These all from the August, 1968 MR issue. The introduction of the (In?)famous Jamco cast brass Pacific. I wanted one so bad but almost 50 bucks? Forget it: The NGC Guide was a monthly publication that provided reviews of the various N gauge products of the day: This is the first AHM ad I have selling N gauge, unless I missed an earlier one. I'm pretty sure they were selling N gauge before this: Atlas introducing the car kits! This was supposed to have been an extensive line but evidently, sales were not sufficient enough to keep it going. I guess the price differential between the RTR and kits was not enough to induce modelers to buy the kits: Doug
I remember those, fun and simple much like Athearn's "shake the box" kits of the day. Just like M-T's later effort with kits, they didn't catch on.
Yeah, the reason given was that, supposedly, N scalers just weren't the DIY/kit types which, I suppose, was basically true. In those days, I was, however (age has made me less so). I eventually accumulated almost all the kits, too, most of which were in one big lot. The kind of weird thing is, I left some of them unassembled. Doug
The only reason those kits were attractive was because of the cost. You could practically shake the box and have them come out assembled. Well, not really but they were that simple. It's fun to look back but I'm so glad we are past that era of model railroading. Products available to us today, are by far a better thing.
On the ones I still run, which also includes the PC (and that does NOT stand for "Politically Correct" ),boxcar, I replaced the terrible plastic wheelsets with metal wheels as the rolling qualities of the originals was almost nonexistent. Give them a push and they might roll, what, about 1/2". Doug
There is an excellent compilation of the various labels used by Kadee from the first release in 1972. The brand name for Kadee's freight car product has been "Micro-Trains" from day one. https://trainsnscale.com/models-and...rains-product-and-packaging-variations-guide/
Okay, shut me down if you can. Not to worry your good. To start off with. There was a set of twins, that set out to make a difference in the world of model trains. HO primarily, at first. Then they spread out to other scales. They stuck their neck out to provide working knuckle couplers. Something many of us in the hobby were yelling about. Why should Lionel have knuckle couplers and we can't? A lot of copyright and patented issues finally broke loose and the guys at Kadee could finally produce a much needed product. There were copy cat's, of course. Those trying to provide a type of knuckle coupler. The same could be said today. It wasn't long before the twins discovered N Scale. In the name of Kadee they put out some freight cars to see how they would sell. Test market. Not only did they sell but the N scalers demanded more. We had one of those Kadee N Scale types, in the Kettering hobby shop. Finally one twin said let me take the N scale and what shall we call it? Well, Micro-Trains won out over other suggestions. It became official and wallah, look at what we have today. That's pretty much the history of things how-be-it in a nutshell. If you are lucky enough to run into an original Kadee N Scale train car. You might have something there. I would caution you to be Leary of self proclaimed historians and websites that aren't official. Everyone wants to rewrite history. All to often that isn't a good thing. Now you have me searching for those four flat cars. Darn you! It may take awhile for me to find them. When I packed to move to Idaho, I packed to move. Now I have to unpack. Aiiyiiyii !! Can you tell me. Did the first Kadee, freight cars in HO have horn hook couplers or Kadee's Knuckle Couplers? More later.
And, as I mentioned earlier, although Kadee didn't always refer to the N scale couplers as "Micro-Trains" in their early ads, they did refer to them as "Micro-Trains" in general. The "MT" in "MT-5", the first N scale couplers, stood for "Micro-Trains". I know I read, somewhere, that Kadee purchased the name from the guy who had N scale-sized trains in the 1940s. I think he called his trains "HH" scale. Doug
And now, which was probably inevitable, we have gotten into discussions about actual N scale product instead of the ads. Doug
I wish I had more ads to contribute, but a year ago I went through tons of my old modeling magazines and donated most to the local club. I kept only a handful. No regrets. I have hundreds of prototype magazines that are next on my list, though prototype magazines are quite timeless and I'll likely keep more of them.
I confess, the only ad I remember was a cute little blonde with a dazzling smile and some short, short RR bib overalls. I am pretty sure there was a train involved somehow...
I remember that ad. I think the Santa Fe was somehow involved but I could be wrong. And, I was thinking, were Rick's flat cars a pre-production run or something? I'm sure there was a few years work in the design and production ramp up before they released them for retail. Actually though, from the sixties to 1975 is a lot of years for that. Doug
I remember that ad too, from a modeling tool vendor I think. MR took some heat for the ad and the tagline, which was pretty corny.
Yes, it is. In response to a previous question from another member about couplers on Kadee HO cars, please visit Kadee.com for that information. Let us know what you find!
With regard to above. I'm most likely the other member. I know the answer. I was there watching from a distance. Now back to our regularly scheduled program. I have stacks of MR wig wags. You know magazines. Many from the late 50's thru to the present day. I had some from the 30's forward to the 50's but gave them away to a friend of mine to fill out his collection. He has since left this world. I hope he took them with him. Today's, wig wags aren't in my opinion as good as some from the past. Do able. Will help a newbie get his or her start. Missing something but I can't put my finger on it. Doug, I like the ads you've shared here. Takes me back to a very frustrating youth. Work hard to save up enough money to buy an Atlas engine. I then learn the darn thing isn't worth the time and energy it took to raise the money. Oversized as in to fat. In both HO and N scales. The motors they used were larger then they needed to be. Thus the body was a bit fat. I still have some of those but I wouldn't give you .10 cents for them today. Unless I get all sentimental. Can't live without it. If you know what I mean. Do you know how many lawns mowed, cars polished, and/or glasses of lemonade sold? Just to buy a cheap piece of $@!%. I know you can finish that thought. Not bragging here. You got me to thinking. I just went through my Southern Pacific Collection of passenger cars. Arnold for Atlas and most of those are in the RIP tote. Arnold for Rivarossi. There there's ConCor sets of Heavyweights and I'm not sure who made them but they look like Arnold's production. I have enough baggage cars and RPO's cars to make up a mail train. Pulled by a Kato set of Black Widow F7's . Let's see, from ConCor I can make up trains for the San Joaquin Valley Daylight - Silver with a red stripe. Switching over to Kato, the Coast Daylight. Pulled by a either a Kato or ConCor GS4. It doesn't stop there but then I would be bragging. Fun stuff.
Atlas' original passenger cars were made by Rivarossi. Rivarossi was still in business, then. It wasn't until many years later that Arnold and Rivarossi became associated when Rivarossi went out of business and Arnold obtained the Rivarossi tooling. They sold the Rivarossi cars under their name. And now, of course, both companies are out of business and Hornby owns the proceeds. Doug
I kept all my model railroading related magazines but I also used to have years of Stereo Review magazines of which I disposed in the late nineties. I kept a few of those with material related to things in which I was particularly interested but I still regret, sometimes, having thrown all those out. Doug
Sigh! There is and always will be someone who knows more then you do. Doug, I was reading the labels on the boxes and the stamps on the bottom of the cars. If that's wrong then everything else is toooooooo !! I said while gritting my teeth. Nah, it's okay. A worthy discussion and lot's of points of views. But who do I trust? Hummm?
I'm an old stereo geek too and sometimes trip out enjoying internet sites that have photos and information on equipment from the '60s and '70s. I just love that time period in an era of wooden cabinets and soft green lights before Darth Vader black plastic dominated everything.
