BRAKIE richhotrain For laughs, Karl, for laughs. Besides, I am not a newbie, so I can. Rich I wonder when we will have tops like: "What's with Athearn BB collectors" ? "What's with MDC collectors"?
richhotrain For laughs, Karl, for laughs. Besides, I am not a newbie, so I can. Rich
For laughs, Karl, for laughs.
Besides, I am not a newbie, so I can.
Rich
I wonder when we will have tops like:
"What's with Athearn BB collectors" ?
"What's with MDC collectors"?
Probably right after we have "What's with brass collectors?"
Karl
NCE über alles!
I have a string of the TYCO silver tank cars in my display cabinet, They aren't at all prototypical but they're attractive and the first thing that most non modelers notice.
When I got back into model railroading in 1978 my first trains were TYCO.I still have them and they still run.I still buy TYCO but not to collect as the covered hoppers, flat cars,and gondolas are great kit bashing material.
I personally miss the old Tyco equip. I used to run some F7A units from them, most of my cars are Tyco (with new wheel sets), and the motors in my AF diesel and CV No. 34 (I think) all came from Tyco products. Great equip, I miss seeing the better pieces on the market.
Tyco do make some great products such as the operating freight loading depot, Ore dump car, operating grain elevator. Log dump cars kit, Operating crane kit.
I got an old Tyco freight car. Its a depression flat car with a giant circle cap (carrying unknown inside) and has ERIE Railroad reporting marks. Don't know if it's real or not.
Model made unknown to me, I bought it decades ago at a train show. I would change the couplers but I might need to replace the trucks.
Amtrak America, 1971-Present.
Anjelo,you could body mount the couplers fairly easy (any knuckle coupler if it has a box KaDee #5's are good). If it rolls half way decent keep the trucks and maybe just change the wheel sets out for metal ones.
The Tyco trucks with Intermountain wheel sets roll as well as any trucks you can get. The usual problem is the male plug has one or both of the tips broken off. The talgo height is perfect for a Kadee #5 or equivalent, so that is a good reference if your going to body mount the couplers.
Larry
www.llxlocomotives.com
So many trains, so little time,
The only tyco i know of that has any saught after desire is the royal blue. For some reason it goes for top dollar. The tyco that is an investmemt sort of. Which is why that is the only one i bought. With the filler funnel box , smoke fluid, directions, and very little run time. Al in mint condition. Past that all i have are the old ones i had as a kid.
One reason why they might bein demand, the cost of todays models. Who wants to pay that and give it to a kid. Another might be practice. Practice detailing weathering painting before tackling tjat more expensive kit.
I buy tyco. Detail and paint them then resell so people can get an ok looking and running car at an affordable price. Budgets are really tight.
As for lionel, that is entirely different. Those are collected and run to keep the memory of a time gone past tjat was simpler. When imagination filled in most of the scenery. Plus they are antiques and a good investment since they dont loose value and slowly gain value. Th3y are just fun to run when ones takes a break from more serious modeling.
A pessimist sees a dark tunnel
An optimist sees the light at the end of the tunnel
A realist sees a frieght train
An engineer sees three idiots standing on the tracks stairing blankly in space
IRONROOSTER"One man's trash is another man's treasure." Paul
Paul
From what I've seen of Tyco, it seems many men's trash is a few mens treasure. I have never seen any Tyco I felt was worth having since I was a pre-teen, and only as a Pre-teen because I didn't know any better.
My guess is that the demand for Tyco and the nutty prices will eventually start to fade as the people who have a rosy memory of the products age out of the market. Goodness I see an awful lot of Tyco and other similar train set fodder at train shows by the hundreds at dealer tables, far more thanI would expect there to be any customers for - and because it gets boxed and unboxed show after show, it looks like there is very little market for that level of stuff. Yet still it gets dragged from show to show.
choochin3I thought model railroading was supposed to be FUN!!!! No matter what scale,gauge,or other. Carl T.
It is, and so is discussing niche area's of the hobby!
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
Reading this old thread makes me nostalgic for my old Tycos. Since I still have them packed away, along with my old Atlas buildings, I think I'll get them out and set them on a table in the basement. I haven't run them in 40 years so it'll be interesting to see if they still run.
The old Atlas brass track is long gone so I'll use some of this new fangled nickel silver stuff.
Enjoy
As some people have already mentioned, there are some of the Tyco equipment that makes good kitbash material. In my case, that line goes to their GP20s. The drive on most of them is not useable. However the shell from that engine makes a resonable looking engine. Those shells fit very nicely on an Athearn GP35 drive with work on both the shell and the frame. I have made 7 of those locos for my layout. I decided I liked the look of that loco and went from there. Over the years, I got parts from eBay and Mantua to build them.
The other Tyco car that I found I really like are their cupola cabooses. (The ones with the angled cupolas.) I have also built 8 or 9 of those. Those are a little simpler to convert. Replace the trucks and install body mounted couplers and go.
It depends a little on the era we're talking about. Many top-flight model railroaders used some Mantua equipment on their layouts; I know John Allen had at least a couple of steam engines he built from Mantua kits. Way back in HO history, the Mantua coupler was one of the most commonly used couplers. Tyco originally as I recall was basically pre-built/RTR versions of the popular Mantua kits.
As time went on, Tyco became the company's primary line, and the Mantua name went away for a while. Unfortunately, as you got into the seventies, the Tyco trains became more and more toy-like as time went on. Eventually the Mantua line was reborn, and Mantua offered some very nice products (like their 4-4-2 and 2-6-6-2 RTR steam engines). They also began offering their steam engines with can motors, and offered retrofit kits to add can motors to their earlier engines.
Some people like them, that's "what's up."
Yeah, yeah, how dare somebody like something you don't.
Disclaimer: This post may contain humor, sarcasm, and/or flatulence.
Michael Mornard
Bringing the North Woods to South Dakota!
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!"
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!
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.
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.
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.
_________________________________________________________________
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 ?
Catt I've often wondered why Tyler Company (TYCO) sold the TYCO brand to a pastry company.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
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..
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
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..
I've got a thing for RAILBOX cars. I've got about 20 and want to get more.
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.
Patrick, I have one of those hoppers if you are interested. Shoot me a PM.
Jim J.
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.
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.
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
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.