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HObbyline Vintage HO SCALE TRAIN SETS

HObbyline HO Train sets. Made from 1953 to 1957. A John English line of HO plastic trains. Mr. English also made his own line of Die Cast metal HO trains offered in a line of trains under his own name , English. The company was based in Morrisville Pennsylvania. A town right on the Delaware River accros from Trenton New Jersey. HOBBYLINE ODDATIES! Sets 1953 through 1956, Sets were determined by type of cars and not road names that are seen in catalog pictures. Of cource this went for freight sets only. Sets in 1957, there were only two different sets released and roadnames for each car were always the same. The larger set had 2 boxcars which always were New Haven and TP&W. This is the only year HObbyline did this. In this larger sit, the 6 freight cars used all had different road names but were always the same set to set for the whole last year. Couplers, the original 1953 couplers were used only for this one year’. 1954 and 55 couplers used in these two years were slightly larger and so stronger then that of 1953. The different types worked well together. Note, 53 to 57 couplers will couple with KD type couplers. They won’t automaticly uncouple. 1956 and 57, a standard X2F coupler was releases and used. They are very different in appearance with the 53 to 55 couplers. They do not work with earlier couplers. If modified, they can couple but not automatically uncouple. Truck’s, none were ever good rollers. The 1954, and 1955 trucks with brass wheels were as good as HObbyline ever made. They also looked the best. When looking at freight cars I have accumulated some have different lettering details or different colors. This doesn’t seem always to be from the color fading! To me some cars are made in different shades of a colors and different colors. The Cotton Belt Hopper is made in both red and black with white lettering. I have Southern Pacific boxcars whose logo is whte, then on another car black, The cars color can be brown or a light tan. Maybe there are other cars like this. I can’t speak for every car made in every year.