Tyco Trains

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markhowe
Switcher

Status: offline

Posted - May 20 2010 : 01:47:52 AM

Hello. I am Mark from just outside Indianapolis Indiana. I've been a model railroader for 37 years, since receiving my first Tyco Train Set when I was 6....for Christmas. It had an Alco 430 Spirit of 76 engine - - - American made, and IT STILL RUNS!

I have a layont that includes a 4x12 table and a connecting 3x8....sort of makes an L shape. the 3X8 table is mainly a yard table, but using 15" radius at the one end allows "thru-trains" to make the rounds around the whole "L".

Anyway, I'm feeling like I'm becoming an old timer. I just want to say that I love the old American made Tyco and Mantua equipment. I have 25 of them. My latest purchase was an Alco 430 New Haven - MIB......was.......it's not MIB anymore........it's running flawlessly on my layout.

Two Alco 630s are the only Hong Kong/Tyco locomotives I have - they run fine, I've never run them hard or long.

When Mantua went back into business as Mantua, I followed them. I bought 5 steam engines with can-motors.....INCREDIBLE.....and I own 8 of their F7s and GP-20 can motored diesels. I run more of those dual truck drive Mantua diesels than anything probably, but my Mantua/Tyco diesels with MU-2 power see a lot of track time too.

My layout is primarily 1950's - 1960's time period....occassionally a left over steamer rolls through a town, and I use one for a tourist passenger train.

I thought Mantua kicked ass to go to the can motor in their diesels, and I thought they sucked for taking the production of them to China.

Over the years, I've picked up a half dozen Athern diesels over the years, 4 IHC, 2 Spectrum, and 2 or 3 Bachman Plus, Proto 1000, and one Atlas.

Virtually all of my freight and passenger rolling stock is Tyco, Mantua, or IHCs copycats that have the couplers connected to the trucks and I use horn-hook couplers. The reason for this is simple. My layout includes 25 switches, 3 of those dreaded curved switches, s-curves, tight tolerances and a half circle of 15" radius curve at the end of the 3' wide table. The equipment stays on the track, it stays coupled together - and that's really what I want. I do have a lot of Mantua rolling stock that Mantua started doing after they started back up as Mantua....the couplers are on the bodies and they don't stay coupled together reliably. I have found though that if I use those cars with body mounted couplers between two Tyco cars with truck mounted couplers, staying coupled is possible.

I have an order from my wife for an N Scale train layout inside a coffee table with glass top and glass sides - I have a pattern for the 3'x5' coffee table, and a layout design. I recently purchased the Mantua N Scale Superbowl Express Train Set. It is still new in box with the plastic on it. I don't know anything about that equipment except what I see in the box. If anyone does know anything about that Mantua set as far as it's quality, I'd like to hear from you. If Mama don't stop fighting with this Papa, I'll be selling that N Scale set - mama's fighting ain't looking worth building a coffee table for or learning a new scale for either.

One of my fondest memories is going to a local train shop with my father. It was Dale's Train Shop on E. 25th Street in Indianapolis. I was a kid, Dale was already an old-timer. Dale and his wife ran their little train shop out of the front of their house. I still remember Dale telling me - "son, you have some of the good American made Tyco equipment - if you keep it clean, take care of it, and never over-lubricate it, it may outlast you". I'm now 43, and not one single American Made Tyco or Mantua Motor I've had has ever failed me yet.

Anyway, hi to everyone. Thanks for this site. I've found the information extremely interesting and educational.

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