TRAIN TIME: Hornby No. 50153 Clockwork Engine

When I started buying Hornby, accessories and buildings were being added much quicker than engines and rolling stock. A part of that was price - these suckers can get expensive! - and reliability. After a couple of wind-up engine disappointments, I was getting a case of burnt fingers. Fortunately today's engine was a good purchase overall and was a bit cheaper than normal because someone had customized it with hand-scribed 'R's' on the tender sides. I'm okay with them. My apologies for not presenting my usual 12-pic photo essay set but apparently when these photos were taken I got lazy! :-) Enjoy! Opa Fritz

TRAIN TIME: Keim of Western Germany Clockwork Train

Not all trains are created equal. Case in point: this attractive little clockwork set that isn't worth a hoot. This must have been very low-end, el cheapo, dimestore fare back in the day. The engine looks nice, the gondola is nice and has decent graphics, the track is nice and shiny, but it's a terrible puller. One or two laps around that diminutive oval and she's done, winded, kaput! It wasn't until after I bought this set and posted it in one one of my facebook groups that my suspicions were born out as others in the group chimed in about the overall poor performance of Keim products! Rats! Oh well, ya live and learn and  what the hell, I didn't spend much on it so okay. Enjoy! Opa Fritz

TRAIN TIME: Kraus-Fandor Clockwork Engine

Here's the engine I bought to go along with the Kraus-Fandor Station and footbridge. It's generally a European-outline engine but has a removable cowcatcher for consumption in the American market. I have run it and it is a decent runner, but unfortunately haven't yet recorded a video and right now  EVERYTHING out in The Cave is inaccessible (long story) so it may be a while before I can get a decent video posted. Enjoy! Opa Fritz