Tin-plate hopper

Last month on the 17th of December, we had the local swap model train meeting in Zutphen, which I crash-visited between several appointments, but that gave me just enough time to find a nice modern tin-plate hopper.

The hall was packed with toy trains, but the general atmosphere was a bit more optimistic than the last swap meeting in March. There was simply more trade. I obviously spend most of my time at the train table of Blik en Speelgoed.
Now I was looking for a tin-plate hopper for quiet some time. I had a Lionel 816 hopper on my wish list for a few years. But those that surfaced here in Europe, were either far beyond restoration or extremely over-valued. So, I was happy to see that Merkur released a full metal modern-tin plate hopper, no. 9416

It is a true modern European hopper (Facss type) and very well made for a full metal train car. Although the chutes cannot be opened, it is still a beauty, which runs and looks great. Finally the tin-plate has arrived. Although, I never practice new years resolutions, I do have figure out what will be next. Perhaps wiring some additional lamps and signals. One of the recent surprises is the re-erection of the Czech top train company named Tioka-Ikaria, which apparently is also planning to release a metal hopper car in the coming year. Well I am anxious to see what they will produce.

By the way, I was given four scratch-built scale 0 train cars a few months ago (they are in the middle of the pictures). They are interesting folk art objects. They are made from cheap wood (cigar boxes) and soldered metal wires. Given the type and grey colour of the paint, I would reckon that they were build in the late forties to early fifties of the last century. Somebody must have spend many evenings making those. The wheels are common bub wheels, which were most likely salvaged from wind-up cars. The couplers are Märklin type. They do not have buffers, as that would probably have been to complicated to self-fabricate in the shed. They have a special appeal to them, which is difficult to comprehend and explain. Anyway, I will sure that they will be kept in good running order for the coming decades.

Spring swap meeting in Zutphen

Last weekend we had our local toy train swap meeting in Zutphen. They even placed bill boards in my street, so I had to go. It is basically a large sport hall, filled with toy trains and toy train enthusiasts.

On top of that, I made an appointment to run a few colourful Lionel trains on Sunday morning on the Merkur layout of Blik en Speelgoed.

So I unpacked my Lionel B&O train and let it run. Obviously the horn made a lasting impression on a few unwary youngsters.

It was nice to let the Lionel trains to blend in on the Merkur layout.

Later we changed back to DC operation and ran a few Merkur trains. This green tank engine is one of my favorites. The new red German rectifier switcher was also present. It was also really nicely made.

There was a nicely made American layout in half zero, which caught my attention. Nice folks with beautiful trains.

For the rest there was the usual trade from the usual suspects. Well hidden we found a few treasures.

Here a wind-up scale zero tinplate train from the fifties, probably commissioned by the German toy trade house Vedes. Anyway, I made myself happy with Marx search light tower and a Merkur lamp post. All in all a beautiful Sunday morning indeed.

Lazy sunday afternoon

Last Sunday, the local group of toy train operators hired the Whitehorse bar to have their annual toy train fest.

Such a gathering in the midst of Carnival, is bound to be pretty laid back.

The trade was kind of slow, but nobody really bothered.

I guess we were all relieved to see normally dressed men, better said, train enthusiasts.

Additionally, we were grateful for being waived from hearing seasonal 'music'.

So, we could peacefully retreat and enjoy the progress of fellow modellers.

It is always fun to see half zero and N-scale layouts. Usually the locomotives have issues with negotiating dust particles on the track. But I must admit, these layouts were well attended and managed. Not a single toy train suffered from a collision with a dust spec.

 We were entertained to see an icy world in our well-heated bar.

The kids had their Lego train

And a string of coal hoppers passed us by. Although we managed to stay away from all the cheerfulness on the streets, we did enjoy a decent Quadruple beer afterwards.