Lone Star Treble-O-Lectric Trains     

Introduction

I had to include a page or two or three or four about these wonderful trains because they were responsible for my start in 9mm gauge model railroading. I was ten years old when I got a Treble-O-Lectric (is there ANY other name for electric trains that is as cool sounding as this?) train set for Christmas in 1962. It came from Santa........er.....I mean.....Montgomery Ward. But darn it, it does say "Doug from Santa Claus" on the cover (although it looks suspiciously like my dear late dad's handwriting). The set included a Union Pacific F7, Union Pacific boxcar, 100 ton breakdown crane, Mobilgas tanker, flat car with two vehicles (a red Citroen DS and green Land Rover) , and Union Pacific caboose. There was an oval of track as usual but there were also two hand-operated points (switches) included and some extra curves so you could have a circle inside the oval at one end. 1962 was the only year Wards included these extra track pieces in the deluxe sets. There were also a station, footbridge, signal box (tower), trees, telegraph poles......well here, a couple of pictures might explain it better. The first one is from that Christmas Eve in 1962 when I set it up on the dining room table. My dad and little sister are in the background. Click on the thumbnail to view a full sized picture:

The second picture is one I took of the set in its box in 1997 after I had restored it to like new condition (not that it took THAT much to restore it). Click on the thumbnail to view a full sized picture:

Very colourful, don't you think? Lone Star really had a way with colours and the boxed sets in Lone Star's own packaging are beautiful things to behold! Here is a picture of an EL.50 Goods set, courtesy of Jeffery Knight:

Obviously, I still have my original set and other pieces I acquired through the years. Of course, in the early years, I wanted to expand on it and did build two of what you would call permanent layouts using the Treble-O-Lectric equipment. The first was based on an expanded styrene layout I got for Christmas the next year from Wards. This is pictured below, complete with a staged train wreck in the forefront. I realise that the quality of the photo isn't that good but, hey, I was only 11 at the time right? Oh well, at least it's in colour. Click on the thumbnail to view a full sized picture:

The second layout was built on a piece of plywood left over from my older brother's HO layout in which he lost interest (see, a true model railroader is always ready to exploit materials to make a layout). This pike involved all the usual construction necessary; track laying, wiring, scenery, etc. I don't know why I never took a photo of that layout. One of the things I did was to ballast the track using the bonded ballast method, mixing the ballast (actually, I used earth-colored sawdust) with powdered casein glue and spraying with water. It worked very well but, boy, was it tough to get that stuff off the track later when I wanted to restore it to its original appearance!

Of course, in 1967, when Atlas began importing N scale equipment that appeared to me to be leaps and bounds ahead, that was pretty much the end of my using Treble-O-Lectric to do "serious" modeling. There was no way I was ever going to sell, or otherwise dispose of, my Treble-O-Lectric trains though.

Flash! I now have a new Treble-O-Lectric layout! It's only 3 x 4 feet and there is no scenery yet but it has two loops so I can run two trains at a time and storage tracks for extra cars. The track is down and secured and the wiring is complete! The trains sure make a racket but it's easier for me to conjure up real trains in my mind with the locos and cars clickety-clacking across those rail joints than it is with quieter N scale equipment. It is a real thrill again to experience these trains in action!

Please also see: Treble-O-Lectric Locomotive Service

                             The Treble-O-Lectric Documents Page

                             Miscellaneous Treble-O Information

Brief History and some Specs

The Lone Star toy division was a part of Die Casting Machine Tools Ltd. of 152, Green Lanes, Palmers Green, London. The company was founded by the late Mr. Aubrey Robert "Bob" Mills in partnership with the late Mr. Sidney James Ambridge in 1939 at another location nearby and moved to the Green Lanes address in the late 1940s. In 1956, the company expanded its operations by building a new factory at Hatfield, Hertfordshire (usually abbreviated Herts. by our friends in England). Later, they also had offices in New York, Los Angeles, Brisbane, and Paris. Through the years, Lone Star manufactured many different lines of diecast metal and plastic toys and were one of the leading suppliers of toy cap guns and small metal automotive replicas. In fact, the name "Lone Star" was adopted as a result of wanting to more identify their products with the old west theme that was all the rage in the 1950s. The company continued operations until 1988 when it was effectively shut down and the lines sold off.

The above information comes from the wonderful website of Mr. Geoff Ambridge, son of the late Mr. Sidney Ambridge. For a more detailed and complete history and view of the products made by Lone Star, I encourage all reading this to visit his site.

Mr. Ambridge also has written a marvelous book entitled "The Bumper Book of "Lone Star" Diecast Models and Toys 1948-88" full of company information, recollections of former employees, and images and listings of the products. I heartily encourage anybody interested in learning more about this fascinating establishment to purchase this book. The link below takes you to a page with information about the book and how to order it. You can reach other pages on the site by clicking on the links at the top of the page:

www.lone-star-diecast-bk.com/book.html

In the 1950s, Lone Star developed a range of what is called "push-along" railrway toys made of diecast zinc alloy. They dubbed the series "Lone Star Locos" and it was quite extensive for a push-along toy train; they produced 42 different items in this series, including trains, track, and accessories of mainly British outline, although there were representatives of US prototype too. Couplers were a kind of peg and hole arangement where a verticle peg on one car inserted into a hole or loop on the next car. Wheels and track were also diecast metal and were 8mm gauge. As the description suggests, these are unpowered models and are "pushed along." There is a growing interest in these as collectables as well as in the later Treble-O-Lectric and Treble-O-Trains (which, like the early push-alongs, are unpowered ).

These trains, in the very late 1950s, were further developed into the Treble-O-Lectric powered versions which were released in 1960 using British outlines. Two new locomotives were specifically designed for this line, the D.5000 "Derby Sulzer" and D.5900 "Baby Deltic". Previous passenger and freight cars were adapted to the new line. Couplers were changed to a hook and loop arrangement which can be seen in the view below of the drive. Wheels and axles were black moulded plastic with either plastic conical shaped ends or cylindrical metal ends. Gauge was changed to 9mm, which has remained the gauge used by N scale manufacturers ever since. The scale used was 2mm to the foot which works out to 152/1, very slightly larger than present day US N scale at 160/1. Both scales are a little over half the size of US HO scale and a little less than half the size of English OO scale. As Montgomery Ward advertised them, "Not much larger than a penny!" The track was very similar to N scale pre-fab track of today with a plastic tie strip and nickel silver rails fastened with simulated tie plates and spikes (or to be more correct for English use, screws). Curved track is 12"radius. Previously available accessories were also continued into the Treble-O line. Stock numbers for Treble-O-Lectric were prefixed by "EL" to distinguish them from the earlier trains.

The propulsion system for the locomotives is a 12 volt D.C. electric motor mounted in the middle of the locomotive with two long shafts extending out from either end and supported about half way out on diecast extensions fitted with bushings rising up from the frame. Neoprene rubber drive bands are used as the final drive between the motor shafts and drive wheel axles. Here is a representative example of this drive:

The original bands are black neoprene but these are notoriously hard to find so Treble-O-Lectric enthusiasts have come up with substitutes. The yellow bands above are from a package of various size rubber bands sold in stores for the fairer sex to use in their hair. They don't last anywhere near as long as the originals because they are made of inferior rubber but at least they are cheap. And, the yellow shows up well in the image right? Also, the various colours of these bands are right in line with Lone Star's colourful output. Other substitutes have included orthodontic bands used for braces and tubing of appropriate diameter cut into bands. I have been in contact recently with another enthusiast and he uses what are sold as HO replacement traction tires. They are Maerklin #7153 tires and he states that he has pretty good results with them. There is also a gentleman in the UK, Martin Doubleday, who offers bands and the results have been reported as excellent.

The pale greenish cylindrical object at the point where the wires attach to the motor is a "television interference suppressor" which was included in all Treble-O-Lectric locomotives and also in the power feed terminal to connect the wire leads to the track. This device is meant to reduce the interference with television sets in the form of buzzing through the speakers and lines on the screen in the days when the vast majority of TV owners relied on an antenna for reception. The interference is caused by the generation of television spectrum frequencies from the sparking at the commutator and between wheels and track. With today's closed cable television networks, this is not as much of a problem. But, I remember back then being summoned from upstairs; "Doug, are you running your trains? It's interfering with the TV!" So evidently, the suppressors aren't entirely effective.

This drive may seem crude compared to the N scale locomotives of today but I think it is rather ingenious and unique.

Click on the link to the right for information on servicing Treble-O-Lectric locomotives: Treble-O-Lectric Locomotive Service

In 1962, the Treble-O-Lectric line was expanded to include American prototypes which were called the "Transcontinental" series. Included were a representation of the EMD F7 locomotive, eventually in six roadnames (UP, C&O, NH, KCS, CN, and CP), and American style passenger and freight cars. The next year, Lone Star added the model of a Baldwin 0-8-0 switcher in both lighted and unlighted versions. Also included later were additional road names on passenger and freight cars. This, of course, occured over just a two year period.

The two primary suppliers of Treble-O-Lectric equipment in the United States were Montgomery Ward and International Models Inc. of New York City. Unfortunately, the slot car racing craze of the early sixties and competition from other 9mm lines, at the time, spelled a relatively short life for the production of the Treble-O-Lectric line. Lone Star attempted to sell the line to Tri-ang in 1964 and production probably ceased in 1965. The trains were pretty much off the market some time in 1967. Thank you very much to Clive Gehle for these dates.

Even though the powered Treble-O-Lectric line was discontinued, Lone Star continued producing unpowered locomotive models known as "Treble-O-Trains" or late push-along series. They were also sold under the "Impy" brand name and finally as "Lone Star Model Trains." There were 30 different items sold under the Treble-O-Trains/Impy brandnames. These were basically a continuation of the Treble-O-Lectric trains but without motors. The same basic castings were used and ended up being produced in a wide array of different colours. One can find any given British outline wagon in several colours and the US prototype New Haven boxcar can be found in orange, green, red, yellow, blue, and perhaps other colours. The wheels and axles were silver moulded plastic as opposed to the black of the Treble-O-Lectric line. Track was gray moulded plastic that was similar to the early push-along diecast metal track. The accessories such as the station and platform, signal box (signal tower), trees, fence, and telegraph poles from the two earlier lines were again available in the Treble-O-Trains line; thus these extended across all three ranges. There are also some very rare pieces known of which few were made.

The late push-along series was produced until 1971 and available on the market for a while after that. Thus ended Lone Star's foray into the model train business.

Getting back to the Treble-O-Lectric trains, they are pretty rugged, being diecast metal, and about the only thing one had to do was normal maintenance like lubrication, keeping the wheels and track clean, and replacing the drive bands once in a while. This, of course, is assuming a not too inquisitive child. Within a few years, I had ruined my two locomotives (Union Pacific F7 and Baldwin 0-8-0 switcher) by taking the motors apart, including the magnet/pole piece assemblies. I had disobeyed the stern warning in the Treble-O-Lectric instruction manual, page nine of which is pictured below. Click on the thumbnail to view a full sized picture:

As I mention on the Mehanotehnika page, these motors were magnetised AFTER assembly and dismantling the magnet and pole pieces severely weakened the magnetic field strength, resulting in considerably greater current draw from the armature and eventual burnout of same. I even remember reading the warning but I didn't understand exactly what it meant at that time.

These locomotives remained in their unfortunate state until years later in the mid 1990s when, with increased knowledge through years of experience with electronics and things mechanical, both on the job and off, I was able to rewind the armatures, make a re-magnetiser, and restore the locos to proper operation. I am happy to report that they are still merrily whizzing along the track. They run just as well as other Treble-O-Lectric engines I have acquired upon which there had been no operations performed!

The restoration of my set also involved hours and hours of paint matching so I could touch up the inevitable scratches and nicks in the paint and it is virtually impossible to tell where the process has taken place.

Although these trains might be looked upon by some as crude representations of the prototypes and maybe even toys, they remain probably THE most important historical product in N gauge and scale. I dare say that Arnold, the German company that produces the Rapido line of N scale trains and would gain fame as such, was inspired by Lone Star's ranges of small gauge trains.

I list below, the locomotives, rolling stock, track, accessories, spare parts, and train sets available in the Treble-O-Lectric range. I have tried, as closely as possible, to highlight the description of the item in the colours in which they came. Below this table are links to images of almost all of the range.

*Mr. Donald Troost of the Netherlands has these two coaches listed, in his definitive catalogue of Treble-O, as EL NCN5 for the regular coach and EL NCN6 for tha Vista Dome. A big Thank you to Stuart Dale for providing me with this information. These were uncatalogued as part of the regular range and were available only in train sets with the C&O F7.

As indicated above, Mr. Troost has written a most comprehensive book that is considered the Treble-O collectors' "bible" and is a must have for anyone interested in an accurate account of the range offered by Lone Star. Contact information can be found in the message archives of Mr. Ambridge's "lonestar_bumper_book_online" Yahoo group.

Thank you to Allan Crowe who supplied additional information, particularly the different controller items and their catalogue numbers and the number of items sold in the "Locos" and "Treble-O-Trains"/"Impy" series.

* The Gulliver County buildings, in contrast to the original Treble-O buildings, are made of vinyl and have the following phraseology embossed on the bottom of the base of each building: "LONE*STAR EAGLET SERIES   MADE IN ENGLAND   IF NECESSARY LEVEL BASE BY WARMING & PLACING ON A FLAT SURFACE   GULLIVER COUNTY TOWN & COUNTRY PLANNING" followed by the catalogue number and description of the building.

* Information for these two headings came from Mr. Ambridge's "Bumper Book" as discussed above.

These are, more or less, the "official" releases and colours. There are variations, according to collector experts (of which I am not) and these mainly involve minor casting differences and colour variations (there are light blue and red Mobilgas tankers, as well as the dark blue version, and the yellow 100 ton crane, for example). I will include images of the variations as I get them.

If anyone has additions or corrections, please contact me: dgosha@aol.com

I will add to this page if and when any additional information comes my way.

Links to pictures of almost all of the items: Click on either the discription or thumbnail to view a full sized picture.

EL.60          British Railways D.5000 BO-BO "Derby Sulzer"       

EL.61          British Railways D.5900 BO-BO "Baby Deltic"     

                     Here is an image of the bright green version  

EL.62          Union Pacific F7  

EL.62A       Union Pacific F7 without Motor      (Notice no drive bands and the letters in "UNION PACIFIC" closer together).

EL.63          New Haven Freight F7  

EL.64          Chesapeake & Ohio F7  

EL.65          Kansas City Southern F7     

EL.66          Baldwin 0-8-0 Switcher, unlighted      (see note below*)

                     Here's one with the lettering intact.  

EL.66L      Baldwin 0-8-0 Switcher w/Headlight  Side view    (You can see the wires in the cab from the tender to the bulb in loco)

                                                                                          Front view     (Notice hole in the center of the smokebox door for bulb)

EL.67          Canadian Pacific F7    

EL.68          Canadian National F7     

EL.70          British Railways Mainline Composite Coach     

EL.71          British Railways Mainline Brake End Coach    

EL.72          Union Pacific Coach     

EL.73          Union Pacific Vista Dome Coach  

EL.74          British Railways Southern Region Composite Coach     

EL.75          British Railways Southern Region Brake End Coach     

EL.76          New Haven Coach  

EL.77          New Haven Vista Dome Coach     

EL.78          Pullman Coach     

EL.79          Pullman Vista Dome Coach     

EL.130        Canadian Pacific Coach  

EL.131      Canadian Pacific Vista Dome Coach  

EL.132       Canadian National Coach  

EL.133       Canadian National Vista Dome Coach  

EL.NCN5  Chesapeake & Ohio Coach  

EL.NCN6  Chesapeake & Ohio Vista Dome Coach  

EL.80          British Brake Van     

EL.81        British Shell Oil Tank Wagon     

EL.82          British Petroleum (B.P.) Petrol Tank Wagon     

EL.83          U.D. Milk Tank Wagon  

EL.84          British Cattle Wagon  

EL.85          British Coal Truck  

EL.86          British Box Van  

EL.87          Union Pacific Boxcar    

EL.88          100 Ton Breakdown Crane  

EL.89           Flat Car with Load      (Citroen DS and Land Rover)

EL.90           Mobilgas Tanker  

EL.91           Union Pacific Caboose  

EL.92           Boston & Maine Boxcar  

EL.93           New Haven Boxcar  

EL.94           Santa Fe Boxcar  

EL.95           Texaco Tanker  

EL.96           Flat Car with Lorry (Truck) Load  

EL.97           New Haven Caboose  

EL.98           Chesapeake & Ohio Caboose  

EL.99           Kansas City Southern Caboose    

EL.140         Canadian Pacific Boxcar  

EL.141         Canadian Pacific Caboose  

EL.142         Canadian National Refrigerator Car    

EL.143         Canadian National Caboose  

EL.100        Straight (Length 9.2")

EL.101          Half Straight (Length 4.6") 

EL.102          Curved (12" radius)                     (Group photo! Note full curve is the style with thinner sleeper joiners.)

EL.103          Half Curved (12" radius) 

EL.111          Uncoupler Mounted on 9.2" Straight     

EL.104          Points - Left Hand - Hand Operated     (This is the style that can be made into electric points with the addition of EL.115) 

EL.105          Points - Right Hand - Hand Operated     

EL.106          Diamond Crossover - Left Hand  

EL.107          Diamond Crossover - Right Hand  

EL.109          Re-Railer (length 4.6")        

EL.110         Power Feed Terminal - T.V. Interference Suppressed  

EL.112          Uncoupler  

EL.113          Terminal Leads  

EL.150          Station and Platform  

EL.151          Platform Extension with Lamp Standards    (This shows the buff coloured standards. There are also silver ones.)

EL.152          Signal Box  

EL.153          Home Signals - Hand Operated (setof 2)  

EL.154          Distant Signals - Hand Operated (set of 2)     

EL.155          Buffers  

EL.156          Bridge and Piers  

EL.157          Incline Piers        Blue & White Box     

EL.158S and EL.158C    Straight and Curved Incline Trays  

EL.159          Telegraph Poles  

EL.160          Fencing and Gates  

EL.161          Trees  

EL.162          Tunnel        Tunnel Box    

EL.163          Footbridge  

EL.164          Level Crossing  

EL.166          2-Colour Light Signal  

EL.167          OOO Figures (set of 12 + Baggage Wagon)       Gulliver County Box        Blue & White Box  

EL.168          Vehicle Set        Gulliver County Box    

EL.169A       Bridge Girders  

EL.180          Metal Fishplates  

EL.181          Spare Drive Bands       

EL.182          Lone Star Battery Controller  

EL.183          Track Clips  

EL.184          Power Control Unit    

EL.185          Isolating Fishplates    (Note "Spare driving bands" and "Fish Plates" blackened out on the paper packet and box respectively)

EL.186A       Replacement Motor for D.5000, D5900, F7  

EL.186B       Replacement Motor for Baldwin 0-8-0     (Note shorter shafts than EL.186A)

EL.186C       Armature (all motors)  

EL.187          F7 Underframe  

EL.187B       D5900 Engine Chassis & Bogies  

EL.187C       F7 Engine Chassis & Bogies  

EL.188A       British Coach Bogie and Wheels  

EL.188B       Transcontinental Coach Bogie and Wheels  

EL.188C       Transcontinental Goods Bogie & Wheels  

EL.189          Engine Driving Wheels (all locos)  

EL.190A       British Coach Wheels  

EL.190B       Transcontinental Coach Wheels  

EL.191A       British Goods Rolling Stock Wheels  

EL.191B       Transcontinental Goods Rolling Stock Wheels  

EL.192          Track Fixing Screws  

EL.193          Set of Two Carbon Brushes and Brush Springs  

EL.193B       Set of 2 Carbon Brushes (without springs)  

EL.197          Transformer&Rectifier  

EL.198          Controller  

1320              Gulliver County Inn  

1321              Gulliver County Church  

1322              Gulliver County Fire Station  

1323              Gulliver County Ranch Bungalow  

1324              Gulliver County Shop with Car Park  

1325              Gulliver County Garage  

1326              Gulliver County Double Shop  

1327              Gulliver County Two Storey House  

1328              Gulliver County Cottage     

1340              Gulliver County Twin Falls Station  

                       Assorted Gulliver County Vehicles     (See what I mean by colourful?)                       

                       Collective image of the few Late Push-Alongs I have, some of them not in the best of condition.  

                       Here are a few more Late Push-Alongs I have acquired.   
                       Please note that the black wheels in the blue cattle wagon are not the originals.

                       Blue, yellow, white, and red Treble-O-Lectric window box (Rolling Stock)  Front:      Back:    

                       Blue, yellow, and white alternate smaller box (Rolling Stock)     

more to come...

The images above of the Chesapeake & Ohio F7, and caboose through kind courtesy of James Pugh. James has a very interesting site documenting the N scale Chesapeake and Ohio releases sorted by brand, type, or era: www.trainweb.org/cons/

The images of the Chesapeake & Ohio coaches are now the correct versions through kind courtesy of Allan Crowe who also furnished several other images. Thank you very much, Allan. Mr. Crowe is a long time collector of Treble-O and has assisted Mr. Troost with his book.

The images of the Gulliver County Inn and Gulliver County Twin Falls Station through kind courtesy of Gary Hirst. Gary's great site is also dedicated to Lone Star and has many images of the vehicles, locos, and buildings: http://www.garyscars.co.uk/dcmt/index.htm

The image of the bright green D.5900 (Baby Deltic) was kindly furnished by Sean Stevens.

* Baldwin 0-8-0 Switcher.The story behind this not having any lettering is thus: Another victim of when I was a lot lot younger, I had "superdetailed" and weathered this locomotive. I also changed the road number. Years later when I decided to restore it, I unfortunately had to repaint the tender and the area under the cab windows. So, while the repaint turned out really good (it looks just like the original paint on the rest of the loco), it is presently letterless until I can figure out a way to duplicate the original.

I encourage all Treble-O enthusiasts to join these two discussion groups:

Geoff Ambridge's lonestar_bumper_book_online list on Yahoo groups.

The Treble-O-Gauge list on Yahoo groups.

Added 4/13/2004, the Treble-O-Lectric Documents Page

Added 5/11/2004. the Miscellaneous Treble-O Information Page

Pick a page to go to: