Aluminium engines of Ohio Acme, Mi-Loco, & Blum

[Carey Williams]

Hello all
Bob thank you for posting the Icken photos ... I found the Icken flyer and ad(MR) for the engine ... 1949 ...appears Icken was using this engine as a "low" price entry level piece to reach the masses .......at a mere $139.00 rtr ..out the door ...Icken's custom steamers began about 2 1/2 times that price tag so Fred was appalling to a wider audience here and promoting it's ability to take a tight turn.

Cheers Carey

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[Carey Williams]

Hello all

Is this an Acme caboose ??? cast aluminum..looks like the artist drawing .... save a few lines ..but the steps are dead ringers ... nicely hand lettered so right era .... any Acme experts out there ?
Cheers Carey

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[R.K. Maroon]

I was looking through the old threads in my continuing effort to save a few before the next dump. I noticed that nobody ever responded to Carey on this one (see last post above). This is an Alexander. I have one but it is not in nearly as nice condition:





I don't know anything about an Acme caboose but if Carey says there is a similarity then there very well may be. There was a lot of selling of products from another manufacturer back then without giving the manufacturer any credit.

Jim

[Carey Williams]

Hello Jim and the rest of the world ...Happy Thanksgiving ..

nice caboose Jim ....

yes as you stated the early boys were swapping things left and right .....

Acme as of 1933 was acting as the Midwest agent for Crovan cars ... later Fixen carried on the Crovan freight cars .... Northeast was carrying would looked like the Crovan passenger cars ...

Many of the early engines also seem to have cross over makers .....Alexander offers with Icken drive or new silent drive .... many of the same illustrations seem to be used by both parties 1932-34 era ... All the boys were arguing who had more equipment running at the 1933 Chicago Worlds Fair ...Egolf, Alexander , Icken .... and of course Scale Craft claims they had equipment also .... looks like if you wanted / needed/ expected an O scale engine to run 20 (real) miles (no scale miles) ...on a daily basis .... for days on end ...you bought an Icken drive & motor ...

Here is an Crovan passenger car ..... who was happy to point out his cars were much lighter than the heavier cast sided cars of Alexander .... the Crovan have sheet aluminum roofs and sides ....miracle any have survived ... cast ends with vestibule ...
Crovan car being pulled by Jack Brambles PRR class P built 1933/4

Cheers Carey

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[Carey Williams]

Hello all

You may wish to see a MiLoco in all it's gleaming aluminum and brass trim ...I was most fortunate to purchase this on at the Indy show ... ..the engine has never been run .... that shall be corrected soon, once the outside 3rd rail loop is completed ...(deadline March meet 2019 ) . Lee B Green had a running display of his trains at the Chicago World's Fair in 1934, catalog issued end of 34 , ad campaign pushing the true scale for O scale (17/64th's) and his train's throughout 1935 and 1936.
Cheers Carey

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[R.K. Maroon]

Thanks for posting the photos, Carey. Pete's club in Atlanta has a Mi-Loco J that was long ago converted to a Pacific. It's been a little balky recently, but for the most part it has been a strong runner in regular service on the club layout for as long as anybody can remember:



Based on their experience, you should get another 80 years of service from that never-been-run model of yours.

Jim

[Carey Williams]

Hello all ...and Jim ..

I figure any model needs about 60 years of running to work in properly... many of these old bricks run smooth as silk ... add a bit of oil once and awhile, give her the juice, and out for a run ...here is a link to a 1937 Mini-scale running on the 1939 Multiplex layout ..... both are good for another 80 + years ...wish we could hide our age as well....
Cheers Carey


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_dByWcGwww