Looking at a Tyco train catalog from 1960

 Don't get me wrong guys, I do like looking back at Bachmann's model railroad catalogs, but I wanna shake things up a bit (especially since I'm slowly but surly catching up to modern day Bachmann). 

With that in mind, I wanted to look at Tyco's model train catalogs. Yes guys, I know Tyco had it's own issues and would be more toyetic then realistic at times, but I can't help but have a soft spot for the company. It was their HO scale trains that kept kids asking their parents for trains around the Christmas tree, and some of the stuff I've seen from the company are things I wish could be done again, such as their trucking slot cars that were basically Lionel (now Williams) K-line cars but for HO scale. 

Before I get started, I would like to thank catfordken from the Tyco depot train collectors forum for uploading scans of this and other Tyco catalogs that I plan on looking at in future blogs. 

Not to start praising a no-longer-with-us company from the get go, but some of the train sets Tyco offered were pretty neat. The old strap hanger trolly is a set you don't really see these days, as while there are trolly's out there, it's only one. 

The Chemical special has a fitting name as it comes with all tank cars, minus the mini caboose. 

The Dixie Bell and Golden West Train set remind me of the old Tyme village freight and express from Bachmann. Both train sets comes with an old steam locomotive that's either carrying passenger cars or carrying freight cars. 

I don't know if any of these train sets are still under copywrite as Tyco is long gone, but Bachmann remaking them would be nice. Or you know, they could just re-release the old Tyme village fright and express sets again. 

A train set that is making my "needs to be re-released/remade" list is the El Capitan train set. Maybe it's because I'm looking in the wrong places, but it does bug me how there hasn't been a F3 Santa Fe passenger train set for HO scale. Just about every model railroader knows how iconic the scheme is, yet for some reason there isn't a passenger train set of the F3. 

Speaking of nice train sets, the Colonial limited and Royal Blue Special are both very nice looking train sets. I Know their streamline passenger cars don't hold a candle to the modern ones, but they have their own little charm to them. 

On the fright side of things are the Early Bird West and Mammoth of the Rails, the former set having a box car with a man walking on top of it back and forth. 

One final thing I'd like to note about the catalog is the prices of trains and track offered at the end. For those who can't see the prices, some of the steam trains cost almost $30, and some of the freight cars cost $4. 

Yes I know with inflation these cars would cost as much as modern day train cars and engines, but one could dream...

Thoughts: 

Only other thing I have to add is that this catalog does pretty much describe why I like Tyco. Yes I know, by today's standards they'd be toyetic and not as good as modern day Bachmann or Broadway Limited, but the company seemed to try and put it's best foot forward in giving those that wanted to get into trains some nice train sets to start out with. 

I also stand by the belief that Tyco's smooth passenger cars have their own little charm to them.