Hello fellow train enthusiasts. I normally post in the Model railroader section, but I have a question I think you folks could answer. When I was little, I was at an auction with my grandmother. I found a train I just had to have. Well, being like six years old, my grandmother couldn’t help but spoil me. I’ve had this thing since the early 80’s and thought it was just a static display. About a year ago, my interests in trains reemerged after twenty years. I almost forgot about this model. I looked at it and realized that it had a motor! Who knew? This is where you fine folks come into play. I was wondering if anyone could help me identify what this is. I believe it’s O scale. I also think it’s some sort of die-cast, as it’s quite heavy. I have added photos to help in the identification. Please let me know if you have any ideas. I know nothing about larger scale models. Thank you.
From the smallness of the flanges and the lack of a center-rail pickup, I would say it is intended for 2-rail scale track, not toy-train track. (That thing between the front drivers looks like a gearbox to me.) Can you tell what kind of motor it has? Are the wheels insulated from each other? If not, is there any evidence of a shoe for pickup from an outside third rail, which was commonplace for early O-scale trains?
It looks like an open frame motor. You can see the windings through frame. One other thing I noticed, the boiler and other parts are brass. The tender is some other silver colored metal.
In the beginning picture is it sitting on HO track, thats what it looks like in the photo. And where the paint is missing, it sure looks like it could be brass. I love this, a mystery!
Thanks for the guesses. It isn’t HO, the space between the rails is an inch and a quarter. I had never given it a thought as far as being a running model. I remember trying to dust the thing as a kid! Some of the areas on the bottom look fairly crude. I don’t know if it’s thick paint, or bad soldering. I also noticed that the tender has a wooden bottom. I’ve been meaning to ask you folks if you knew what it was. Keep guessing! I’m really curious now.
There were only two manufacturers of O scale 0-6-0 kits - Lobaugh and Scale Model Railways. The superstructure and the wheels/connecting rods of your engine are a match for Lobaugh. The cab looks to be scratchbuilt. The frame is a puzzle - Lobaugh frames allowed for all wheel sets to be removed-yours appears to only permit removal of the powered set. The tender is not Lobaugh but it does favor the look of the tenders made by Pearce. Back in the day of kits the manufacturers offered the engines in sections (frame and running gear, superstructure, tender) so that you could mix and match in order to build a model that was closer to your favorite prototype. I have a friend who has a similar set up - Lobaugh engine - Heinz tender, reshuffled appliances on the boiler so that the model would closer resemble a PRR 4-4-0 that had been shopped and supplied with larger tender.
Thank you for that bit of information. Any guesses as to when it may be from? I’m guessing the seventies, I could be wrong. Also, is what I thought to be brass actually bronze? I’m not planning on trying to sell it or anything, I was just wondering where my childhood prize came from. It certainly looks like a kit. I can’t imagine a factory would turn out this kind of product. Any other information from anyone is greatly appreciated.
The kit parts would date from the late 1930’s to the mid 1950’s. The superstructure would be brass and the tender wrapper is probably brass. The frames of both engine and tender could be bronze.
Your train looks to be a “Pre-war” model. The number on the loco 1206 could be traced as to what make it is, you’ll just have to check different manufactors to find that number listed. Good luck. I’m checking the books myself! Gotta solve this mystery.
