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 Posted - March 22 2015 : 7:11:26 PM
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Hi everyone.
Glad to be part of the forum. I have many great Tyco memories. My first HO scale model train was a Tyco Via Rail freight car set that was sold only at Sears here in Canada in the 1970's. Yes, a VIA freight car set! It had a VIA F7 locomotive, a matching dummy F7, a few freight cars and a caboose decorated in VIA colors! I wish I still had that set. I soon talked my dad into buying my the Tyco layout expansion set which really added to the excitement!
Today I dabble in Z scale (I run the only online Z scale store in Canada) however I'm really getting the urge to start collecting the Tyco trains I had as a kid (and perhaps duplicate my 4X8 layout - buildings and all) I look forward to sharing my Tyco memories!
Cheers
Todd
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Posted - March 22 2015 : 7:33:57 PM
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| hi todd welcome to forum,i was posted to new brunswick with the british army and spent a few days on prince edward island,cannot remember much,but thats another story,i am sure your memories will be welcomed here and helped i am sure ken
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Posted - March 22 2015 : 8:20:49 PM
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Thanks.
Unfortunately we've been buried in snow this winter. Something like 17 feet has fallen since February. We've had a snowstorm last Sunday, Wednesday and again today! Needless to say we're pretty tired of winter!
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Posted - March 22 2015 : 8:31:33 PM
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Welcome, Todd! I like the idea of recreating you old layout, buildings and all!! That's exactly what I set out to do. Reliving the memories,
but my 4X8 went to an 8X20 !! Enjoy!!
Edited by - walt on March 22 2015 8:35:32 PM
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Posted - March 22 2015 : 8:38:34 PM
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Hey, Todd.
Welcome.
Nice to see another Canuck on the forum.
Hope you find your front lawn soon.
Evan
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Posted - March 22 2015 : 9:00:41 PM
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Has anyone seen the Sears Via rail Freight set lately? I'd really like to find one. I remember every locomotive and piece of rolling stock I had like it was yesterday. There used to be a Marine dealer in London Ontario (General Marine) that was also a Tyco train dealer (only at Christmas time). This was about 1977. He had a big layout set up with all the accessories. I LOVED going there with my dad. I remember when my dad bought me the Amtrak GG1 from there. 'Don't tell Mom" he said. lol
I remember being in bed and hearing my dad in the basement running the trains. My first building kit was The Weekly Herald.
Ah, the memories...
Edited by - IslandTrains on March 22 2015 9:01:45 PM
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Posted - March 22 2015 : 9:06:05 PM
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I don't recall seeing any Tyco Via trains at all. I'd bet that's pretty much a Canada thing, and will have to be found there, too. Welcome to the Forums, glad to have another far-northern neighbor chime in with some good childhood tales and memories. Hopefully you'll find what you're looking for eventually.
Jerry in Virginia, USA
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
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Posted - March 22 2015 : 9:35:42 PM
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ye gods 17 feet?
wowsers!
You must of gotten that storm that hit the NE US & Boston
Welcome to the forum
Z scale is good on HO layouts if you want to do a Live Steam layout 
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Posted - March 22 2015 : 9:37:53 PM
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Welcome to the Forum Todd. I have a small Z-scale layout that comes out for Christmas. Lots of fun and such a jewel but too small for me to model!
http://tycodepot.com/
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Posted - March 23 2015 : 08:55:45 AM
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There's a company called Full Throttle that has released this cool cylindrical hopper in Z scale. Look familiar?
The owner of Full Throttle told me he was inspired by the cool Tyco cylindricals from the 70s and is planning several more.
Edited by - IslandTrains on March 23 2015 08:56:42 AM
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Posted - March 23 2015 : 09:23:44 AM
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 That's pretty cool, actually. But anyways, welcome to the forum.
-Steve
"A lot of modellers out there who go to these train shows see broken HO stuff and go, 'This is useless' when, in reality, they can still be used for modeling whether it's as a prop on your layout or a cool project to make something old new again."
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Posted - March 23 2015 : 12:32:14 PM
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Hey Todd, welcome to the TycoForum! I've been seeing footage of PEI on the news over the past few months; you guys are taking quite the beating. The snow here in Ottawa is disappearing, but we're still sitting at -17C 
Your childhood train set has peaked my interest. Do you remember what freight cars it had and whether or not the contents matched the set picture on the box? I happen to have the box for a Tyco set called "ThCN/VIA Freight", but the box picture and actual contents don't match. I'm on mobile right now, but I'll throw up some pictures when I get home.
As for finding a complete set, you'll have a lot of problems tracking down a boxed example, but you shouldn't have much trouble piecing together the original contents. The Via units are not the most common, but they're out there.
Eric
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Posted - March 23 2015 : 10:17:17 PM
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Rare as hen's teeth around here!
Evan
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Posted - March 23 2015 : 11:20:32 PM
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quote:| Rare as hen's teeth around here! |
Living in Canada certainly won't hurt his chances of finding one. I think I've seen more Tyco VIA units at shows than I have on ebay.
Here's the set box I have, along with the mash-up of pieces that accompanied it.
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Posted - March 24 2015 : 07:25:52 AM
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Hello Todd, my neighbor to the North. welcome to Tyco. At 68 I have a hard time working on HO trains. Z is out of the question for me. Good for you though. Cant wait to see some pictures of your stuff. I remember somewhere in here, tyco forum, photos of Via equipment. Unless I am just getting senile. Nice to meet you.
frank
toptrain
" It's a Heck of a Day " !!!
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Posted - March 24 2015 : 11:51:55 AM
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quote:There's a company called Full Throttle that has released this cool cylindrical hopper in Z scale. Look familiar?
The owner of Full Throttle told me he was inspired by the cool Tyco cylindricals from the 70s and is planning several more.
Originally posted by IslandTrains - March 23 2015 : 08:55:45 AM
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neato!
I'd like to see this on a HO car 
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Posted - March 24 2015 : 2:53:32 PM
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Todd,
Hello and Welcome
Regards, John
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Posted - March 24 2015 : 9:04:06 PM
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Thanks for the warm welcome! My F7 had the same paint scheme as the ones Evan has. The caboose was painted to match. I remember in the catalogue it said "Only at Sears" and it came in a plain white box. It had the 50ft green Burlington Northern box car, a yellow Union Pacific gondola with culverts, and the Sante Fe piggyback car with the unloading dock. I've been trying to find online versions of the Canadian Sears catalogue and could only find the 1979. I think I got this set about 1975. Speaking of the Sears catalogues, here's a database of many U.S editions. Lots of Tyco sets in the toy sections!
http://www.wishbookweb.com/
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Posted - March 28 2015 : 9:19:19 PM
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Took the ship "Bay of Fundy," round about 1975.
Lovely bit of Canada, that PEI. Welcome and we
look forward to more of your pictures. Will be
keeping an ear to the rail!
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Posted - March 28 2015 : 10:54:48 PM
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quote: Will be keeping an ear to the rail!
Originally posted by Chops124Â -Â March 28 2015Â :Â 9:19:19 PM
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don't get run over
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Posted - April 02 2015 : 05:35:32 AM
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I'm kind of bummed that the classified area on here is no longer available. Is there a decent site (other than Ebay,Craigslist etc) for enthusiasts to buy/sell Tyco trains?
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Posted - April 02 2015 : 11:38:00 AM
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http://www.modeltrainforum.com/
yes they sell stuff here but you gotta join to post comments
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Posted - April 02 2015 : 11:41:17 AM
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| http://tycodepot.com/
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Posted - May 02 2015 : 8:04:01 PM
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Hello Todd!
Sean
"If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!" - Mario Andretti!
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