Tinplate Times: Rob, please tell us about yourself and your background.
Rob English: I was born in Charlotte, NC. We moved a lot when I was young and we lived in Atlanta, GA, in Summit, NJ, Pensacola, FL, and 2 places in New York. We moved to St. Louis, MO in 1976 and this has been home since (with the exception of college and 2 job moves.) I have been married to Kathie since 1999 (10 years!) and we have 2 boys: Cade, age 7, and Owen, age 5. Both boys are avid postwar and modern operators, having experience with TMCC and Legacy. The boys started operating the main layout at age 2!...Ok, with supervision.
Owen and Cade
I have been employed since 1988 in the industrial insulation industry, currently
Director of Sales for a major manufacturer serving the industry since 1937.
I trained as a Aerospace Maintenance Manager at Parks College, which is big
in aviation. I moved into insulation when the major cutbacks in military and
civilian aviation occurred 20 years ago.
Tinplate Times: Besides tinplate toy
trains, do you have any other collecting interests or favorite hobbies?
Rob English: I collected Structo trucks for a while. My memories of youth included these trucks, Dinky, Matchbox and Hot Wheel Red Line Cars, GI Joes... and of course Lionel MPC. I have also been a fan of Muscle cars and WWII war birds, but can afford neither at the moment. I still collect Dinkys and have about 60 of these cars and trucks.
Tinplate Times: Tell us about your toy train affiliations.
Rob English: I have been a member of the TCA and the
St. Louis Lionel Railroader Club since 1996... and continue my membership in
the LCCA.
Tinplate Times: Have you co-authored
or acted as a consultant on and toy train books, articles, web sites, etc.?
Rob English: I worked with David Doyle on his Lionel Pre-War, Modern Era, and American Flyer Catalogs. These books are a great photographic reference work for new collectors. No other official publishing, but I like to be active in the Tinplate sections of a couple internet forums.
Tinplate Times: What was your first
toy train set?
Rob English: My first set was a Sears 2-4-2 set with cheap MPC cars and a blue transformer. My mom donated it to goodwill years ago, and I have been trying to find a replacement ever since. I haven’t seen a reference to those sets... hmmm maybe a research project??? In '70 or '71 I got a B&M GP for christmas, a real highlight!
Tinplate Times: Do you have a layout now? What gauge
interests you the most?
Rob English: I do have a layout under construction, but, it is a 3RS (3 rail scale) type, what used to be described as a Hi Rail layout ala Phil Klopp, Herb Lindsey or Joe Youngblood. It is a huge undertaking (48 x 28 feet) and allows for a lot of opportunities for enjoyment. This makes sense in that I got back into train collecting/operating in 1993. I started then with the modern trains with digital sound and TMCC... I have a small layout built for the boys to operate when I am traveling, and will convert that to tinplate when they eventually lose interest in running their postwar and modern equipment. We also construct a small layout for the Thanksgiving to Christmas holiday time.
Tinplate Times: Have you always had
a layout as an adult?
Rob English: I have had a layout since 1970 minus
12 years for the usual distractions.
Tinplate Times: What tinplate do you
enjoy collecting the most?
Rob English: I collect primarily 0 and Standard Gauge
classic period Tinplate now, and continue to grow my American Flyer Wide Gauge
collection, which is also Classic Period.
Tinplate Times: What trains or sets
do you enjoy operating (running) the most?
Rob English: I run a lot of Classic Period 0 gauge.
I have run them on all three layouts for a change in “scenery”.
I also enjoy running Modern passenger sets like the just released 20th Century
by Golden Gate Depot. On occasion,the boys and I get the hankering for some
Wide Gauge and we will do a temporary loop on the floor and overwhelm the house
with OZONE!
Tinplate Times: If you could keep
only one toy train from your collection what would it be?
Rob English: “Keep only one?”
That's a tough question for me as I have so many types that I enjoy. For tinplate
I would keep my recently acquired Märklin Commodore Vanderbilt locomotive.
To me this is the epitome of tinplate design and construction. However, for
a full train it would have to be the 0 gauge freight train I put together with
a 263E, several 800 and 2800 series cars with late colors and RS or Plates depending
on which one is toughest.
Tinplate Times: What tinplate train
or set that you don't own would you like to have the most?
Rob English: The train that I would like most to add to my collection is... well three! They are all Ives though. I covet the late AF bodied passenger cars and the Lionel bodied cars. I would be extremely happy to be the caretaker of an Ives Northern Limited, National Limited or Black Diamond set. These are the most attractive Wide gauge sets ever made in my opinion. I am attracted to a Flying Colonel by American Flyer as well.
Tinplate Times: Are you still adding
to your collection?
Rob English: I will add to my collection as “long
as the good lord is willing and the creek don’t rise” as they say.
I am always on the prowl locally and at auction and York for new pieces to add
to the collection.
Tinplate Times: Where
do you find interesting new trains?
Rob English: Good pieces can be found at local meets, in antique shops, auctions, York, and through other collectors with which I have developed a relationship. Any of these provide the opportunity to add unique trains to the collection, and in fact spreading it around is a good way to see more possibilities to consider for purchase. The best of the best have come from long time collectors that were thinning their collections, however, I have found some really nice pieces at local shows too.
Tinplate Times: Do you attend toy
train shows? Which shows do you enjoy the most?
Rob English: I attend as many shows
as I can squeeze in to my schedule, including York, PA at least once a year.
I enjoy many shows for differing reasons, some because of the great selection
of trains for purchase, many also just for the social aspect of seeing friends
and fellow collectors.
Tinplate Times: Do you buy and sell
on EBAY? How do you feel about online trading of toy trains?
Rob English: I have never traded on Ebay. I generally want to look at the pieces I am buying much closer than a picture or two. If it is a hard piece or truly a rare one, I can usually track down where it comes from anyway. I do use on line forum-based trading boards for certain things and have bought and sold on these. I do absentee bid at some auctions sites as well. On line is a double-edged sword in my opinion. On one hand it provides an opportunity for those that don’t see too many local shows and cannot afford to travel to regional or national shows. However, there are any number of ways to be taken advantage of, and a good understanding of how things work as well as an education in trains themselves is a must. I recover badly when treated inequitably by on line traders. I don’t appreciate those that seek advantage on the backs of others in any form. The fact that we have to follow Caveat Emptor is a real shame.
Tinplate Times: What is it about tinplate toy trains that appeals to you the most?
Rob English: I love tinplate trains for their simplicity and ruggedness of design, bright colors, and ozone generating capacity. They may not have sound and digital control, but they do have a “presence” and ALWAYS bring a smile to visitor’s faces. The Wide Gauge effect is really something, and will stop even the most experienced collector in their tracks. Just watch the folks surrounding the SGMA layout if you can tear your eyes off the trains for a minute.
Tinplate Times: What do you think will be the future
of tinplate collecting and operating?
Rob English: The future is bright. Tinplate Traditions and Lionel Corporate Tinplate trains are affordable, beautifully done reproductions that are re-introducing tin to a newer generation. The Standard Gauge Module Association (SGMA) display layouts are generating tons of interest, I also see new forum posters with some frequency on tinplate forums. The trains are the star of the show, and their rugged, colorful simplicity hearkens back to a simpler time without all the hand held controllers and computers and day to day stress. Don’t get me wrong, I very much enjoy running modern trains with Legacy and TMCC ( I am sure DCS is just as much fun), but oft-times it sure is nice just to hear the hiss of steel wheels on steel rails, and the tinplate rumble with all the little noises that the cars make.
Tinplate Times: Do you think tinplate collecting and
operating will still be around 50 or 100 years from now?
Rob English: Very simply...yes, for the aforementioned
reasons. Tinplate trains are a form of industrial art, that many can enjoy with
appeal to those from the depression era to a huge number of the very young (with
thanks to Thomas the Tank engine).
Tinplate Times: Do you have any final comments, Rob?
Rob English: Collecting tinplate is a blast. A most
enjoyable part is learning about the toys and their history. David Doyle’s
books, Greenberg Series books, catalogs from the manufacturers, and classic
books from Louis Hertz and others make for enjoyable reading and tools for learning
what this is all about. There are a number of facets that people enjoy: from
the hunt, to restoration, operating, to researching, to paper collecting. Go
see a SGMA modular layout sometime, or go to a local show. Talk to the guy with
the overpriced trains on his table rather than haggle with him, you may just
learn something!
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