32¢ ELECTRIC TOY TRAINS
CELEBRATE THE CENTURY ISSUE - 1920's - May 28, 1998
Sc. 3184d - issued 5/28/98
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Julian and Sharon
Pugh almost
always include a sheet of text with each FDC they produce, and it is
usually full of
interesting facts and stories about the stamps subject. I liked their
insert for this
stamp even more than usual, and am reproducing it in full below.
Toy trains did not begin in the 1920s, though we cannot say for sure
when the first one
was made. We do know that the earliest full-sized self-propelled steam
locomotives
appeared in the late 1700s and early 1800s, and they were at first
capable of attaining
no more than the breathtaking speed of from three to six miles per
hour, while their
destinations were limited to the very few places where track had been
laid. The early
puffers were first introduced in Germany and England, and shortly
thereafter made their
debut in the United States. There were a few toy manufacturers who
reproduced these
earliest steam engines, mainly craftsmen for the upper class.
So there have probably been toy trains almost as long as there have
been trains. As the
westward expansion of the U.S. was aided by the development of the
railroads, the larger
toy manufacturers added train pieces to their inventories, though
initially only on a
limited scale. The romance of the railroads became an important factor
to these companies
- the average person stood in awe of the smoke-belching oddities. The
Merriam
Manufacturing Co. of Durham, CT was one of the first to manufacture
painted toy trains
around the 1830s.
The early pieces rolled on flat, flangeless wheels and were called
'floortrains.' Other
companies followed Meriam's lead. Toy producers such as George Brown of
Forrestville, CT
produced three wheeled engines, and Althof Bergmann and Company of New
York were involved
with the manufacture and distribution of several American floortrains.
Fabricated from sheets of tinned iron, these toy trains were Painted or
lithographed,
and most were quite fragile compared to the later cast iron or wood
pieces. And they were
fairly expensive compared to other toys of the times, so wooded
examples were a fairly
adequate alternative for those who could not afford the products of
Meriam, Brown, or
Beggs. Cast iron toy trains made their appearance around the 1870s,
and were a vast
improvement over their tin counterparts. Ruggedly built, they could
withstand the rough
play to which they were subjected by their young engineer owners. These
cast iron floor
trains were produced through the 1930s, and it was fairly early in
their development when
several manufacturers put motors in their castings and placed them on
tracks. The
incorporation of motors into the bodies brought about a whole new era
of toy train
locomotion.
George Brown is credited with introducing the clockwork mechanism to
American toy trains
in 1856, and other toy makers soon followed, including the excellent
James Fallow and the
Blakelee Co., both also of CT. The clockwork mechanism consisted of a
series of gears
activated by a coil spring that was wound by means of a key that was
inserted into the
body or a smokestack. The length of the run-time depended on the speed
and the size of
the gear ratios but some were capable of running nearly an hour on a
single winding. The
clockwork mechanism was not a new device but had earlier been
incorporated into toys that
dated back to the 16th century.
Somewhat similar to the keywind clockwork pieces were the friction
motor examples which
were popular from the 1890s to the 1920s. As expected, the running time
was quite short
as friction on the wheels and up through the gears reduced the spinning
activity of the
flywheel. However, they were very practical in that they required no
key - which more
often than not, was soon misplaced.
The steam-powered toy locomotive was a natural for the toy
manufacturers. Not only was
the running time longer than either the keywind or friction examples,
but the use of
steam power more closely approached the real thing. The trains were
placed on tracks and
the wheels were flanged to maintain contact with the rails around
curves. To generate
steam, water was placed in the locomotive's boiler and the steam valves
were closed. Heat
was produced by igniting a wick saturated with flammable spirits or by
use of dry,
burnable materials. When the steam reached its peak, the steam valves
were opened and the
pistons transferred power to the driving wheels putting the train in
motion. The idea was
ideal, but there were several inherent drawbacks, not the least of
which was they
produced a potential for fire damage as well as for minor explosions.
Electric toy trains evolved slowly - In the late 1800s when American
electric toy trains
made their debut, very few homes were wired for electricity. Those that
were wired
featured overhead light sockets as the terminus for the electric power.
The wall outlet
was still years away from practical home use and toy manufacturers had
to produce self-
contained electrical sources for the home railroader. The 'wet-cell'
was one of the first
such sources and consisted of a series of glass jars, metal electrodes,
and battery acid.
These components were also quite dangerous in the hands of a young
engineer. Dry cell
batteries were cleaner and less dangerous but they too, had a limited
expectancy.
Carlisle and Finch of Cincinnati marketed their electric trains in sets
that included dry
cell batteries in 1890s. Replacements were available but for a
significant cost.
Other sources of electric power included a hand cranked dynamo that
featured a large
wheel and handle which, when turned, produced electric current. But the
drawback to that
was that a young engineer soon tired of cranking. Have we not all
wondered, just before
our crank ice cream was ready, if the reward was worth the effort?
The eventual arrival of widespread home electricity was a boon to the
toy train
industry, for it gave a toy train consistent speed, and direction could
be controlled
from a distance which simulated reality more closely to the juvenile
engineer. The
introduction of the rheostat into the electric circuit brought about
the speed control of
the train. By placing this device between the power source and the
locomotive's motor,
electric current could be portioned out to the motor in increments.
This device was the
basis for the modern day train transformer and its introduction in the
decade of the 20s,
as electric power became more common, led to a hobby that is popular to
this day far both
the young and old.
Sc. 3184d - Pugh FDC
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Sc. 3184d - Bevil FDC
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