when you look on the internet, there are people who collect Tyco. I have seen pictures of your set before. They were buying, and selling. It’s a cool looking set ! It looks to be a gold finish ? Tyco did a lot of chrome plated diesels, and such.
Also, as years went by, Tyco trains took on more and more of a fantasy appearance. A friend of mine got out of the hobby, and gave me 3 big boxes of HO stuff. Some real gems in there: Model Die Casting cars that are die cast metal, a Varney die cast S7 switcher, a Mantua die cast shark nose diesel, some Athearn Hi-F ( rubber band drive) F7’s,
Interesting post! As a child of the 70’s, I was the receipient of a Tyco Chattanooga Choo-Choo one Christmas. Unfortuneatly, the quality of the tender drive left a lot to be desired, and that loco didn’t last very long. The Athearn that I got a bit later was much better! I remember the ads for Little Engines in MR too… and after a visit to a live steam track in the Kansas City area when our family was on vacation, I wanted a live steam loco in the worst way! Dad got a catalog from Railroad Supply Company, but there was no way “we” could afford it. However, dad and I eventually built a 12" gauge diesel switch engine (powered by a 3HP Briggs & Stratton) which I still have. That eventually led to me building a couple more gas engine powered locos, a variety of rolling stock, and restoring two 12" gauge live steam locomotives. I have a short 12" gauge railroad on my property where I run the trains. So, the live steam stuck with me, but the HO trains did not. Of course, the Tyco set wasn’t my first train, that honor belongs to a Marx O gauge windup - which I still have, and which still runs - and that of course led to my collection of windup trains. It’s funny how little things can influence our interests for the rest of our lives!
Here is a short video I made for the locomotive’s 30th year in service. It includes some pictures of the locomotive’s construction (didn’t take many pics back in the film days) and a video of it running on my little railroad:
Great railroad, I see you turn the engine on both ends, and that’s a really interesting operation.
as an aside : I see Your engine is lettered for the Frisco. I went to the NRHS convention in Saint Louis in '90.
Boy, that Frisco 1522 ! What a sweet engine ! Got some great pictures of that one, and the Cotton Belt engine. That was one of the best shows ever, that I’ve been to !
I find this kind of information to be fascinating. Notice that the recommended measurement from flange to flange is slightly less than the track gauge. In the earlier L.E. catalogres, which I wish I still had, they get very specific about wheel profiles. Specifications are listed for the radius of the flange, the radius of the fillet, and the taper of the wheels. ( which is a science unto itself).
Two stories about tread taper:
The F Market line in SanFrancisco has been running vintage streetcars from the U.S., and other countries. This line is running from " the Castro" down Market street, past the Ferry building, along the waterfront, and to Fisherman’s Wharf. I was last there in 2013, and talk was to extend it to Aquatic Park, and beyond. They run many vintage PCC’s, which are my favorite. But they have cars from Italy, and a Melbourne “tram”. They are all the same track gauge, but I understand the Melbourne car came in with different wheel contours !
The " Shinkansen “( Japanese bullet train) is able to attain such high speeds not only by having a separate right of way with no grade crossings, or freight trains to contend with, but also through wheel contours. The tread is almost flat, with very little taper. This minimiZeus the tendency for " hunting”.
for anyone interested in PCC cars, you need to check out the “F Market” line in San Francisco. It’ll blow you away !
I remember the S.F. muni from trips up there as a kid. I regarded a trip to S.F. As equal to a trip to Disneyland in excitement level, because of the cable cars, and PCC’s. The PCC’s used to run down Market( early '60’s), and the operators did not respect them. Heavy traffic on Market, and the light would turn green, and they’d slip the wheels every time ! They were rough on them ! The last ride I took on the original PCC system was in '76, down Market, and through Twin Peaks tunnel. They modernized with a system under Market, but now Their Back !
The Cable Cars will always be a favorite. And the more you understand about the operation, the more flabbergasted you will become !
Did you know there is a hierarchy in cable systems ?
Consider this :
we all know there is a cable just below Street level the gripman grips to propel the car. But what happens when 2 lines cross ? The line that existed first maintains their cable at a constant level. The newer line must pull their cable down under the original line at the point of crossing.That means the gripman on the newer line must release the cable, and coast over the original line at the point of crossing.This happens today where the Powell lines cross the California street line, which was there first. Keep in mind the Powell line has just crested a summit! The moral is : don’t distract the gripman!
Yep, a Public Service Co-Ordinated Transport of New Jersey PCC! Which must give visitors to SF who come from New Jersey (like I do) quite a shock, especially if they’re old enough to remember.
Supposedly MTH made an O gauge PCC with Public Service markings. I’m on the lookout for one, I’ll find it eventually.
You are probably correct, because, not only does F Market have Muni PCC’s from 2different paint schemes, it has a Chicago, a Boston, a Cincinnati, a Pacific Electric, an L.A. Rlys car, and most major cities represented. They also have single, and double ended PCC’s.
No doubt! I read an article about the “F Market” line several years ago, maybe in “Trains,” maybe in “Railfan and Railroad,” I’m not sure, but the article definately stated that cornucopia of PCC’s in the colors of different transit systems from around the country was wildly popular.