A Bit of Australian

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Chops
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A Bit of Australian

#1

Post by Chops »

People sometimes ask why anyone would waste time and money on Tyco garbage. Well, in a word, nostalgia. Model Rail Heads have a common denominator, that being a longing for the past. We recreate scenes and times from wonderful places we enjoyed. Tyco was cheap and easy to come by for a youngster, and while my first train set was a Wrenn, I was later introduced to Tyco when we returned to the States. So, I have a foot in two canoes, so to speak. My primary interest is the British range, and I recreate memories of English villages, canals, breath taking castles and unparalleled ancient relics that dominate ancient world history, such as Stone Henge or the Uffington Horse.

Anyways, back to this Australian thing, after several years of haunting eBay and smaller Australian websites as well as eBay UK, I pounced on this unusual locomotive and guard van pairing simply because it such an outlier. Tyco primarily targeted the US market, with a nod to the Canadian angle. How in the world did they try to make a dollar in the Australian model train scene? From what I've read of Australian economy in the 1980's when this thing was manufactured (a rough guess) was in poor shape and there was little expendable income. If anyone has any tidbit of information regarding Tyco Australia, please advise!

https://youtu.be/wLEZnyxzW-g
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Walkingthedog
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Re: A Bit of Australian

#2

Post by Walkingthedog »

Thanks chops. Singer sounds like Lemmy.
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Nifty
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Re: A Bit of Australian

#3

Post by Nifty »

There is little bit on the following:-

https://tycotrain.tripod.com/tycotrains/id71.html
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Chops
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Re: A Bit of Australian

#4

Post by Chops »

Thank you, Nifty! That is helpful, at least I have an angle on the when. The why and the how will remain a mystery, one supposes. However, seeing these beautiful things I'm going to set my sights on trying to collect the whole range. Rarely does this stuff turn up, and when it does it is typically beat half to death, even melted.
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