"I like my Pullman Standards & Budds in Stainless Steel flavors, thank you!"
ChuckAllen, TX
Good Luck, Morpar
Roger Hensley= ECI Railroad - http://madisonrails.railfan.net/eci/eci_new.html == Railroads of Madison County - http://madisonrails.railfan.net/ =
QUOTE: The Mantua Metal Products Co. (or something like that) got started in Mantua, NJ in the 1920's. At one point, they were headed by John Tyler, and the company took the name "Tyco" from a contraction of "Tyler Co." In more recent times, there was a split between the two, with Tyco getting the toy end of the product line, and Mantua getting the more serious model railroad line. According to Dave LeCount, Tyco went out of business, although some products wound up under the IHC banner. (He has a web site to discuss the Tyco line.) At one point, Mantua picked up a lot of the Lindberg line of cars, really funky-end reefers, along with a high side Erie gon, and so while there was some cross-over between the two lines, there were also differences. The Old-Time flat, box, stock, and passenger cars are still being produced under the Mantua label and are discussed under the Mantua section. 40 Foot Steel Box Car - This model is similar to the MDC and Athearn kits, being based (more or less) on the 1937 AAR box car. The Tyco car has cast on running boards, and at one point, this made me cast it aside without a second thought. Now that I've had that chance, I think I like it better than either the MDC or Athearn model, as is. I think I'd prefer cast-on running board over too-thick separate ones. (Yes, the separate ones can be replaced with thinner ones, but I'm speaking at the moment right out of the box). And the Tyco car has no silly door claws and much thinner door tracks. Wood Reefer - This is a wood side Dreadnaught-ended cars with a raised panel roof. At first glance it is similar to the Train-Miniature one, except the Tyco has the more modern roof, a two-panel end instead of T-M's odd three panel end (but the Tyco end has the ribs too creased, almost coming to a point). The Tyco kit also has the running boards cast on. The Tyco car also has nice wood grain on the boards (although some question where wood grain should be visible, I like it on this car.) I believe that this is actually pretty close to the PFE's R-40-10, which is what InterMountain is coming out with, and some other cars c. 1940. 50 Foot Flat Car - The car has 13 stake pockets with a fishbelly side, the same basics as the Athearn flat. I think there are differences in detailing. Richard Hendrickson said the Tyco flat, to the best of his knowledge, it is a bogus generic design with no prototype whatever. He'd be pleasantly surprised to learn otherwise. Timothy O'Connor said the L&N and MP both had some 13 stake pocket flats approximately the same size as the Athearn model. Ben Hom said it does appear to be a fairly close knock-off of the Athearn car, minus the heavy Athearn brakestaff. The Tyco car has a separate casting for the deck, which overhangs the side (the Athearn doesn't), which I believe was a 1940's advancement (it allowed a little more width). Hom also mentioned one version was lettered for Santa Fe, on a green body. Very strange color for the ATSF. 40 Foot Gon - This is an 11 panel gon with irregular rib spacing and a Dreadnaught end. It appears to be based on a crude drawing of a Texas & Pacific gon many years ago in Railroad Model Craftsman. (Steve Wagner said that Tyco actually offered it painted T&P.) I superdetailed, painted, and lettered it as shown here. Richard Hendrickson showed in an article how to cut down the height of the sides to model a D&H gon, and we followed this idea for our NEB&W steel gons [Model photo]. Cyril Durrenburger had an extensive article in Model Railroader on a number of kitbashing possibilities. Quad Hopper - Tyco has, like so many other companies, copied the Athearn quad, the 1929 ARA offset car. They even copied the blue B&M scheme which I think existed only in Uncle Irv's fertile imagination. (What was in those cigars he always smoked?) Caboose - Steve Wagner said that this is vaguely close to the PRR N8 class.
Ray Breyer
Modeling the NKP's Peoria Division, circa 1943
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.