Love those 60 year old Strombecker Kits

e*Train Issue: Nov 2008 | Posted in: 1945-1969 PostWar Era, Collecting

By Mike Stella

I remember the wooden kits marketed by Strombecker when I was growing up. Planes, boats, and trains too. I can’t remember ever building one, opting for plastic models of airplanes and cars.

In the past several years, I have found four complete boxed kits of four different “O” gauge early steam locomotives, and have spent a few relaxing hours on each one building and painting according to the instruction sheets.

A good bottle of wood glue makes it easy, and I wonder how that powered glue that was always included with these kits worked?

It amazes me that these complete kits sold for about $1.00 and contained all the hardware, glue, even sandpaper. The only thing needed is paint.

I do not know if there are additional Strombecker kits that I am missing, but I always keep an eye out at meets and once in awhile check the Internet.

A lot of enjoyment for a very small price and a good looking locomotive when completed.

Try it!

**Make sure the box has ALL the parts required**

**The tender goes together easily and the loco boiler takes shape**

**Cab completed and it’s starting to look like a locomotive**

**Almost finished. Use a good wood glue, not the package included!**

**Painted black and checking flatcar clearance**

**Trim painted. This $1.00 kit from 1947 looks pretty good**

**In company with two other Strombecker locomotives.**

Shop Amazon and Help TCA

TCA members who shop at Amazon.com can have each of their normal purchases generate a modest payment to TCA! And it won’t cost you anything!

The Train Collectors Association is now a participant with AmazonSmile, which is a special website operated by Amazon that lets customers enjoy the same wide selection of products, low prices and convenient shopping features as on Amazon.com.

The difference is that when customers shop at AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), the AmazonSmile Foundation donates 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to the charitable organizations selected by customers.

The process is simple. Just search for and select Train Collectors Association when you sign up and shop at smile.amazon.com.

You use your regular Amazon.com username and password, but when you log in to smile.amazon.com, you’ll see that you are supporting TCA with your purchases:

Note that if you just log in to the regular amazon.com, this benefit does not operate.

There are no costs to either you or TCA, but TCA benefits!

This is a great way for TCA to earn extra cash to offset costs, so sign up today to help support TCA.

* Note: TCA is not a party to any of your Amazon transactions, and does not endorse any products or vendors.

Helping TCA with your ebay purchases when you use PayPal

If you’re an ebay user and have a PayPal account you use to make payments, you can designate a donation for TCA when you’re checking out — any amount, small or large.
If you’re a regular seller on ebay, you can pre-designate a percentage of your sales to be donated automatically in your name to TCA as long as the purchaser pays with their PayPal account.

In both cases, you will receive a donation receipt from the PayPal Giving Fund, and enjoy applicable tax advantages.

How to do it:

Click on the image above, or use this link. This will take you to ebay, where you will see the following page (log in to ebay if you are not already):

This offers TCA as an option. Click on the “Add to My Charities” button where indicated with the red arrow. Thereafter, when you make a purchase, at checkout you will be offered the option to make a donation to TCA in any amount of your choosing. Small amounts add up, larger ones are great! It’s always up to you!

The option will appear at the lower part of your checkout page, something like this:

If you’re a regular seller on ebay, you can allocate a portion of your sales proceeds to be donated to TCA. Look at the green arrow marked “Optional” above to see how to do it. Details on how ebay calculates the donation may be read here. This is a wonderful way to share the financial benefits of your hobby with the organization that promotes it!

An added benefit to TCA is that these donations are not subject to normal processing fees, so that makes your donation work harder!

* Note. TCA is not a party to any of your eBay transactions, and does not endorse any products or vendors. PayPal issues the receipts to you for your donation, not TCA.

Love those 60 year old Strombecker Kits

Search By:

Sort By:

Have Train Stories to Share?