I spent a couple hours looking for 1930’s vehicles for my HO layout passenger station/city scene. I saw a few trucks, but very little in 1930’s autos.
Some of the nicest looking cars ever made came from the 30’s, even though it was during the great depression. The 30’s was also the golden age of passenger trains, so I imagine a lot of people model this period. So it boggles me that there isn’t a greater variety.
Does anybody know where I can find some?
~Thanks,
~Don
I guess you saw Sylvian Scale Models (here’s some pictures http://www.internettrains.com/syscmohoscca.html), which admittedly are of late 1930s vehicles (those of the 1930s, of course), and Jordan whose 1920s vehicles certainly can be used in the 1930s.
Actually, I always though early 1930s vehicles were pretty much similar to the late 1920s (since there wasn’t a whole of money for new model design in Detroit at the time).
Don,
I model the early 40’s and you’ve discovered, as I have recently, the world of slim pickin’s. Even the 40’s does not have an abundance of vehicles to choose from. But once you hit the 50’s, the road opens before your eyes.
I tried a Jordan sedan. They are all plastic with a lot of flashing. It took a bit of both sanding and trimming with a hobby knife to clean up the edges. Don’t know why there aren’t more cars to choose from.
Tom
There really weren’t any new cars in the early to mid 1940’s US because most of the available steel and manufacturing capabilities were devoted to producing war materiel. The “new models” in 1942-1945 were Shermans, Grants, Lees, Jeeps, DUKW’s, Dece-and-a-half, and halftracks…so one could say that 1940’s vehicles are almost over-represented in the Walthers catalog–but they’re all in the Military Vehicles section.
Prior to WWII, of course, the Depression slowed auto manufacturing but they were still being built.
After the war, retooling took a couple of years. It’s not too hard to find late-Forties and early-Fifties vehicles from this era–plus the occasional Army-surplus Jeep or Deuce-and-a-half, sold off for civilian service, might not be inappropriate (and maybe an old M3 Lee for the junkyard?)
Don try the sylvan cars they are resin but have amazing detail. They seem to come out with new models every couple of months or so and the price for them is very good. I seem to remember an add for South River model works featuring alot of auto’s and trucks they appeared to be 30’s and 40’s style cars it was an RMC ad from around 1999 worth a try to check out. TB
On further reflection, I realize that George Sellios’s famous Franklin and South Manchester layout (there’s a large amount of photos on this site: http://www.trevinocircle.com/FSM.asp) is set in 1935.
Unfortunately he seems to have the same problem as you, as many (if not most, judging from the pictures) of his vehicles seem to be 1920s styles (they look like Jordans, perhaps with the 1930 Busch model A thrown in), with a few 1930s style vehicles here and there - not sure of the manufacturers, perhaps you can recognize them.
As I said befoe, Sylvan http://www.isp.ca/Sylvan/ho-scaleproducts.htm may be a good start for you (they have 5 different 1930s vehicle kits) - also, hunt around on the 1/87 vehicle modeler’s web site http://www.1-87vehicles.org , particularly the photo gallery - you may find among the modern day truck tractors and 1970s muscle cars, interesting ideas for your period
There are too few modellers working in the 30’s and 40’s time period. Where there is no perceived demand, there are no models. Most modellers are working the steam/diesel time period. Hence the abundance of 50’s and newer vehicles. No one will invest in the necessary tooling to produce a product for a limited market. Manufacturers need to be able to see where they will get a return on their invested capital. I model up to 1942 and share the chagrin other modellers of this period feel, but we are not a large enough group to get anyone excited about producing the vehicles that fit this era.
Tom
I try hard to stay around 1945-1954 on my collection but give or take 10-20 years on a few items because there are simply just no specific item availible to represent something.
Ebay sometimes turns up a already assembled kit of a vehicle. My modeling with these hammy truck driving, keyboard breaking hands have a very difficult time with itsy bisty teeny tiny parts associated with kits of period vehicles. So that kinds of influences my choices. However I will not put a modern 1990 traruck on a 1950 layout, I think trarucks were not really that common yet.
Actually, assuming you model urban, suburban, or medium to large towns in America, then garbage collection trucks were very common by the 1950s - here’s a site with some interesting pictures and history: http://www.tigerdude.com/garbage/
Let’s put it this way, could you image the Cleavers on ‘Leave It to Beaver’ not having curbside collection? (oddly enough, perhaps Petaluma, California of that period did not, as contemporary ‘Peanuts’ comic strips sometimes have the kids taking the trash out to their backyard incinerators).
And BTW, low-volume detail models is precisely where resin kits shine - while it may take US$120,000 to produce good molds for detailed plastic vehicles, I think the figure is a tenth of that or less for resin vehicles. Right now I can only find Slvyan Models for 1930s resin vehicles, but perhaps that will change if there is any chance of a market…