In Louis Hertz's classic "Riding the Tinplate Rails" he mentions something of a poll that was taken to determine what model and toy train enthusiasts wanted. This was the late 1930s, at a time when tinplate was dominated here in the United States by 0 gauge. Scale model railroading, however, was becoming dominated by H0.
One of the replies amongst tinplaters was a need for smaller scale ready to run equipment that was reasonably priced.
Naturally, over in Europe you had several companies who were meeting that demand.
Stateside?
Not so much.
The two smaller scale locomotives that were ready to run that had been introduced by American companies were both Hudsons - the Lionel 00 scale model, a masterpiece, and the less expensive H0 Gilbert model.
In 1939, the Gilbert Hudson sold for $12.50. In 2026 dollars that is whopping $297. It was as much as a small 0-27 train set.
Even then, what they really wanted were smaller locomotives, 0-4-0 and 2-4-0 types. They did exist, but they weren't quite ready to run, and for folks who weren't mechanically inclined that was a problem. Most of the kits at that time required tools like taps and the ability to set rivets and solder.
It was Varney that answered the call, though it was still a kit.
In 1941 they introduced their "Lil' Joe" dockside switcher.
It was not too expensive, and was easy to build. If you chose to detail it with more realistic valve gear, sure, there was a kit for that. But most of them remained relatively simple, and more importantly they were fairly reliable if built properly.
It is little wonder that when the Italian company Rivarossi decided to enter the American market that one of their first locomotives was a Docksider, a read to run model. This model remained in production into the early 1950s, when it was replaced by a better proportioned version.
I have no idea if the tinplate enthusiasts of the late 1930s and early 1940s were ever satisfied by the later offerings. Gilbert and American Flyer introduced S gauge tinplate in the immediate postwar period, so there came around a smaller tinplate scale, though the equipment was still about the size of 0-27 equipment (Marx and American Flyer made 3/16" sized models before the war, and while they didn't admit as much, some of the smaller rolling stock that Lionel produced after the war, namely the boxcars, were that size as well). European and Japanese companies would step in eventually, with more ready to run offerings arriving from American companies by the 1950s.
Anyway, I just spent an hour testing out my collection of Varney, LifeLike, and Rivarossi Docksiders on my temporary Trix Bakelite layout, and they all ran very well, aside from some dirty sections. While the two heavy Varney diecast models (1941 and 1948 vintage) ambled down the right of way with dutiful intent, the lighter LifeLike versions and the Rivarossi ran a little lighter and faster, though they seemed to have no problems whatsoever, coasting over the remaining dirty spots with ease.
They still need work. Couplers are needed, some damaged sections repaired. But they run. For now, that'll suffice.
A Surprising Sausage Powered Locomotive
I ordered this model in early April from the UK. Every time they popped up here in the States they would be bought up before I had a chance to place to nab one. On the international market, though, they seemed fairly commonplace.
I took a chance and bought a "dead".
It took three weeks to arrive.
But here it is, a Jouef (for Playcraft) model 431 0-4-0T, sitting on some century old Bing 00 tin track -
It is actually based on a US Army 0-6-0T that was made to help restore European railways, and they proved to be quite popular.
So did the model. In addition to being sold as an electric model, it was also sold as clockwork.
This one is a very early electric version. The motor had actually popped out. The engineers at Jouef designed an ingenious method of installing motor where there was very little or no wiring to deal with, and everything snapped into place. This pinion/crown gear motor had just popped out of place. It took all of five minutes to repair.
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