefer highlights a bit of U.S. history. When Prohibition started in 1920 all references to beer were prohibited. As a result, all Bing beer cars exported to the U.S. after 1920 were censored - with the word "beer" painted out.
I have only the one Atlas model of an actual Schlitz car and, as you can see it has the same ad on either side of the reefer door. It may be that Schlitz did have cars with the ad only to the left of the reefer door or it may be that Bing decided a single ad on the left was all that they wanted to do.
Bing Take 4
Gondolas and Cabooses
Bing offered three gondolas - Hocking Valley, Pennsylvania Lines, and I&GN. As with the boxcars these gondolas came in several different litho colors - tuscan red, caboose red, and dark brown.
Hocking Valley
Pennsylvania Lines
I&GN
I don't have a picture of this car
Cabooses
Bing offered cabooses for PRR, NYC, Canadian Pacific, and CM&StP. The PRR caboose was offered in litho woodside and litho steel side.
PRR woodside
PRR steel side
NYC
CM&StP
Bing Take 5 - 4 wheel cars for the American/Canadian market
Boxcars and Reefers
To the best of my knowledge all of the boxcars and the reefers which were available in 8 wheel were also made available in 4 wheel. As you can see from the illustrated examples of the 4 wheel versions the car lithography in many cases is greatly simplified when compared to the 8 wheel cars.
Example Reefer
Example Boxcar
Gondolas
The only two I've seen in 4 wheel are the Hocking Valley and the Pennsylvania Lines.
Example
I've only seen the Peerless tank car for the American/Canadian market but I do know Bing made other litho 4 wheel tank cars for the European market in the late 1920's. The European versions of which I'm aware are Dapolin (Red), Shell (Red and Yellow), Motor SHELL Spirit (Red), OLEX (Yellow), and Motor BP Spirit (Yellow).
American/Canadian
European Example
Hopper Car
Other than a generic hopper for the European market the only other 4 wheel car I've seen is the Pennsylvanian Coal and Coke
I've seen one of each of the railroads offered in 8 wheel
Generic 4 wheel Cars
Flat Car
What I've always admired about the Bing lithographed freights was their "true-to-prototype" look when compared to the competition. An additional prototypical feature of their cars are the different lengths and car heights for the various types. If you look at period pictures of the real railroads the freight consists are not uniform - differences in car length, height and to some extent width are a standard feature.
mersenne6,
Thanks for the enlightening posts on Bing. I go away for the weekend and look at what happens.
One of the reasons that Bing is under represented is because I only have one piece in my collection. I believe that this is a Bing freight station. I have worked very hard not to be drawn into adding Bing. Its about the only place I have been disciplined.
Love the graphics on the Old Dutch boxcar. The Old Dutch Cleanser brand belonged to the Cudahy Packing Company, of Omaha. The sides were yellow, the ends and tops were an oxide red. However, one of the mosi iconic ads on toy trains, Old Dutch Cleanser apparently never made it onto the side of an actual prototype freightcar. If you can find an image, please post the link.
Old Dutch Cleanser did make it on the sides of the prototype reefers. The pictured Atlas car (above) is an exact model of a real Cudahy billboard reefer. Cudahy reefers had asymmetrical advertising on the car sides - which is to say the reefer did not have the same graphics on both sides of the car.
Here is the picture of the other side of the Atlas Cudahy reefer (#1058) shown previously.
This isn't the only style either. There are prototype photos of several of the Cudahy reefers with variations on the Old Dutch Cleanser ad on one side and an ad for Cudahy packing products on the other. Atlas has issued several of them.
The photos on which the Atlas cars are based were taken by Bob Wagner (1912-1999) who was a member of the New York Society of Model Engineers. Starting in the mid 1920's Wagner personally measured, photographed, and collected data on billboard reefers. I can't find the reference with the specific count but memory says the collection has pictures of over 400 different billboard reefers. I also don't remember where the photo/data collection is housed.
There are a few Atlas reefers which are just fantasy - the Natty Bo and the 5 cars from the mythical Penn Refrigerator Lines come to mind but they are the rare exception and not the rule.
Below is a link to a brief bio on Bob as well as some more information concerning the Atlas cars.
https://oscalekings.org/WP/o-scale0kings-hall-fame/robert-wagner/
Mr. Wagner was an interesting fellow. Nice write-up, thanks.
Annnnd, still looking for that Old Dutch prototype photo...
I kept thinking I had seen the actual picture somewhere - found it - pp. 40 and 41 in the book Billboard Refrigerator Cars - by Richard H. Hendrickson and Edward S. Kaminski. In fact, these are the pictures Atlas used.
Eureka!!! They did exist. Thank you mersenne6. Had to do a deep dive on google to glimpse them.
Now I want some...
Not a billboard car, or a toy version of the same, but the "Old Dutch Cleanser" girl even found her way on the 50th Aero Squadron's DH-4's during WW1!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/50th_Attack_Squadron#/media/File:50th_Aero_Squadron.jpg
This is the book that mersenne6 is referring to in the post above.
and photos of pages 40 and 41
fife, I think a string of these cars would look great on your layout.
Enjoying the World's Greatest Layout
Northwoods FlyerThis is the book that mersenne6 is referring to in the post above.
I've got that book myself, and as a reference work on the subject it's top notch!
It's still available from the publisher, https://www.signaturepress.com/
Not cheap, but reasonable. I think it's worth it, it was to me.
By the way, the authors are real gentlemen. I e-mailed them some questions and they were very gracious and responded pretty quickly.
Northwoods - I shall try to snag a few.
There are a number of lesser known manufacturers that produced accessories for trains over the years. One of those companies was the Atlas Tool Company.
I recently purchased this station.
It was labeled as an American Flyer station, which it isn't. It is lighted, made of metal and painted with enamel, and it has plastic windows and doors. It does bare a resemblence to the Flyer station but it is clearly an Atlas Tool Co product when compared to the houses that I have that are made by Atlas.
None of the pieces are marked with an Atlas Tool Co. identifier, but having the original boxes makes their origin clear. Notice where the Atlas Tool Co. was located.
I found the third version of the Metal Residence. Its blue
I don't have the original box so I am glad I have boxes for the other two versions.
I continue to look for and add tinplate accesories to the collection. Over the years I have seen these small houses by H&H Sales and Manufacturing Co. out of Pittsburg show up on ebay and other places.
These are the 5 color variations that I have found. The lithography on each of them is identical with only the colors being different.
All 4 sides
They originally came with lights and several of the ones I have in my collection still have the wires and bulbs.
After doing some research I discovered that these houses were marketed under the "Twinkeltown Houses" name.
The original boxes have a wealth of information,
including the original names assigned to each of the houses.
In a real windfall find I found all five of the houses in their original boxes; unused and unassembled.
They all still included all of their paper wrappings and parts. This photo shows most of the contents of each box and I included an assembled example from my collection.
I have enough of these to create a whole subdivision of these under the Christmas Tree
Greg
It has been a while since I (or anyone else) posted to this thread. This year Santa brought me a very nice present because I was such a good boy. This is the 1927 Ives White Owl set #502.
According to the Ives Train Society website in 1928 the same engine came with two cars and was called the Mountain Express set #418.
Here is my vintage tinplate, a Bowman 234 live steam from the 1930's in LMS Crimson red, missing the optional tender(I am looking for one to buy...hint hint), cars are newer tinplate from ACE Trains of London. Yes she runs very well, as do most all of the Bowman engines, crude and ungainly yes, but the idea was an engine that would run and run..up to 40min sometimes depending on load and how many wicks one had lighted. The engine is more close to gauge 1 in size, but running on O gauge track. The rolling stock is very hard to find and costly, as is the original track. Bowman also made stationary steam plants and some steam boats. I have the original wooden box for the engine sans its original lid.
Silly NT's, I have Asperger's Syndrome
Bump
It has been a while since any postings were added to this thread. I found it on page 12 and had a great time re-reading the postings and looking at the photos folks have posted. I thought that it might be fun to see if there was any interest.
While I originally intended to focus on the heritage lines of tinplate there has been at least one more modern manufacturer who worked at keeping the tradition alive.
Here are some examples of the items produced by New Modern Marx.
These are some cars that can be added to the Wells Fargo Set.
Anyone else have a contribution or two?
Here are some New Modern Marx cars that I have been gathering to make up a consist for a beer car train.
Drewrys
American Beer
Lithography is different on each side of the car.
Iron City Beer
Again the Lithography is different on each side of the car.
Olde Frothingslosh Beer
I'll drink to that...
Today the Wm. Crooks is heading up a short freight consist of two Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific box cars with a matching caboose.
It is a fusion Of Old and New Marx.
A few more Marx trains
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