My Tin Toys

Tom Thumb trains were made in the early 1930s. These are just junk. Cheaply made to sell for a few dollars during the depression few survived long.

One innovation of the Tom Thumb trains was the transformer inside a station. I’ll add a picture of the transformer after I dig it out.

The set shown above has a 881 electric loco. This runs forward only and doesn’t have an operating headlight. Looks like they might have made a version with an electric headlight because there are tabs for one on the roof.

A tangerine orange colored 1903 tom Thumb railroad tank car follows the locomotive. I don’t know if the dome is correct on the tanker. Looks like it’s the insert from a can of brake fluid. It even says cut out in reversed type.

Next up is a 1901 Green and black gondola. Nothing interesting to mention here. The couplers on the set shown above have been painted black. They should be unpainted metal.

Following the gondola is a Fast Freight 1902 box car. Wood sided with brown roof. This is probably the same basic car as the passenger cars, as it looks more like a baggage car.

Bringing up the rear is the 1904 Tom Thumb Railroad Caboose. These cars ride low on the track by having the wheel recessed into the frame.

The loco is 7.5 inches long. The cars are 6.5 inches long. Measurements don’t include couplers.

You can see Tom Thumb Toys on eBay here.

This is a wonderful set of trains. I just bought this a few days ago. I think this is from the mid 1930s. I’ve seen other versions of these cars that appear earlier. My dad has a similar engine that is a bit more detailed.

This is a Marklin RV 12890 steeple cab electric loco. The same loco was sold in a wind up version as the 890. This has a hand reverse lever.

The cars are a Marklin 1750 Rheingold baggage car, and a 1st class sleeper without a number on it, but I think it’s a 1780. The passenger car does have a insert with bunks. Here’s a picture of the interior:

I also got the small station and the semaphore shown in the picture at the top, and this bigger station:

This station is only marked with the words “foreign made,” but the man who got the train said it was purchased in Germany before his family moved to the US in the late 1930s.

Here’s a link to see Marklin O gauge trains on eBay

I have about 15 Lionel 38 locomotives. This is easily the rarest color I own. The 38 is very common in black and gray, but almost never found in bright colors.

The story on these bright colored engines is Lionel either painted replacement shells in the late 1920s using whatever color they were painting at the time, or these were special orders. Until the late 1920s Lionel repair forms included the option to paint an item in any normal Lionel color.

Whatever the reason this Lionel 38 was painted this color, it’s one rare train.

Note - The value of this 38 locomotive is due to it’s unusual color. The finish is the original 1920s paint applied by Lionel. If a black loco was painted this color by a restorer, the value would be no more than a repainted black loco.

See these engines on eBay

SELF-ADHESIVE DECALS: LIONEL STD GAUGE #38 LOCO

US $6.00 End Date: Tuesday Aug-17-2010 14:46:42 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $6.00 Buy it now | Add to watch list

US $22.00 End Date: Sunday Aug-29-2010 7:10:05 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $22.00 Buy it now | Add to watch list

This is a neat car. Made in the late 1930s in Indiana. Earlier versions of the Kokomo Electricars have larger motors and have belts between the motor and the axle while this version has a geared drive.

The Kokomo car has an ingenious way of getting electrical current to the motor. The car has two contacts on one end of the bumper. These contacts rub against a fence. The wheels are spring loaded to turn towards the fence so electric contact is maintained.

The original box says “The KoKoMo Electricar. The Fastest Electric Toy Made.”

You can see what these Kokomo Electricars sell for on eBay here.