Hi. I am new to this and reliving memories of my dad. I have a Mantua Light Pacific locomotive #2703 which carries the Erie name and the Mantua model number 340-098. I am trying to determine when these were manufactured. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
I don’t have an exact year, but that model number puts it sometime in the early 1990’s. If it has a can motor it is surely 1990’s production.
In various forms that loco was manufactured from the late 1950’s until early in 200?.
And, is now back in production under the Model Power - Mantua Classics name with a few improvements.
I had one in the late 1960’s - not bad for their day, but a little light on detail for most modelers today.
Sheldon
Check the below site.
http://www.hoseeker.net/mantuamiscellaneous.html
I sent HO Seeker some catalogs copies.
I just looked at my 1989 catalog and I see a light pacific with number 331-030 Erie.
My next catalog is 1995 and I see, light Pacific’s with 340 and 349, first three numbers but no Erie.
I figure between 1990 and 1994 for yours.
Rich
If you pick the engine up, and look up and behind the rear driver, you may be able to see a bit of what will look like a silver colored tube. That would be a Japanese-made Sagami can motor. Mantua started using them around 1989 or '90. The engines with can motors ran better than the ones with open-frame motors, I used the Mantua retrofit kit to add can motors to several older Mantua engines.
This is a scan from one of the Mantua catalogs I sent to HO Seeker.
Rich