From the early to mid-1960s, my brother was big time. We used to have a lot of fun with it all. I still have his Aurora Model Motoring transformer.
I had a Model Motoring set for a while-- the controllers were based on steering wheels!-- but we didn't get it new, and it wasn't in great shape. It was eventually replaced with a Tyco set that didn't have the annoying steel pins and small plastic "U" shaped connectors that were needed to put the sections of track together. The steering wheel controllers were also used for the Aurora Postage Stamp "Bus System" marketed at around the same time as the trains. The bus was not really very close to N Scale, as I recall.
I remember those. Prior to them, Aurora used a plunger type as type seen here. Their design expected the open fins to allow air to circulate around the resistance core, but they remained hot to hold and a transition to the steering wheel controllers was made. My brother had both types.
I got my Aurora Model Motoring set for Christmas of 1964 and my friends and I were pretty heavily into it for the next year-and-a-half or so but our interest waned but my interest in trains never did. This was my set and I saved it and my step-son has it now as he is heavily into collecting the cars: It came with a '64 1/2 baby blue Mustang convertible and a red '63 Buick Riviera. The more expensive sets came with the steering wheel controllers and the less expensive with the plunger controllers. The plunger style controllers were actually better for racing as the reaction was quicker but the steering wheel controllers had a push button brake and a reversing switch. We would get all our track together and run it all around one of our basements. My track pieces still have the blue "identification" pieces of blue paper taped to the bottom to ensure I would get my own track back. I had the fastest car of all of ours. It was a white Ford GT and I increased the brush tension and had silicone slicks/aluminum wheels on it. The aftermarket "soup-up" items were fairly plentiful. Doug
Aurora excelled throughout the '60s with their model kits, race car sets and Postage Stamp trains. Upon the retirement of its founders in 1969, Aurora was bought and sold several times over, closing up in 1980 when its last owner failed. A sad end to a great company. I'm not sure where to fit this, but I wandered down the aisles of H***y L***y looking for glue the other day and was surprised to see that their Testors spray paints are nearing $10/Can. No wonder young people have little interest in model building these days.
And it occurs to me that this isn't as far off topic as it might seem... well, if you stretch the topic to include HO Scale. I think Aurora had a road/rail crossing as part of its lineup. I'm pretty certain that Tyco did.
Yes they did and it's quite a hot item on ebay these days! They had functional "T-Junctions" and "Split-Ys" to single lane as well. There's a great wiki on Aurora AFX that describes the various types of cars that were made over the years and, by sheer chance, am the proud owner of a vintage circa 1974 "AFX Magna-Traction" that is very clean sans 2 tires no less. Spoiler: 1974 Aurora AFX The movable rear spoiler is stamped "1786", a 1972 PORSCHE 510K "CAN-AM" car with "Red body; #6; yellow and white stripes" (blue too?) on a different Magna-Traction chassis?
And 1524 Crisscross tracks too. We found out that you had to install both, else you'd end up at the wheel of the other car each time around.
A quick search reveals that there are advertisements for Aurora Model Motoring available on that well-known Internet Auction Community. Stay tuned for the Crossover Episode with "More eBay Humor"!
Spoiler: Am transfixed! Can't Wait . . can I move now? Spoiler: My Forward/Reverse "Model Motoring" controller with "BRAKE" on the left
I guess I'd better go find something for that Crossover Episode! Don't want to be accused of Animal Cruelty... I don't remember the "brake" on the controller. I sense another rabbit hole lurking, researching that information! Meanwhile, to attempt to get back on topic (ha!) here's a item that fits the category. December 1966. I shudder to think that I may have had a sweater like that poor new model railroader is wearing.
OK, it's not worthy of a crossover episode. The most expensive ad was "only" $29.99 plus shipping. This isn't that one. This one is from 1961 according to the eBay listing. Note the mention of "electic trains"; I guess Aurora had no idea at that point that it would be entering that market later in the 1960s. Oh, wait, there's that road and rail crossing I thought I remembered! There was considerable angst including in the pages of Model Railroader about racing sets cutting into the model railroad market. Then there was considerable additional angst when the racing set boom when bust and brought down some hobby dealers.
I had no idea. My brother had this Aurora Thunderjet dump truck. I checked eBay and I find them selling for $35 to $200 depending on color combination and whether a box is included.
My brother built a box out of cardstock, placed it in the truck bed and the first time around the track, it wedged itself under a bridge.
