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Happy Holidays everyone- here's a whimsical little Christmas scene from our living room featuring a gauge one Bing for Bassett Lowke steamer, and coming up alongside, Bonzo the dog. Bonzo was a cartoon created by George Studdy in 1922, and it popularity led to a variety of toys and figurines. At right is a Felix the Cat stuffed animal from the 1920's that my wife found. Cracks me up every time I see it. Thanks for all the great tinplate posts this year!

A whimisical holiday selection cc

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  • A whimisical holiday selection cc

Guys I am really late to the party and with such great historical tinplate a bit of a "piker" but here is something you might enjoy. It is a FANDOR 1 dome tanker with no Petrol or other product brand name markings, I believe it was the first of their tankers made as it seems to track the data I got from the Western Division, TCA website where it  appears in the first train they illustrate.  It has "made in Germany" embossed into the underside of the frame and the "JKCo" logo in a triangular format.  The same logo appears on the tank, lower center panel but in an oval format. My speculation is that this logo refers to Joseph Kraus one of the founders and a supplier of much of the capital.  The other printing on the tanker appears to be hand lettered but is in fact litho'd in the paint scheme.  This has  typical RR built date and load info and lists a built date of 1909.  FANDOR was founded in Nuremberg in 1910 but was prevented from importing to the US after we entered WW1.  The company subsequently began manufacturing in the US but under the name DORFAN (clever inversion) but since this car carries a "made in Germany" imprint I guess i have to date it between 1910 and 1916.  It is a pale green (original color as best I can tell (it has never been re-painted) with black litho trim - including the seam lines and rivets connecting the simulated tank plates to the frame and each other.  The dome is black and anodized not painted.

By the way, I loved BIGMARX75's video of the wind up Marx train on his garden track.  Its unbelievable that a wind up could run for such a distance.  I have a similar wind up but it has a bright red tender and the frames on the Montclair coach and Observation are black and I don't have the illuminated drumhead.

Happy Holidays

Don

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  • mceclip0: Dorfan Tanker
Don McErlean posted:

 

By the way, I loved BIGMARX75's video of the wind up Marx train on his garden track.  Its unbelievable that a wind up could run for such a distance.  I have a similar wind up but it has a bright red tender and the frames on the Montclair coach and Observation are black and I don't have the illuminated drumhead.

Happy Holidays

Don

By the way, it was Fred's video . The locomotive came with a Bogota and Observation which were not bright (as the tender) and had black frames, see pic. I combined the clockwork locomotive for the video with the cars of another Marx electric set I have since these car looked much better/brighter/christmassy.

Regards

Fred

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  • mceclip0
Don McErlean posted:

Guys I am really late to the party and with such great historical tinplate a bit of a "piker" but here is something you might enjoy. It is a FANDOR 1 dome tanker with no Petrol or other product brand name markings, I believe it was the first of their tankers made as it seems to track the data I got from the Western Division, TCA website where it  appears in the first train they illustrate.  It has "made in Germany" embossed into the underside of the frame and the "JKCo" logo in a triangular format.  The same logo appears on the tank, lower center panel but in an oval format. My speculation is that this logo refers to Joseph Kraus one of the founders and a supplier of much of the capital.  The other printing on the tanker appears to be hand lettered but is in fact litho'd in the paint scheme.  This has  typical RR built date and load info and lists a built date of 1909.  FANDOR was founded in Nuremberg in 1910 but was prevented from importing to the US after we entered WW1.  The company subsequently began manufacturing in the US but under the name DORFAN (clever inversion) but since this car carries a "made in Germany" imprint I guess i have to date it between 1910 and 1916.  It is a pale green (original color as best I can tell (it has never been re-painted) with black litho trim - including the seam lines and rivets connecting the simulated tank plates to the frame and each other.  The dome is black and anodized not painted.

By the way, I loved BIGMARX75's video of the wind up Marx train on his garden track.  Its unbelievable that a wind up could run for such a distance.  I have a similar wind up but it has a bright red tender and the frames on the Montclair coach and Observation are black and I don't have the illuminated drumhead.

Happy Holidays

Don

Hello Don,

the companies FANDOR and DORFAN were two different manufacturers, but from one family, they were cousins. The names of the mother and aunt were used, in Germany FANny and DORa and in the USA DORa and FANny.

There was an exchange of parts between the companies, but both were independent.

Your car is the regular model 1254/1, made 1926-30.

Greetings

Arne

Wow Thank you Fellows:  Arne - I now have a date for the car and its great to know the mfr number and that it was a regular production item.  Mr. R.S.Butler - thank you for the picture of the 8 wheel version of the car.  I went back with my magnifying glass and could make out the "4000 Gal Tank" markings but when I observed them before (they are black on my car) they looked to me like they had been added in magic marker by some child or fellow late in the car's life just because they didn't like the fact that it had no markings.  I was excited to find out that they were real.

SNcF231e "Fred" :  Thanks for the response on the Marx set, the one you sent with the black frames is (as near as I can tell) just like mine although my coach is a "Montclair" vice a "Bogota".  I agree the red frames (prewar only) are more handsome.  I do have an 8 wheel set with a sliding door baggage, a Montclair Pullman, and a Observation that (since its 6" / 8 wheel) is also prewar but its pulled by a black Commodore Vanderbilt / and a black NYC tender (also a 6" car body)- all black except for the NYC spelled out in white letters.  However the loco is electric and like most Marx loco's I find runs GREAT!

Fellows thanks for all the info, it is data that I would not know how to find anywhere else.

Happy New Year  Don

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