Continuation of BigLobe Plarail Museum

[Super]

Good eye Vio, I didn't even notice the difference of that bridge until you mentioned it. It looks to be on a thin platform as the white rail looks to be higher on the bridge. I do wish I could see more of it. Also the open coach almost looks to be a for-runner of the Disney train Coaches. Even the little people inside look to and fit like the original Disney Coaches. Not the newer style the fit PlaKids.

Also the rails must be of the era where the tracks are smooth as you can see the wheels spinning with no traction. In the video you can see the owner made a modification on the auto Merry Go Round rail where he must have stuck sandpaper or the like in the rails for traction. This plagued a lot of the automatic gimmicks of the time as engines would spin their wheels especially if they had several cars behind them.

Also there looks to be a whistle maybe, included.

I'm pretty sure its these older dolls.



Also the surfaces are sandpaper like, not smooth as seen in the magnified view of the white straight track in https://postimg.cc/nCkhTBMr. Not sure if the Merry-Go-Round is smooth, most probably yes just like any other gimmick rail during that time.

For sure the whistle is missing, but I don't see how the whistle functions in the set. Probably just a prop whistle.

[Super]

Yes, those are the figures that came with the first generation (is that right calling them that) Disney Red and Disney Green Western Railroad Steamers.

The way the engine is sitting it may have worn traction rubbers and that is why it slips on the rails.

Yes. They also come in the ファミリーりょこう まちの駅セット



Rubber tends to get hard, so it looses traction on the smooth rails and slopes.

[Super]

Cool...I had not seen one like the blue fellow operating the gate before. I would imagine he is pretty hard to find. Does that platform have the nub posts for those figures to stand on like the coaches do? Were these discontinued when Plakids came along or did their paths cross at one time?

Nubs: Yes they do, 2 of them sliding as the train passes. Not really sure when they are discontinued, but I estimate they got discontinued in 1987, right after the Salon Car was discontinued.

[Super]

Thanks Vio...this old dog is still learning. I do have to keep an eye out for that blue conductor or policeman fellow as thats a new on to me.

Phantom Gem 51: フェリーボートセット Ferry Boat Set

Nice boat! (if you know what I mean). That is the first generation boat in Plarail history, 1976. It is a very famous and wanted set. Again like all other gimmick sets, it became too expensive to manufacture and immediately became out of print in a year after initial sales. It was a shame that the production was way too small, but there is a Thomas reprint. Cranky crane replaces the light tower, and Thomas replaced the D-51 (shame on TOMY for that poor choice of using fictitious characters to reprint the set, entirely my opinion). It is rumoured that this set was out of print 6 months after sales, and actual buyout price would be 70000 yen for an OK condition set.

And now, we have the clearest images of the Ferry Boat Set which came from a certain collector's house.

[Super]

Thanks Vio. This collectors house you have researched at must give you chills with all the gems they have.

I love this set. I love the Lighthouse tower with flying Seagull much better than the Cranky & Thomas re-make. But there are a couple things I like about the re-make over this original...the re-make has a bigger Ferry Boat that looks to be able to accommodate a tendered engine. The yellow ramps are longer. The 'water' tracks are a little more transparent blue and the raised over culvert track is a nice addition. Get rid of Thomas and Cranky, replace them with the lighthouse tower with flying gull and adding a real D-51 with Tender would make the perfect set in my eyes.

I didn’t know the newer version could support a tendered engine. A reprint but abridged. I still prefer the original though. The collector is “quite the collector” indeed.