Interesting Auction Items

[Terry]

Here's something interesting - old photo negatives from an archive.

First shows a european large gauge live steam loco with tender and a pullman:

 

The second looks like a Lionel display from the early teens. The round cab 42 with black lettering and the two large posters with the 1913 Lionel catalog artwork provide a good clue about the date.

 

Here's a link to the auction:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/114845573165

[starfire700]

Very cool images, especially the Standard table layout with Lionel No 6, No 7, No 42, Ives stations with domes and tunnels look like Marklin?

[early0electric]

There are some rare accessories shown in this. Looks like the 103 &105 bridges, 109 tunnel & 28 station.

[starfire700]

The images on the back wall of the layout photo look like the front cover of the 1913 and 1914 Lionel catalog. That image shows the Euro-looking tunnel/mountains with stepped portals ( I thought were Marklin) also the early 103 or 105 bridge and right, the Ives stations with dome are Lionel number 28. Ives made the station for Lionel? These accessories show on inside pages of my copy of 1912 and a few years earlier catalogs. They show on the cover of 1913 and 1914, but do not show on inside pages. My copies are in the Greenberg book, is the book missing some pages?

[starfire700]

I have a 3 piece standard gauge bridge, 42" long overall, wood structure, some metal on center span and stamped details on ends of center span. Landscaping is composite material, track is early Lionel with split center pins. Is this an early 103 or 105? It is the same dimensions as the later enameled steel bridges. The metal girders on the center span are not Erector.

[Terry]

That's a neat bridge Jim. You always have something interesting. That doesn't look anything like the illustrations in the Lionel catalogs, but the only illustration of the 103 bridge is actually a picture of the longer 105. The bridges in the photos from the brown archive look like the 105s.

The fact that your bridge is built to use Lionel track at a time when only Lionel was making standard track is important.   (I don't know the length of a section of IVES 1 gauge track. Is that the same or different?)

Speaking of bridges - I put the later standard bridges - 101? -  just the center sections - sunk into the layout at the river. Everything except the 400E goes through them. The 400E steamchest brushes a green pillar, and then deflects into the other side and gets wedged. I added 1/4" stripes of wood between the sides and the base to get it to clear.

[starfire700]

Odd that you mention the strips of wood on a 101 bridge. I just listed one on ebay, that I had to remove strips of wood, about 1/2" thick. The guy removed 1 side, drilled holes in the wood and used 1" screws to re-assemble it. This guy must have also had a 400E.

[early0electric]

The outside one is definitely a 105. The inside one may or may not be the 103. Nonetheless, these are 2 different bridges. Look at all the boxes stacked up on the left and also under the tables. Are these outfit and individual boxes? It's quite a stash! Looks like four tables put together for the layout. I'd like to know what's on the table behind the fellow in the picture...and who he is and where this was taken!

[Terry]

Here's two blow ups of the interesting areas:

First the bridges and the 42 loco. 

 

The 42 loco has black painted center hubs and block New York Central lettering. The lettering is very early, and was only done for a short time. The black hubs might mean the loco was "dressed up" for the display.

The smaller bridge does not look to be the same as Jim's.

Check out the combine on the bridge. . . that 7 train set has the combine between the Pullman and the observation. That means they probably hired one of the ancestors of a Liveauctioneer's worker. Seriously it may give a clue to the man setting up the display. If this man grew up in New York City, he might not be familiar with passenger trains. At that time the regional trains were coming into the city underground. Just judging by the man's hairline he is in his early to mid 20s. He might have never seen a passenger set.

That bother's me. I'm thinking these are is is a photo of a Lionel trade display. Maybe at the toy fair?

Here's the back table:

 

You can supersize that by clicking on the hash and square in the right corner of the image.

The second table appears to be the smaller Lionel sets. I played with the brightness and contrast and can see a 33 with a 35 Pullman right behind the man's left elbow. The forward loop looks to have a 36 or 182 observation. - short platform so I bet 36.  Behind that is probably the 182.

I bet those boxes in the back are full of trolleys!

One of us is going to have to buy this negative and have large prints made we can see better.

[Terry]

Here's another toy train picture from the same seller and stash:

 

Looks like a floor toy. Maybe it has a guide rail arrangement? Or maybe it's on a stick so it's straight for display?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/114845286178

[early0electric]

It sure doesn't look like a normal store display. It's got to be something special like you said, Terry. Who's going to be benevolent and buy this and make copies? I'll bid, but???$. 16 watchers on eBay.

[early0electric]

Took another look at this auction and I see this: Brown Brothers retains the copyright for this image(s).  Reproduction is prohibited.

[Terry]

Regarding copyrights  -- We can do whatever we want on the forum under fair use exceptions, and furthermore I am pretty sure everything from before 1926 has no copyright protection because it's aged out. It's in the public domain.

[starfire700]

Also we are just sharing the images for personal use, not selling them, maybe just a mute technicality.
The Military floor train is very cool, definitely influenced by the First World War.
The pacifists would scream if you tried to make such a toy for the "kiddies" these days, how things have changed.

[early0electric]

Well, those glass negatives went for $688.89! Wasn't me.