@Varneynut posted:Is there any interest out there yet in early HO? I collect and run only early HO mainly early Varney and early Mantua. My main rule is pre-plastic, but I do have some as in all the Lindberg line and early Revell too. Also have a number of plastic 1950’s and 60’s Mantua of stuff that I had as a kid. I’m not out to collect all early plastic Mantua but just enough of the items I remember. I really love the prewar Varney and prewar items as the Megow line of built and kits of their freight cars. Love all the Model Die Casting line of metal locos and freight cars. I build old wood kits of cars anything early vintage HO back when everything had to be built from kits. In to Penn Line, John English, Hobbytown of Boston. Winton, Tiger Valley, Barr Nixon, Cary, metal Athearn, Ideal, and on and on. Any other vintage nuts out there. Let’s talk.... Martin
I have a decent collection of Varney, but between my uncle and my father they have every postwar piece ever made when they did most of their collecting in the 80's and 90's. My uncle started collecting in the 60's actually and his layout hasn't changed since I was a small child which goes back well over 40 years. He still runs it .... with Penn Line power. He was never a fan of the running capabilities of the Varney drive although he has plenty. Also zinc rot caught up with a few of his items being in a PA basement.
They also have their share of pre-war Varney, Penn Line, English, Hobbytown, MDC, Mantua, Athearn, and Lindberg pieces. My dad also has several Tenshodo locos from the 60's. Decent runners. I have a Tenshodo FT B, a Tenshodo GP7 and an Athearn rubber band powered F7 all painted for CNJ even though none of them are prototypically accurate.
About that Penn-Line power he is currently running with. He picked up some at an Allentown show about 5 years ago. The GG1 (the original 4917 in Tuscan 5 stripe) and the K4 run like clockwork. So smooth with no modifications. Goes to show that these older locomotives can be great runners when I don't build the kit.
My Bowser K4 needs new drivers as they all oxidized and a little work to get it to run smoother. Admittedly it has been a while since I've had HO anything out and running though.
