I was going through some of my old train cars and noticed on the bottom of three Northern Pacific passenger cars “Made in US Zone Germany”. They also have a sticker on the bottom that reads “Penn Line, Boyertown, PA.” The cars are two tone green and light up. The cars are numbered “425 United States Mail Railway Post Office”, “357 Pullman” and “451”. Does anyone have any information about them? They have been used but are in fairly good condition. They are medal.
That “made in” location dates them to a very specific period of time: 1945 to 1949.
There was no Germany, in a legal sense, from 1945 to 1949, so anything produced there was stamped with the occupation zone. After 1949, things started to be labeled West Germany (or East Germany) as the occupation came to a end. There is, of course, some fuzziness in the dates.
In some ways, they’re a curiosity just from the fairly rare country of origin.
From an EBAY listing. Winning bid $322.95
"Four all original passenger cars made by Fleischmann for Penn Line of Boyertown Pennsylvania with the cars made by Fleischmann and the engine and B unit made by Penn Line. Usually the cars are in Fleischmann boxes but these four cars are in yellow Penn Line boxes. I have never seen them in Penn Line boxes before. Set consists of a mail car with sliding doors, 425; coach, 357; coach, 586; and coach, 451. Cars have been used but not abused and overall look great. One roof has a crack from screw to end-see picture and the 357 is missing one vestibule and coupler-see picture. The 357 also has a half moon indentation which can be see when car is held at an angle-see last picture.
Fascinating - I had no idea Penn Line had this Fleischmann connection. But it is verified in the Penn Line history that is contained in the wonderful HO Seeker website.
The Penn Line history begins here: http://www.hoseeker.org/pennline/pennlinehistory/early.html
and you go page by page, with the page mentioning the Northern Pacific sets from Fleischmann found here: http://www.hoseeker.org/pennline/pennlinehistory/frank1.html
I would say you have a great rarity here perhaps of model railroad museum interest.
Dave Nelson