Unique Art trains show and tell

Good stuff! Had the chance to acquire one powered unit recently, was very close to jumping, but as I’m in the throes of reallygetting the new layout going it wasn’t in my “items for layout “ checklist but it was/still is in my “cool tinplate I’ll try to justify is for layout” . Did happen to get a unique art Zeppelin that was part of one of their toys and is hanging above my layout.

love the size of the Rock Island Unit, it’s got neat sounding motor power too. Are those AEC tankers it’s pilling?

also- nice layout!

Those tankers are the only cars I have with knuckle couplers so they had to do in a pinch. My only complaint is I wish they had made the coupler Marx compatible.

Yes, the coupler is a reason the Rock Island (a personal favorite road)  diesels passed through my graspy hands and did not stay. There is rare and elusive Unique rolling stock such as circus and passenger cars l have rarely or never seen.

Yeah, man! Nice locomotives, your lithography is in excellent shape. 

They are at least colorful enough follow it "correctly"; they "pop" too

I love all things AEC so I was happy to see your Rock Island pulling them

Unique Art made some really neat lithographed toysin general. I think someone gave the history lesson in another thread but-UA owner and Louis Marx were friends and Marx even helped Unique Art out a bit, their products never really competed. When Unique Art decided to get into toy trains it was an affront to Louis Marx for a few reasons- the help provided before, the general feeling of competition, but mainly, and this is speculative, for 2 reasons(or reasons 1a and 1b): 1a- Lithography and 1b- size. Unique Art introduced their trains at a time when tin lithography was seen as outdated for trains for all companies except Marx. If Marx took that as an offense then imagine how he felt that the trains were bigger to the extent that they were in proportion to other postwar O offerings in plastic. Also, who knows how much of the Dorfan tooling Unique Art had and could perfect. Just musing outloud but it is rather interesting

I often wonder what UA could have done if the timing had been better. Makes you wonder if anyone knows what they had planned before it all fell apart.

Here's an old photo I took before I expanded my layout into the next room.  The passenger cars are Japanese tinplate.  I now have the second A unit, but they are shelf queens.

Also attaching a photo of what might be Unique's rarest set. Interesting to compare Unique with the British Wells Brimtoy.  Note the photo sent to me by my friend Colin Duthie from New Zealand . Brimtoy on left. Unique on right.

Lew Schneider

lewrail posted:

Here's an old photo I took before I expanded my layout into the next room.  The passenger cars are Japanese tinplate.  I now have the second A unit, but they are shelf queens.

Also attaching a photo of what might be Unique's rarest set. Interesting to compare Unique with the British Wells Brimtoy.  Note the photo sent to me by my friend Colin Duthie from New Zealand . Brimtoy on left. Unique on right.

 

Lew Schneider

Those Japanese passenger cars don't look like too bad a fit. That is interesting the similarities with that British tinplate.

I saw once on ebay someone got a real steal on the UA passenger cars. I really wish UA had been able to produce a few more large scale offerings before it all fell apart.

What is the value of a pair of those Rock Island diesels?

Yes, would like to be able to acquire some more Unique Art, perhaps some passenger cars to go with my motive power.  Do not see often, put to buy any UA when it presents itself... just not often.

Jesse   TCA  12-68275

I pull a string of Lionel Postwar aluminum coaches with mine. Looks good.

Steve

I never thought about the Lionel aluminum coaches. I guess being a tinplate engine. I kept thinking tinplate cars! 

As for value. I see them sell on ebay quite often. I think I over paid for my set but they came in the box and with the instructions. As they say what ever you feel comfortable paying is what they are worth.

I have 2 sets of Unique Art , but strangely could only find photos of the one !

The other set has a original tender ( this one has had a repaint)

The swinging figure on the UA caboose was a great idea imo.

(Kusan had a static plastic figure on pw crummies)

Steve,  I like the idea of pulling some 2300 series cars!  Yep, never thought of that, will have to try it.  With two sets of R.I. AA, maybe see how well two power units pull together, or just add in the extra dummy A for an A-A-A...…..   Thanks for the idea, sir.

Jesse   TCA

Here's some pictures of my Unique trains.    I no longer own the passenger train, though.  It went to someone who appreciates it much more than I ever did.

I also have the circus train, but cannot find any pictures of it at the moment.

New in box clockwork setCaboose w/ Benny Brakeman.Rare pass cars.Controlling Rheostat.

THANKS, ALL for sharing your Unique treasures!

Here are some pictures of myUnique Art Trains. the passenger cars took a lot of searching and $$$$

hhtrains: WOW! You are undoubtedly the Unique MEISTER! An amazing collection!

I always liked the caboose with the swinging brakeman. Wish they were a little more reasonable to pick up.

Definitely cool to see so much.  

  I hadn't thought muçh about it before, but the number of UA toys vs Marx vs Hafner/Wyandotte I saw as a kid is kinda proportional to the closeness to the/a company location/plants.   Unique Arts(Ohio Arts) and Marx in east to southern Ohio, More Marx heading west & north, Wyandotte halfway along Erie getting even thicker towards Detroit as UA thinned.   Tons of Wyandotte toys around Detroit when I was young. Almost as common as Marx, especially in Wyandotte (city).  And around Kent State, ALL he kids had UA/OA.

 This is just what I recall while traveling and visiting folks we'd met...traveling .

Here are mine! Impulse purchase in the Orange Hall at York one year.

Put this video together a few years ago before I sold it all.

Steve

https://youtu.be/2iaiVW9vFeY

I thought I had a photo of my Unique RIs pulling  the Williams Golden State RI set. Couldn't find it.  Set was sold but I still have the Uniques. 

The following photos show the Unique RI pulling the Japanese floor train cars in two distinct time periods.  The first is on my original layout sometime during the late 1990s or early 2000s.  The second is today. The only item in the same place appears to be the large Hornby engine shed in the background.

Enjoy.

@lewrail posted:

I thought I had a photo of my Unique RIs pulling  the Williams Golden State RI set. Couldn't find it.  Set was sold but I still have the Uniques. 

The following photos show the Unique RI pulling the Japanese floor train cars in two distinct time periods.  The first is on my original layout sometime during the late 1990s or early 2000s.  The second is today. The only item in the same place appears to be the large Hornby engine shed in the background.

Enjoy.

They look like they were meant to be RDC cars. How were they listed? I'd like to find some.

Steve

Again, Steve, they were floor trains. Might be adaptable for O Gauge but I've never tried.

Made in Japan by Ichiko, so if you check out the internet/Ebay, they should show up.

Lew

My only item is the Rock Island diesels.

Tom

@lewrail posted:

Again, Steve, they were floor trains. Might be adaptable for O Gauge but I've never tried.

Made in Japan by Ichiko, so if you check out the internet/Ebay, they should show up.

 

Lew

There are a few sizes that look similar. I’m guessing these are 32cm, about 1’.

Steve

Yes, the ones you want are 34 cm.  But watch out.  The shorties have the same decorative pattern---and lower prices.

Lew

OK little late to the party, but here are mine.  Not much of a collection, just the one set which based on the above is likely to be missing the orange hopper car.  My caboose also does not have "Benny the Brakeman" but seems otherwise the same. 

Here is the full set (as far as I have) CW engine, tender, boxcar and caboose -w/o Benny.

Engine and Tender - close up.  The tender is really marvelous, much larger than many tinplate tenders and closer to prototype size.

Just for information, here is the cab of the  cw loco, mostly open as you can see but you can just make out the bell.  However it does show the Unique Art trademark, the juggling clown.

I never scored the Rock Island diesels, still on the hunt for those.  The cattle car is another holy grail I continue to look for, it is one of the best examples of lithography I have seen...and how did those cows get their heads through the slats anyway?

Best Regards...Don McErlean

Here’s my Rock Islands with Lionel coaches.

Steve

Those do look really nice together.