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Helm
Little Six
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 Posted - September 28 2013 : 7:47:38 PM
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I got these in a box of stuff at Merchant's Square in Allentown, PA a couple of weeks ago. Merchant Square is a WWII Vought Aircraft factory which has been saved/repurposed. I think the room they rent out to shows (toys, slot cars, quilts, and once in a while model trains) used to be the cafeteria.
The first one is red plastic with no markings. It kind of looks like a Varney car, but it has a metal Mantua floor. Did Mantua sell undecorated cars? Maybe an undecorated kit?
The next car is some kind of caboose. It looks like Athearn based upun the floor and the missing boxcar door tracks. I tried searching on Athearn cabooses and or a "drover" caboose, but didn't turn up anything like this. This does not have a coupola. It's like part box car, part bay window caboose.
The last one is a plastic body box car body only (no markings). It looks like it was designed to have metal sides attached? Kind of a transition from metal sides on wood bodies to metal sides on a plastic body. But the body is so well done, why didn't they go straight to all plastic?
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Posted - September 28 2013 : 7:58:33 PM
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Rich,
Not sure of the 2 box cars, BUT that center one is actually a "Western Union" car........Not sure what that means but that's what they were sold as. it was a wooden car, rebuilt with a bay window set up.......I have a couple of them, myself, you my friend found a B&O version, which is lucky, I have never seen that version! Which is the version, I wouldn't mind finding at some point! I'm not sure, who made them! I think it was ATT but I could be wrong on that!
~John
Many have tried to, and failed, ya just can't repair stupid... 
Do NOT try to Idiot-Proof anything!!!! God, will simply create a better......IDIOT!
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Posted - September 28 2013 : 8:04:42 PM
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hi the middle one is like john said this one made by train minatures 1971 8083,ken
http://www.hoseeker.net/TrainMiniatureslist/tmlist1971pg1.jpg
/tyco/forum/uploaded/catfordken/20130928203935_20120408100850_2012-04-03.jpg
true scale made these as well but they had the up and over ladder made of metal,and doors did not open
Edited by - catfordken on September 28 2013 8:43:19 PM
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Posted - September 28 2013 : 8:24:50 PM
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Ken, Train Miniature huh? I never would have thought! Both them, I have, one is going to my B&O "MOW" fleet of Vegetation Control set up of a Nalco weed sprayer, and then a few tank cars and then a car like this. To house/transport needed items for maintain the cars, for cutters and dry goods for the tankers....AND a place to relax for the crew, larger crews would have an added caboose to the train.....
~John
Many have tried to, and failed, ya just can't repair stupid...
Do NOT try to Idiot-Proof anything!!!! God, will simply create a better......IDIOT!
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Posted - September 28 2013 : 9:53:19 PM
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True scale, that's odd. I have one of these, with the ladders that go up and over in metal, and its has opening doors, but no markings in it. The other one is missing all the end railings so, difficult to tell on that one and it has no markings too.....BOTH have opening box car type doors as your green one shows!
Interesting to say the least!
~John
Many have tried to, and failed, ya just can't repair stupid...
Do NOT try to Idiot-Proof anything!!!! God, will simply create a better......IDIOT!
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Posted - September 28 2013 : 10:02:27 PM
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| not 100% about the true scale doors not opening,i was told that by a member here,but the metal ladders i am sure belong to the true scale ones ken
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Posted - September 28 2013 : 10:07:30 PM
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Thanks Ken,
I just know on the 2 I have, neither one has any sort of marking on them..... and only one has metal ladders that went up and over the roofs edge. The other one, never had any railings of any sort on it or ladders so.....
I'm just going off what seems to be. The biggest thing I noticed was the frame, it looked closely designed like that of a flat car from ATT (I think that's the company anyway) Maybe I'm confusing ATT flat car frame with that from Train-Miniatures, I don't know.....But, what I do know for sure is the type of car... a Western Union car..... and that I'm unsure of! What it carry? Money? Checks? or Mail?
~John
Many have tried to, and failed, ya just can't repair stupid...
Do NOT try to Idiot-Proof anything!!!! God, will simply create a better......IDIOT!
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Helm
Little Six
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Posted - September 29 2013 : 7:19:04 PM
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Thanks for the ID on the strange "caboose". I really appreciate it. I've never seen a car like that.
At a train show today I came across the red mantua boxcar with markings. So I believe it's a real Mantua car - not something someone just stuck a Mantua metal floor on or wiped the markings off.
Again, Thanks!!!
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Posted - September 30 2013 : 06:21:37 AM
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hi helm thats a red box tyco/or 1960s mantua great northern,only thing i do not see are the numbers at bottom left next to door,otherwise car number 18626 was released by both,ken
tyco red box
/tyco/forum/uploaded/catfordken/20130930072111_TYCO311h.jpg
mantua 60s
http://www.hoseeker.net/mantuainformation/mantuabrochure1962pg12.jpg
Edited by - catfordken on September 30 2013 07:21:44 AM
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Posted - September 30 2013 : 08:37:20 AM
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Well you got the first 2 right. The last car with the holes in the side is what is left. Only 2 companies made cars like this. Plastic bodied cars with metal painted sides. Tyco-Mantua, and Fleischmann. One Fleischmann had the ice door hinges on the outside ends. Tyco-Mantua of which this is, put the hinges on the inside. The Germans at times do get things wrong. For unobstructed air flow through the you needed the hinges on the inside so when open you caught the air bringing it down and through the car and out the other car end open hatches. The air inside moved in the same direction as the air outside.
frank
toptrain
" It's a Heck of a Day " !!!
Edited by - toptrain on September 30 2013 08:46:25 AM
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waw47
Hudson
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Posted - September 30 2013 : 08:51:27 AM
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| The last car is a plastic shell for the Mantua/Tyco #313 reefers with metal sides. Burlington, Crazy Crystals, Bordens, Pulto, Land-o-Lakes & Baby Ruth reefers
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Helm
Little Six
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Posted - September 30 2013 : 11:03:22 AM
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Interesting that the body is actually a Mantua part too. - Thanks a lot!!
With regard to the caboose, knowing it's a Train Miniatures car, I found via http://www.steamlocomotive.com/model/tm/, "Train Miniatures Car Spotters Guide" that the name is "42' Bay Window Supply Caboose". They show the Western Union Telegraph Company car, but do not list a B&O version.
Again - Thanks to all!
Rich
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 Posted - September 30 2013 : 11:15:59 AM
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cool website, Helm I'd not mind getting a few of the cars in there 
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Posted - September 30 2013 : 3:05:00 PM
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I have to say, I'm going to be looking for a B&O version of that Western Union car.....Any idea what they used them for? MOW?
~John
Many have tried to, and failed, ya just can't repair stupid...
Do NOT try to Idiot-Proof anything!!!! God, will simply create a better......IDIOT!
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Posted - September 30 2013 : 3:26:51 PM
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hi john they are list as bay window supply car,numbers 5152-5158,5156 is the b&o one
at&sf
union pacific
b&o
this cars came in several colours over the years,a hard to find is this one
truescale version
Edited by - catfordken on September 30 2013 4:18:28 PM
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Posted - September 30 2013 : 11:47:41 PM
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Thanks Ken1 Now a good question, whats the difference from the red one Rich has to the gray one you pictured in B&O lettering?
~John
Many have tried to, and failed, ya just can't repair stupid...
Do NOT try to Idiot-Proof anything!!!! God, will simply create a better......IDIOT!
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Posted - October 06 2013 : 10:24:29 PM
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| Paint color? I have one here and always just called it a work caboose since it's part of that work train set which parts of were sold as Flyer HO at one point in addition to Tru-Scale and later Train Miniature. Walthers should still have the dies, they even may have done a run of them.
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Posted - October 07 2013 : 04:04:26 AM
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I have the Santa Fe Version of the boxcar-caboose. One interesting thing that I noticed is that it appears to be slightly larger than HO scale. Oh well, it still looks neat sitting in the yard :]
J.B.
Modeling the modern-day SPSF in HO scale
https://www.facebook.com/SPandSF?ref=hl
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Posted - October 07 2013 : 1:33:43 PM
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Hi guys
It took me all weekend to find my bay window caboose and here it is
purchased is 1978 and assembled in Aug 2010
Andy
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Posted - October 07 2013 : 2:12:47 PM
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You guys are killin' me! I want that B&O!!!!!!!! 
I got 2 of them outside of the B&O (ONE got a nice blue paint job), headed for my MOW train's "Weed Control" cars to it, but.......THAT red one looks to be a freight car to a train of some sort from the B&O, and its a fantasy unit but, looks good doing it!
I WILL find one, buy trade or bust! 
~John
Many have tried to, and failed, ya just can't repair stupid...
Do NOT try to Idiot-Proof anything!!!! God, will simply create a better......IDIOT!
Edited by - EM-1 on October 07 2013 2:13:46 PM
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