A new knobby roof daycoach....

Here's a newly primed brand new Knobby Roof Daycoach. It's about time someone made some of these. This one is Jim Cohen's creation. There's just no other way to put it; it is really good to see these getting made.

String a few of these behind a Brass 1912 and you have one heck of a nice train.

I'm looking forward to seeing the entire set.







Here's some brass parts to make more daycoaches. Kind of a nice change from the old Blue Comet cars and 400 series passenger cars.

I'll take more pics when they get closer to getting completed.

M

New England Toy Train Exchange Auction

The NETTE Auction is up! It has some absolutely terrific standard gauge.

PS A few of you have asked me why I like NETTE so much. Well, they are honest, decent and they are one of the few auction houses that bothers to answer my questions and treat me like a human being. If they treat me well when I'm not buying anything, I know their service will be (and is excellent) when I do buy something.

Go check out the new auction....

Marc

I'm not dead (yet)...

I am still here! Between work, writing the Mike Wolf article and general summer mayhem, I haven't had much time to post much of anything. I did post my new survey and I am interested to see how the results pan out.

The MTH article is tough. I want to make sure I get in as much info as I can, thus I am spending a ton of time pestering MTH for details. They've been very gracious about giving me information. Hopefully the article will prove interesting and worth the work...

A new NETTE auction is coming up. I just received the emailer from them. This is going to be one of their premium auctions, I am definitely looking forward to it.

By the way, the above pin is from Hakes Collectibles. If you have never seen a Hakes auction or auction book, they are one of the best. Check them out.

Marc

Train Video Poll

If TM Videos Made a Video about Standard Gauge Trains, which topics would you like to see most.

Select up to 4 of the following: Videos About Other Collectors (IE Frank Petruzzo, Chuck Brasher, Etc.) Videos broken up into O gauge and Standard Gauge Prewar Video's about specific manufacturers (Lionel, MTH) Videos about lower volume/lesser known manufacturers (McCoy, RichArt, Creswell) Videos about Rare Items or Accessories Videos about Early Toy Trains (2 7/8, Knapp, Howard, Voltamp) Videos about people that make and manufacture toy trains Videos about noted collectors like LaRue Schempp and Tom Sefton Videos about actual real trains that were made and built before WWII. A documentary about pre-WWII manufacturers (Ives)

Web Polls by Vizu

The Railway Channel

Yes, I know The Railway Channel has been discussed on the Groups and on other Blogs. This is just terrific. I can tell it is made by people that love trains.

Who knows, maybe if enough of us Yankees patronize this site, they'll come over here and do some of their mojo and film some of us train nuts in our natural habitat?

On another note, I watched the NETTE auction yesterday. The prices were outstanding. That means they were reasonable and completely in line with what we should or could pay for an item. I had a great time watching it on the web. There may be sensible people left that don't want to horde every train and don't jack up the prices on every auction! At least some nice trains got out there with some great collectors. Send me pics of those layouts!

Marc

Bits and Bobs of Tidbits....

Stout Auctions is rolling out another auction here. Not much major standard gauge but a few nice items. The NETTE Auction is also coming up. Both are being offered through eBay Live Auctions (a good thing I think).

MTH just started shipping their operating crane.

I ordered one of these. This is one heck of a neat item, I hope MTH keeps innovating. I've been working on my MTH interview. I just want to make sure I put together something better than ok; so I'm taking some time and doing it right. I gotta tell ya, that Mike Wolf has got real chutzpah and is one heck of an entrepenuer. I think the chronicling of his adventures is only at the beginning.

I've seen some interesting commentary on the forums about Lionel and how they seem to be missing the centennial of standard gauge. That's a mistake for them. I know this market is a niche, a niche that's lasted a hundred years. NASCAR and the UPS Centennial? That's not a niche? I read the O Gauge Trains interview with Jerry Calabrese and it looks to me like the secret to making Lionel successful is marketing and merchandising. Should be interesting; I know Jerry knows this market however I think Lionel still just doesn't get it. I couldn't find one O gauge engine I would go out of my way to own. The fact that they are not acknowledging standard gauge exists is short sighted at best.

I was checking out the Yahoo Standard Gauge Groups and I saw a little note about Jim's new layout. Click here to go see the beginning of a neat collection. Jim warns that his layout isn't for purists, he refurbs his gear. That's ok, it's still brilliant and I would also say his website his very well thought out as well.

By the way, I was in New Jersey this weekend at the shore. Got a few rides on this -

This would look neat in model form on any layout. For those of you that live out in the Western US or in another country, I highly recommend a trip to Wildwood, NJ. It was a little warm but there's tons to do and riding the tram is 2 bucks.

M

Just say "why".....

Another insane eBay auction. $150k for a boxed Lionel set. Not early (or as early) as the seller thinks. I won't dwell on it. And I'm not putting up any pictures either.

"Why are you fascinated with this?" Not fascination, just morbid curiousity. More importantly, another person setting unreasonable expectations for prices realized by toy train sellers.

Go take a look at the one (count 'em, one) picture they posted.

By the way, I have another poll coming up. I think you'll like the next one. The current poll has been very informative, I hope the manufacturing powers that be consider it a nice chunk of free market research. The next one is veeerrryyy interesting as well. As I was writing it down it got more interesting. Go figure.

M

PS As a slight addendum, read the questions on the above linked eBay auction. As far as I can tell, one of eBay questions asks the seller to offer free shipping at $120k if he includes "handling" of the buyers genitals. I'm going to watch the questions, something tells me these are going to be good.

New August NETTE Auction

NETTE has a "little bit of everything" auction up for the 9th. This one is a little different; they are using eBay Live Auctions. Should be kind of interesting. I'm going to watch.

I Like the David King Trolleys. Check it out. The only thing I didn't like was that they aren't breaking up the auction (Standard Gauge, O gauge, Post war, pre war and so on). I'll cut them some slack, their auctions are still consistently better than shows and most of their competition and their customer service is second to none.

The selection is very nice though, especially of Prewar O and Standard. It's absolutely worth checking out.

M

Polling Ends Aug. 15, 2006

I don't have much to report on lately; the polling ends August 15, 2006. Vote at least once. You can vote on my blog as many times as you like. Or go to the Yahoo Groups for more extensive voting.

Summer is one of those times when toy trains seem to take a backseat to the pool, beach and events that involve charring something on a grill. That's the way it is supposed to be! Now get out there and cut some lawns and earn some money to buy trains when summer is done!

M

Lego Modular Layout

Go check out Dave Hartmann's O Gauge Watch. He has an article on the NMRA train show and specifically a modular Lego layout (among others). You've got to check out this layout and Dave has a new Nikon D50 that he took some great shots with. Use the link on the right to get to this really cool article.

Marc

21st Century Trolley...

This is what a trolley looks like in the 21st Century. I'm glad they are still around (just not in the United States).

I wonder what this would look like in our favorite gauge (made out of metal)???

M

The Poll (slightly abridged)....

I've been told that quite a few of you don't want to join the Yahoo Groups. I think that's a mistake. It's a great way to exchange ideas on tinplate but if you must, here's an abridged version on the Standard Gauge Poll I mentioned in a previous post. Please don't hesitate to vote and vote often.

This poll (below) will let you vote as much as you want but only for one item at a time. The Yahoo poll will let you vote for as many choices as you would like to opt for.

Cheers,

Marc

If a standard gauge manufacturer were to produce any new train in standard gauge, which train should they produce? We are a market that is profitable and should be heard!

Hudson Tube Train Creswell 600E (or some form of a Hudson) 1010 Interurban, Boucher Blue Comet Hardcars, Doodglebugs, Galloping Goose Smith Metalworks Type Buildings (new car barns, roundhouse, Bridges. etc.) Modern Era in Std Gauge (Santa Fe, EP-5, DD1) Trolleys Flyer (Brass Piper, Pocahontas, Statesmen) Streamliners (Blue Streak, M10000, Zephyr) More Classics (390E in different colors, etc.), Ives and Flyer

Web Polls by Vizu

More Prague Toy Train Museum II

Blow these up! For a static display, these have a ton of detail.

M

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