HI, HOPE THIS ISN’T A WASTE OF YOUR TIME. MY HUSBAND IS THE RAILROAD BUFF, BUT NOT IN TOYS.
ANYWAY, I FOUND TWO OLD ENGINES IN MY FATHERS ATTIC. ONE SAYS “DORFAN” ON, I GUESS, THE ENGINEERS CAB? THAT ONE IS IN OKAY SHAPE. IT APPEARS TO BE A WIND UP ENGINE. THE OTHER DOESN’T HAVE A NAME THAT I CAN SEE. IT’S IN PRETTY BAD SHAPE, HALF OF THE “COW CATCHER”?, IS MISSING. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY INFO ON THESE? WOULD APPRECIATE ANY IDEAS. I DON’T KNOW IF THEY HAVE ANY VALUE OR IF ANYONE WOULD EVEN BE INTERESTED IN THEM. THANKS! PATSY
Dorfan is notorious for what is known as “zinc pest”. This is a contamination of the zinc castings, probably by lead, which causes them to swell and disintegrate. This may explain the missing half of the cow catcher. However, if the other one is complete and has intact zinc castings, that could enhance its value, because of the rarity of good Dorfan zinc.
Patsy, if you could post some pics it would be really helpful. The Dorfan could be worth some bucks if it’s still in decent shape.
Dorfan was a pre WW2 toy train company, not sure where, but it was made in the US. Also Dorafn is short for Dora and Fanny, the two women that the company was named after by a relative.
Lee F.
To continue Lee’s history: The German parent company was Fandor. When two of the founders emigrated, they reversed the name for their new American company.
The Dorfan company started business in the U.S. in 1924. The owners Milton and Julius Forchheimer got their start in Germany. In Germany the company name was Fandor and in the U.S. the brothers reversed the name. As noted the name was made from the first names of their mothers sisters, Fanny and Dora. Dorfan opened for business at 137 jackson St. in Newark, N.J. 1924 was a good year to start making and selling trains - business was booming and the stock market was on a roll. At its peak the company employed approximately 150 people. The Depression took its toll and Dorfan closed its doors in 1934.
Dorfan was the first toy train manufacturer to use zinc diecast methods on a large scale. Unfortunately, being a pioneer usually has a price and in the case of diecast it came in the form of metal impurities which caused “zinc pest” cracking and crumbling of the casting - most Dorfan castings have suffered this fate.
Dorfan used lithoed and painted sheet metal for its freight and passenger car bodies and frames. The trucks could either be diecast or stamped sheet metal. As a result, while Dorfan engines are difficult to find in good condition, the same is not true for the cars.