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.
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.
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
Paul
IRONROOSTER"One man's trash is another man's treasure." 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
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
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,
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.
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.
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 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.
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 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.
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!
zstripe TZ, In the 1950s, Mantua pioneered "ready-to-run" HO-scale model railroad kits under theTYCO (for Tyler Company) brand. Many TYCO and Mantua die-cast products, such as steam engines, are collector's items today. Cheers, Frank
TZ,
In the 1950s, Mantua pioneered "ready-to-run" HO-scale model railroad kits under theTYCO (for Tyler Company) brand. Many TYCO and Mantua die-cast products, such as steam engines, are collector's items today.
Cheers,
Frank
And don't forget Mantua line of "Ready Laid Track" of the 50s this included yard ladders ,3 way switches and double crossovers.
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Fill your modern can motors with as much gunk as the old TYCO & Varney had to endure, they wouldn't run either. I find that the mantua classic drive and the TYCO pancake drive can be brought back to life with the proper TLC. Your not making a race horse out of a sows ear, but they can be reliable runners.
If anything, they are getting harder to find. Even when this thread started they were still readily available. Not so much now.
The people who really collect old trains want them as they were. Marx HO collectors are the most fanatical. A lot of plastic Model Power was originally from Marx dyes.
el-capitan microbuss well let see theres the TV & movie sets Tyco made Such as Transformers, A-Team, Petticoat Jct, G.I. Joe Wow! completely forgot about the GI Joe trainset. Just looked it up on ebay and it brought back some memories. I was building Oscale since I was 8 so I never bought it but always considered it. The box shows a "joe" shooting at enemies from a tank on a flat car, because why else would you transport tanks if not to protect the train? Hilarious. I don't recall the transformers or A team though. Thanks for the post.
microbuss well let see theres the TV & movie sets Tyco made Such as Transformers, A-Team, Petticoat Jct, G.I. Joe
well let see theres the TV & movie sets Tyco made Such as Transformers, A-Team, Petticoat Jct, G.I. Joe
Wow! completely forgot about the GI Joe trainset. Just looked it up on ebay and it brought back some memories. I was building Oscale since I was 8 so I never bought it but always considered it. The box shows a "joe" shooting at enemies from a tank on a flat car, because why else would you transport tanks if not to protect the train? Hilarious. I don't recall the transformers or A team though. Thanks for the post.
Actually during World War 2 (on the eastern front) the Germans used tanks to provide, off rail mobile protection, for armored trains.. They were hauled on low platform cars (Panzertragerwagon) from which they could be rapidly unloaded. Their armorment could also be operated while they were loaded on the cars. Many of the cars on armored trains were equipped with tank turrets.
I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.
I don't have a leg to stand on.
Hmmm, while I am a natural collector somehow I missed the Tyco brand both starting and collecting. I got started in the early 1960s with Marx and move up to AHM and Athearn in the 1970s.
Tyco trains were before my time. But it sounds to me that they're a bit like the Chevy Corvair (Something else before my time). They may not be collectible but they have a cult following.
When Ralf Nader's book come out, nobody wanted the Corvair. But now it's developed something of a cult following. Now there are Corvair fan clubs.
Perhaps Tyco trains have developed a cult following as well.
Modeling the Pennsylvania Railroad in N Scale.
www.prr-nscale.blogspot.com
Check out the Deming Sub by clicking on the pics:
richhotrainOh goodie, we now have two threads running about Tyco junk.
You know, I hate when people post inaccurate and outdated information. We do not have two threads running about Tyco junk. We now have three threads running about Tyco junk.
kbkchooch richhotrain LOL Here we go again. Newbie resurrects 8 year old thread. About Tyco, no less. Oh goodie, we now have two threads running about Tyco junk. It must be Bring Your Tyco To Work day. Rich If you hate Tyco so much, why did you start another thread about it?? Methinks thou dost protest too much!
richhotrain LOL Here we go again. Newbie resurrects 8 year old thread. About Tyco, no less. Oh goodie, we now have two threads running about Tyco junk. It must be Bring Your Tyco To Work day. Rich
LOL
Here we go again.
Newbie resurrects 8 year old thread.
About Tyco, no less.
Oh goodie, we now have two threads running about Tyco junk.
It must be Bring Your Tyco To Work day.
If you hate Tyco so much, why did you start another thread about it??
Methinks thou dost protest too much!
Alton Junction
rrinker Just remember, Tyco wasn't always junk.
Just remember, Tyco wasn't always junk.
When I got into HO scale about ten years back, I recalled that Tyco had been a big name in the hobby back in the 70s when my kids were youngsters.
But names like Tyco seemed like ancient history by 2004 when I entered the HO scale side of the hobby,
Just remember, Tyco wasn't always junk. Mostly good prior to being sold to Consolidated Foods. A cereal company has no idea how to make good trains (looks at Lionel under General Mills, too). Early 60's Tyco was more or less factory assembled versions of Mantua kits, the steam locos were die cast metal, not cheap plastic and ran reasonably well.
Those Lionel HO FA shells fit on the Walthers drives because they are essentially the same shell, I believe, with an intermediate stop at Train Miniature.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Karl,The 2049 looks pretty good..I would have never thought the shell was a Tyco.
I have an old Mantua 4-6-0 that I have had a lot of fun with. I bought it because it was similar (read here - I am using a lot of artistic license when I say similar) to a Grand Trunk locomotive from around 1913 that I found a picture of on the internet.
One of the things on the kit that differed from the picture of the GT loco was that the Mantua drive mechanism was clearly visible beneath the boiler whereas the Grand Trunk 4-6-0 had this big wide open space under the front half of the boiler. The effect on me of the picture of the original was kind of like see-through lingerie if I can be so bold. I really liked the look. So, I got brave and rebuilt the drive so that the drive axle was moved from the front to the middle axle. Holly cow, it actually drives quite nicely and it has a somewhat similar open space under the front of the boiler to the original. And, I had a whole lot of fun messing with the drive mechanism!
I also replaced the magnets in the motor with neodymium so the amp draw went way down. It now has a sound decoder and all it is waiting for basically is paint. I won't do that before I have practiced a bit with other projects that aren't quite so close to my heart.
Anyhow, my point is that I totally agree with Mark H that the old Tyco/Mantua kits can be a lot of bang for the buck!
Oops - "see through lingerie", "bank for the buck", oh oh oh oh I can see the moderators grinding their teeth over this one!
Thanks for letting me have some fun!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
I like the old Tyco/Mantua steam locomotives. Granted...they are very generic in their design, but with some dressing up with Precision Scale or Cal Scale parts they can really look decent. I have a 2-8-2 and a pair of 0-4-0 switchers...all three dating back to the 1960's. They run pretty good, though I do plan on remotoring them. They are perfect for the freelancer.
I am an old school modeler. I think I want to covey to the present that there was something, before DCC, can motors and flimsy plastic handrails...you get my meaning.
If we intend on moving forward in our hobby...lets not forget where it all started and evolved from.
Best wishes
Mark H
Modeling in HO...Reading and Conrail together in an alternate history.