Tenshodo rolling stock kits?????

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

Recently I had come into my posession a number of HO scale rolling stock kits.

The instruction sheets are marked, “GINZA Tenshodo MODEL SECTION TOKYO”

They are unassembled and appear complete.

It seems from the instructions that they are first constructed of wood which is then covered by the supplied metal outsides. Included is a bag containing many detail parts as well as construction items such as nails. The kits seem to be of very high quality.

Each kit is in it’s own box with a two tone speckled brown lift off lid.

The whole lot is in a large cardboard box that is marked as follows,

“HIGH CLASS DRESSING” “IWAKUNI FUKUYA” “IWAKUNI STATION ST” “TEL 626”

and has a US servicemans name written on the lid. The telephone number alone indicates a fair age.

What do I have? Do they have any value either historically or monetary? Should I keep them? Would it be a crime to build them? Can anyone help me please?

Cheers, darter

2

Were they mine I would put them on EBAY one at a time listed under the “brass” heading with an opening bid of $9.95 each and see what happens. I would also “mention” in the auction ad that you have several more that you will be listing just incase you get a “live one” who wants to buy them all.

As for building them, you’d be far better off getting yourself some Branchline kits or something like that as these kits are very old, (early 1950’s), and the castings are probably also very “brittle”. By today’s standards they would be considered “crude” at best. Plus I’m sure they have a lot more of a “collector’s value” than anything else.

I had some old International kits that are about the same thing, built one and was very disappointed with it afterward, they just don’t compare to today’s models.

Mark

NMRC