Bowser Brill Trolley - Affordable Diecast HO Models
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- čas přidán 11. 09. 2024
- In the 1950's and 60's an affordable alternative to expensive Japanese brass locomotives was American made die cast ready to run and kit trains.
Die cast models are made of Zamak, a Zinc Alloy that works great for making toys and models. Collecting diecast model cars is a well respected hobby, yet diecast zamak trains have always had a somewhat negative connotation. Mostly because brass is more desirable. Often diecast trains are a mix of zamak with brass details.
From their web site:
Company History - 1961 to Present
Thirty five years ago, May 1, 1961, Bowser was purchased by Lewis and Shirlee English and moved from Redlands, CA to their basement in Muncy, PA. The original Bowser Manufacturing Co first advertised in the model railroad magazines in November 1948. At that time, the company had only one engine, the Mountain, which had a cast brass boiler that is no longer available. It was sometime later that Bowser (Redlands) developed the NYC K-11 and the UP Challenger. The molds were made by K. Wenzlaff who introduced himself at the MRIA Show in Pasadena, CA in 1985 These two locomotives are still current production.
With the whole English family working part-time on these engines, we were still unable to get them all ready at once, so in 1965 we decided to work full time on Bowser and moved to Montoursville, PA. which is next to Williamsport, the largest city in our vicinity. By then our two daughters were away from home so the family work force was reduced, but even with hired help we had trouble getting everything done.
To further complicate production, Felix Bass offered us the Pennsylvania Scale Models line of trolleys and we could not let that opportunity go by, so we added the HO Brill, IRR and PCC trolleys to our Bowser line. Later we had dies made for the LVT Liberty Belle and a free-lance Jewett Combine.
We made an improvement in our production by build-ing another building and purchasing a die casting machine so we could do all our own zinc casting. Doing our own die casting has been a large step forward and has encouraged us to add other locomotives to our line. The Big Boy, which is a combination of two Challenger boilers, was the first. The USRA Mountain was next. From the USRA boiler we have designed a free-lance Northern and a USRA 2-10-2. The PRR M-1 and M-1a were introduced late in 1986. The E-6, G-5, H-9, I-1, K-4, and L-1 have all been converted from lead to zinc. The PRR A-5 was introduced in February 1992. Since Lew Sr. is a train collector and we do our own zinc casting, we decided to make restoration wheels for Lionel Standard Gauge and O Gauge locomotives. Surprisingly these have been very popular. We didn't realize there were so many engines needing repairs.
And I do have one of those Bowser Trolleys as well in the same state as yours.
Another great video! Thanks for sharing. I am currently collecting old die cast Varney steam engines.
If you visit Dallas be sure to ride their restored trolley line that operates Brill cars.
Will Do!! NEVER pass up a trolley ride.
Tampa, Florida has a heritage streetcar line, if you ever make it that far. The streetcars are, however, replica Birney cars but one original Birney has been restored and is used on special occasions.
I bought my Bowser trolley in 2000. I had it silver plated.
I can't help but think of the new internet meme that's been everywhere the last few weeks. whenever you mention "Bowser" I think of the villain character in Super Mario and the new meme of turning him into a girl with an item from a recent game
It's s funny coincidence.
I would race Bowser in Mario cart. KICK BUT!!
Totally unrelated but thought you would appreciate this memory from the past. Auckland NZ suburban trains in the 70's were in a sorry state using ancient rolling stock. Some of the very oldest passenger cars had a wonderful sign
"Passengers are requested to avoid loitering in the vestibules and to refrain from expectorating on the floors or mats".
Well the first joke there had not been a mat in eons and anyone able to understand even half those words would be unlikely to infringe! Always made me smile.
Thinking further the carriages were beautiful - pressed metal ceilings, dynamo powered lighting (so pitch black if we stopped in the tunnel). flip over seats to change direction (or form a 2 seat booth with your mates) and a luggage rack of sorts at head height. All stained wood of course.
Happily we now have beautiful electric trains and a much improved service
Hi! I enjoy your videos, didn't realize until recently that you're in Salt Lake City. If there's anything left, could you please do a video on the Saltair Pavilion that was in the movie Carnival of Souls, and the trolley line that ran to it?
Working on it right now!! Posted some stills to my Facebook. (dale angell) Did you see the OLD film? Salt Lake Garfield and Western? czcams.com/video/ZStkZPxPBAw/video.html&t
I didn't know that zamac could be so finely caste. It don't seems worse than plastic of this era, but surely a lot more heavier.
It is the most sticky gooey hot hard to work with stuff. BUT when die cast, other than the flash, it's great!! Holds paint as well as brass. Even better if done right. BUT I refuse to spin cast in anymore. I have about 100 pounds of it if you know anyone....
Sure, if you bother to start this huge casting machine, it's normal to prefer to use brass or bronze. In small quantity, the material isn't so much a difference I think. But I never casted metal, I would surely use a company for that if needed (maybe 3D printing the wax model via shapeway).
My recollection of the Bowser name has always been with the corporation that manufactured Gasoline filling station and other types of pumps. They were one of three different pump manufacturers, which had their startup, and a lengthy run in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Sadly, they're all gone to other venues or have ceased operations. The other two were Tokheim and Wayne Pump. The Bowser name is still a fixture of Fort Wayne, and their offspring, who are a part of the local family life.
Never heard of Bowser Pumps. Wayne is legend. Ft Wayne is to gas pumps what Battle Creek is to Corn Flakes.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvanus_Bowser and Bowser Gasoline Pumps.
If you want to ride OLD old streetcars and interurbans, revisit the Western Railway Museum on your way out to SF. A good time to come is either in April or late September.
We have a show on that here somewhere.... Caus we did!!!! What a great place!! Rio Vista.
Oh, and geeeeez can it get HOT
No you have to do a segment on LABELLE WOODWORKING. They are still in business and still make WOOD TROLLEY KITS. And thy sell power trucks too. Along with HO and HO n3
Love your bras locos
You may want to look into Bowser's online locomotive catalog dale. They do some interesting alco and baldwin diesels. One engine they did that is a bit funky is the Pacific Electric and later SP Vo-1000 with trolley poles for signal detection. Most bowser models from the last 20 yrs run great due to them using and cloning the Kato mechanism.
As I recall they bought out Stewart and perhaps Hobby Town. I have an A B A lash of F9 in UP that look and run great. Hobby Town running gear, Stewart bodies... Need to do a show on that... BUT when we pull tested it at Pasadena Model Railroad club (they require this test before you can run) it broke their tester. It can rip any coupler out of any car without spinning wheels. Amazing how Hobby Town came up with this system of helical gears, one set at each truck and a driveshaft connecting all trucks and units...SO 12 wheel sets all driven by one huge motor.., AND me taking 3 Zinc locos and filling them with lead and adding a motor out of a computer printer..... Thing is dangerous.
Toole UT lol I've been out there a few times through there. I usually pick up a medical load from BD Medical from Columbus Nebraska that goes all the way out to California to Tracy California I just run 80 all the way out there from Nebraska
Tooele Railroad Museum czcams.com/video/35SWiAbscLo/video.html
Love your videos. It's pronounced Mahn-tours-ville. Emphasis is on the "ah" in the first syllable.
I can get Salt Lake City. Past that I’m lost.
I just checked and Bowser is still making trolleys, they don't seem to say what they are made out of. Back in the early 70s I had a Tyco train set that the engine was cast zmac and nicely detailed. I had it for years, it was my little brother that destroyed it. I kept the engine and cars in my top dresser drawer on a felt pad. He ripped off all the detailing then poured model glue all over the set, as a finger to me. He was so proud of what he did and still is. People wonder why I don't like being around my family, he's a copy of my older half sisters.
The kicker... it was one of their limited production sets, I found out from a family friend that was a HO guru. He was one of those that if he couldn't find what he wanted he would make it... It helped he was a machinist's machinist. I watched him turn brass bushings that looked more like brass beads then bushings because they were so small.
Wow..... Toxic people. Life is short. Pick yur friends well. NO MATTER!! Yes, Bowser hasn't changed anything except they have bought molds from other Zamak casters and are making them in a real building. They started in their basement and had other doing the casting.
Toxic is right. That's okay because goes around comes around. It will bite them all in the butt sooner or later.
Bowser is still in production and you can by Bowser dicast models on e bay dad n I bought 6 of them all challengers.
Hi Dale and Karyn! Bowser Manufacturing Co., Inc., is still headquartered in Montoursville, Pennsylvania, and remains in the model train business ( www.bowser-trains.com ). However, its corporate name is a misnomer because it manufactures nothing. Rather, like most model train companies today, it outsources manufacturing to China. Bowser still sells HO scale streetcars, albeit now made of plastic. It also sells HO scale locomotives and rolling stock as well as some N scale freight cars. Thanks for sharing this video. It's nice to see what Bowser offered back in the day when it was still American made.
-from Tom Pilling
Wow cool,but really expensive for the really rough finish. Next tim you're in oregon you should visit Astoria.
They have a fun trolly on the Columbia river waterfront.
Thats next Sunday's show!! Wish we could have seen more of it but LOVE IT.
We have a couple of Browser trolley's, ourselves. In about the same state as yours. As you know San Francisco has it's share of transportation choices. For those that need to ride the old PCC cars, we put the tracks back on top of Market Street just so the tourists can have the experience Somewhere in the archives of slides I have photos of Market street without the tracks. BART was done and running to the end of Market and the tunnel wasn't opened-up yet across the bay. For a few shining moments San Francisco paved over the Streetcar tracks before the final plan was complete for the development and long term appearance.It looked odd to see the old islands for streetcar stops still proud of the new tarmac. It didn't last, though. Shorty after those photos the new tracks were laid and reinforced to hold the weight of the new light rail, just in case they were forced to run above market. There has been the odd occasion this has happened but only for testing. The "T" line is the only top side PCC that runs out to the new Ball Park. Next time you two are in my Baghdad by the Bay . Do take the the "L" Taraval from the S.F. Zoo, or Flyshacker Zoo. and sit yourselves on the right side as you face forward. Just before the end of Twin Peaks Tunnel, from West Portal, you will see the transfer tracks to upper Market. As always a great piece of American hobby manufacturing. Greg and Jeanne.
HI. If you have not seen Lucas' first film THX 1138 DO TAKE A LOOK. If you can find the original it's better. He added in CGI and new effects and while thats nice the old film made for $1.98 is better. Most of it was shot under Market Street and in the tunnel under the bay before the tracks were laid. They are speeding around in expensive cars at speeds over 100. At one point they crashed two of the cars. OOPS!! So they just left that in. But amazing to see the tunnels. The remake still has them, but the old film is better.
Could you show us how to make brass models to help us scew around
Need to get Don to help with that!!
Ok cool, thank you!
It's a lot less complicated than it sounds with the correct kit. I started with a Japanese kit (On30) with a Tenshodo spud, so nothing complex for the mechanic.You just need to know how to solder (it isn't very hard), as these kits are very well designed. UK kits is another story, it can be harder to build (and the documentation isn't a clear as the Japanese one, even without the Google translation step). No experience with American kits.
Morning toy man
How is your morning