Early-Time Kits

[ebtnut]

Re:  Central Valley - the "original" CV trucks were outstanding, best in the hobby.  However, the original owner eventually sold the business.  When the trucks were re-issued, they were not up to the same quality as before.  I think they've been improved in recent years.   

[J3a-614]

A rarity--a restored Penn Line Reading Crusader (also posted in the Heavy Metal thread):

http://goingincirclez.com/Crusader

http://goingincirclez.com/FG/Crusader

http://goingincirclez.com/FG/Crusader?page=1

[Doneldon]

ebtnut-
There are no "recent years;" CV has been out of the truck business for a long time.

[J3a-614]

Stumbled onto this older site (hasn't been updated in a while), but it turns out to have assembly tips for working on Suydam (now Alpine Division) metal buildings.

http://hosteamcentral.com/index.html

http://hosteamcentral.com/sitemap.html

http://hosteamcentral.com/kits.html

Some early-style models this fellow was working on at the time:

http://hosteamcentral.com/bigboy.html

http://hosteamcentral.com/mantua.html

I think this is one of Bowser's versions:

http://hosteamcentral.com/t1steam.shtml

Enjoy.

[ebtnut]

Doneldon:  "Recent" is a relative term in this case.  IIRC, the original owner of Central Valley either passed away or sold the business sometime in the mid-1970's.  Whoever the new owner was did not maintain the same quality standards for the trucks.  That's why they discontinued doing trucks.  Also, I actually built one of those Crusader loco kits.  A colleague at my former office was a collector of sorts, and had squirelled one away.  He's since passed on, and I don't know what became of his collection. 

[J3a-614]

Continuing on, and not necessarily a strict kit page, but still something of a nostalgia piece is this history site:

http://ho-scaletrains.net/index.html

Sample search sequence (in this instance, AHM, then the B&O Big Six):

http://tycotrain.tripod.com/ahmhoscaletrainscollectorsresource/

http://tycotrain.tripod.com/ahmhoscaletrainscollectorsresource/id81.html

Samples from the Pacific Fast Mail section:

http://ho-scaletrains.net/id47.html

Check out the cutie on the cover of the 10th aniversary edition (but make sure your wife is elsewhere--and don't tell mine anything!):

http://ho-scaletrains.net/pacificfastmail/id124.html

Love the Howard Fogg painting for the cover of this one--steam railroading as we imagine it should be:

http://ho-scaletrains.net/pacificfastmail/id126.html

No mistaking the work of John Allen in the Sierra 38 page (click on to enlarge):

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3125/2729008782_4e911ce803_o.jpg

How many Canadian fans wish for one of these (from the 13th edition)?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3408/3339460700_cf4afc34e0_o.jpg

A rarity, no doubt:

http://ho-scaletrains.net/id30.html

I'll let you explore the rest.

Have fun!

[Doneldon]

EBT- The CV plastic stock cars are sure a dim reflection of their Old Timers kits from days gone by.  I was so disappointed when I purchased one.  D