Toy trains Archives

American Flyer whistling billboard

Dave Farquhar Toy trains September 29, 2022September 10, 2022

You know what your train layout needs? More commercialism. Or maybe not, but here’s why you may want an American Flyer whistling billboard anyway, even if you’re trying to make your layout an escape from the less happy real world.

Dave Farquhar

David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He has written professionally about computers since 1991, so he was writing about retro computers when they were still new. He has been working in IT professionally since 1994 and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He holds Security+ and CISSP certifications. Today he blogs five times a week, mostly about retro computers and retro gaming covering the time period from 1975 to 2000.

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American Flyer Gabe the Lamplighter

Dave Farquhar Toy trains September 22, 2022July 24, 2022

Gabe the Lamplighter is a beloved American Flyer post-war train accessory. It combines movement and light, providing something besides the trains that a visitor to a layout can control.

Dave Farquhar

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What is tin lithography, or tin litho?

Dave Farquhar Toy trains September 15, 2022October 14, 2022

Tin lithography is a manufacturing process involving printing a design on tin plated steel, then forming the metal into a design. Lithography is the specific printing process in this case.

Tin lithography is something of a lost art today, or it is at least much less common than it used to be. Tin lithographed toys were, in some ways, the cheap plastic toys of their era, occupying a lowbrow space alongside cast toys made of pot metal. Today the process is largely used for gift boxes and novelty items.

Dave Farquhar

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Lionel semi flat black

Dave Farquhar Toy trains September 8, 2022August 20, 2022

When repainting or restoring post-war Lionel locomotives, many hobbyists used and recommended a Krylon product. That part number was 1613, and it was available at many hardware stores. Unfortunately, Krylon no longer sells it at retail. Fortunately, there is a substitute you can use today for Lionel semi flat black.

Dave Farquhar

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What is a Lionel E-unit?

Dave Farquhar Toy trains September 1, 2022June 4, 2022

You don’t have to hang out with Lionel enthusiasts for long before you hear about a mysterious thing called an e-unit. But what is a Lionel e-unit, anyway?

The Lionel e-unit is an electromechanical device that allows Lionel trains to sequence through forward, neutral, and reverse when the operator cycles power to the track, making it easier to simulate train operations. Originally the e-unit operated using a solenoid, copper fingers and a drum to change the motor’s polarity. In recent years, various companies have replicated the e-unit’s function with electronics.

Dave Farquhar

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Japanese tin trains

Dave Farquhar Toy trains August 25, 2022June 4, 2022

Some time ago, I had an idea to build a tin HO scale train layout using one or more old Japanese tin trains. I never got around to it, but Ralph Graves had the idea independently of me, and unlike me, he followed through and built what he imagined in his mind. The results are, in a word, spectacular.

Dave Farquhar

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Colber electric train accessories

Dave Farquhar Toy trains August 18, 2022September 22, 2022

Colber was a manufacturer of electric train accessories from 1949 to 1954, and electronics components from 1955 to around 1995. They were based in Irvington, New Jersey. The name was an amalgamation of its founders’ last names, Collett and Burke.

Dave Farquhar

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Marx 6-inch observation car

Dave Farquhar Toy trains August 11, 2022April 4, 2024

The Marx observation passenger car was a 6-inch passenger car based on the design Marx used for its 6-inch freights. The basic design underwent some changes and updates over the years, but Marx used the name from 1935 to 1942, then resumed production in 1946 and continued until 1961. Observation cars ran on the end of passenger trains and had a platform that passengers could use to admire the landscape as the train moved.

Dave Farquhar

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Marx Montclair passenger car

Dave Farquhar Toy trains August 4, 2022April 4, 2024

The Marx Montclair passenger car was a 6-inch passenger car based on the design Marx used for its 6-inch freights. The basic design underwent some changes and updates over the years, but Marx used the name from 1935 to 1942, then resumed production in 1946 and continued until 1961.

Dave Farquhar

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Marx Bogota passenger car

Dave Farquhar Toy trains July 28, 2022April 4, 2024

The Marx Bogota passenger car was a 6-inch passenger car based on the design Marx used for its 6-inch freights. The basic design underwent some changes and updates over the years, but Marx used the name from 1935 to 1942, then resumed production in 1946 and continued until 1961.

Dave Farquhar

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