If you have an operating layout and need more cars to operate, then slip some Kadee couplers on those old train set cars and use them until you can afford some decent rolling stock.
You could probably buy them cheap at yard sales and swap meets, or buy cheap sets.
They look cheesy and won't operate as well, but if you check and adjust them to NMRA standards they'll fill the gap for as long as you need them.
Trick question..The Tyco/Mantua steam locomotives wasn't to bad .The Tyco/Mantua GP20 and Plymouth center cab industrial switcher was ok but,nothing to write home about.
Tyco is no longer in the model train business.
Model Power has the old Mantua line.
Best to pass the Tyco cars..
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Tyco, a brand name of Mantua Metal Products, went through two distinct phases. The US produced phase, and the foreigh produced phase (after they were bought out by Consolidated Foods in the 70's). The US produced items were good quality for their time. The diesel locomotives were gear driven, back when Athearn was rubber band drive (identified by metal plates on the bottom of the trucks). The steam were the same ones that were marketed under the Mantua name. The freight cars had a cast metal underframe, giving them better weight and low center of gravity, which made them track well. The talgo trucks were a sign of the times. Layouts with tight radius curves were the norm. There were very few "whimsical" paint schemes, but there were some special sets lettered for department stores. I have quite a few of the Tyco locomotives and cars from this era, and even for their age, they run and track well.
When Consolidated Foods took over and moved the production overseas, the quality of the items took a severe nose dive. The were also geared more to the toy train market. Unfortunately, this is the Tyco most people remember, and also the ones that show up on Ebay the most.
kcole4001 wrote:If you have an operating layout and need more cars to operate, then slip some Kadee couplers on those old train set cars and use them until you can afford some decent rolling stock.You could probably buy them cheap at yard sales and swap meets, or buy cheap sets.They look cheesy and won't operate as well, but if you check and adjust them to NMRA standards they'll fill the gap for as long as you need them.
Tyco wasnt a really good piece of equipment. If it was a Mantua/Tyco it was a little step up on the food chain. I would rather stick with Athearn Bluebox if ya want a decent rollingstock.
KB
Nice work, Peter. I have a Tyco Mike (in parts) that was given to me by a friend: it'll be rebuilt, as these were decent locos.
Here's one that I built for my son quite a few years ago:
and another that I built about 30 years ago:
I also have one of those tender-drive 0-8-0s which I plan on re-building into a model of a specific 2-8-0 prototype, although the frame and drivers are all that I'm going to use from the Tyco.
Wayne
The only part of Tyco that was really that bad were the "Power-Torque" drive trucks. They used a tiny 3-pole motor that drove paper thin gears. Their later freight cars weren't great either, but the rest of their stuff was pretty good. Unfortunately, a lot of people only remember the bad, and forget that most of their steam engines had reliable 5-pole motors, metal construction, and very robust mechanisms with thick gears. Their early diesels were pretty good too.
I believe the Tyco line (RC cars and that type of stuff) was bought by Mattel a few years ago, and the name has disappeared since then.
_________________________________________________________________
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
I have fond memories of Tyco. I started with it in the early 70's and it ran pretty good on my brass snap track. May not be the best stuff, but it worked for me.
Enjoy
Paul
Seems like a good point to (once again) link to this site about TYCO Resources (from the dark era of the 1970s to the 1990s)
http://tycotrain.tripod.com/tycotrains/index.html
Mantua was pretty much the kit line and Tyco the RTR so named.
As mentioned earlier on these forums the manufacturers admitted to the toyish models with built in imperfections so they wear down and fail to run after about 40 hours of play time, as asssumed the playful tike will be tired of it and it gets junked as a broken down toy from christmas.
For the Tyco metal engines they were fine, the equipment was rather freelanced but represented a reasonable design for an engine.
I repowered an 0-6-0 with NWSL gears and motor (mantua), crawls with power.
TYCO RULES!!!!!!
Carl T.
Many of us got our start with TYCO products, but once their lack of quality was realised it became evident that you had to go with better equipment. I started with the Silver Streak set and was thrilled with it, still have memories but it didn't last long. The "Power-torque" drive fell apart in no time, that big gear that drove the wheels would wear through in a matter of weeks, it was a disaster. I wish I still had some more of my original Tyco stuff as it is collectible, and I've just been nostalgic lately. A good source for info is the Tyco Resources page accessed through Lycos-Tripod. It is a fun place ot visit and you can learn some history too.
I know Tyco is gone from the model railroad scene, once they relied on rediculous TV and toy related tie-ins it was time to go.
Their freight cars are fairly decent if you're willing to invest a little effort into upgrading them and since you can find them at almost any fleamarket in the country they make a good cheap starting point for kitbashing projects.
I also liked their buildings especially the Burger King and Pizza Hut both of which fit perfectly in my 1990-1999 timeframe on my layout.
As for their locos I agree with the majority of the board here they are junk.
My reference point is Tyco train sets from the mid 1970s and on. These were plastic diesels and had the thin gear drives. Electrical pickup was rather minimal.
Not good, but bearable for a beginner, and the power packs will eventually be used for accessory power if needed.
As I said, the old rolling stock of the right length for my chosen period will do stand in duty until I have enough good car kits built to fill the roster. I cut the truck coupler mount off, install Kadees and modify the cars where necessary to get them up to minimum NMRA standards for operation.
They work OK. Some were early weathering projects, good practice, and I recommend this for anyone who wants to get started weathering, practice an cheap disposable cars before trying it on more expensive 'keepers'.
Quote from the late, great Chester Holley ( model railroad pioneer and close friend of the late Bill Walthers)
T RAINS
Y OU
C AN'T
O PERATE!
"I like my Pullman Standards & Budds in Stainless Steel flavors, thank you!"
That's funny! :)
I don't mean to bash Tyco, but the 'good period' was definitely before I got into trains. I never saw one of the metal frame steamers.
AntonioFP45 wrote:Quote from the late, great Chester Holley ( model railroad pioneer and close friend of the late Bill Walthers) T RAINSY OUC AN'TO PERATE!
LOL!!!1
It just proves again that there are people who will collect anything.
I agree, it's money better saved or spent elsewhere, but if you come across a crate full of old cars for $5 at a flea market or yard sale, why not? The metal handrails from old tank cars can be recycled into grab irons, etc. Someone else mantioned here that the flatcars can be decent, and much cheaper than spending $40 on a kit, especially when you need many examples.
My late Dad bought me a Tyco Santa Fe set back in 1973. Locomotives were an F9 A-unit powered, with a B-unit dummy. A unit was equipped with the 3-pole "truck motor" running quality was terribly jerky. From that set I still have the green Santa Fe 50ft flat that has an imitation wooden deck. Funny thing is that it's a decent looking car, though there's no accurate prototype for it. I'm freelance-converting it into a heavily weathered SCL "M.O.W" car.
I kept the F unit shells as test subjects for my airbrush paint jobs but eventually got rid of them.
BTW: For those not aware, the Tyco GP20 had a great looking shell and the correct hood width. This unit made for a great project. MRR magazine had a good article back in the 1980s on how to modify and detail the GP20 shell.
Also some of the structures, such as the freight depot, had good potential. Easy to make them look realistic (installing glass on the windows, exterior weathering with flat finishes and India ink, adding details such as gutters and antennas.
I do rip up on Tyco, but appreciate that it was my first exposure to HO.
Tyco was making trains long before the slot cars. I have a "Little Six" that I got in the '50s, and it was used before I bought it.
One thing to keep in mind is anything Tyco you buy now is going to be at least...what, maybe 25 years old??
Mantua started making kits in the early days in the hobby (1930's?) and at one time their couplers were very commonly used (Kadee's didn't come along til about 1960.) Mantua steam loco kits go back at least to the early fifties and were considered good for the time. John Allen had at least one (a 2-8-2) on his GD Line. Tyco (TYler COmpany, from owner John Tyler) was originally the RTR version. Eventually Tyco made (or imported?) train set quality stuff for, well, train sets. The cars weren't bad but weren't great even for the time.
By the mid-1980's I think the Tyco brand name went away and just Mantua was out there, both RTR and kits. Mantua added Sagami can motors and enclosed gearboxes to their steam engines around 1990 and had retro-kits for repowering earlier engines. These engines tend to run pretty well. Some of their newer (1980's) introductions like their 4-4-2 and 2-6-6-2 were pretty well done.
Mantua was purchased by Model Power early in this decade, and now they're reissuing some engines with improved detailing and DCC-ready. I haven't tried one yet so don't know how good they are, but I sooner or later will probably get a 2-6-6-2 with tender and try it out.
TA462 wrote:Really??? I always thought the slot cars came first. You learn something new everyday.
Here's a bit of HISTORY on Tyco/Mantua.