More Prague Toy Train Museum

Here's the monster Marklin station I referred to in a prior post. Pictures don't do it justice, this thing is majestic.

It has a very close prototype in Budapest, Hungary. Actually the model train station looks much better than the Budapest station.

One thing that struck me after seeing pics of all of these great toys, I always wonder if this is a lost art. I hope not.

M

The Poll Is Up

I thought this "polling thing" to send a message to standard gauge manufacturers was a good idea. So I have developed the poll based on emails I have received as well as feedback on the Yahoo Groups and the Tinplate Forums.

What I plan to do is leave the poll open a couple of weeks and get as many people as I can to reply to it. I'll take it and send it off to manufacturers. If they want to ignore a market and revenue, that's their perogative. I am tired of "hoping" that manufacturers read my webpage or the Groups Pages or the forums. Hope isn't a bad thing (now I sound like the Shawshank Redemption) but it doesn't always pay the bills. I don't like people that set around and bellyache without offering up some solutions so this is my start at an offering.

"What are you talking about Marc? What's the problem you are solving?" The problem is that the O gauge market seems to get a newly tooled set of engines from every manufacture at least once every twelve months. New rolling stock, new buildings, new signals. Std gauge seems to get an periodic remake of a Lionel Classic Period peice or Ives peice once or twice a year. While I think we should be thankful for that fact it doesn't exactly float for innovation.

So I have compiled a list from "All the things I'd like MTH to produce" as well as the O gauge forums to the best of my limited ability. Hopefully the list will never really be finished (because everyone's imagination is really unlimited). It's a first crack at starting to expand the standard gauge catalog beyond the stock items. There has been so much fantastic standard gauge built since World War II ended, we need to give it recognition as well as new items that should be but have never been produced.

Go vote! Use the link above. And get others in the TCA, TTOS and LCCA to vote as well!


Marc

What Can MTH Make?

Folks,

I did the interview with Mike Wolf and I am jelling the parts to make it interesting reading. I spoke to Mike extensively about what will get made and why.

Before you all fantasize too much (hence the nice looking automobile on the left) on what can and cannot be made, I can tell you that MTH's focus is on products that will sell.

Mike told me they put out the articulated 400E and there were almost no pre-orders. Suffice to say, he wants to make sure everything MTH produces finds a home in a collection or with an operator.

So here's what I propose: either I'll do it or we can do it on the Yahoo Groups - we create a list of all items we would like to see produced, rank them by putting out a survey and then send them to MTH. It's the best way to be straight with what we would like to see. I'll either build the list or the survey, one or the other, I need some help (please volunteer because it won't get done any other way). It will give our friend's at MTH a roadmap for things we'd like to see.

Any thoughts?

M

It got away....

The insane collector in me rarely pops out. But when he does (Mr. Hyde) I obsess about certain items. This standard gauge work car I just lost out on on eBay is one of them.

Am I nuts? Well, yes. This is the only one of these I have ever seen. The price went way too high for me to pay. All I can think of is Smeagol from Lord Of The Rings jabbering on about "my precious". It gives me the creeps. Has anyone seen this and where in blazes can I get one?

It is likely and even probable that this car is a Wakeling. Since Arno introduced me to these things I can't seem to get enough of them. I only have seen them once or twice on eBay. This is the kind of low hanging fruit I wish standard gauge manufacturers would pursue. I love the Blue Comet but sometimes track needs to get fixed and my Westphal car just doesn't have maintenance of way rights. Seems like this would do the trick.

I hope it shows up again (and no, I am not eating any raw fish or prancing around talking to a lake (a cheesy, geeky Lord Of The Rings joke)).

M

New Hope, PA Trains

My Buddy $$$mint was in New Hope, PA and managed to grab some nice shots of an engine under steam.

Yes, I know it isn't standard gauge but who cares? This is one really nice engine and set.

M

Prague Toy Museum

That Boxcab intrigued me too. I am guessing it is a Bing 1 Gauge but I could be wrong. Fandor?

I have quite a few more pics to upload. The one's of the huge Marklin station are really something to see.

M

More Prague Toy Museum....

By the way, the trolley pictured below is a current trolley from Prague. They call them "trams". Roland told me that they have trams running in Prague, Austria and all over Europe.

Looks like we gave up yet another bright idea to get gouged for gas prices instead.

I have some tram pics I can post if anyone would like to see them. They are just too cool. Roland said he might send me some movies later on.

M

You guys are quick!

Damn, you guys are quick!

Roland sent me these pics from the Prague Toy Museum and some pics of trolleys in Europe. He sent me so many they clogged my email today for over 2 hours and sucked up around 3 gig of HD space.

Here's a few to get you started.

I know these aren't Lionel authentic standard gauge and the like but I know that you'll still find them really interesting. Especially when it comes to percolating some ideas for tinplate.

I could spend the next 4 days posting these things. I'll post as many as I can. They are really intriguing.

















Here comes a few more in another post...

Where was this taken?

If anyone can tell me where my buddy Roland took this picture, I'll post some pics of the biggest station I have ever seen. It's Marklin but it is friggin amazing.

Truly, this thing is just enormous. I'm not posting diddly until someone tells me where this toy museum is!

M

PS He took pics of the rest of the toy trains in this museum as well. They kick ace!

Lots of good stuff on the way....

I can't post much this week but I will post some good stuff in the next 4 or 5 days.

Stay tuned - a standard gauge interview with Mike Wolf is coming up in the next two weeks. If you have any questions for him, send them to me at:

mrkuffler@aol.com

No patently stupid questions (such as anything with profanity or that will be an insult to our collective intelligence (like "What does MTH make?" as an example). And NO lawsuit questions! Everything else is fair game!

Cheers for now!

Marc

Great Rich Art Article

I was pouring through some ancient TTOS bulletins and I found this amazing article on Rich Art. Blow it up and read it using "Full Page View" on IE. Hilly Lazarus did some great writing for the TTOS bulletins. His knowledge and study of trains is exceptional.

This article is really worth reading. I am anxiously awaiting Arno's book on these makers of toy trains. I expect every reader of this blog to pick up a copy as soon as it is available!

As I have said in previous posts, much of their production is exclusive; one off's that are rare and almost always wonderful. I know Dick Mayer cranked out a ton of great trains and many are documented and many are not.

Take a gander at this article; what I am hoping is that it will inspire many of you out there with mechanical talent, patience and skill to think about building toys like these. Remember, we are remembered by our actions and the decisions we make. Great products and thought translated into amazing toys like these will make them the rare inspired artists of the future.

What I would like to see (and your ideas)...

Aye Carumba! I almost forgot my yearly babble on what I would like to see in standard gauge!

How could I be so stupid? Probably because I keep buying trains and not making my friggin mortgage payment.

By the way, that loco pulling out is one of Jim Cohen's. I like the engine but it's the shed that has captivated me.

If our hobby is going to have a future, we need to slow down the recreation of the old favorites - 400E's, 408's and so on. Here's my ideas for some things I'd like to see in standard gauge in the future:

An American Flyer Brass Piper (been looking for a Rich Art one but they aren't easy to find).
A Lone Scout Set
A Pocahontas Set
A #3 Trolley
A Statesmen Set
An Ives Tiger Set

Ok, let me get out of the Prewar mode and into new operating equipment:

A Blue Streak Set (yes, in standard gauge)
A Decent Zephyr or Flying Yankee
A Comet set (no, not the Blue Comet, the New York Central Comet. If you haven't seen it let me know and I'll post a picture).
The i5 (probably one of the nicest engines ever designed).
A Carlisle and Finch mining set
A Voltamp set
A decent Hudson
An American Flyer Aeolus Set

All of the above needs to be made IN STANDARD GAUGE.

I'd love to see some new tinplate accessories. Heck you could reproduce the Smith Metalworks gear above and I'd be happy. By the way, I called Smith Metalworks and the lady that answered said she would get back to me (and never did). Guess she thought I was some nut that was bugging her about something they never made.

Accessories:

A decent engine house like the one above from Smith Metalworks
A new station (something a little closer to Grand Central or Union Station in Kansas City).
Some new tunnels and mountains that make it easier to model prewar tin into the landscape.
How about a decent prewar backdrop for a layout?

Here's one that's constantly overlooked: most of us are still using the same lock ons that were used 100 years ago (literally or technically). Can't we get a lock on that looks like a tinplate switchhouse with some lights in it and some new fangled power/surge protection?

Well, I put myself out there. It's up to you guys to come with some more ideas on things we'd like to see. Being that the number of manufacturers is dwindling rapidly, I think we need to let people know that if products are made, if I ideas are made real, we'll support them. I'm always amazed whenever I see some dufus walking around a train show and belly aching about how he wants a mint condition standard gauge "whatever" (you fill in the blank; freight car, fancy motive power, etc) for 10 bucks. Just won't happen. It actually almost never did happen. But I think all of us are willing to go the extra distance for quality.

Ideas?

M

Simply Wonderful....

Believe it or not, the world of standard gauge is rife with news. There seems to be a substantial amount of activity going on. Every time I speak with a fellow collector, there are new things happening in the world of classic toys, especially in our little patch.

I liked this picture because it so aptly describes a little slice of our hobby. It's simple and has a common set of toys. Yet their assembly creates something uncommon; memories, elegance and plain old fun. It's great to watch a 408E and the 400 series passenger cars go through their motions! What's the most interesting 408E story anyone has? Where is the most unusual place you've found the venerable 408?

M

Sitting and Watching Stout

I'm just sitting here watching the Stout Auction online. Seems like there are some good deals, especially if you are looking for MTH Standard Gauge Boxcars.

Here's something I noticed though; MTH sets seem to be going much higher than I would have expected. The Olympian set just went for $2200 and that is without the buyers premium, shipping and so on.

Hey, don't get me wrong, buyers are getting something they want and I am glad the sellers are making a couple of bucks. I just can't figure out why these folks didn't buy these sets from MTH brand new when they had the chance. MTH gives plenty of warning and they even offer some of these sets from catalog to catalog. I do like the fact that MTH offers them because I tend to like running new gear vs. the older stuff. We won't go down that road again.

I also noticed another eBay anomaly; I just saw one of those compiliations of prewar catalogs from Greenberg go on ebay. Jumped from 91 bucks to 188 in the last few minutes. I haven't seen one of the Greenberg books go for less than 120 smackers. I've seen them on Amazon.com ranging from $145 to $250.

So maybe thorough books and reference materials do have a market? I've seen a few posts on the forums stating there is no market for standard gauge and books relating to prewar trains. Have you looked at your local train store book rack lately? How many books does there need to be on balasting track and building lichen trees? For a real train person, that was mastered long ago (I figured it out in 1976 without a book).

M

PS Current train books that are basically "coffee table books" by Roger Carp and price guides don't count.

I liked this ad

I just saw this ad and I liked it. It got me thinking of a quick story my buddy Jim Cohen told me -

He was in New York City in 1951. He was looking for an O gauge switcher. He decided to pop into Madison Hardware.

Madison was the usual amazing place full of amazing stuff. Jim let his mind wander a little and decided he really wanted some Stephen Girard cars.

Lou pulled out the box. That is, A full set of Stephen Girard cars, brand new in the box including the master carton. Not "like new", not sort of new, just new.

Madison wanted $175 for those cars. Jim scoffed slightly, a nice set of used cars could be had at a meet or from another collector for under a hundred bucks. Why the hell would he pay big money in those days for a full set in boxes?

(I had to leave the room for a minute and bang my head against something repeatedly). While my friend has no regrets, he did wish he had the 175 bucks that day.

By the way, call me when Lionel produces a catalog page or advertisement like the one above. The current "go back to when you were a kid and could have your dad buy you a $700 GG1" nostalgia advertising and marketing really doesn't do much for me. I showed the current train advertising du jour to one of my kids and asked what he thought, he asked if the train game was available on the Playstation 2. Doesn't that say it all?

M

Station Envy......

My 116 Station and 129 Terrace seems so insignificant next to this thing.

I just bought a whole bunch of TTOS Bulletins and I saw this on the back of one. It's a model from the Worlds Fair of Grand Central.

Where did this station go? Please tell me that it wasn't lost to antiquity. What can anyone say when they see something like this?

I've been walking through Grand Central Station in NYC for more than 18 years and this is the first model I have seen that comes even close. The 116 station was close or at least I thought so. 1930 isn't that long ago, did anyone see this? What I wouldn't give to hang out with Sherman and Mr. Peabody and jump in the Wayback Machine" with as much 21st century multimedia gear as possible.

This by the way, is ignoring the simple fact that the trains leaving the station are also amazing....

M

Stay Tuned....

Some interesting stuff is right around the corner.... Specifically interesting articles on this blog.

If you think the machine below is used for making standard gauge trains (and nice one's) you'd be guessing correctly! Writing is like making great toys; it can be rushed but is much better if a little bit of thought is put into it. Keep looking this week and you'll see some interesting stuff.

M

Memorial Day

One of the benefits I have over a static magazine is that I get to publish things as I see them. I see Memorial Day.

Stand up some of those Barclay soldiers on that standard gauge layout and remember some of the most important people in the world. The people that have perished so that we may live and have life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

A favorite author of mine; Andy Rooney says it better than I can here.

M

June 2006 Stout Auction is up....

The June 2006 Stout Auction is up. This is one of the nicest sets I could find in the auction. There's a ton of MTH standard gauge in the auction.

If you want to check out some mind-numbing standard gauge, go look at the upcoming Maurer Auctions. I just wish I had the time and money to get out to PA. The next two are probably two of the best standard gauge auctions of the year, bar none.

Our hobby isn't just about spending money on toys but it is kind of fun to formulate (in your mind or on paper) what kind of motive power and rolling stock you'd like to have on your pike...... The NETTE auction should also be something to see (check out their website for some preview pics). Any thoughts on the upcoming Cal-Stewart meet? I just was invited and I am seriously considering saving up a couple of shekles and going!

Marc

Hints of another GG1...

Somehow I doubt these are still in stock. Oh how I wish these would get offered again. This is so much more fun than a Lionel remake.

Is this a Forney GG1? It sure doesn't look like a Willard Forney, the trucks aren't right.

The interesting part is that the pantographs are functional or can be made functional.

I know diddly about Dayton Industrial Motors but I'm willing to learn.

So I know Willard Forney made a standard gauge GG1 and so did JAD. So what's this?

M

A GG1 Article From the Past....

I was perusing some old TTOS Newsletters and I saw this really interesting article on John Daniel's GG1 creations.

What's interesting is that ANOTHER GG1 from another manufacturer was produced around this time. I'll show the advertisement in the next post.

This article mentions a GG1 that John made I didn't know about. I know about the Tuscan and the Brunswick flavors but Blackjack Silver? That's a new one. I'd love to see what that looks like!

Check out the article, it is tremendously interesting and makes you wonder what else is out there? The article is well over 27 years old, so please don't bug John for a GG1!

Does anyone have a picture of their GG1 they'd like to contribute? I have 'em in O gauge and standard. Guess which one I like better!?!?

M

NETTE Auction - June 17, 2006

Here it comes: NETTE's next auction! I have a very high opinion of these folks, you all know that. I would urge the folks in the West to check out NETTE's online bidding at Proxibid. Give them a call, buy a paper catalog and then watch or bid via Proxibid. I know many of you would like to come out to the East Coast and bid or buy but cash, time and travel preclude many of us from getting on a plane. I would urge you to check out their auctions, the prices are typically reasonable and Mark's commentary is usually spot on.

M

The 600E by HK Creswell

On with the mid-day refresh -

I've always thought there should be a standard gauge Hudson. I guess H.K. Creswell thought so as well. This is yet another article from a 31 year old TTOS Newsletter.

This Hudson is gorgeous, still retains its' toy like charm and (from what I have heard) is one of the best pullers anywhere.

You all can read the article, it is very interesting and it makes me wish I knew about these trains when Mr. Creswell was producing them (I was 10 years old so my Dad would have probably understood why I would want to acquire such an item but most likely would used the cash to pay for food for a family that seemed to grow larger weekly).

What really intrigued me after reading this article was the fact that this was not some hacked up 400E. Many repro parts and pieces were figured into the production of these units and they were done in different colors. However all of these were hand done and with new parts, nothing rehashed or baked from old loco's. The color schemes also intrigued me: gunmetal, black, Blue Comet colors and two tone green. The two tone green one's must be downright amazing.

So who has one of these with some color pics so I can post it for everyone to see? The funny thing is that I have heard about this loco for some time but I never had a chance to see one. Now that I know it is real, it's only a matter of time! I wish I could have met Mr. Creswell, his writing is a hoot and he really knew his way around metal!



M

Mid-Day Refresh

A couple of my readers wrote me and said they were bored out of their skulls at work and asked me to do something mid-day. As my wife says "Try listening for once!". Ok, I did.

Check the guy to the left out! This is from a 31 year old TTOS Newsletter. How cool is this?

He kitbashed, hashed and put together a couple of different loco's and parts to make one really cool American Flyer 4688. There is no 4688 officially cataloged by Flyer, yet there it is in his hands.






This guy's name was Ralph Pauly. He received parts for an AF #4000 frame and miscellaneous pilots. The effect is stunning and that's just in black and white.

This whole thing has to go into the "Where are they now????" discussion. All the charisma of American Flyer paint and color schemes, plus a reliable Flyer motor plus the "architecture" of an Ives 3245.

I gotta build something like this! Join TTOS, if for no other reason because it attracted a brilliant guy like Ralph Pauly!

M

Chief Jeremy on eBay

Been reading the O Gauge forums. The usual speculation about MTH making too much standard gauge, prices are falling, yada yada yada.

I work in the computer world where every price is scrutinized, argued over and then dropped anyway. Customers don't expect to give up one iota of quality and service eventhough they are paying less than the manufacturing cost of the product. If you look at trains, price vs. value doesn't seem to have the same impact, especially on items no longer available from key suppliers like McCoy.

Here's a current sale running on eBay. I'll be honest, I am not a nut for circus trains. I don't hate them or anything, matter of fact I would like to have at least one or maybe two in my collection. I just don't seek them out.

There are two right now out on eBay, both for well over $1500. Both McCoy, both recent. I know eBay is not indicitive of an entire market but it isn't a bad indicator. I can think of two different books on standard gauge that are in the works and friend's tell me of several more that I don't know about ;)

I hope our economy continues despite the seemingly never ending parade of variables designed to rock it or throw it off completely. Current standard gauge (well after WWII from the late 60's on) seems very hot, every bit as hot as a mint 392E or 400E. What's going on?

M

PS My own take that I will discuss later is that we need more suppliers.

Standard Gauge Inspection Car (Scratch Built)

I was browsing through some TTOS newsletters from 1975 and I came across this article on a really interesting track inspection car.

This gentleman, Larry Archer put together something unusual with readily available parts, even today!

You can blow the article and read it yourself. Purist standard collectors probably won't go for something like this but these kinds of trains are getting more and more interesting to me.

Remember that article I had on a huge standard gauge collection in the 1960's (E. Carl Pieper)? I saw a video of his collection called "C&E Lines". He had one really amazing collection, it was wild to see it in action. But what really caught my eye was the scratch built stuff this guy had on his layout. An interuban, a really interesting Cascade with custom cars and inpsection car and custom made track! I'll see if I can get some of this onto the blog. The quality is pretty bad but the collection is unreal.

PS I highly recommend joining TTOS. Yes, this is 31 years old but there are plenty of folks in TTOS that are every bit as innovative as the spirit shown here. Join the TTOS (the link above takes you to TTOS, it will be listed on the blog shortly).

M

The New TCA Directory

Not much to say here, I just liked the new TCA Directory.

Sorry, ya aint getting a look inside unless you are a TCA member! Join the TCA!

But I did really like the cover, it is one of the best I have ever seen.

It's funny, when I received this, it reminded me of the old movie "The Jerk" when Steve Martin raves "the new phonebook is here, the new phonebook is here". And when I saw the celebrating of standard gauge, I felt a little validation and I'm glad clubs like the TCA are around.

Standard gauge is alive and very well, even at 100.

M

PS I don't endorse selling these or parting with them, when you are done with them, destroy them. It re-enforces the privacy of the club.

A Toonerville Club!

You just gotta join this club. I got a hold of a couple of newsletters and they are awesome! Only twice a year but they are full color and they have rare offers of Toonerville toys. The focus of the club is not to sell toys, it's to trade info and act as an exchange for Toonerville information. It's a great clearinghouse for Toonerville info. After all these years, you'll be shocked at the following these wonderful comics have.

The toys are not inexpensive but they are done right. The articles are excellent and they have some writing you wouldn't expect to see. There's one article from Fontaine Fox on being in Pre WWII Europe (and some of his adventures with drawings included).

For a donation of $10 a year, this is just plain old worth it.

M

PS My apologies if your browser/computer renders some of these articles strangely. I can't figure out why but sometimes it just throws a curveball and the pages are rendered strangely. Please don't email me, I quit my IT job long ago....

The Great Steam Company

You have got to check out this website. The focus is live steam but they have some amazing train gear on there as well.

I always liked all those cool train stations they sold at the Ward Kimball auction but there was no way I could afford the $10k plus prices. Yes, I know they are predominantly inspired from European cities. Who cares?

They are tin, they are bright, shiny and they look great and they aren't expensive. Variety is the spice of life. Why shouldn't we have some interesting and different items on the layout besides the usual Ives and Lionel stuff?

Go check out the website, I am going to get some live steam going as well!

Marc

Rare Books on eBay

I'm putting up some rare books on eBay. Tons of Lucius Beebe photo books. This isn't me trying to pump up any of my eBay sales. If you all know anyone that is interested in this stuff, let me know. I'd rather see a train person get it.

M

Just an update: I have decided to donate the books to the TCA. I know they'll probably get sold in some TCA booksale. I figure they'll end up in good hands and benefit an organization I care about. Cheers!

I like Copper Too...

Ok, I like Copper as well. Does anyone know of any other trains in Copper besides this one? I haven't seen much standard gauge in Copper. Any thoughts?

M

Joe's Coal Train II

Joe F. made this really cool coal train. This is one heck of a nice train! Joe, I know it isn't prototypical Carlisle and Finch but it looks amazing.

How much work was that paintjob? The colors are excellent. Perhaps once the SGMA gets their modules up we get some mining done on their modular mine.

Seriously Joe, you should send these pics to MTH or Lionel. I would imagine that this isn't expensive to produce en masse and it looks way cool. Are those wheels from a 33?

M

Joe's At It Again....

Joe F. is making some more mining cars. So Joe, when can I go to my train store and get a couple of these? I like your ideas! Who says the Lonestar State doesn't have some great trains?!?!

M

Brouhaha!

I saw this picture; it's titled "Oh Yeah!" It reminds me of some of the spirited discussion I have seen in the Yahoo Groups and in some of the emails I have seen lately.

I've seen some animated wrangling about taking pictures at York, design and build of standard gauge modules and on and on....

It's good to see the discussion. Let me weigh in and then I'll be quiet.

I think cameras and the like should be allowed at York. Check this out:

Amendment I - Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression. Ratified 12/15/1791.

Note:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Being that I write a blog, as do a whole bunch of other people, not being able to take pictures of amazing toys and trains inhibits my 4th ammendment right to freedom of the press. There's also this nagging First Ammendment, something about "freedom of expression" and the fact that our congress can not stop or inhibit freedom of expression. If the Congress of the United States can't stop me from freedom of expression, who is anyone else to tell me different?

One more thing; whenever I have shown pictures of train shows on my blog, the hits go up substantially. Not everyone has the funds, time or physical health to always travel. Some people just enjoy seeing the trains (hence my blog). Maybe it's the reason everyone in our hobby NOT taking pictures at York is over 50 years old.

By the way, I understand the rationale for the no-fly zone for digital cams and the like; pictures can be taken out of context and I'd rather not have yet another fight with my wife with photographic evidence to back it up.

However, First and Fourth ammendments notwithstanding, we lose part of our history by not having a reasonable photographic journal of what we love and why we love it. Just some food for thought; losing history is far worse than a few short term hassles. We should be capturing our history before eBay and time takes a dump on the camraderie and insight our hobby offers.

The mild skirmish going on in the SGMA reminds me of the above picture. I'll bet these guys grew up to be better men because they stood their ground or at least had the chance to get in each others faces. Sometimes friends and colleagues should be able to yell, stomp and still express themselves and be respected for it. Eventually the organization grows up, has important meetings and has nice carpeting on big layouts with lots of trains.

Choo choo.

Marc