I just purchased (from an estate) a standard gauge dark red Darfan locomotive - looks like a Lionel GG1; anyone with info will be greatly appreciated. Thanks -Cal Kane
The Company is Dorfan of Newark NJ.
The patent date on my engine is June 24 1924. It has no number just a Dorfan Lines brass plate. It has four drive wheels and the motor is supported directly by the diecast frame. Mine came at an auction with 2 passenger cars. There are reproduction components available it may have been through ebay. Sad to say my frame is cracked beyond repair.
I’m sure by using the correct name you can google more.
In fact just search these forums for Dorfan it’s good reading.
**Dub…**why do you think the cracked frame is beyond repair?
Jack
Dorfan has a very bad reputation for zinc pest. It killed the company and made intact Dorfan cast pieces rare.
Hello Coinguy!
To give you some more information here. The Dorfan Co was started by Two German Immigrants who were brothers named Julius & Milton Forscheimer & they came here in 1923 & set up shop on Jackson St in Newark,NJ in 1924 & the company was only in business for ten years due to Zinc Pest plaquing its engines & the Great Depression of the Thirties. About the only engine Dorfan made that did not have Zinc Pest was a Steam Engine in Standard Gauge with a cast iron Boiler & the engine number was 1120. The Cast Iron castings came from The Ives Corporation after they went out of business in 1930 following their bankruptcy & takeover by Lionel in 1929. Another problem that Dorfan had was the fact that the Steel used in the construction of Freight & Passenger Cars was not properly cleaned of the oil used in the stamping process & as a result,paint would not stick well to the metal & flake off.(Ives had this same problem) Dorfan made some excellent trains & used Ball Bearings in the Axle Bushings of its Engines for less friction. They also had a Reversing System that used a rectifier to reverse its Engines. Dorfan was very innovative for its time. Sadly,due to the problems listed above they were not in business for very long as a result. Any Dorfan Engine that still survives intact to this day is a real treasure to have. Take Care.
Well since you are interested, cracked is an understatement. Bob Nelson is right about the zinc. I have all of the parts but the frame is like a broken piece of glass. The two coaches are named Mountain Brook and Pleasant View (came with no top). Let me work out some pic’s
Bob
More disintegrated than cracked, I presume. [:(] A shame unless another poster has successfully salvaged a similarly diseased piece.
Jack
Hello Dub!
There is a fellow who makes reprodution Prewar Trains & his name is Joseph l.Mania of Freehold,NJ., Just google his name & you’ll find all the info you’ll ever need to make an informed decision. He can make a new frame for your Dorfan Engine. however, you may need to take your Engine to a Machine Shop & have the Frame Measured with a Micrometer for exact measurements in order to get a Frame that will fit properly. I’m sure this will cost you some $$$$$ unfortunately. This is about the only way you’ll be able to save your Engine as Original replacements are Non-existant anywhere. Take Care.
Your engine is most likely a 3920. It was made from 1927-30. According to my reference book. It was made in red from 28-30. There used to be a man who made repro castings. I believe his name was Roger Loxley. Sadly i believe he passed away. I don’t know if anyone bought the tooling, or even if any was made for your loco. You still have an interesting piece of toy train history. Occasionally a good half casting will pop up on Ebay. If you watch long enough i bet you could get a good one.
Keith, to my knowledge the Standard steamer from Ives Dorfan used was the 1134. The deal was formed when Dorfan Lionel and American Flyer bought Ives. When Lionel bought out the other companies shares they offered them all the 1134 castings they would want. Dorfan used the whole engine, Flyer only used the shell. The 1134 was diecast, however they are less prone to the “pest” than Dorfan pieces. Although i may be mistaken they never used any of the Cast Iron 1132 boilers. The 1120 was “O” gauge.
168torpedo, Thank you for the advice.I didn’t expect the interest in my engine. I wonder what shape the coinguy’s engine is? I’m working on signing into a place for pictures so I can post. My first attempt failed. The engine was bought back in the 80’s at a local auction. Aside from the frame the wheels are bad too. The drive gears were not a separate part of the wheel. The motor and armature actually fitted on the two shell halves. Two intermediate brass gears were mounted on rods protruding from the frame. Up until now I always thought that the frame cracked from attic severe temperature variations over time. I never thought of it as a company defect. After all this description I need to take more pictures![:)].
Hello Dub!
See if you can e-mail your photo to Joe Mania so he can try to fabricate a new casting/frame for your engine. He is about the only one I can think of that has the ability to help you out. Your engine is a true basket case indeed. Good Luck to you. Take Care.
A problem with making a new casting from measurements of the fragments of the old one is that the zinc expands as it fails. So the new frame is likely to turn out bigger than it should be.