Southern Pacific #2472 in Niles Canyon, August 30, 2008. ((posted 8-30-08)posted Nor-Cal member Randall White was a passenger on the "Sunol 2472 Steam Special" of August 30. This trip was made with the #2472, a 4-6-2 locomoitve, and an all-Harriman consist, and included the business car "Oakland" for "First Class" passengers (extra fare). The locomotive and some of the cars are owned by the Pacific Locomoitve Association. The train was run on the track of the Niles Canyon Railway, from Sunol to Niles.

(posted 5-15-08)
Veteran Nor-Cal member Jon Lundberg asked if I'd like to put these photos of his rare Marklin 1-Gauge clockwork loco on the website. I said "You betcha!" So here for your enjoyment, in John's own words: This is my Spur 1[Gauge 1] Loco & Tender - model #LD 1021 Kompressor. This locomotive and tender must be very rare -- I've been in the TCA for over 35 years and have never seen or heard of another. What looks like a wind cutter #1021 from the early 1920's has a live steam cylinder on one side that acts as a governor. There is a lever used to adjust the exhaust -- air compression holds the speed of the loco. It is a complex clockwork loco with track-trip brakes and reverse. Two fancy levers in the cab also perform these functions.
The consist is about the size of a Lionel Standard Gauge 390E. Many photos are below -- study them to see how the compressor works. The loco runs fine, but no key is included. There is paint touch-up, but much of the disturbance you see is the original varnish clear coat that waffled up over time.
The overall length of engine and tender is 22-1/4 inches.

(posted 3-14-08)
Courtesy of Rev. Phil Smith, here is a photo from the website of the Historical Society of Berks County (PA). This is a 1:8 scale model of a Reading G-1sa Pacific. It was built by 52 Reading Company Shop apprentices and completed in December, 1939. It was displayed at the 1940 New York World's Fair, where more than 100,000 people saw it. It is 10 feet, 1 1/2 inches long and weighs 1991 pounds. Reading fans are ecstatic to have her back in her home town, at the museum, about a mile southwest of the shops where she had been built 68 years ago.

For the full story go to the Historical Society, at berkshistory.org Scroll down until you get to this item.

Photo by Joshua Blay, Museum Curator

(I saw this loco on display in Reading Terminal, in Philadelphia, in June 1960,
while I was a student at Penn State. - R. White)

Here are some photos of a nice little O-gauge layout. The builder is Duane Champlain of San Diego. (posted 1-21-08)

This picture shows the Toonerville station, along with the Toonerville Trolley, both items by Dick Mayer of Rich-Art.

And this shows the Master Craftsman himself, Dick Mayer in his workshop. Dick is 84 years old!

April 2008 issue of the Tinplate Times. (posted 4-6-08) Check out this very well done publication!

Click here.

Photos from the November 2-4, 2007 Cal-Stewart Meet in Pasadena
(posted 11-10-07)

This photo shows the Pasadena Convention Center ice skating rink building, the welcoming sign, and the "tent" where most of the trading took place.

This photo shows the fabulous display of prewar American Flyer trains (note the airplane at the extreme right) and advertising material.


This photo shows an original American Flyer dealer display (cardboard).


This closeup of part of the display shows a pristine (American Flyer) Nationwide set.


Set up in front of the American Flyer display was this re-creation of the 1928 "Colonial City" layout from page 14 of the 1928 catalog. It was billed as "Billy and his "Colonial City , the World's Greatest Train Layout." " That is, of course, the 1928 version of the "President's Special" in the foreground.

And here is page 14 of the 1928 American Flyer catalog.


This is the #110 Union Station(1928 only).

"I go IVES" with an MTH Reproduction 1694 Set (posted 10-7-07)
                 by Rev. Phllip K. Smith, TCA #82-17298

Through the years I had developed a particular fondness for a unique O Gauge tinplate set: Lionel - Ives
No. 1694 and accompanying cars, Nos. l695-1697 (Set No. 1616), made only in 1932. I saw a few Williams Reproductions sets, but I also wanted sounds. Recently an original 1932 boxed set sorely tempted me at York. But its $10,000 price would have taken a severe toll the moment that my beautiful and charming wife, Beverly, asked "Well, what did you get THIS time?" Fortunately, among the attractions of York was Mike Wolf, who listened patiently while I entreated him to add that set to his firm's Tinplate Traditions! He told me to keep reading his catalogs. Imagine my excitement when No. 1616 graced its pages!

I ordered a beige and maroon, brass trim Contemporary version from Glenn Frantz, who had revived a
grand tradition by selling trains in Fryer's 5 & 10 in Orwigsburg (PA). When I picked up the set he invited me to run it on the upstairs layout at the Northern Berks-Southern Schuylkill Historical Association museum at
Port Clinton. I eagerly agreed, because one of the operators was Luke, Train Doctor on O G R On-Line Forum. He could handle any electronic shenanigans. Another handyman was Marv Moyer, who treated mechanical matters as expertly as Luke returned stray electrons to their courses. Other operators worked for the (full-size) Reading, Blue Mountain & Northern ("Serving our Customers and the Environment"). They are first-class railroaders with high standards.

After unpacking, lubricating, setting up, and tackling Caruso "automatic" (latch) couplers, I set my train on the outside track. Luke invited me to crawl underneath and open the right handle on the second MTH Z-4000. I had replaced the Proto-2 battery with a BCR-2 to eliminate low battery issues (www.jandwelectronics.com). Watching the AMP reading for any jump above 1.1 that would reveal a short circuit, I slowly turned the handle to 10 volts. Gradually the headlight lit and the sounds came on. After waiting 1 minute, I turned the voltage off and on. My 1694 set started rolling forward. I blew the horn and rang the bell. I was having a GREAT time.

I was impressed with how long and sleek the set looked next to modern "O" Gauge trains. I didn't notice any exaggerated features or drastic compression that usually characterized tinplate. I photographed a meet with a new MTH Reading T-1, No. 2102 in her Iron Horse Rambles paint scheme (see photo below). We also posed the set by the enginehouse, at a tunnel portal, and in the station.

After a while, Luke gave me a DCS controller and told me to have some fun. The set ran like a Hamilton
watch. Everyone was surprised at modern sounds, including cab chatter and passenger station sounds. Luke took a turn and said with a smile, "It even has a grade crossing sequence." The only glitch we noticed was a wobbly left rear wheel on the front pilot truck. It didn't interfere with operation or derail, negotiating GarGarves switches with ease. We thought it was a bent axle. But when we turned the engine over we saw that the wheel hadn't been pressed on the axle properly. Well, Marv Moyer could fix that.

My MTH Ives No. 1694 set passed muster with expert operators, masters of toy trains and real trains.
Incidentally, MTH had equipped each car with two pickups. Originals and Williams cars had just one. Additionally, MTH improved the method of attaching the loco body to the frame. The original and Williams locos made the connection with tabs, which could only survive a couple separations of body and frame. MTH replaced the tabs with screws. I discovered that when I replaced the rechargeable batteries with a BCR-2. There is a horizontal lip around the bottom of the cab that faces inward. Screws (six, I think) fit through the frame and into the lip. They are underneath the frame and can't be seen unless the locomotive is turned upside down. Proto-2 wires are routed on the left side. It was tough getting the body off and then back on without pinching them or cutting into their insulation. My wife, Beverly, offered to help. Between the two of us, we DID it.

The history of the Lionel/Ives No. 1616 set is interesting. In 1932, Lionel, by now sole owner of the Ives Company, introduced a beautiful Ives set headed by a 4-4-4 (2-B-2) electric locomotive (#1694) and three matching cars: Baggage (1696), Pullman (1695), and Observation (1697). The cars were also available in an uncataloged Ives set (1616X) headed by an Ives 2-4-0 steam locomotive. The cars were also availablein several color combinations in various Lionel uncataloged sets, usually sold as “Department Store Specials,” as #1685-6-7. These sets were headed by Lionel 259E, 261E, 262E, 265E, 249E or 263E locos, through 1937.

After World War II, in the "postwar" years, collectors discovered that the 1616 sets had vanished into thin air. So few turned up that Jerome Williams manufactured an unpowered version of No. 1694 as the first product of Williams Reproductions in 1972. He promptly sold out, and his 35-year career in toy trains began. He also manufactured the gray and maroon Ives 1695-96-97 cars, and the Lionel 1685-6-7 cars, in all of the original color combinations.

McComas and Tuohy posit that the 1616 sets "did not sell well in the difficult depression year of 1932" and they were closed out (blown out) "in Canada and Great Britain and other foreign markets" (p. 39). In e*train, TCA's internet magazine, author Dave McEntarfer delves into Lionel's Export Sales: "So that's where they all went!," www.tcaetrain. org/articles/collecting/EXPORTS/index.html. Mr. McEntarfer discovered that almost all rare Lionel/Ives sets from 1931-1932 were obtained from owners outside the United States. After acquiring his first 1694 in Canada and finding another that had come from Mexico, he wrote to Louis Hertz, who replied in "great detail" that Lionel had decided to drop the Ives name gradually "and dump the balance of their inventory overseas" via Lionel's Export Department. Mr. McEntarfer includes a photo of an original 1616 export set and another of its box, numbered 3016 and sporting a label from 1935. He concludes, "Lionel still had a substantial inventory of all IVES trains as late as 1935 and was selling them in their boxes with IVES name still on the trains. The instruction book that came with this set states that it is for use with Lionel and Ives equipment."

Application for Certificate of Compliance to Sell or Display Reproduced Toy Train
Items at TCA Sponsored Functions

All members who intend to sell REPRODUCTION toy train parts (or boxes or catalogs) at a TCA event, MUST have a Certificate of Compliance endorsed by TCA National. This will be enforced at the upcoming Cal-Stewart Meet in March. Sellers not having this certificate at this (and subsequent) Nor-Cal meets will not be allowed to sell their REPRODUCTION items. This certificate is available here as a PDF for you to print.

Kemtron HO model of the "Toonerville Trolley." Does anyone have one of these? Bob Chappell and I are writing an article for the "Express" newsletter and need additional information, photos, etc. Please email me at: toytrain13@hotmail.com (posted June 23)

Yosemite Valley Railroad fans celebrate YVRR Centennial at the Niles Canyon Railway, May 15 (posted May 20)
One hundred or more Yosemite Valley Rail Road fans gathered at the Sunol station on the morning of May 15. A special train had been assembled, consisting of Quincy #2 (2-6-2T), an original YV Railway-Postal car, two SP coaches, and original and recently restored YV wooden observation car #330. The train made three round trips over the road, with numerous photo run-bys. Box lunches and drinks were provided and all had a great time.

Quincy No 2, getting orders from the conductor. Isn't she a beauty!

Well, the engineer seems to be one of the younger people on this train!

Yosemite Valley No. 330, recently restored (exterior), but with some work to be done on the exterior-for instance, the vestibule doors! This car was rescued from a farmer's field and was minus trucks and all underbody hardware. The replacement trucks were obtained from another railfan railroad, in a trade.

Admirers gather around #330 at the Sunol station.

Notice the hand-painted replica drumhead! The ditch lights are apparently required for trains running
in reverse... Also notice the dome over the rear platform. It's visible on the postcard below.

Here's a postcard showning passengers on the rear platform of YV #330. "On the road of a thousand
wonders." Judging from the women's attire, this shot must have been taken pre-World War 1.

Here's a shot of one of the run-bys. The train has just passed by the photographers.

Ah! It's great on the rear platform, watching the scenery unfold! The replica YVRR placard warns that p
assengers are to remain seated while on the rear platform, and to not lean against the railing. Again,
notice the dome! I'm guessing that domes like this were to aid conversation on the rear platform.

This interior shot of #330 shows that a lot of work remains to be done. Notice the beautiful stained-glass
arched windows. These were fabricated by a woman volunteer at the Niles Canyon Railway, to the original pattern. The #330 is privately owned, but was restored at the NCRy, and is stored there.

How about these beautiful Sacramento Northern models!!
(posted 3-30-07)

These beautful hand-built models of two of the Sacramento Northern's classic Niles cars were constructed by master builder Dave Gumz in 1999, and sold in 2007. A third model, of a Sacramento Northern steeple-cab freight motor, went to another buyer. These are 1/12 size (1" = 1 ft.) 4-3/4-inch gauge, a common size for
live-steam trains. No. 131 is battery-powered with a Dayton 24-volt electric motor on each truck. The observation "Bidwell" is a trailer, as was the prototype. As with the prototypes, the models are of primarily wood construction. Trucks and buffers are sprung. There is no interior detail. No. 311 features an odometer, indicating that it has traveled 671 actual miles! The models were regularly run on the trackage of the Golden Gate Live Steamers, in Tilden Park. T hat's a photo of Dave Gumz in #131.

R ev. Phil sends photos of a real-life incline railway near the Horseshoe curve in Pennsylvania (posted 12-4-06)

My wife and I visited Horse Shoe Curve on Monday, August 14. We took photos (see below) of the "funicular" (inclined) railway... [this is a recently constructed tourist railway]. The photos compliment the article about inclined railways in the latest [December 2006] Nor -Cal "Express" newsletter. An inclined railway like this would certainly get attention on a layout, especially if a local paint scheme was used. Of course, this might evoke comments from nitpickers, but the modeler could then point out these photos... like a brave citizen holding up a cross before Dracula!

We arrived early and climbed all those cardiac-challenging steps (at left). An inspector had just emerged from the base station and walked up, checking everything. Notice that the points at the passing siding don't toucheither rail, and there is no frog. The inner rails meet and cross in an "X." Apparently both cars have flanges on the outer edge of the wheels, as did primordial railroads.


Here are the two cars passing on the siding. Electric motors propel the cables. The silence is almost eerie
in contrast to trains negociating the nearby Horseshoe Curve.

Check out that Pennsylvania RR paint scheme, complete with GG1/diesel pinstripes, and the PRR keystone. Boh cars were built at the Durango and Silverton RR shops in Durango, Colorado. They are elegantly appointed inside and out. The clerestory roofs are a nice touch. Both cars are locked iinside when not in use, one at each end of the line.

Here's the meet with the eastbound Pennsylvanian and a freight. Anything and everything was moving by train that morning- even farm machinery on flatcars, which I hadn't seen in years.

More details on the rare Dorfan #770 locomotive by Richard D.
Fletcher TCA #85-22797. This was in reply to my email to him (
posted 11-24-06)

Well , getting to your pictures [refer to the article on page 3 of "What's New?"], you do have a treasure. There areseveral things I can add regarding this loco albeit only my own observations. Over the years I have had a couple of these & currently have one that heads a 5 car consist of freights with the Dorfan automatic couplers. The loco once produced almost assuredly never came with the tender pictured on the 1930 catalog insert. So the tender is right for this loco. Most of them I believe were fitted with the automatic coupler, one of which is pictured on page 195 of the Greenberg book. I had a set at one time that had the tender with the regular coupler & came with the silver blue arrow cars so your consist fits the strategy. The pictures do look to me like the pieces were restored but I can’t tell for sure just by them. The 770 locos I’ve seen do have the white stripe & the red painted wheels. The paint seems to match the cars and there is a set Dorfan marketed with a regular black 55 with the same dark red tender & cars with brass inserts so we know they had them laying around when the 770 came out. I can’t tell from the pictures whether the reversing mechanism is there but commenting on the note in your publication that says “This loco is so rare that even the Greenberg Dorfan book did not have a photograph, nor to my knowledge, has a
photo appeared at any time in the Quarterly or in any other publication”, that would be a bit misleading, we had a 770 to feature in the book but it never got in for some reason although the motor and an explanation of how the reverse w orks can be found on page 168. Also, there is a picture of this loco on page 226 of Hertz’s book Collecting Model Trains and page 3 of the January 1939 issue of The Model Craftsman has a picture of the sample and the production model.

Bottom line is you have a great piece of Dorfan history regardless of whether or not it has been restored. Here is what I know/

1) sets were marketed with both types of couplers on the tenders

(2) the sets I’ve seen with regular hook couplers were always followed by the 71/2” passenger cars like yours has

(3) they are rare no question but I have owned 3 and know several others

Here are two photos of one of my Dorfan #770 locomotives: