I got an old model given to me some time ago, probably because it didn’t run. it’s a 4-8-2 USRA Mountain, die cast metal, even the tender. The only thing I can find on it is the axle cover plate on the bottom of the loco says “New One Model Tokyo Japan” and on the tender base just “New One Japan.” It has an open frame motor, sort of like the old Pittman’s, but a longer shaft. It had several issues that caused the not running problem, all electrical, which I ironed out and it seems to run pretty good now.
I don’t recall ever seeing anything or hearing anything about this company or brand. Has anyone else?
Yes I have, NEW MODEL ONE was imported to the US back in the late 1950’s and threw the mid 1960’s by Aristocraft. Aristocraft was never a big HO supplier and stayed at the larger scales, but to stay in the market years ago they did have some HO items. They are still in bussiness and lean towards larger scales.
I have a 0-8-0 made by NEW MODEL ONE, it suffers some of the same problems yours does as far as elctrical. Mine does still run, but poorly. Look close at yours, some of the domes and other boiler parts are solid brass. The engines were very heavy, this contributed to heavy wear on the side rods and strain on the motor. Look around on EBAY, you see one pop up every now and then.
New One Model was an import line of HO steam locomotives offered by Polk Hobbies of Manhattan, NYC, from the very late 1950’s through the mid 1960’s. It was a highly diverse line, including a wide variety of locomotive types from different periods. The line was subdivided into smaller related groupings like Pioneer, Historic, and so on. Polk’s pricing tended to undercut that of most of the similar HO locomotives on the market at that time. Parts of the New One Model line were also sold under the HO Train Co. and AHM name.
There is significant questions regarding the prototype accuracy of many of these engines but the line did include some unusual or even down right unique models (i.e, the 4-2-2 Philly & Rdg “Bicycle”). Most of the locomotives in the line were small and of vintage prototypes. The largest examples were more modern ones like the 4-8-2 USRA Mountain.
None of these locomotives were known to be great runners and certain examples suffered from zamac pest/zamac rot and are today found cracked, distorted, or crumbling. It seems the AHM 4-6-0 CNJ camelback suffered the worst from this problem.
Far more rare than the diecast models were a very limited import line of early brass locomotives, also stamped New One Model, Japan. Most are hard to locate these days and there are even some that were advertised as available from Polk’s in the pages of MR/RMC which brass collectors argue the existance of even today!
For more information of these unusual early imports, see my article concerning them in the December 1995 issue of RMC.