All About Postage Stamp Trains
0-6-0 Steam Locomotives
Prototype Information
The Trix 0-6-0 would appear to be based on the Pennsylvania Railroad's Class B8, which is unique to the PRR owing to its Belpaire firebox; hence, this specific locomotive would not be seen on other railroads (not that it mattered much to model manufacturers). Also, since it's technically a switcher, it would only be seen in railroad yards and around shops.
Model Information
With Headlight
- 4852 Pennsylvania (1968)
- 4852 Santa Fe (1969)
- 4852/240 Baltimore & Ohio
Without Headlight
- 4862 Pennsylvania (1968)
- 4862 Santa Fe (1969)
- 4862/240 Baltimore & Ohio
Since these locomotives were made for decades, later-vintage
models are sometimes passed off as Postage Stamp. There are two telltale signs that a loco isn't legit: one, a road name and/or number other than those shown above; and
two, a very subtle little manufacturing difference: the eccentric crank was changed from a two-part assembly (right, top) to a one-piece casting (right, bottom). The
motor was changed as well, although this would be difficult to determine without removing the shell. Also be aware that the bell mounted atop the firebox is so easily
broken off that it can be difficult to find a used loco that still has one.
Incidentally, it appears as though the 0-6-0 in Aurora's 1968 catalog (below) may have been a pre-production model, since it differs from the ones that came in sets and were sold individually. The side rods and valve gear are quite different, as is the lettering—it looks like the one in the catalog was decaled.
In the early 1970s, American Tortoise became the sole importer of these locos, which were sold under the Minitrix and Model Power brands. Production continued until the late 1990s, when Trix went bankrupt, and their new owner, Märklin, ended production of all North American models. American Tortoise ran advertisements such as this:
Packaging
Some confusion must have existed since the catalog numbers for the Pennsylvania and Santa Fe models were the same, distinguished only by the year of release. The B&O version was the only one with a road code (240) that I've seen so far.
