|
|
 Posted - September 12 2014 : 11:42:19 AM
|
I've been cruising around ebay the last few days looking for trolley cars and have come across a few made by a brand called "Pennsylvania Scale Models". There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of info on the web about them. Anyone have experience with these?
I'm mostly curious about age of the models and how well they run.
It may be a bit of a long shot, but if anyone has a couple they're interested in selling I wouldn't say no... 
Pics shamelessly taken from ebay auctions:
 
|
Country:  Canada ~
Posts: 3319 ~
Member Since: September 22 2006 ~
Last Visit: April 07 2024
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - September 12 2014 : 2:48:51 PM
|
Pennsylvania Scale Models was a subsidiary of Bowser Manufacturing. Go to HO Seeker and about halfway down the Bowser page is the listing for Pennsylvania Scale Models.
|
|
Country: Canada ~
Posts: 265 ~
Member Since: March 07 2014 ~
Last Visit: June 26 2018
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - September 12 2014 : 7:34:39 PM
|
Among other things, they made a Baby Trainmaster. Someone posted theirs in LOTW a little while back but I don't recall who. I also heard that PA Scale Models started out independently before being bought by Bowser.
--CRC
|
Country:  USA ~
Posts: 930 ~
Member Since: January 25 2012 ~
Last Visit: August 23 2023
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
waw47
Hudson
Status:
offline
| |
Posted - September 12 2014 : 8:24:41 PM
|
| Actually Pennsylvania Scale Models was a private company that was purchased by Bowser in the mid 60's.
|
|
Country: USA ~
Posts: 466 ~
Member Since: August 09 2010 ~
Last Visit: April 25 2024
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - September 19 2014 : 4:32:28 PM
|
Thanks for the info guys! I had a look at HOSeeker...they really weren't cheap items. One trolley could run you more than an entire Tyco set.   Still, they're pretty looking. I'm going to try to pick one up for myself. 
|
|
Country: Canada ~
Posts: 3319 ~
Member Since: September 22 2006 ~
Last Visit: April 07 2024
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - September 19 2014 : 5:26:25 PM
|
I think I have one of those PPC? Trolleys, and to be honest, the power is rather, er, crude. I'm not sure where it is right now, but I don't know that it would deliver reliable service without some upgrades. Just my thoughts, rather rusty at that, as I haven't seen it in awhile ( stored away in some box i'm sure ).
Jerry
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
|
|
Country: USA ~
Posts: 3974 ~
Member Since: January 04 2009 ~
Last Visit: January 11 2019
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - September 19 2014 : 9:36:40 PM
|
Hmm, well I need something small to work on. I found a cheapish one on ebay. Maybe it'll be my pet project for the winter... 
|
|
Country: Canada ~
Posts: 3319 ~
Member Since: September 22 2006 ~
Last Visit: April 07 2024
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - September 26 2014 : 12:20:31 PM
|
Update: The aforementioned ebay trolley is now in my possession. I won the bid unopposed...imagine that! hurrhurr. Anyway, it clearly needs some help (paint, cleaning, trolley pole, maybe some detailing) but the motor spins freely. I was able to bring it to life with power applied directly to the motor contacts. I needed something small to work on for the next while and this should be perfect.
Pictures in all her glory. 
|
|
Country: Canada ~
Posts: 3319 ~
Member Since: September 22 2006 ~
Last Visit: April 07 2024
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - January 17 2015 : 2:01:33 PM
|
I remember Pennsylvania Scale Models (PSM) from when I was a kid. My grandparents were both from the Pottsville area and we would visit often. I never got to go into PSM because grandmom had her own agenda
So for memories sake, I decided to take a look at what the old PSM building looks like now. So I looked on Google Maps and found that the whole front of the building is gone, flanked on the left by a Rite Aid pharmacy and some mental health facility on the right called Turning Point (drug rehab?). Where the front of the building was is now nicely landscaped into a walkway toward the former rear of PSM.
The rear of PSM is still there and also part of Turning Point.
TANGENT ALERT!
DaCheez, I've been looking your trolley over and I noticed something interesting. It's painted in Philadelphia Transportation Company (PTC) colors and the line is Oley, a township just outside of Philadelphia. As far as I knew, PTC never had cars that looked like that, nor do I think PTC ever went to Oley. Pretty kool fantasy trolley you have there and I wouldn't change a thing.
So anyway, I started digging around for info, because I really didn't know much about those Indiana Railroad cars like yours. (I hope I'm giving new info here. If you knew already, please excuse my excitement! haha) It turns out those things were real hotrods with four 100 horsepower motors, capable of speeds nearing 100 mph! A bunch of them ended up on the same Leigh Valley Transit (LVT) Liberty Bell Route that my Bowser trolley will be modeled after. Some of LVT's cars had a stainless steel spoiler/cow catcher giving them a real unique look for pre 1951 era. The opening scene of this video has one moving toward the camera at a pretty high speed. What struck me was that the trollies would bumble around the city at normal trolly stop & go pace and then hit the rails between the towns at 80 mph in places. I've never been on a trolley ride like that. I was impressed anyway:
~ Dave
They're ALL toys
|
|
Country: USA ~
Posts: 547 ~
Member Since: December 25 2010 ~
Last Visit: May 20 2019
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - January 19 2015 : 11:49:52 AM
|
| Great reading and I love that video (never seen it before)! Thanks for the info on my IRR car. I always thought the logo on my car said "RTC" and had no idea that Oley was a real place. I've come to appreciate the aged, personalized paint jobs on my trolleys...don't worry, they'll be kept in their original paint.
|
|
Country: Canada ~
Posts: 3319 ~
Member Since: September 22 2006 ~
Last Visit: April 07 2024
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - January 19 2015 : 9:30:32 PM
|
If it is RTC, that would suggest Reading Transit Company, but I don't know much about it .. only that it existed. I'll have to dig some more.
~ Dave
They're ALL toys
|
|
Country: USA ~
Posts: 547 ~
Member Since: December 25 2010 ~
Last Visit: May 20 2019
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - January 31 2015 : 8:08:03 PM
|
A bit long in coming, but I noticed that not only is that trolley painted in the cream-and-maroon colors of the Phila. Suburban Transit Co, (PST, not PTC), but it's suspiciously similar to some of their Brill cars. Roof color notwithstanding, this is what your car is supposed to represent:
--CRC
|
|
Country: USA ~
Posts: 930 ~
Member Since: January 25 2012 ~
Last Visit: August 23 2023
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - January 31 2015 : 9:22:50 PM
|
Very good detective work.
~ Dave
They're ALL toys
|
|
Country: USA ~
Posts: 547 ~
Member Since: December 25 2010 ~
Last Visit: May 20 2019
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - November 26 2021 : 11:41:13 AM
|
Deserves another view.
When life was cool.
|
|
Country: USA ~
Posts: 5878 ~
Member Since: February 12 2014 ~
Last Visit: April 25 2024
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - November 27 2021 : 12:46:36 PM
|
I had forgotten about this post! The PSM cars are the backbone of my trolley fleet.
|
|
Country: Canada ~
Posts: 3319 ~
Member Since: September 22 2006 ~
Last Visit: April 07 2024
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - November 27 2021 : 3:03:00 PM
|
| Looks amazing. Was so beat up ad now looks factory new.
|
|
Country: USA ~
Posts: 11193 ~
Member Since: December 09 2013 ~
Last Visit: April 21 2024
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
Home
Forums
Events Calendar
Forum Admins & Mods
Register
