Northwest Short Line 18 ton HO scale Shay...yet again...

...October 1973 Model Railroader magazine ad...

Pacer Packs, Railroad Model Craftsman, December 1956...

American Train & Track Corp. HO scale Plymouth diesel...March 1968...

...finally identified, won in a friendly bet with a hobby shop owner, $5 if it didn't run, $10 if it did.

I won...





The company only lasted about 10 years and is most well known for its model of the Alco Century 415, later picked up by Life-Like. It used mechanism parts and truck sideframes from the AHM RS2 locomotives.

Athearn HO scale 4-6-2 Heavy Pacific, introductory ad 1959...

Back in the 50s and 60s, the running joke in the industry went something like this:

Salesman- "Look boss, our model of the Onion Specific 460 Grobnick we announced earlier this year has proven very popular with modelers over the last six months."

CEO- "That's great...I guess we'll have to actually design and manufacture one now..."

In Athearn's case, they did in fact make them but, their mechanism proved so unreliable, that they went though a complete redesign that took almost two years to complete, delaying this model until 1961...


Word is that several of these early Hi-F drives did escape the factory, though no one has ever seen one. In the world of HO, it would truly be worthy of the words "rare" and "highly prized".

Tru-Scale Models READY-TRACK, November 1970...

...can you believe it's that time already?

Aurora N scale Postage Stamp Trains, October 1968....

Arnold Rapido N scale fantasy paint Southern 4-6-2 Pacific

...because it does not have the see-thru spokes or working headlight as advertised in February of 1969, I could only conclude that this would be one of the earlier ones...







It runs quite well, having survived a trip across the Atlantic from the UK. It has a diecast metal boiler and frame (no zinc-pest, yeah!!!), and features something rarely seen in N scale, electrical wiring that runs from the tender to the engine, quite a feat in its day. The valve gear is metal and exceptionally fine for the time as well.

TYCO, January 1969...

Athearn ad, May 1961...

...oh, yeah...who'd o' guessed?


While advertised at $9.95 in this ad (an impressively low price at the time for a locomotive model of this type), by the time of the January 1963 issue of Model Railroader magazine "Trade Topics", it had risen to $10.95, $15.95 assembled. Other changes include the electrical pickup and metal drivers...




All in all, I count three variations, my geared one with the plastic drivers, the one in Trade Topics, with the metal divers, and their first version with...can you believe it...their Hi-F rubber band drive? That will be an interesting find should one come my way...

UPDATE: A reader writes... "(T)hat would be the second production version (not counting the pre-production RB drive, of course). The first version still had the large steel axles for the RB drive with teeth cut into the rearmost axle driven by a worm on the motor shaft, and no whitewalls (that's the one I have). The third version was upgraded with metal drivers and loco pickup. According to the guys on the Vintage HO forum a while back, no one has ever seen a pre-production RB drive.

Many thanks...

Varney, April 1951....

Aurora Plastics, November 1961...

...you just don't see this kind of "Rah-rah" advertising anymore, no matter how self-serving it may be.

Lindberg HO scale EMD SW 600 ad, 1962....

Aristo-Craft 1963...

NWSL ad, May 1974...

Couldn't help but notice that the Shay was promised with all 26" drivers powered, something that was not built into the model I own. Did this one slip by the "normal 100% operational test and verification program". And what's up with a 4" long loco...especially an HO scale Shay...needing 18 inches of radius?

The presence of the additional model notes promised on return of the warranty card tells me that the original owner did just that. Comforting to know...do you think they'll honor the warranty, seeing that the product is not as advertised---37 years later?

The original retail of $89.95 is a pleasant surprise compared to the price I did pay for it. This same model in 2010 dollars would go for $393.16, about the same as they sell for now. So...is brass a real investment...or simply keeping up with inflation?

Varney ad by John Allen, 1959...

...yes, that's a guy swinging from a noose. John never cared for diesel models and claimed that this was a diesel salesman who tried to sell them to his beloved Gorre and Daphetid RR. Apparently, he kept this scene on his railroad long after the ad...






The history of ads up through the early 70s would send a copy editor into a tizzy today...there are some I simply could not reproduce in good conscience here.

And...yes, I found all 25 figures. Allen's were made from bees wax applied to a wire armature, painted with white shoe polish to hold other colors, then painted with oils. Many of his original designs are still found offered by other manufacturers to this day.

Pacific Fast Mail ad, 1969...

...a model of the Northern Pacific/Spokane, Portland & Seattle/Great Northern Z-6 4-6-6-4 steam locomotive.

Gilbert HO ad, 1957....

...note the part about "REAL Choo-choo sounds"...oh, dear...

Mantua General ad, April, 1951...

Trade Topics review, Penn Line HO scale 4-6-2 K-4 Pacific...

..Model railroader magazine, April, 1951...

Athearn ad, August 1951...