ebay 4-8-4

[chiledog03]

Hello, Any idea who made this and about when.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/O-Gauge-2-Rail ... 4253463264

[ScaleCraft]

Soldered up gearbox...KTM/Max Gray?

[Rufus T. Firefly]

He's got a 2nd one listed that's not painted....

[Jay Criswell]

My first thought was early MG because of the ugly drivers but then I got to thinking, Kemtron imported a few RTR O Scale brass locos. I think all were NYC. They weren't MG or USH. This was back in the mid to late '50s. I wonder if this is an example of such a model.

Jay

[2railjon]

I don’t feel so bad now on spending $400 for this Williams 2 Rail Niagara now.

[chiledog03]

Don’t think it’s Max Gray/ Ktm the listing says it has a cast boiler also there’s a live steam what looks to be a 4-8-4 northern on eBay wondering if anyone else has noticed it Made by Roll Neff maybe?

[bob turner]

A link to the Neff steamer, please? Wasn't he the dry ice guy?

Lousy photos of the Niagara, and no decent tender shots. My guess is Max Gray mechanism, scratch boiler and valve gear, and not enough info on the tender to even guess.

Weaver and some Williams models are well built and easily worth $4-500. The elegant Williams B6sb is an excellent buy at $200. The Williams "J" originally sold for $850. I know, because I paid that much, bailing out Vince Waterman, who knew the price would be cut in half the next week. He did apologize.

[R.K. Maroon]

My first thought was early MG because of the ugly drivers but then I got to thinking, Kemtron imported a few RTR O Scale brass locos. I think all were NYC. They weren't MG or USH. This was back in the mid to late '50s. I wonder if this is an example of such a model.

Jay

Excellent memory, Jay. I had forgotten this but as soon as I read your post I remembered it too. Here is a page from the #6 Kemtron catalog:



Jay wins the "Sherlock Holmes" award here. Bravo!

[ScaleCraft]

Maybe. Possibly. The ad says "all brass construction of heavy gauge material". The rubbed off edges of the elephant ears on the evilbait offering don't show brass, and the boiler has the pebbly appearance of sand cast bronze.
The hump of the handrail over the front end throttle bellcrank...stack height....smokebox front on EB photos looks cast.
Who knows? Artists rendition, pre-production?
Could be. However, a properly done model by one manufacturer SHOULD look just like a properly done model by another.

Nice, either one.

[Jay Criswell]

Actually, I was looking more at the unpainted model. The first one could be most anything. Die cast superstructure? Maybe. Paint is so thick it's kinda hard to tell. Elephant ears are sheet metal, of some kind. Love the big old screws used to attach the lower front edge and the rear cab wall. The mechanism is very similar to MG but doesn't have the MG tag. They were soldered in place but, after all these years, it could have been removed.

I may be wrong but, I think I saw a reversing switch, just like the early MG had, in his early imports that used universal motors. Maybe instead of typing this I should go back and look again.

I now wonder if the unpainted model is an earlier Kemtron import (prior to #6). I thought they did one prior. Where the hell did I put all my old Kemtron catalogs.

Jay

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Actually, I was looking more at the unpainted model.

Thought that one might be more interesting.

[Carey Williams]

Hello all ..I think the Niagara was a Baldwin...offered late 50's ..as a cast boiler .... chassis looked to be an import ...but shell Baldwin ...was advertised in the early 60's when Ken Hyslop owned the company ...
Cheers Carey ..

[Carey Williams]

If you like Niagara's ...at the recently March Meet ...I was able to buy this Scale Railways Model / Jack Ferris version roughly from 1940 ...runs like a top ....
cheers Carey

0317191737~2.jpg (1.39 MiB) Viewed 5356 times

[bob turner]

I don’t care for Niagaras, but that looks like a very good model!

[Carey Williams]

Thank you Bob .....the Niagara can crawl up the hill and crawl down it ...most impressive .....it is straining with my radius (48") ...but she does it ....fun to see the toys move ... cheers Carey