ed for retailers said, “We do not have in- structions. Dealers are cautioned not to sell to inexperienced modelers. At least we try.” Copy said it would take time to get into production. It wasn’t in the 1981 catalog nor was it ready in a 1984 com- pany statement.
VARNEY “OLD LADY”
The 1981 catalog carried Pennsylva- nia Scale Models’ Jewett Car Co., Brill and PCC trolleys, plus Pittman’s O scale Brill. Bowser offered exploded views of the original postwar Mountain sans boiler, but with a Pittman DC71 motor. The NYC K-11, Varney and Penn Line locomotives had original and new diagrams, all original parts numbered and those Bowser re-num- bered. As keeper of the flame for com- panies it had absorbed, owners of pre- vious versions were accommodated with repair parts for them. It also con- tained comprehensive locomotive dia- grams with part numbers for lines it carried: Athearn, Mantua, and MDC. Having primarily been a vendor of
PENN LINE/SOL KRAMER/VARNEY/BOWSER GG-1
Bowser bought the Varney line of steam locomotives, which included the diecast 2-8-0 “Old Lady” (top). Eventually, Bowser acquired the Penn Line GG1 (above). When Pittman stopped making hobby motors, Bowser bought the tooling along with the O scale Brill trolley (below).
models from purchased lines, Bowser had grown to become a supplier of HO, N and a few O scale manufacturers. They had many detail parts and di- verse accessories to aid in creating lay- outs. It was a rival, on a smaller scale if you will, to Wm. K. Walthers. Bowser’s 1981 catalog had 194 pages, Walthers’ 256.
to THE OVERLAND ROUTE
Union Pacific Railroad by Ross Grenard and John Krause
PITTMAN O GAUGE/SCALE BRILL TROLLEY
whose products it sold: MDC Round- house, Atlas, Athearn, E&B Valley Rail- road Co., Mantua, Quality Craft Models, Bachmann, Model Power, Arbour Mod- els, plus others in a mix of HO and N scales. Knapp’s Mountain loco was gone, not having survived the Korean war. Parts were still available, and many kits lasted in shops for several years. Penn Line’s Reading streamline Crusader was long gone, only repair parts remained. Its PRR locos: E6 Atlantic, H9 Consolida- tion, I1 Decapod, K4 Pacific, L1 Mikado and T1 Duplex remained. With one-piece cast boilers and applied details, they were simpler in finish, though detail kits were available to upgrade them. Like Varney’s retooled Casey Jones Ten- wheeler and “Old Lady” Consolidation, they shared blind forward facing cabs, common to many cast locomotives in that era. They came ready-to-run or as
RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN
kits–Penn Line’s kits only. Bowser re- placed zamac frames with brass, and Pittman motors of its own make, plus necessary changes to incorporate them. Only the T1 had a lit headlight and oth- ers white jewels. Postwar technology was not sophisticated enough to permit illu- minated headlights on many steamers. One of the most mobile locomotives in this game of musical chairs was Penn Line’s 1957 diecast GG1. Under Sol Kramer’s ownership, it later went to Var- ney, then Life-Like in 1968. That compa- ny produced it with the Penn Line and Varney tooling before it traveled to Bowser. In the course of its journeys, ex- ploded view drawings in the 1979 cata- log showed Penn Line, Varney and Bows- er versions, with numbered parts from previous models carried forward for those needing repairs. But handwriting on a Bowser GG1 parts drawing intend-
Travel back to the glory years of steam on the Union Pacific, as seen through the beautiful black & white action photography of Ross Grenard, Richard Kindig, Robert Collins, John Krause and others. From Sherman Hill to Weber Canyon to Cajon Pass, you’ll witness FEF-class 4-8-4s, 2-10-2 and 4-10-2 helpers, 4-12-2s, Challengers and other locomotives battling the grades with everything from 100-car PFE trains to long-haul passenger schedules. There are diesels and turbines too: E1s and E6s, A-B-A sets of PAs and Fs, veranda scenes, complete with highly-descriptive photo captions and map. 82 pages,
C60 $12.95 + s&h
S&H in US $6.00 per book, Canada add $10.00, Foreign add $12.00. NJ residents add 7% sales tax, Canadians add 5% G.S.T. Payable in US funds. Please allow 14 business days for US deliv- ery. Prices and availability subject to change.
TO ORDER CALL: 1-888-526-5365 (M-F; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. e.s.t.)
Carstens Publications, Inc. 91
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