Random Thoughts After Plumbing Work

 As I sit here drying myself off (I took care of the bathroom sink problem in the most brutal way possible - vacuum cleaner in blower mode), I'm doing a little research into the history of popular HO scale model trains.

By "popular", I mean mass-produced, inexpensive models. HO (and its predecessor OO) were initially craftsman scales here in the United States. While Europe had all these wonderful companies turning out ready-to-run model trains (well, mostly toy trains, though a good number were excellent models), here in the US it wouldn't be until Lionel decided to step up with their excellent OO equipment in the immediate pre-war period that one could purchase smaller scale RTR. It was short lived, but still.
HO scale (as opposed to HO gauge... which is a huge can of worms) would go on to dominate the industry within a few years after the war, but it would not be until the late 1940's and early 50's that it really gained popularity with average folk of meager means and skills.
And by "skills" I mean "building", "following instructions", and "patience". Some of those early HO scale locomotive kits would try the patience of a saint.
Most of these kits presupposed that the builder already had an amazing set of tools at home, things like tap and dies, drills and drill presses, heavy duty soldering gear.
All this for a model locomotive that in some instances could fit comfortably in the palm of your hand.
And heaven forbid if it was a steam locomotive. Most manufacturers prided themselves with the details they would put into those models, frequently in the form of "valve gear". For the uninitiated, valve gear is the heart of a steam locomotive, what tells it to push and pull the pistons. Whilst the Brits liked to carefully tuck their valve gear away and out of sight on many locomotives (bless them!), that wasn't the case here in the US. Ours was right out in the open, in all its complicated glory.
Now, reduce that to 1/87 and try to build it.
At least other early HO rolling stock kits were easy... usually.
Then the RTR equipment started showing up, and the great unwashed masses cheered hallelujah. Didn't like to lay HO track? You didn't have to! Locomotives? Open the box, set them on the track, and away you go. Rolling stock? Easy peasy.
True, couplers were an issue until at least the early 1960's (for my model train folk out there, snark if you will at the much maligned X2F "hook-horn" coupler, but it did much to standardize the hobby).
Anyway, that was probably a lot to take in for me to get to my point. I am looking for the earliest plastic mass-produced American prototype HO models, and in doing so have made some interesting discoveries.
I expect to blather on about this again soon. I'm still learning.