Prewar O Trolley?

Sometimes you can find the next-best thing if you try Google images for " Paya clockwork trolley ". There are home conversions running out there on Marx and speeder drives. It seems a little closer to S scale/0-27, which would fit right in. Paya was a Spanish tinplate manufacturer - that might set you off in a whole new collecting direction!

I've noticed the distinct lack of prewar O gauge trolleys... which is what forced me to take some Joy Line coach parts, combine them with a small Hornby clockwork mechanism, and top it off with a trolley pole made of wire:

Elegant?  Certainly not.  But it sure is fun to watch the little bugger zip around my layout! 

Not prewar, but done in prewar style.

There are very few O gauge prewar trolleys that I know of. The only operating American made one that comes to mind is the Ives "Suburban" trolley. I think it came both electric and windup... But I'm not the Ives expert.

There are a few European O trolleys. Bing made a beauty.

Pride Lines made a prewar style O trolley.

There is the tin Broadway trolley by Chein. And a Main Street trolley by Mohawk. But neither are motorized. Both of these are close to "O scale".

I motorized a prewar litho Chein Broadway trolley. Powered by the motorized truck from a handcar. I use a Z-Stuff auto reverse for back and forth operation. Not "original", but it has the right look.

There was the Lionel Corporation tinplate trolleys but these are standard gauge.  It's based on a New York City trolley which was entered at the open back platform under the conductor's control with the front sliding door under the control of the motorman.

Here's a few of the Pride Lines O gauge trolleys. I have a half a dozen of them. The Disney figures can always be removed. The cream and maroon one is a repaint.

Steve

Ives of course made several trolleys in the pre-war period, check out this link.

david

Here is the vintage Paya unit.

Bub made a nice clockwork trolleys in single and two-car several versions.

also seen dark blue and maroon versions of the one on the right.

Keim also had a neat battery powered 2-car unit

also found in a 3-car version in two-tone green. Again battery powered

Unfortunately the Keim clockwork trolley has rubber tires and ran on a single rail.

Orobor (or Orobr, have seen it spelled both ways) made several clockwork floor trolleys that could be adapted for rails also.

Just curious. Are the Pride Lines trolleys good runners? How ell does the plastic drive gear hold-up?

Thanks!

I have a couple of Pride Lines Strandard Gauge trolleys that run ok but I heard alot of pros and cons about Pride Lines in the past but mine are ok.

Not prewar itself, but the Toonerville Trolley is definitely O Guage tinplate and based on a prewar comic. Sorry, but I do not have any pictures

rdg_fan posted:

Just curious. Are the Pride Lines trolleys good runners? How ell does the plastic drive gear hold-up?

Thanks!

Most of mine are somewhat noisy, but run well after tweaking the pick up slider a bit. I have never run them for extended periods, so I cannot speak to the durability of the mechanism.

Steve

The early Postwar Minitoy trolleys would be a good candidates with their powerful Pittman motors, sliding

pickups, and clunker E units.  Only two models made --Rapid Transit, and Public Service.  Took me forever

to find Public Service at a reasonable price.  All metal of course.

lewrail

Reviving a thread from the dead .... Just picked up an OROBR Tram/Trolley myself tonight

Unsure of Gauge or if indeed it will run on rails , but hey its got flanged wheels of a sort

lewrail posted:

The early Postwar Minitoy trolleys would be a good candidates with their powerful Pittman motors, sliding

pickups, and clunker E units.  Only two models made --Rapid Transit, and Public Service.  Took me forever

to find Public Service at a reasonable price.  All metal of course.

 

lewrail

Hi Lewrail

You mentioned Minitoy for working O scale trolleys.

Minitoy, (Minnitoy) as in Otaco from Orillia Ontario?

rdg_fan posted:

Just curious. Are the Pride Lines trolleys good runners? How ell does the plastic drive gear hold-up?

Thanks!

I have one, it's ok, I've had to tweak it a few times so it makes good contact with the pickup. But my only real beef with it is it's big! Like it would almost look ok on a standard gauge layout.

Minitoys Inc. introduced the Brill style trolleys in 1949 using Pittman Co parts.  Eventually the trolleys wee produced by the Bowser  Manufacturing Co.

Lew