My folks (in their 80’s) had found an old Penn Line HO gauge train set in their crawl space - 4 passenger cars, two engine cars, track, and a separate KF power pack (model CB250 A 16.95 2.5 amp - dual control with 2 circuit breakers.
They bought it for my older brother in 1959 or 1960 - used maybe twice but have kept it all these years. I was wondering if this was worth them keeping as an investment or whether this is simply an old toy that has nothing but sentimental value.
I know nothing of model trains but would greatly appreciate any insights that might be provided from the experts in this forum. Also, if there’s a web resource where I can get more info for them, I’d appreciate that as well.
Many thanks for any inputs or information someone in this forum may provide.
Penn Line does have some collector value to people who collect classic trains. They (your folks) won’t be able to live out their retirement on it however. If they want to dump it, I’d suggest giving ebay a shot.
If I’m not mistaken (and very well could be), Penn Line was bought out by Athearn in the very early 60s or even late 50s. Many of the trains were produced well into the mid 90s before They were bought out.
If they’ve tied sentimental value to it, it’s probably worth keeping…
As Jeff said, I think Penn Line has experienced some moderate appreciation, though mostly with their diecast steam locos, and an electric engine known as the GG1.
Here is a link to the Penn Line section of HOSeeker, which has all of the old Penn Line catalogs.
Most PennLine equipment is no more of particular value today than say Mantua items of the same vintage (the exception being their largest models). Depending on the particular locomotives in the set and especially on their current condition, the whole collection might be worth a couple of hundred, on a good day. And…PennLine lives on as Bowser today and never had anything to do with Athearn.
No, not even close. The PennLine cars were 60-footers, the early ones diecast, the later ones plastic which had horrible tab slots in the car sides to hold them together. They were offered off and on by various manufacturers after PennLine for decades, the last examples coming from LifeLike up to about 1990.
Athearn cars, on the other hand, were always plastic and are 72-footers. Further, Athean never offered a HW combine in their product line. PennLine included one in just about all of their passenger train sets.
The only thing the two really have in common is that they both supposedly represent HW cars but are decidely too short.
My first HO train set was a Penn Line (an SP F7, two all-metal flat cars, a Wilson reefer, and a caboose). The brass wheel flanges were very deep, even for that pre RP25 era. The engine had only one power truck but had a huge lead weight above it so it pulled OK. The set came with track but my folks had to buy a separate “power pack” and they chose well: and MRC “Ampack” that after 47 or so years continues to give good reliable service as power for my test track.
I long since destroyed the engine and caboose in early efforts at kitbashing but I still have the flatcars and reefer. I replaced the trucks and have attempted to body mount KD couplers.
Penn Line, in common with Varney, used a zinc alloy for their frames, the entire flat car bodies, and sideframes on freight cars. There were impurities in that zinc alloy and as a consequence the old truck side frames long since crumbled to dust in my fingers. I suspect eventually the flat cars bodies and reefer frame will similarly crumble.
That probably inhibits the collector value of old Penn Line. That and the fact that some of their most interesting stuff was reissued and improved by Bowser over the years.
The Penn Line passenger cars were not the same as the Athearn – they were shorter. They may be the cars that Model Power or Life Like offers from time to time. Most of the Penn Line tool and die work ended up with Bowser but I do not think the Bowser of that era acquired the plastic freight cars, passenger cars, or diesel engines.
Penn Line had a little “critter” industrial diesel that I bet would still sell well today.
Are we talking about the old John English Penn Line products? I was under the impression that a lot of it was folded into Bowser (especially the locos.).