Has anyone heard who has acquired the parts inventory of Mantua? Somehow I suspect that Walthers did, but I don't remember hearing anything about it. Pat
I have a few odd parts. Several bunches of parts were sold on ebay awhile back. What parts do you need?
The Tyler family sold the line to Model Power, so logically they would have the parts. Model Power is largely a maker of lowend quality and price ToysRUs, or Walmart,kind of trainsets. There are a couple of exceptions. Most recently there "Old Time " steamer sold as 0-8-0,2-8-0,and 4-6-0 a few years ago(still available at Caboose Hobbies, and similar) that could be made into excellent model with detailing and re-engining. Some of them actually ran well as bought. The only other items of note in their many years of making junk were odd 'exotics', that they sometimes produced. The most valuable plastic freight car (based upon prices at Timonium, if you can even find them) is Model Power's LCL or cement container gondola. This was because the containers are well made and feature exquisite pad printing of all the ownership, capacity and operating instructions that appeared on the prototypes. No one understood why Model Power made them , and they only were around for a year or so, which accounts for their fifty dollars and up price tag in the current market. Like going to the Yugo dealer and finding Duesenbbergs in his showroom. Perhaps acquiring the Mantua line will result in Model Power upgrading their product line, generally- in the same way their fellow junk merchants Bachmann and Like Like have gotten religion in the last five years or so. Quien sabe? Good-Luck, PJB
Pat, What parts to what loco's by Mantua you looking for???? post it here and I'll see what I have if anything.... This is the best I can do for now...
At this time, I don't need anything. However, I have a soft spot for Mantua and Tyco steam power, and never know what parts I'm going to need to get them running properly, and looking good, again. One of these days I'll learn to stay away from eBay! I am quite familiar with Model Power, though I have been able to avoid personal experience. I think the best way to improve their line is to dump it and replace everything with new items from the Mantua molds. Pat
Pat, I must agree with the "soft spot" I also along with a few others here at TB that has a soft spot for Mantua, I'm not to fond of TYCO unless its the excessively old loco's that were like a Mantua hybrid, that was done with moldings that was used by Mantua up to their closing... The 70's TYCO stuff isn't worthy to roster. Besides to be a dummy! I have plenty of 2-8-0's, and 0-8-0's, and 2-8-2's that are 1970's TYCO with the motor in the tender, that I had removed and replaced the frame with a box car frame and made a good looking and decent running dummy steam loco for massive triple headers etc, and double headed helpers... But I fancy anything thats real Mantua!
Remember that Mantua and Tyco were both manufactured by the same company up until about 1970, at which time the Tyler family sold the lines to Consolidated Foods. The Mantua name was then dropped, and not used until 1977 when the Tyler family re-purchased the rights to the Mantua name and the steam loco dies. So up to about 1977, Mantua and Tyco products were pretty much synonymous. My first engine was a Tyco 0-4-0 shifter, and it's a dead ringer for the Mantua 0-4-0 switcher that they released until they shut down. I still have it, and after a motor change (with a new Mantua replacement!) it runs better than ever. Pat
I just acquired a Mantua Pacific, painted for the B&O. The engine and tender are blue. Very nice job on the tender, loco has some nicks, easily fixed. I am not a B&O fan - so, I would like to propose some trading: 1-rather than paint over the tender-trade it for a black tender of any road; 2-Trade both loco & tender for a comparable unit; 3-If neither of these offers happen, buy a pilot for the loco. It presenly has what appears to be a diesel plow(except that it has a raised mini plow area that spreads across the center point of the basic plow, is it possibly a modern steam plow?) Did any road use these?
