By Tyco of course.
Jim
I use Tyco for practicing weathering and aging before attempting it on a more expensive piece of rolling stock. I kept about a dozen of the better Tyco boxcars to fill some yard tracks, they will either be sold once I switch them to more expensive units, or used for some spare parts and or kitbashing. Maybe make a few accidented cars to be placed on a repair track. I use them until I get better ones, at least they bring me joy for the time being.
I actually sold Tyco sets when I opened a hobby shop in 1974. Then the returns started with locomotives and power packs that quit. After that, if you wanted a set, you made your own and I would give a 20% discount. All sets after that usually had an Athearn or Atlas locomotive, Athearn cars, Atlas 22 inch radius nickel silver rail and a MRC or Troller power pack. None of those ever came back.
I used to run a long train full speed backwards on the store layout with a sign in a gondola that said, "Try this with your Tyco".
I did buy a Tyco set from the Four Seasons store on base when I was stationed in Turkey only because there was nothing else. The switcher was wired the opposite of NMRA standards. Some cars have been kept and the couplers were cut off and Kadee's installed.
Ken Vandevoort
I believe they are sound now, but some of the ones from the late 80's, at least that I had, were a tad questionable operationally. It was the wheelsets material, I think, but there are no longer any in my roster.
I can understand buying some Tyco cars for fun, display, or bashing fodder, nothing wrong with that. I wouldn't pay more than like four bucks a piece for cars though. I started into the hobby with the Tyco of today, Life-Like. It's a decent way of getting used to the overalll feel of model trains. I have a question though, what's the consensus on quality for Athearn BB? I have one GP9 that I added the details to and it's a decent engine. My complaint would be the handrails needed some trimming and bending, plus some I didn't have the expertise to do as someone who is newer to loco kits in this day of rtr. Are there any other little things I should look for to maybe fix or super detail on this engine later and other BBs?
They form the basis of most of my active steamers at the moment, actually. As long as the flanges aren't arguing with the trackwork, they're virtually indestructible mechanically.
IRONROOSTER tinplatacis Or Fleischmann steamers? That was the train of my childhood. I still have it with a string of cars. All German prototype except the bobber caboose which is Santa Fe. Still runs just fine after 60 years. Enjoy Paul
tinplatacis Or Fleischmann steamers?
Or Fleischmann steamers?
That was the train of my childhood. I still have it with a string of cars. All German prototype except the bobber caboose which is Santa Fe. Still runs just fine after 60 years.
Enjoy
Paul
Stranger things have happened. About 20 years ago, with the advent of eBay the flyer NP Lowey NCL set was selling regularly for $2000, train only. The demand was so high, Lionel, who owned the rights to flyer stuff at the time put out a new version of the old set. The irony is that NP never had the PA engines in the set.
Flyer stuff from the fifties is actually comparable to TYCO stuff of the seventies, not necessarily in quality, but in nostalgia collectable value.
I have dealt with several TYCO brown box collectors. They have a specific list of things they need. Some run their trains and some don't. They want to have the total collection. A typical
trait for collectors of most anything.
Larry
www.llxlocomotives.com
So many trains, so little time,
Tyco trains existed because they filled a niche in the market place. They were made to sell in bargain basement stores to people who felt that they really couldn't justify spending good money on what was basically a kid's toy. Tyco is no different than Louis Marx or Hummer trains are to the three-rail crowd, and both of those brands are considered extremely collectible today. Even the major manufacturers like Lionel and Flyer had their stripped-down sets that were designed to be sold to the lower end of the market. I am told that there is a nostalgia there in their toy-like simplicity that appeals to some but not everyone.
I have figured out what is wrong with my brain! On the left side nothing works right, and on the right side there is nothing left!
I still pick up a number of old Tyco cars at the quarterly aswap meet I attend regularly, and- as per my recent Soo Line caboose and GN flat car I posted in the Photo Gallery, they are nice foundations upon which to build a better quality car with minimal investment. But didn't Tyco, along with Athearn and Lionel, help introduce many to the model railroading hobby? Let those who value them as they are enjoy them, just as others enjoy Athearn BBs and Rivarossi steam...
Cedarwoodron
Personally, I agree when it comes to the Train Set TYCO. But the beeter quality stuff from the 50's and 60's still run on my Cawdor Southern and Cherokee Valley Railroads. Less expensive, plus then I dont have to be so finiky about some parts.
DRfan I really wonder if the people paying high prices for the TYCO trains are model railroaders or people that are toy collectors. Their are many people that think if something "old" it is valuable. I remember when I collected stamps as young boy back in the early 1970s, my dad warned me to collect cancelled stamps from the 1940s aand not mint ones from dealers. He told me that the stamps will change value based on fads and not becasue they are truely valuable. I have kept this belief when buying model train equipment as well. TYCO maybe popular now but in ten years it may drop in valve quickly.
I really wonder if the people paying high prices for the TYCO trains are model railroaders or people that are toy collectors. Their are many people that think if something "old" it is valuable. I remember when I collected stamps as young boy back in the early 1970s, my dad warned me to collect cancelled stamps from the 1940s aand not mint ones from dealers. He told me that the stamps will change value based on fads and not becasue they are truely valuable. I have kept this belief when buying model train equipment as well. TYCO maybe popular now but in ten years it may drop in valve quickly.
The instrinsic value of Tyco is minimal. They become valuable solely because there is a demand and limited supply of it. When the demand drops so will the value. Stamps are a good example. If there were no collectors they would be worthless. But because people want them they become valuable.
To each his own. Just because I don't do it, doesn't give me any cause to criticise those who do.
40 years ago I built a few (pre-Tyco) Mantua steam locomotive kits and for a 16 year old kid they were a great stepping stone toward my present skill level. Who knows, they may still be running on somebody's layout today.
ggnlars How things change. In the 50's and 60's Mantua was amount the premier makers of HO equipment. In those days very little in HO was RTR. Kits in general were very spartan when it came to details. The modeler was expected to apply what they wanted. This was when most drives had a rubber band involved, Athearn included. Mantua was one of the first to use Pittman style motors in their steam engines, which was their specialty. They also introduced the classic Mantua open frame motor for their new diesels. It was around this time that Mantua created the Tyco line. The info is fuzzy here, but most think it was a lower cost line. Mantua trucks were metal with metal wheels. These were attached with screws. Couplers were body mounted. Tyco trucks were plastic with plastic wheels. The trucks plugged into holes in the chassis. at some point, Mantua sold off the Tyco line. With that sale a number of inventory was included. When this inventory ran out is when the Tyco brown box units started appearing. These included train sets. The motors in all their offerings were the "high torque" version. The steam engines had this motor in the tender. Mantua continued to make their old line. New offering were limited. They seemed to be strugglng. Their kits disappeared and everything was cheapened. Metal was replaced with plastic. This continued until the whole steam engine shell was plastic. They were losing ground to the competition. Just before they went under, they tried to reinvent themselves. Mantua heavy and all wheel drive diesels were part of that new line. As with the rest of the hobby these were made in China. The designs for these seem to have Mehano roots. This is a case were a company went from being the trend setter to an also ran. I suspect that your feelings about them are dependent on the phase you caught them in. Larry www.llxlocomotives.com
How things change. In the 50's and 60's Mantua was amount the premier makers of HO equipment. In those days very little in HO was RTR. Kits in general were very spartan when it came to details. The modeler was expected to apply what they wanted. This was when most drives had a rubber band involved, Athearn included. Mantua was one of the first to use Pittman style motors in their steam engines, which was their specialty. They also introduced the classic Mantua open frame motor for their new diesels.
It was around this time that Mantua created the Tyco line. The info is fuzzy here, but most think it was a lower cost line. Mantua trucks were metal with metal wheels. These were attached with screws. Couplers were body mounted.
Tyco trucks were plastic with plastic wheels. The trucks plugged into holes in the chassis.
at some point, Mantua sold off the Tyco line. With that sale a number of inventory was included. When this inventory ran out is when the Tyco brown box units started appearing. These included train sets. The motors in all their offerings were the "high torque" version. The steam engines had this motor in the tender.
Mantua continued to make their old line. New offering were limited. They seemed to be strugglng. Their kits disappeared and everything was cheapened. Metal was replaced with plastic. This continued until the whole steam engine shell was plastic. They were losing ground to the competition. Just before they went under, they tried to reinvent themselves. Mantua heavy and all wheel drive diesels were part of that new line. As with the rest of the hobby these were made in China. The designs for these seem to have Mehano roots.
This is a case were a company went from being the trend setter to an also ran. I suspect that your feelings about them are dependent on the phase you caught them in.
Interesting that this thread got resurrected after laying dormant for two years. When I first got back into the hobby in the late 1970s I had no appreciation for quality and ended up buying lots of Tyco. There was a Children's Palace near me and that's where I did a lot of my buying and they carried lots of Tyco. I had decided I was going to model the UP and so I bought just about anything that was UP, both locos and rolling stock. Didn't care about the era. I had a Tyco F-7 that looking back was hideous. I had 12 yellow hopper cars with red lettering. When I filled them with coal and pulled them with my F-7, I thought it was the coolest thing in the world. What did I know. What did I care. I also bought a Tyco Amtrak set with an F-7 and the lighted cars with the sillouette passengers. I thought that was way cool too. Don't know what I did with all of it although I still have the passenger cars. Might have given it to a friend for a song after I became more discerning about quality. I might check into e-baying those passenger cars.
Patrick, I have one of those hoppers if you are interested. Shoot me a PM.
Jim J.
Rail Box and covered hoppers here,in 3 different scales no less.24 RB's in N ,12 HO,4 in Z with more planned. Covered hoppers total about 200 mostly in N with quite a few in HO ,and 24 in Z. I have at least a dozen TYCO PS-2s and Center-Flos all either nicely detailed or in the process of it.
BRAKIE Bayfield Transfer Railway Some people like them, that's "what's up." Yeah, yeah, how dare somebody like something you don't. Michael,I'm surise somebody doesn't sask " what's up with boxcar collectors?" As of now 80% of my cars are boxcars and the majority of those are IPD shortline boxcars..
Bayfield Transfer Railway Some people like them, that's "what's up." Yeah, yeah, how dare somebody like something you don't.
Some people like them, that's "what's up."
Yeah, yeah, how dare somebody like something you don't.
Michael,I'm surise somebody doesn't sask " what's up with boxcar collectors?"
As of now 80% of my cars are boxcars and the majority of those are IPD shortline boxcars..
I've got a thing for RAILBOX cars. I've got about 20 and want to get more.
Disclaimer: This post may contain humor, sarcasm, and/or flatulence.
Michael Mornard
Bringing the North Woods to South Dakota!
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Catt I've often wondered why Tyler Company (TYCO) sold the TYCO brand to a pastry company.
I've often wondered why Tyler Company (TYCO) sold the TYCO brand to a pastry company.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
On a side note did anybody know that Tyler named Mantua for the city it was origonaly manufactured in ?
Tyco was considered one of the higher quality brands until Sara Lee of all companies bought them in the early 70's and created the Power Torque drive. The Tyco products of the 50's and 60's were very nice in their day, with better detailed all metal steam engines than most of the competition, decent freight cars, and even the diesels were pretty good with the 5-pole MU-2 drive. I kind of have to wonder what would have happened if Tyco had done as Bachmann and Life-Like with the Spectrum and Proto 2000 lines instead of pulling out of trains in the early 90's.
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AntonioFP45 Tyco buildings .... Truck Terminal
Tyco buildings .... Truck Terminal
I maintain this is actually one of the finest kits ever made. The building was MASSIVE for the time. It's like 10 inches across! The detail is a little coarse on the skylights, but its got a lot of potential for light to heavy modifications. I'd love to have one of them again and turn the rear "rail doors" into roll-up doors and repurpose it as a drive-thru service building.
Don't understand the love of Mantua either,got rid of all mine, in fact except for some sentimental pieces, got rid of all my brass too. They just were going to take too much work to get to todays running or looks standard. Got rid of most of my MDC also except the ones with the separate grabs (didn't use the staples included but got good ones). Got about a dozen that were customed by someone and around 50 kits to do the same, wish they would make a Tangent type quality in RTR 36' boxcars!
In thinking back to when I was in my late teens-early 20's, one thing that I do regret is that I got rid of my Tyco structures.
I scrapped/gave away my Tyco rolling stock and locomotives (except for a flat car, in honor of my late Dad) and upgraded to Athearn, Atlas, Bowser, and the usual cast of model railroad loco/stock manufacturers. However, a few years ago I realized that those shiny Tyco buildings (freight Station, Truck Terminal, Piggyback ramp, etc) had excellent modeling potential!
I could smack myself when I think now how easy it would have been to knock out the solid opaque plastic windows, paint strip or dull down the shiny finishes, add weathering and realistic detailing, lighting and produce models that could blend in with well detailed Walthers Cornerstone and DPM kits. I now have loads of styrene, clear plastic, and paints that would have made upgrading those structures a fun project.
Same for Bachmann and Life Like as well. I think someone mentioned that some of those kits were actually produced by Kibri, Pola, and some of the other well known European kit manufacturers with the primary difference being that they were "toyed down" (shiny paint, molded details, opaque windows....etc).
Live and learn
"I like my Pullman Standards & Budds in Stainless Steel flavors, thank you!"