Rare Items
Pre-Production Protoypes, Limited Production Items, and Other Rarities
While most of these were not created as displays per se, they are certainly worthy of display today. These are mockups of ideas for possible production or other rarities. My thanks go to the those who have shared photos of these items. This section is under construction. Please return to see new items as they are posted.
Click on Photos for More Information
Prototype for Alco PA released in 1950 |
 Photo Courtesy of Gary Baloun |
Salesman's Cutaway Display Model |
 Click for more information Photo Courtesy of Richard Trotter |
Yellow Striped Silver Streak |
 Click for more information Photo Courtesy of Gary Baloun |
GM SW Diesel Switcher Prototype |
  Photos Courtesy of Clay Buckage |
GM GP-7 Diesel Switcher Prototype |
Photo Courtesy of Gary Baloun |
Mallet Breadboard Model |
 Click for more information Photo Courtesy of Richard Trotter |
695 Track Trip from 1946 |
 This
is a very rare item from 1946 and I only know of two in existence in
the hands of two different collectors. It is so rare that many
have believed that although it was cataloged, it was never made.
Obviously that is incorrect. Both known examples came
from the Estate of E. Z. Schwafel, who operated a toy & hobby shop
in Sunnyvale, California. It was intended to operate the 587 target signal and 588 semaphore. Only the 587 was available and all of those were produced before World War II. This is the reason you find brass spring loaded buttons on the bottom of the chassis of most 1946 locomotives. Those brass buttons contacted the spring loaded strips on the trip joining them electrically during the time when the two buttons on the locomotive were each on a different strip. In order to operate the signal you needed two track trips. One in the controlled section of track to turn the signal red for the oncoming train and kill power to a section of track in front of the signal, and one just after the controlled section to turn the signal green again and restore power for the train at the signal. Technically this should have worked as the chassis was electrically isolated from the rails. (Some models beginning in the late 50's had a "hot" chassis, but that wasn't a concern in 1946 models.) As you can imagine, the period of time when one button was on one strip and the other on the other strip was very short and would get even shorter if the train speed was increased. Another factor was that Gilbert was using very shallow flanges on the locomotive drivers in 1946 and they tended to derail. Also the cars in 1946 were very light unweighted plastic and were also prone to derailment. Gilbert subsequently developed the 696 and 697 track trips that used the larger flanges of the later cars and locomotives as a triggering mechanism for various Gilbert accessories, relegating this track trip to Gilbert history. Photo Courtesy of Lonny Beno |