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 Posted - March 09 2009 : 9:38:59 PM
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I won this set on eBay tonight...but I have a question and probably wont get a definitive answer until its in my possession .
What I cant figure out is the cars in this picture
http://app2.sellersourcebook.com/members/watch/enlarge.php?vers=4&aid=&img=101963/ho_train_set_003.jpg&eid=51-52-55-118-105-99-116-111-114-105-97&enc=1&cc=ebay.com
show all the graphics and markings on all the cars.
But in this picture...on the flip side
http://app2.sellersourcebook.com/members/watch/enlarge.php?vers=4&aid=&img=101963/ho_train_set_004.jpg&eid=51-52-55-118-105-99-116-111-114-105-97&enc=1&cc=ebay.com
All of the graphics and markings are gone with the exception of the hospital car....I just cant believe the flash would have bleached out
all of the markings
What do the experts think ???
BT
Edited by - taycotrains on March 13 2009 6:14:53 PM
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Posted - March 09 2009 : 9:59:03 PM
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Looks to me like the printing really is missing on the "flip" sides. Most telling is missing red framing on the horsecar windows.
HOWEVER...
While this could be a factory flub, I have found that it is VERY easy to remove the markings on quite a wide range of Tyco cars of that era. The thin ink-stamps on certain paints and finishes simply do not hold up well to scrubbing... and sometimes even just plain old soap and water is all it takes! Could be someone tried to clean them, and did a better job than they expected. Might explain why the Hospital car is the lone intact one.
Under a harsh light you might make out the ghost of lettering if this is the case.... but even that is not always a given.
If just one car, OK that's a random factory goof, which yes that does happen... but nearly all of them? Very odd!
Interesting find either way.
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Posted - March 09 2009 : 10:28:13 PM
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Musta been a Monday mornin' or Friday afternoon in the paint dept...
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Posted - March 10 2009 : 03:06:18 AM
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Interesting BT, but notice the position of the smokejack on the hospital car -- it's to the right in both photos, so you're seeing the same side in both. It may be as blank on the other side as the rest.
If that's paint loss from cleaning, I want to know what they used on it so I can get lettering off of my equipment so perfectly. It's also too hard to believe that every piece in the set is accidentally missing printing on one side, just so it doesn't show when it's placed in the box.
The blue on the loco looks strangely flat for a General. What if it's a Tyco pre-production sample?  
The Tyco Depot
Edited by - NickelPlate759 on March 10 2009 03:09:55 AM
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Posted - March 10 2009 : 3:18:30 PM
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On older cars that have simple ink or paint-stamped graphics, applied onto satin or gloss/semi-gloss finishes, use a little Arm & Hammer Washing Soda and see what happens:
A&H is a mild abrasive. I use it extensively to remove scuffs and scratches from secondhand cars; it does the job well without marring the finish or doing any damage, and I swear by it. EXCEPT on certain cars as noted above - if you're not careful it will take the lettering clean off! Ask me how I learned this...  On modern cars and those with glossy or sealed graphics this is not so much a problem. Among vintage cars it seems exclusive to Tyco for some reason.
I have a Tyco centercab switcher with USS graphics. A nice glossy factory paint job. I knew better than to chance the A&H with that one... but soap and water (with a scrub rag) still stripped the original factory ink right off! I had NEVER had that happen before. 
All I'm saying is... I wouldn't put too much value in a car with missing graphics. But on the other hand, those particular cars are a bit too scarce to risk testing my methods on. Maybe they would hold up, maybe they'd melt off. I wouldn't risk it personally. So who knows...
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Posted - March 10 2009 : 9:49:41 PM
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Thanks for all the observations guys...The money order was sent out today so I will probably have this set sometime early next week.
I paid a small price for this set compared to my "gray set" and I have to be perfectly honest I never had those cars out of the inboard liner that lays in the set box and quite frankly I am afraid to look at what those graphics might look like.
BT
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Posted - March 11 2009 : 6:30:31 PM
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thats the Civil War 100th B-day set great find &  on the missing graphics thats rare in itself
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Posted - March 13 2009 : 5:41:04 PM
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I have a update....The set came today and upon further inspection these cars have never been on any track and there is absolutely no signs what so ever of there ever being printing on the reverse car sides.
Also the set box has no markings were the info would be telling what set it is....it just has blank white space.
Final observation is that the locomotive has no motor at all in the tender
there is no drive shaft and no umbilical wire....and no marks on the wheels.
A very weird set.....
BT
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Posted - March 15 2009 : 10:37:56 PM
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quote:Hey BT,
If you don't like the set, I'll buy it from you.....
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Thanks but I think Ill keep it.
BT
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Posted - March 17 2009 : 07:06:31 AM
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BT,
It's a comp, or a pre-production sample that was painted up by Tyco for a toy or train fair. It's the sort of thing we did (I've worked in the toy industry) when gearing up for Toy Fair in NYC. Why bother decalling both sides when it's only a display item that won't be removed from it's box?
In other words, you have quite a collector's item there.
The Tyco Depot
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Posted - March 19 2009 : 11:47:48 AM
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| SEEE???!!! told ya its a rare collectors item
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Posted - March 19 2009 : 5:18:12 PM
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Here is a picture of the engine from the set....
BT
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