Barry Melek Electric Train Sets

Train Rare

Model Scale Trains Can Be Great Investment For The Future

Personally, I am an avid Model Railroad builder and love to build detailed sceneries and try to get everything looking as realistic as possible, which includes things like weathering my model scale trains. However, there is a completely different aspect to the model railway trains hobby and that is the area of model train collecting.

 

Model railroad trains first became popular in the 1920s when department store owners incorporated them into their Christmas window displays. You can imagine the effect that this had, with children everywhere begging their parents for a shiny new train set.

 

Model scale trains had actually been around well before this time though and had started to become a popular hobby as far back as the end of the 1800s (although model trains had basically been in existence as long as the railways themselves). These trains, now over a century old are obviously incredibly rare and these antique trains are also now extremely valuable, selling for of 1000s of dollars these days.

 

Trains from this period weren't electric powered as standard, as you will find on todays market, but many were operated either manually, or by mechanical spring apparatus or clockwork. There was also a shift through time as to which materials were used in their production.

 

Early model trains were often manufactured from tin plate, which were popular as they were cheap and efficient and these were made right up until after World War II. Then tin plate was over taken by other materials, such as brass, which became popular after American soldiers brought these models back from Japan after the war. Brass trains are in fact still in production today, but Japanese produced trains in the 1970s are some of the most popular and expensive items in today's collectors market.

 

Model train collectors will usually tend to focus their attention on a particular scale, type or manufacturer to collect. Manufacturers that are popular with collectors and which were making model railway trains from the earlier period of model scale trains history are model train companies such as Lionel, American Flyer, Marx and Marklin.

 

If you would like more information on model train collecting, there are many collectors clubs available and these are set up by incredibly knowledgeable model train collectors who have spent a great deal of time and energy learning the ins and outs of the complete history of model trains. Some collectors clubs are even sponsored by the model train companies themselves, such a Lionel Trains and they will provide specific information on their past equipment directly to collectors. It is these clubs who are responsible for setting up the standards and deciding what prices model trains should be priced at.

 

Obviously the better condition the train is in, the more it will be worth and also the rarity and popularity of the particular model has an impact of its value to collectors.

 

Maybe it's worth going to have a look in the attic to see if you have any hidden gems in there that could be worth some money! Although trains made nowadays may not be collector's items just yet, it may also be worth considering, that rare models in todays new market may later become collectors items in the future.

 

For more information on model scale trains, visit my website by clicking the links below.

About the Author

Tim McCarthy is a model railway enthusiast with many years experience in the field of model trains. For further information on model railroads, including more on model scale trains, please feel free to head over to http://www.modelrailwaytrainstips.com/model-train-scale.

This Train $10.04 A concept book for the youngest of train lovers All aboard This is one train book you don't want to miss. Using a refreshingly simple approach, Paul Collicutt has crafted the perfect book for young railroad enthusiasts. Each page features a vividly colored and detailed painting of a train, and the spreads show how they are different -- long and short, fast and slow, old and new. As a bonus, full-color endpapers feature captioned renderings of real-life engine models from all over the world that were the inspirations for the trains depicted throughout the book.

Train $5.32 The most trusted nonfiction series on the market, "Eyewitness Books" provide an in-depth, comprehensive look at their subjects with a unique integration of words and pictures. "Eyewitness Train "is DK's classic look at railroads and the trains that move along them, now reissued with a CD and wall chart.

The Train $14.63 Against all expectations Marcel Féron has made a "normal" life in a bucolic French suburb in the Ardennes. But on May 10, 1940, as Nazi tanks approach, this timid, happy man must abandon his home and confront the "Fate" that he has secretly awaited. Separated from his pregnant wife and young daughter in the chaos of flight, he joins a freight car of refugees hurtling southward ahead of the pursuing invaders. There, he meets Anna, a sad-looking, dark- haired girl, whose accent is "neither Belgian nor German," and who "seemed foreign to everything around her." As the mystery of Anna's identity is gradually revealed, Marcel leaps from the heights of an exhilarating freedom to the depths of a terrifying responsibility-- one that will lead him to a blood-chilling choice. When it first appeared in English in 1964, British novelist and critic Brigid Brophy declared The Train to be "the novel his admirers had been expecting all along from Simenon." Until The Train, she wrote, the dazzlingly prolific novelist had been "a master without a masterpiece."

Trouble on the Train $3.95 Can the cowboys save the train from the bandits?

Blue Train, Green Train $3.95 Thomas the blue train works all day while Percy the green train works all night. But what exactly do they do? Told in the simplest language, here is a charming tale of a day and night on the Island of Sodor. Perfect for Bright and Early readers

Train + Train, Volume 1 $3.95 On the distant planet of Deloca, teenagers are enrolled in either the standard School Train or the Special Train, an exclusive education system,that takes them across the planet to develop them into above-average adults. Shy and meek Reiichi finds himself onboard the Special Train when a run-in with a rebellious spirit, Arena, turns his life upside-down and forces him to face dangers and situations that make him learn the true meaning of living.

Train*train Volume 2 $14.07 On the one hand is Asahi, so poor he subsists on bread crusts. On the other hand is Hokuto, so rich he comes to work by helicopter if it looks like he'll be late. Will this chasm in their economic differences cause Kaiji to lose it? What will happen when Asahi and Hokuto temporarily switch places? From the creator of Dear Myself, World's End, and The Art of Loving, Train*Train is a hilarious story about the antics of a Japanese train company.

Rare $12.49 Rare

The Mystery on the Train $13.03 The Boxcar Children and Aunt Jane are headed to San Francisco -- by train

The Yellow Train $3.95 Theo and his grandpa take a nostalgic train ride through time.

Color Train, Color Train! $11.89 All aboard the color train Take a ride on a series of magical ribbons and end with a dramatic pop-up surprise A remarkable, innovative format provides toddlers a thrilling ride, filled with dozens of point-and-say objects of all the primary and secondary colors. A cheerful engineer guides kids on a magical train whose cars appear amazingly one-by-one on every spread, then disappears into a long black tunnel, only to spring to life in a spectacular 3D finale. An ultra-sturdy binding, high-quality full-color printed ribbons, and an unexpected ending makes this the perfect example of a play-and-learn book.

The Potty Train $9.98 The Potty Train is coming All aboard Time to say good-bye to diapers and take the journey to Underpants Station. Are you ready? Let's chug away on the Potty Train

The Little Train $9.13 Mr. Small does it all In this adventure, Engineer Small drives his little train from Tinytown to the city-and back. Along the way, the little train passes tunnels and stops at stations to pick up cargo and passengers. Presented in full color for the first time, Lois Lenski's The Little Train will delight a whole new generation of readers as they learn all about the ins and outs of a working train. "From the Hardcover edition."

Dinosaur Train $3.95 All Aboard Have your tickets ready for the most exciting ride of your life on the "Dinosaur Train "

By Train They Came $31.86 Climb aboard to hear the true stories of the children who rode the Orphan Train By Train They Came: Fragile Excess Baggage, Vol. 1 is the perfect adjunct to Plains Bound: Fragile Cargo, which brought us the extraordinary history of the Orphan Train Riders. In this latest work, written especially for young people, the Endorfs share the personal stories of those whose lives were forever altered when they were taken by rail to be placed with foster families throughout America. Praise for By Train They Came: Fragile Excess Baggage, Vol. 1 "The message of the lives of the Orphan Train riders is one of endurance, perseverance and survival. In this new book, each story is unique unto itself with a lesson to be learned from each." - Mary Ellen Johnson, Founder of the Orphan Train Heritage Society of America, Inc., Arkansas

Tommy's Train $28.54 This is a story about an old train that was hidden for 100 years or more. The train was accidentally found by an eight-year-old boy named Tommy, while he was fishing with his father. This is in a town in New Jersey that did not know that this train was there all those years. Many years go by with no one able to give any clue as to why the train was lost there all those years. When Tommyas son eventually grows up and has a passion for the train and wants to find out its history, he hears from someone on the internet. Information starts to be made available, and so Tommyas son finds information and a wife. The information is found in a ledger begun in the Civil War. The history of the train comes out and shocks the little town with the trainas long-kept secret.

Tully Train $7.57 " Tully Train " is a brightly illustrated title in Barron's " Fast Forward " books for toddlers. The bright color illustrations on the first of the book's three two-page spreads unfolds to display moving parts. " Tully Train " actually moves, as it steams out from a railroad tunnel.

The Whistle on the Train $15.96 The whistle on the train goes "whoo whoo whoo" The wheels on the train go "clackety clack" The gates across the track go "ding ding ding" " " This rollicking railroad pop-up, an homage to the favorite preschool song, "The Wheels on the Bus," features spectacular pops on every page

The Runaway Train $14.81 A picture book with detailed, bird's-eye-view illustrations and a simple, repetitive, and rhythmic text. When the little red train sets off, Duffy Driver has a hectic day ahead--trying to catch up with the train, with the help of a lorry, a motor boat, a tractor, and a helicopter.

Freight Train $14.82 "Clear bright illustrations show all the cars of a train bringing the reader the excitement of movement through day and night, country and city."--Booklist.

And the Train Goes... $3.95 Climb aboard for a quirky look at life on a train, chock-full of sound words and sly surprises. CHUFF-CHUFF, CHUFFERTY-CHUFF...PUFF-PUFF, PUFFERTY-PUFF... Here's one train you don't want to miss From the stout stationmaster to the chickens a-laying, from a traveling teapot to a chaotic class trip, the clever visual details aboard every teeming car will have readers riding this train again and again. Woo-wooooo

The Prairie Train $3.94 "Once upon a time there was a train that dreamed of being a boat." It was the train that took immigrants seeking a better life in the New World across the endless flat prairies to San Francisco. And it was the train that took Conor, a small homesick boy from Ireland, on the voyage he would remember for the rest of his life. While on that train, Conor dreams of being back in Connemara, Ireland, with his grandfather when suddenly, to his amazement, the waving prairie grass becomes the sea and the train on which he is traveling, like a boat, sails across it right back to his home. How Conor comes to realize that the home he's left behind will always be with him provides a reassuring and deeply satisfying resolution to this poignant tale. The dreamlike paintings by Caldecott Honor artist Eric Rohmann combine with the lyrical text of Irish playwright Antoine O Flatharta to make this one of the most memorable books of this--or any--season. "From the Hardcover edition."

Auto-Train $21.59 Although most Americans have heard of the Auto Train, many have uncertain ideas regarding what it is and where it operates. The alongest passenger train in the worlda provides a luxury auto-ferry service between Lorton, Virginia, and Sanford, Florida. The original Auto-Train Corporation, founded by Dr. Eugene Garfield, struggled financially in spite of its immense popularity. The company faced numerous crises, including financial setbacks and equipment problems due to damages that occurred during several derailments, which led to the corporationas demise in 1981. Although the corporation sold off its corporate assets, the concept was revived when Amtrak added the Auto Train service to its East Coast schedule. Images of Rail: Auto-Train presents photographs from the early operations to today, including pictures from the Amtrak era.

Bear on the Train $5.08 One fall day, a bear follows the smell of grain down a mountain and onto a hopper car on a mile-long freight train. Nobody sees him but Jeffrey, who shouts at him to get off the train. The bear pays no attention and soon settles in for a long winter sleep. For months, Jeffrey watches for the train to pass through his town, and each time it does, he tries to rouse the bear. But it's not until the fresh green smells of spring are in the air that the bear wakes from his sleep and heads back up the mountain. "Bear on the Train" combines a beautifully written text with richly evocative illustrations to create an unusual tale of hibernation that hums with the rhythm of the rails.

Ghost Train $3.92 Despite her own handicap, Choon-yi hopes to join her father in North America, but finds he has been killed by working on the railway. She makes her peace by boarding a train herself.

The Rain Train $3.94 All aboard Take a train ride through a storm at night in a rhythmic readaloud chugging with sound words and full of striking illustrations. A pitter-pat-pat, a pitter-pat-pat, A pittery-pittery-pittery-pat. When it's thundering down on the roof, in the lane, From the storm comes the call . . . "All aboard the Rain Train " What child wouldn't like to hop on a train, hand over his ticket, and set off on an exciting ride through a rainy night? Safe from the elements, a young boy listens and watches-- in his seat, in the dining car, and snug in his sleeper-- as his train whooshes past city lights, over rivers, through tunnels, and straight on to morning.

The Last Train $25.75 Winter, 1919, Siberia in the chaos of the Russian Civil War. Jake Greenberg, investigating the murder of three Americans, escapes on the last train from Omsk on the Transsiberian RR, fighting blizzards, and partisans, while hunting the murderer on board.

Train to Somewhere $16.41 In a starred review of this "finely crafted, heart-wrenching" historical tale of a girl traveling West on a so-called Orphan Train, PW described art and text as "at once sobering and uplifting -- and assuredly memorable". Ages 5-8.

All Aboard!: A True Train Story: A True Train Story $3.94 All Aboard A True Train Story takes a train trip through the Rockies.

Maisy's Train $3.95 Maisy's colorful train takes readers on a rollicking ride Today Maisy is driving her train. All aboard TOOT-TOOT The inimitable Maisy is taking her friends for a ride to the country, climbing up a hill, rushing down a valley, chugging through a tunnel, and emerging back into the bright sunshine. Of course they remember to wave to the Geese, Goat, Rabbit, Bird, and Butterfly along the way. WHEEEEEEEEEE