There is a small display of THOMAS at NTTM, donated by the Thomas heirs. Display includes several engines, some Civil War era cars & a Wenonah station platform similar to the one seen in TCA Quarterly two or three issues past. NTTM is open FREE tomorrow from 10 AM til 5 PM. Jim Lyle In a message dated 10/11/2011 9:34:21 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [email protected] writes:
Long years ago I aquired a Thomas 2 8 0 scale O. Seems to be about the s ame degree of detail as the Nord S locos. Always interested in the old stuff. Thanks to Rollie and all who responded re Stinson/Nord. Stan --- In [email protected], JGG KahnSr <jacekahn@...> wrote: > > > The more I learn about the early days of the hobby the more questions come to mind, most of which can now never be answered, as so many of > the key players are long gone. > > Thomas (Bill?) was involved with Mantua, perhaps even before WWII (not sure) but went off on his own after the war, producing absolutely wonderful > tank car kits (still sought-after by O scale modelers) and a B&O C-16a kit offered for either full-scale or tinplate use, and a small 2-8-0 that used many > of the C-16a parts. Around 1950 he branched out into more tinplate with an old-time 4-4-0, arch-roofed passenger cars, and short older freight cars. > All featured early Mantua-type engineering of a combination of die-castings and brass stampings. Some time later in the 1950's he relocated to Oklahoma > where he picked up much of Elliott Donnelly's ScaleCraft freight car line (Donnelly having had to assume leadership of the family printing business--a major > industrial operation, whose largest customer may well have been the Sears Roebuck catalogue), only to suffer a disastrous fire which destroyed most of > the masters and production fixtures. I have a ScaleCraft kit or two (with instructions still saying ScaleCraft) with Thomas labels. From the wreckage > All Nation salvaged enough to re-run the basic single-dome tank car kit (no more of the distinctive six-dome wine tankers, which used a different dome > casting and a few other detail changes). > > Jace Kahn > > General Manager > Ceres & Canisteo RR Co./Champlain County Traction Co. > > > > > > I recall both pronuntiations. I was in Glenside in 1950 but going to school in NY City via the Reading- CRRNJ for 3 1/2 months. I rode with my uncle who ran everything non oil or gas for Mobil Oil. Many high powered lawyers and executives rode that earluy train. It was a real education. One regular managed the Gulf Oil tanker fleet. > > > > The Rdg pass was good for 30 days, on any train. I took a few days off woner of which I went over to NJ to spend a morning at the Mantua plant. There was quite a difference in thase two owner - partners. I later realized why they split up. Mantua had good products. There was a slight Lionel toy influence though. There was quite a machine shop and production plant > > I also spent a day with John English, He was packaging all his items in his living room and dining room. His wife was quite wound up about it. > > > > Another visit was with Penn Models. HO. They were operating out of 2 garages. Reall jammed in. Their parts were contracted out. > > > > Also spent a morning with Al Pittman. He had just made the first of a new small motor, and a new larger one. > > > > Those 3 1/2 months included an evening with Paul Mallery (he was from Columbus OH). I also road all the subways and El's, the New Haven, L.I. Staten Island, Susquehanna, Lackawanna, All the Philly area trolleys, and all the NY area ferries. > > Anyway I learned a lot from the Mantua visit. Manufacturing trains was not that easy. But there were some very dedicated people in those days who knew how to make things. Not all MBA's. > > > > S also had to contend with interruptions from wars. Especialy Korea. Cleveland Models could not get materials, even for their airplane kits. > > > > Walthers stuck it out during WW II. Varnet had screw machines in his basement. Then expanded that after the war. Miller was interrupted by WW II. Certain materials were in short supply even after the war. Spent an afternoon with him the day I was discharged from Great Lakes. > > > > China was not on the horizon yet. Sen. McCarthy's N Y City buddy had not grabbed Lionel yet. (another story). > > > > Enough rambling. > > > > John Armstrong > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: Bill Lane > > To: [email protected] > > Sent: Tuesday, October 11, 2011 5:28 AM > > Subject: {S-Scale List} Mantua & regrind > > > > > > > > When discussing trains I can at times easily tell when someone does not live > > around here. This became obvious to me years ago when talking to former S > > Scaler and lifelong New Yorker Vic Rosemen. Besides Mantua Metals,(what it > > was called before Tyco) Mantua is also a town that is 2 towns away from me > > (about 6 miles). Around here there has never EVER been a "T" in Mantua. It > > is pronounced "MAN chu wa". Vic was always "Man TU a". The first time I > > heard it I had to ask him what that was! (:->) > > > > My friend's father that worked at Tyco and obviously my tour guide had some > > rather old Mantua Metals trains. These had loop couplers instead of the horn > > hook and some were possibly sheet metal? It has been about 37 years since I > > saw them. > > > > In reference to Jace's comment on recycling, at that same plotter factory > > they did injection molding. The tree, sprues or whatever leftovers you want > > to call then went into a grinder machine. There was a percentage by weight > > of what previously used material you could recycle (20% sticks in my mind > > but I could be wrong) Further I don't recall what the consequences were if > > you exceeded the percentage. But for sure you had to use mostly new plastic > > pellets for whatever reason. > > > > Thank You, > > Bill Lane > > > > Modeling the Mighty Pennsy & PRSL in 1957 in S Scale since 1988 > > > > See my finished models at: > > <http://www.lanestrains.com/> http://www.lanestrains.com > > Look at what has been made in PRR in S Scale! > > > > Custom Train Parts Design > > <http://www.lanestrains.com/SolidWorks_Modeling.htm> > > http://www.lanestrains.com/SolidWorks_Modeling.htm > > > > PRR Builders Photos Bought, Sold & Traded > > (Trading is MUCH preferred) > > <http://www.lanestrains.com/PRRphotos.xls> > > http://www.lanestrains.com/PRRphotos.xls > > > > ***Join the PRR T&HS*** > > The other members are not ALL like me! > > <http://www.prrths.com/> http://www.prrths.com > > <http://www.lanestrains.com/PRRTHS_Application.pdf> > > http://www.lanestrains.com/PRRTHS_Application.pdf > > > > Join the Pennsylvania Reading Seashore Lines Historical Society > > It's FREE to join! <http://www.prslhs.com/> http://www.prslhs.com > > Preserving The Memory Of The PRSL > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > > > > > > > > __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 6533 (20111011) __________ > > > > The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. > > > > http://www.eset.com > > > > > > > > __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 6533 (20111011) __________ > > > > The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. > > > > http://www.eset.com > > > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------ > > > > Yahoo! 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