The most beautiful Marklin O Gauge ME 66/12920 4-8-2 Engine and Tender that I have seen is ending on eBay in less than two days.

Even if you are not an O Gauge person, this is worth seeing.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/e...IT&item=350213113509

A hobby shop in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma closed in the 1960's. The owner kept all the stock in hopes that he could reopen the shop. He is now in his 90's, and his family is having another hobby shop auction off the contents. It is like opening a time capsule.

I was fortunate enough to win a few auctions out of this treasure trove. It will be interesting to see what this engine sells for.

It is very nice model, Expensive rare item.

It look a repaint red on steam wheels.

I'm a serious tinplate trains collector but new to Maerklin. I was the successful bidder for this loco and tender. Once I receive it I'll be in a better position to closely examine and evaluate it. I know very little about pre and post war Maerklin 0 gauge production. Perhaps this set was manufactured after the war. I'd appreciate any further insights that anyone can offer.

Hello everyone,

I have this version listed in my Christie's catalog as being from 1940. Note that this has the red wheels rather than the black wheel version.

Christie's entry:

"Cat. Ref. ME7012920 2.D.1. (4-8-2) and four axle tender, painted in lined black and red, 1940. US$ 4,300 - 5,000"

This locomotive can also be found in the catalog 1937/38 listed as either "ME 66/12920 (gray or black) and ME 70/12920 (gray or black)"

It is really hard to tell if it is repainted or not, but the missing stampings on the tender concern me. However, given the piece's provenance, coming from a dealer who also collected Marklin in the 1930s and 1940s makes me want to think it is original.

My guess is from the 1930s as well.

Congratulations on the purchase, Jim.

Regards,

Bill

So, I have the piece now. I've examined it closely one time around. I can see no evidence of repainting. It looks original, but as though it came out of a time capsule. Two items of note: it appears to have the original stubby 20v bulbs in the headlights, and the tender wheels show some signs of casting fatigue. I can take detailed close ups if anyone is interested in seeing particular areas of the loco and tender. I'll probably take this mysterious set to York and try to get some input from Marklin collectors and sellers there.

I have talked at length to the owner of the Whistle Stop hobby shop in Oklahoma City who is handling the sale of the items from a hobby shop which was closed in the 1960's. The man who owned the long closed shop is now in this 90's, and his family is gradually bringing treasures to the Whistle Stop to sell on eBay.

The Whistle Stop owner consulted about the engine with a rather noted Marklin O Gauge collector who lives in Oklahoma City. That collector apparently once saw the engine many years ago in the old shop. He related to the Whistle Stop owner that he seemed to recall the shop owner telling him that he bought the engine from an American soldier who had returned from Germany after World War II.

The Marklin factory fortunately escaped the destruction of WWII, so they were left with buildings, tooling, and parts from before the war. My understanding is that they scrambled to build trains and other toys to sell for Christmas 1945. They were desperate to bring in cash to feed their families, and the G.I.'s and reconstruction workers had money.

If they could not find the proper rubber stamp for the rear of the tender, it was of no consequence to them. They had to build whatever they could in time for the Christmas season. My Marklin O Gauge train was made in the fourth quarter of 1945. My passenger cars do not have the yellow lettering on the frames that can be seen on pre-war 40 centimeter cars.

You may see my train at:

http://home.earthlink.ne...nrlh/marklino/index.html

Thank you, Wilma, for the most interesting background information on the ME. I am indeed fortunate to have acquired it. I can't wait to run it on my layout. I hope that 80 inch diameter curves are adequate. I see that the one driver has a good deal of side to side play, which I assume is designed to allow for operation on relatively tight curves. I wonder how long after the end of the war did Maerklin produce 0 gauge Pacifics and MEs? Is there a source for those interesting little 20v stubby bulbs for the loco headlights? I need two for my HR66 Pacific.

As to the matter of the elderly owner of the closed hobby shop, it is my understanding that the family is very protective. I am told he is frail, and the family is concerned about unscrupulous people exploiting him. We probably will never know his undoubtedly fascinating history.

After WWII, paint of any kind was very difficult to find. Marklin and other manufacturers experimented with whatever pigments, binders, and solvents they could find. Also, remember that tremendous amounts of effort and money were poured into research of many types during the war, and paints surely benefited from new knowledge.

Please look at the "Marklin "O" Gauge Catalogs" page on my web site for a discussion about the years when various products disappeared from the Marklin line. It would be an interesting exercise to build a database of Marklin PostWar O Gauge engines, cars, and accessories from the catalogs giving colors and dates of manufacture.

http://home.earthlink.ne...no/1949SpurOCatalog.html

I doubt there were catalogs for 1945, but wonder if there were separate Marklin O Gauge catalogs for 1946, 1947, or 1948? I just added an almost mint November 1952 O Gauge catalog from the Oklahoma City treasure trove to my collection.

The pictures from the eBay auction are gone, but I wonder if the Whistle Stop owner would allow us to post his pictures. I would volunteer to crop and resize the pictures, if someone has server room to host them. Let me know, and I will try to get the pictures. I think they should be preserved as valuable history.