Who is HOTCO (pre AHM?)????

[MikeyChris]

I recently acquired a couple cars that have the name HOTCO stamped on the bottom of each car. They are MADE IN HONG KONG, and these two are both 41' 8 panel steel gons. They look just like AHM's 41' gons, even the plastic coal "load" looks the same.

I have been active in this hobby for about 40 years and have never run into the name HOTCO before. When I did a GOOGLE search, about all I found is a Canadian RR Museum site that has an HOTCO DEEP ROCK 3 dome tank car listed in it's display's.

Can anyone fill me in on when HOTCO sold trians, where they were located, etc.?

Thanx,

Mike

[jsoderq]

After Varney went belly up the tooling was sold and moved to Hong Kong so they are identical to late Varney. Some of the paint jobs and road numbers were exactly the same. I believe the name came from Hong Kong Toy Company.

[joeyegarner]

I have one Hotco myself, it's a D&RGW 40' boxcar

[MikeyChris]

Thanx for the reply, but this brings up more questions (of course).

First, I thought Life-Like acquired the Varney tooling right after Varney closed up shop. As evidence that at least some Varney went directly to Life-Like, I bought some early Life-Like tank cars that had individual end pieces and dome cover like the Varney's did. Life-Like soon simplified the cars to one piece body castings, I asume to save on fabrication costs as they only sold R-T-R stuff, not kits.

Second, these gons I have look exacltly like the ROCO made AHM gons I have, and very close to the Rivaroosi made AHM predecessors.

Actually, all the Hong Kong/Taiwan made 8 panel gons look very similar, with the difference mainly being the underframe. I suspect they all have a common origination.

Mike

[Anonymous]

I believe back in the sixties it was not uncommon for manufacturers to steal others ideas, right down to the paint jobs. AHM, especially, took all of the revell buildings and changed some,and built some the same. I believe Bachman took some of athearns, boxcars ,hoppers, flats and tankcars and duplicated them right down to wrong ends and brakewheels, etc, the only difference were underframes and talgo trucks.

[BRAKIE]

Mikey,Indeed Life Like got the Varney dies EXCEPT the 2-8-0 and 4-6-0.Those went to ?? Bowser now has the former Varney 2-8-0 and 4-6-0..Maybe these engines went to Penn-Line since Bowser bought Penn-Line?
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BXCARMIKE,Nobody stole anybodies else work in the 60s.For instance Athearn job out cars for both Lionel and Cox...See how it worked? [:D]

[toptrain]

HOTCO IS the HO Train CO of Philadelphia. A 1950's and early importers of foreign made model trains. They were bringing in brass locomotives. One of my PRR J1A's is from them. I also have a PRR B6 and another 0-6-0t side tank in brass they imported. Also HOTCO imported from New One of Japan a 4-6-0 camelback known for it bad castings. another 4-6-0 B&O, some 4-4-2 locos and a little cast 0-4-0 camelback. A B&O 4-6-0 was also imported in brass that looked alot like the cast one. If i could just directly download photo into here and not have to go through a proxey photo company online I would share photos of some of these locos I list. As to a box car posted previously I have over 10 of them I could share. There are just to many steps to getting them to you now. 

frank

I had the Hotco PRR J1A on flickr. here it is.

 

[steemtrayn]