Carey's Recent Acquisitions and Dennis' Collection

[bob turner]

I have been sucked in to AI. This is from Apple's version, which comes up with aviation and legal stuff that blows me away. No way to tell how accurate it is, but we did a takeoff analysis using charts, and AI duplicated it in about a second.

I did not ask about the SP 0-6-0 - it probably would use my inputs here, sort of begging the question. But for your amusement:


Pratt's Models was a pioneering, early O scale (1:48) model railroad manufacturer based in Ozone Park, New York. Active primarily during the golden pre-World War II era of scale model railroading, they played a part in transitioning the hobby away from basic toy "tinplate" trains toward highly accurate, scale-proportional realism. [1, 2, 3]
Product Offerings

• Freight Car Kits: Pratt's Models was best known in the hobby community for manufacturing O scale rolling stock kits. During this era, kits typically relied on mixed-media construction—combining stamped or cast metal detailing with wood or heavy cardstock bodies.
• Locomotives: They occasionally produced high-end die-cast or sand-cast steam locomotives and matching tenders for 2-rail or 3-rail O scale operations. [1, 5]

Historical Context
Prior to the mid-1930s, the market was dominated by massive toy train companies like Lionel. Pratt's Models was part of a localized wave of early independent craftsman suppliers (alongside contemporaries like Scale-Craft, Megow, and Varney) that began offering true-to-scale alternatives for serious hobbyists who wanted their models to replicate real-world blueprints perfectly. [2, 3, 6, 7]
Because they produced kits in limited quantities before wartime metal shortages altered manufacturing, surviving Pratt's Models locomotives, tenders, and freight cars are considered rare, highly collectible pieces of early American model railroading history. [5, 8]
(Note: If you are looking for modern O gauge trains with "Pratt" in the name, you might be thinking of Lionel's futuristic, sci-fi-inspired "Pratt’s Hollow Phantom" locomotive line, which they debuted in 1998). [9, 10]
Are you trying to identify a specific vintage piece you found, or are you researching the history of early pre-war O scale manufacturers?

AI responses may include mistakes.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3E4kLdVdcjc
[2] https://www.tcatrains.org/model-toy-trains/model-trains/vintage-model-trains/
[3] https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/29926085/us-595-o-can-795-o-scale-trains
[4] https://www.oldmodelkits.com/blog/plastic-model-kit-history/the-ho-scale-model-railroading-revolution-of-the-1940s/
[5] https://www.liveauctioneers.com/price-result/pratt-s-models-loco-and-tender/
[6] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFt_28tOieY
[7] https://shop.trains.com/blogs/the-trains-com-store-blog/the-history-of-model-trains-from-tinplate-to-modern-collectibles
[8] https://modeltrainmarket.com/collections/o-scale-model-collections
[9] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=855LGTCoVI4
[10] https://quinntopia.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-phantom-history-of-quinntopia.html

[Dennis Holler]

Here is my Pratt B6 lol and above it a hand made custom Walthers B6.....

I also have a Scale Models B6 chassis...

[bob turner]

I might change the title to reflect Dennis' major contributions. That is an intriguing collection of old antiques needing a helping hand. Go back to page one and check out the GS-4 - any possibility that Lobaugh actually produced something like this? The plan was, in early 1941, to bring out a GS-3 kit.

Let me see if I have a Carey contribution for mid-September:



This is a standard Lobaugh Pacific with a slightly crooked cab. But it evokes some feelings for olive green, red, and gold - I think I have enough Pacifics to go ahead and attempt this paint job myself - I might even do it to the P1, which is a far more rare Lobaugh item:



Why not? It is almost finished - needs a firebox pan, some driver springs, and a tender change (I have the proper B&O tender in semi-abundance).

[up148]

That Pacific looks great Bob and the boiler taper is a thing of beauty. Long way from a doorstop, but I like them all.

[up148]

This is an interesting piece Dennis (outlined). Looks like a 3 axle EMD truck with self contained motor and drive. I'm ignorant of this one and would like to know more.