Hello,
I’m totally new to this, matter of fact this is my first time on here! My question is this: can someone please tell me (or where to find out) when the Tyco HO scale Chattanooga Choo Choo was introduced? Any related information would be nice also! Thanks in advance very much!!
Welcome.
Google Tyco trains. There is a collector site that breaks down production by year.
Most of the people on this board are pretty tightly wound when it comes to their definition of “classic toy trains”. Needless to say thier opinion of HO seems pretty low and Tyco even lower. They just need to realize that anyone under 40 (and most under 30) did not nessecarily start the hobby with O 3 rail trains. If this enine was the engine you had a kid then great more power to you I hope you can find what you want,
I can’t give you an exact year, but I had one of those sets as a kid. It was definitely in the mid-to-late 70s. I’d say they were introduced in 1976 or '77. I think I got my set in '77.
That should narrow it down a little bit for ya.
Regards,
Clint
Emma…,
Thanks for the info.! I’ll do that, and actually already have but evidently haven’t found the sight you’re speaking of. Do you know the address of that sight? Why are some people wound up so tightly about this, that’s crazy! Oh well, thanks again for your help!
Prewar…,
Thanks for the info.! That’s what I was thinking. Do you know of anyway of verifying that? A website, book, person, etc.? Thanks again for the help!
I got one in 1978 for my son’s first b’day, so I know they were around by that time. Got it at Sears!
Warburton,
Thanks for that info.! I believe I got mine around that same time, 1976-1978, I just wish I could narrow it down to when they started making them! Any ideas, or know someone who might? Thanks in advance for your help!
My nephew had one back in the 70’s. If I remember correctly the motor was in the tender. Not being an HO enthusiast I always thought that was odd.
Based on this link, it looks as though the Chattanooga Choo Choo set first showed up in the 1975-1976 catalog:
http://tycotrain.tripod.com/tycocatalogs/id9.html
The home page for the above, which is a neat little resource for Tyco info, if you want to dig further is :
http://tycotrain.tripod.com/tycotrains/
Hope this helps!
redrockbill
Is there some reason why you are particularly interested in a Tyco Chattanooga Choo Choo? I had one decades ago and it was a hunk of junk. It was cheaply made of plastic and had no motor or drive . The motor and drive was in the tender and the engine was just a dummy that was pushed along by the tender. Good luck. I believe IHC makes an engine using the parts that looks similar. Odd-d
Many of us younger generation (age 20s) serious Lionel collectors got their start from these inexpensive Tyco sets in the 1980s. The 0-8-0 Chattanooga Choo Choo was my very first set, which used the same power truck as Tyco diesel engines concealed within the tender. Without these moderately-priced HO sets and the MPC/Lionel years, I’d never have found my interest in O gauge trains.
I’m thinking back over 20 years, but I seem to remember variations to the engine. Some had silver boiler fronts and red cab roofs (early 1980s), others were all black (1970s). The HO guys in the Model Railroder section might know more…
Good luck!
Baberuth73,
I didn’t know that then, nor did I know that know, until you told me! Thanks! Is that really that odd compared to others? Thanks.
bigwally/redrockbill,
Thank you sooooo much! I really appreciate that! Everybody on this site seems to be helpful, at least as much as they can! I will definitely check those sites out - can’t wait! Thanks again!!!
Odd-d,
Yes, there is a reason that I’m particularly interested in this train. When I was a child, my parents bought me this set, the Tyco Chattanooga Choo Choo! It was my very first train set! We didn’t have much money (some things never change! 
) but they did what they could. I cherished that train set and had lots of fun with it! I later bought some additional buildings, etc. to go with it. But, unfortunately, through the years, somehow it was misplaced, moved or something and I haven’t even seen it in, oh, probably 15-20 years or more! I’m hoping it still exists somewhere in the family, that’s what I’m working on now. So, it may not be worth much to most people at least in money, but it’s very sentimental to me, and valuable! :)!
Statisician,
Exactly!! Mine was all black! I never knew there were any variations of it! Interesting! And I never knew they used the same power truck in their diesels. I’ll try the Model Railroder guys, I never thought of that! Thanks!
usnomad, The Doctor Is In !!! Are you looking for the above train set??? Reason this humble doctor asks is because mrs. Fu bought me one at the yard sale that the folks across the street were having. They had sold the house to settle the late father’s estate. I don’t do HO myself, but I figured I might resell it or trade for Lionel. If you are interested, Email me and we can talk price.
Till My Next Missive I Remain The Humble Yet Strangly Evil Doctor!!! [}:)]
Dr.,
I’m interested! Let’s chat.
I’m not sure if tender driven steamers are an oddity or not. I run post war O gauge and all the steam locos I’ve owned have the motors in the loco, not the tender. Maybe some of the guys with experience in other scales can shed a little light on this.
just to let you know I have a tyco chattanooga choo choo train and all the people are right it tender driven, all black, excellent shape and was given to me by my best friend years ago and will never get rid of it!! not much worth, but value to me, is more. mine is the #638 engine and it a 0-8-2. and this season gave it to my daughter (5) to start her own train collection and to work towards putting a set together, together with me!
Cade
I had quite a bit of Tyco HO stuff and to tell you the truth, it ran better than the HO line Lionel was producing in the 70s IMO! My problem with HO was the derailments – it is much less forgiving on the track then Lionel O, so I switched back over to Lionel and I’m glad I did.