Mostly This old Mantua steam engine seems have better days in past. I got it at a swap meet. After some work cleaning wheels, changing wires, it runs and has personality.
Also have a Tri-ang boxcar with the weirdest proportions I’ve ever seen—doesn’t really match anything else on the layout, but I keep it in the consist because it always gets a comment or two when people see it.
Occasionally the most fun to operate are these strange, unknown, or extinct brand goods. Part of the appeal is their background story.
We often celebrate the big names in model railroading, but what about those lesser-known or now-defunct manufacturers that produced some truly unique or ahead-of-their-time pieces?
Do you have any rare or unusual vintage locomotives or rolling stock from brands like Varney, Mantua, Tri-ang, or Marx? Maybe a model with a quirky design, odd scale, or a backstory that makes it special?
