Polar Express Lionel Train - How Come They Make O and G Gauges?

Lionel Trains were quick to catch the buzz created by the release of the animated Robert Zemeckis movie in 2004 with the release of their own O gauge electric Polar Express Train set. Shortly after, they released a cheaper G gauge version of the polar express train. The two versions of the same product have caused some confusion, especially amongst parents who are not especially train-savvy. So what's the difference?

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The O gauge set is an electric train set, with the locomotive made from die-cast metal parts, running on standard Lionel track, also made of metal. The G gauge set, on the other hand, is made from plastic - locomotive, coaches and track. The locomotive is battery-powered and these two factors, more than anything else account for the price difference.

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I want to give my kids a great Christmas - which should I buy?

Both sets represent significant entry points to a highly satisfying, life-long hobby. Both sets will give your kids a Christmas to remember and provide a focal point for you to interact with your children's play. For my two cents worth, train sets are worth every dollar you spend and they'll continue bringing fun and joy well beyond the holiday season.

The G Gauge set, selling for around 0.00, is more suitable for younger children; 3 to 6 year olds. Everything you need on December 25th is right there in the box - batteries (6 C size for the loco and 2 AAs for the RC controller) are included. You can also purchase separately a 9.6v rechargeable to take the place of the Cs. The locomotive makes surprisingly good steam train sounds, including bell and whistle, the coach has opening doors and the observation car features a disappearing hobo, who is sure to be a hit with the kids! The easily assembled track makes up into a 72" by 55" oval. Add-on track packs are available from Lionel stockists, making this train set a genuine model railroad entry-point. All up, a great introduction to a great hobby.

OK, I'm convinced... but tell me about the O gauge train set.

Lionel's O gauge Polar Express costs quite a bit more (anywhere from 6.00 to 9.00, depending on where you buy) but you get a whole lot more. This is a genuine electric train set which will run with any of the other O gauge products in the Lionel range.

Suitable for what ages? Well, you know your own children, but 7 or so seems about right to me.

The locomotive - a pretty decent representation of the Lima-built Berkshire 2-8-4 - puffs smoke as it runs, chugs like a real steam loco and has a very realistic-sounding steam whistle. The three passenger cars have interior lighting (a nice touch for when darkness falls on December 25th, and the living-room lights go out) and the passengers themselves are silhouetted in the windows of the cars. The track assembles easily into a 60" x 40" oval. The control pack (which also has the bell and whistle buttons) is big and solid and the throttle itself is satisfyingly chunky and mounted on the right hand side of the pack.

So there you go. Different horses for different courses, from a great American model train maker. G or O? Have fun deciding. Why not slip into your local train store or online hobby store and try them yourself. Great oaks from small acorns grow.

Polar Express Lionel Train - How Come They Make O and G Gauges?

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Matchbox Toy Cars - Diecast Collectibles For Young & Old

Matchbox toy cars have never gone out of style. These diecast collectibles are hotter than ever in toy collecting world. The Matchbox car toy series was created in 1952 by Jack Odell when he cast a small metal miniature of a Road Roller and inserted it in a matchbox container so his daughter could take it to school with her. More than 50 years later, the Matchbox brand is still known to collectors and children alike for its high quality, model diversity and affordability. In many retail outlets, Matchbox cars are still sold for around a dollar a car and each year more than 100 million of them are sold to collectors and kids alike.

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The first Lesney series of Matchbox toy cars measured up to eight inches long. It was during the 1950's that the Lesney Company began to focus mostly on miniature sizes of the diecast cars. The No. 1 Diesel Road Roller, No. 2 Dumper, and No. 3 Cement Mixer were first released in 1953. Lesney then decided that the vehicles in this beginning series, known better as the 1-75 series, would be limited to only seventy-five different makes and models. Though new models and makes were made each year, when a new car came out, an older one was removed from the series. This same practice is still in place today with the toy car series.

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The Mattel toy company started to compete in the die-cast car market in 1961 when the production of their Hot Wheels brand was introduced. The Lesney company went bankrupt in 1982 and sold the rights of the Matchbox brand name to Universal Toys. In 1992, the the Matchbox brand name was then sold to Tyco Toys whose toy division was ironically bought out by the Mattel toy company in 1997.

Throughout all the years, Matchbox toy cars remained widely collected and traded. With the birth of the internet and the start of eBay in 1995, it opened up a wider outlet for collectors all over the world to buy and sell cars in their collection. On any given day, their are thousands of the toy cars available on eBay and the Wal-Marts of the world too have a very large selection to choose from.

Matchbox toy car collecting is both fun and profitable and a great hobby for both young and old. It is never too late to start collecting both new and rare Matchbox cars.

Matchbox Toy Cars - Diecast Collectibles For Young & Old

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First Die Cast Companies Forged History - Dinky and Tootsie Lead the Way

Today, many pre-war die cast cars are considered rare and collectible items. The earliest die cast items and vehicles were made of ZAMAK alloy that didn't stand the test of time particularly well. There was a tendency for these miniatures produced in the early 1900s to form cracks and break. The alloy is zinc-based with aluminum and other metals not known for durability. Consequently, pre-war cars in excellent condition command precious prices at auction.

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Chicago - From Metal Type to Die Cast
In America, the road to die cast model cars was paved by Charles Dowst who saw an amazing new technology displayed at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The Line-O-Type machine was targeted at publishers and captured Dowd's attention since his family was in the business. Simply - the Line-O-Type made it possible for metal letters to be molded, set in lines of type, inked and printed for newspapers and magazines.

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But Dowst, being an innovator, imagined other uses for the technology. In 1904 his plant is Chicago, renamed "Dowst Metal Novelties," began to produce other miniature items such as small animals and whistles, rings and toys that were used as prizes in the popular "Cracker Jacks" boxes. By 1906, Dowst noticed how fascinated children were with the appearance of horseless carriages on the city streets and soon toy cars were rolling off the assembly line. By 1910, the company was producing a line of Model T Ford replicas that were very detailed, yet affordable.

An early catalog from the Dowst firm pictured a variety of items from pins and cuff links to tiny trains, boats and horse-drawn fire engines. Experts say the first real die cast automobile made its debut in the catalog in 1911 - a diminutive limousine with a closed in top and extended hood characteristic of cars from that period.

In 1922, Dowst made yet another mark in history when he expanded the company's line of toys and named them "Tootsie Toys" in honor of his granddaughter. The Tootsie Toy brand continued to produce a variety of die cast models that were characterized by high quality during the years leading up to WWII. This era marked the birth of the die cast industry in America and other companies soon jumped on the bandwagon.

England Innovator Launches Dinky Die Cast
At about the same time, die cast models were being introduced "on the other side of the pond," in Liverpool, England. There, in 1901, a clerk named Frank Hornby created a technology he called "Mechanics Made Easy" - which soon morphed into Meccano. The company's first successful products were 00 gauge model railway systems. But Hornby took railway cars and engines further, producing entire die cast scenes to create a railway station. There were workers, passengers, track, stations and other accessories that proved extremely popular. So popular that, by 1910 the sets were being exported all over the world and led to expansion of the company to France and Germany. By 1922, the Meccano opened a branch in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

It was in 1934 that Meccano adopted the name which it still bears today, "Meccano Dinky Toys." This came with the release of a set of die cast cars in the 1:43 scale. At a cost of 4 shillings, a youngster could own a sports car, a truck, delivery van, tractor or tank. Other models followed and the company grew more faithful to reproducing accurate detail in its model cars.

But, many Dinky die cast cars suffered from lack of quality in the metal used in casting during this prewar period. Consequently, models from this era in excellent condition are highly prized and sought after. In 1994, for example, a Dinky delivery van produced in 1937 sold at auction for ,355. A post war 1952 Dinky Foden lorry fetched 12,000£ in 2003 - or about ,560 at the 2003 exchange rate.

For many collectors, die cast cars from this era offer a few important enticements. They are rare and, therefore, may be a decent investment. Secondly, they are brimming with nostalgia for another, perhaps simpler time and place. These Tootsies and Dinky cars are not modern reproductions of historic vehicles, but die cast models that survived the hands of children and the test of time.

First Die Cast Companies Forged History - Dinky and Tootsie Lead the Way

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