Collecting and Collecting Information 36

The Distler Trans Europ set. The box art displays
considerable artistic license.

I've written before about the H0 train set Distler made for Cragstan. A recent auction offering provided some additional information about Distler products.

Interchangeable parts

Distler's design for Cragstan was done quite economically, recycling parts from another popular set.

The Distler TD5000 set shares many components with
their Santa FE set made for Cragstan.

The Trans Europ Express set was based on a European prototype. Many European passenger trains have locomotives at both ends, allowing point-to-point travel without complicated switching maneuvers at the terminals.

Another set offered by Distler had the same configuration. The TD5000 set, like the Trans Europ set, has two locomotives.

In both cases, only one of them is powered. The other is a dummy locomotive.

The Distler Trans Europ set.

I had previously found examples of Distler sets that were identical in profile to the Cragstan set. The only differences being the graphics and the lack of a second locomotive in the American set.

Trans Europ vs. Santa Fe

Two examples of Cragstan/Distler rolling stock.
The body and base of the passenger car are identical to the
Trans Europ version.

This set uses many of the same parts as the Cragstan set. The locomotive has a different profile, but the frame is similar to the TD5000 and the Cragstan/Dister F3. The power truck (and by inference the motor) is identical.

The passenger cars are the same, too. The lithography is different, and the truck frames are painted gray (they're silver on the Cragstan cars).

By using many of the same components, Distler kept costs down. An important feature for these simple toys -- and vital for American importers. I can see why Distler got the gig with Cragstan.

Not entirely the same

Shared parts keep costs down. But there are some key differences that make this set unique. The locomotive has an entirely different profile than the Santa Fe F3 or the TD5000.  The heightened cab isn't attached to a TD5000 shell -- it's part of the shell. That required its own stamper.

The locomotive trucks are also different. Their smooth sides suggest streamlining. These trucks required a different stamper as well. I wonder if the TD5000 was a later model. If so, it would suggest economies were made, as the truck frames for the locomotive and the passenger cars are all the same.