Japanese Litho Train Sets 6 - Cragstan in Detail

As I continue to accumulate information for the Japanese lithographed train sets database project, some connections are emerging.

Cragstan is a familiar name to collectors of Japanese tinplate toys. The company imported inexpensive toys to the US, and always had their name and admittedly prosaic logo emblazoned on every box. And that's usually about all the information one gets in reference books. But there's a little more to the story. According to BusinessProfiles.com, Cragstan began on Dec. 31, 1954 as the Craig-Stanton Sales Crop.  It's easy to see where the name "Cragstan" came from!

The Cragstan 1892 Freight Set. Yonezowa's trademark
can be seen in the lower right corner (click on images to enlarge).

Within a year, the actual company name was changed to Craig-Stanton-Elmaleh, Inc. I believe all three names represent individuals, and that last one is particularly interesting. Elmaleh seems to be a common name among Moroccan Jews. Was Mr. Elmaleh an American citizen, or was he Craig and Stanton's connection to international resources? Difficult to say with my limited info.

The next year, 1956, the company became Cragstan Industries, Inc. (wither Mr. Elmaleh?), and remained in business until 1988.

The Cragstan 3020 Giant Switcher Train Set. NSG is at the
bottom center of the box.

Cragstan imported many types of toys, from many different sources. Even from my tightly focused study, I've found Cragstan-branded train sets made by Nomura, Yonezowa, and NSG. That last one is Nipon Goraku Shokai, the Japanese export office of Cragstan.

An interesting thing about NSG. The one set I've found so far branded NSG is very clearly manufactured by Yonezowa -- which often puts their own brand on the box.

Comparing the box art from a Cragstan/Yonezowa set and a Cragstan/NSG set suggests the Yonezowa set is the older of the two. If that's true, why did Cragstan stop dealing with Yonezowa directly?

As always, more answers lead to more questions!

The locomotive from the Yonezowa set. Note the number
plate "C.156." This steam engine also appears in Yonezowa sets
not imported by Cragstan.

The locomotive from the NSG set. Same steam engine as the Yonezowa
model -- even the same number plate!

Japanese Litho Train Sets 5 - Yonezawa Continental Flyer

I'm still in the early stages of gathering information for the Japanese lithographed train sets database project, and still unearthing some surprises.

#167 Continental Flyer Train Set -- the original.

Yonezowa produced a battery-operated toy train set named the Continental Flyer. It's a set that turns up fairly often on eBay. The set box bears the number 167, which is how I cataloged it. The 167 set featured a steam locomotive and tender, a tin lithographed Shell tank car, and a tin lithographed red caboose.

But then I ran across a later Yonezowa set that bore the same catalog number. Also called the Continental Flyer, this one had a plastic steam locomotive and tender, a gray plastic undecorated tank car, and a red plastic undecorated caboose.

In the business, this is known as a "running change."

So how did I catalog this one? As 167b, since it's obviously a later production run. Japanese toy production transitioned from using primarily metal to all-plastic in the early 1960's. The original 167 set, judging by the box art, was probably produced around 1959-1960. Which also might explain why the set continued on with plastic cars instead of just being brought out as a completely new set.

#167b Continental Flyer Train Set. Note that the cover
art has been replaced by a clear plastic window.

Interestingly, the box of the 167b set has the illustration of the set cut out and replaced with a clear plastic window. If you look closely at the 167 box, you'll see why. The illustration shows the Shell livery on the tank car, and a caboose that has a significantly different profile.

Creating a die to cut out that picture costs some money. I wonder how many boxes they had sitting around to justify the expense of modifying them with a cutout and a cellophane window.

#167 metal lithographed cars.

Technically, the 167b set is beyond the scope of the database project, as it's a plastic rather than a tin lithographed toy. But it's still one I need to include, simply to document the evolution of this catalog item.

Was this running change unique, or a was it a common practice at Yonezowa? Only further research can answer that one.

#167b plastic undecorated cars.

Japanese Litho Train Sets 4 - Straco, Cragstan and Distler

My informal postwar Japanese lithographed train sets databasing project continues, and I continue to turn up some interesting oddities. Last time (Cragstan, Distler and Nomura) I wrote about two virtually identical HO train sets, one made in German by Distler, the second in Japan by Nomura -- and both imported to the US by Cragstan.

Distler made another HO gauge train set for Cragstan. (click on images to enlarge)

This set features an EMD NW2-style switch engine, a box car, a gondola car, and a caboose.

I own a very similar set made in Japan and imported by F. J. Strauss Co., Inc. I've written extensively about the Straco Express, which consists of an EMD NW2-style switch engine, a box car, a gondola car, and a caboose.

Straco and Cragstan were two different companies, and probably competitors. So it's a different situation then having an importer just change manufacturers. And there are some distinct differences between the sets. The Distler set is mostly plastic, while the Straco is all tinplate construction. The cabooses are distinctively different.

Of the two, the Straco Express is a more elaborate -- and therefore costly -- set to make. Perhaps Cragstan contracted Distler to make a knockoff?

And the track for both sets is identical, which is something I find curious. All of the HO toy train sets I've run across -- whether made by Straco, Bandai, or Nomura -- use this same track. And the Cragstan/Distler sets do, too. So where did it come from? Is it possible these competing companies used the same sub-contractor? Or was the design for this track "borrowed" as well?

Japanese Litho Train Sets 3 - Cragstan, Distler and Nomura

The Cragstan HO scale F3, made by Nomura.

I'm not very far into my postwar Japanese lithographed train sets databasing project, but I've already come upon something unusual.

I knew that Cragstan imported HO train sets made by Nomura under their own brand. There seem to be a few variations of them, but they're mostly cosmetic. The sets I've found so far have the same basic components:

• HO scale Santa Fe diesel, modeled after the F3
• 2 box/stock cars
• 12 sections of HO sectional track, making an oval
• a power pack powered by 2 batteries

Fig. 1: Rolling stock from two different Nomura sets.
The older of the two is on the bottom.

 I've so far found three variations on the rolling stock. The shape of the cars are unchanged -- just the lithography is different.

• Tan Santa Fe stock car and silver Santa Fe refrigerator car (Fig. 1)
• Burgundy  Mobilgas automobile car and green Santa Fe refrigerator car
• 2 silver Santa Fe passenger cars (figure 2)

All of these were made by Nomura (trademarked "TN" on the ends of the cars). I recently ran across a set made by the German company Distler. It's from the early 1950's, and was made in West Germany for import by Cragstan. The set is identical to the Nomura passenger set. (figure 3).

Fig. 2: Nomura passenger cars. The bodies are the same
as the box cars in Fig. 1

The only difference is the lithography. The Nomura locomotives have a different number, and the details don't seem as crisp as they do the Distler version. And the passenger car lithography is different. But the set -- track, rolling stock, locomotive -- is virtually identical.

Since Cragstan imported both, I don't think it's likely that the Nomura set is a knock-off. The Distler box specifically states "made in Western Germany for Cragstan." I think Cragstan contracted with the German firm to make this toy, then took the dies and stampers back and shifted production to Japan.

Fig. 3: The Distler Santa Fe passenger set.

The Distler set. The Nomura versions have a "TN" logo
in place of the "Made in Western Germany," and the
number board is 2246 instead of 1234 on the locomotive.

So what's the real connection between Cragstan and Distler? Did Distler make other toys for the importer? I'm not sure, but I now know to look carefully at loose Cragstan HO gauge rolling stock and locomotives. There are probably differences in build quality, which should mean an appropriate difference in value.

Japanese Litho Train Sets 2 - Thinking Inside the Box

Last post I outlined the purpose of this project -- to build up a catalog of Japanese postwar tin toy train sets. Perhaps I need to define the parameters a bit more. The toys I'm talking about are:

1. Manufactured in Japan between 1949 - 1965
2. Have locomotives and rolling stock built primarily of lithographed tin
3. Operate under their own power, either from a battery power pack, or batteries installed in the locomotive
4. Are not floor toys, but are designed to run on track provided with the set

There seem to be no reference books, toy catalogs, retail ads, or other traditional primary sources I can use to research these sets. But there is one resource available: the set box. Take the example below (click on image to enlarge).

This actually provides quite a bit of information.

1. Set name and and catalog number (Cragstan 1892)
2. Name of importer (Cragstan) and original manufacturer (Yonezowa)
3. An inventory of the set contents
4. Details about the locomotive (battery operated, lighted, forward/reverse)
5. A fairly accurate representation of the set

If we could examine the box, we might find a copyright notice that might help provide a release date for the set. But even just looking carefully at this photo, I now have some useful information about the Cragstan 1892.

Collectors of Japanese toys will tell you that having the box with the toy often doubles the value. The reason is the attractive graphics of the boxes. But for me, the information they contain really makes them valuable.

Japanese Litho Train Sets 1 - Introduction

With no reference materials available, how can these be identified?

It's funny to think that three years ago I knew virtually nothing about Japanese tin toys of the postwar era. it was then I made an impulse purchase and bought a Straco Express.

That soon launched a search for enough track to complete a circle so I could run the thing. And in the process, I discovered strange similarities between toys from competing manufacturers -- and virtually no information about them.

I continued on, eventually making a small layout for the train, and populating it with Japanese toy cars of the era (chronicled in the Straco Express Layout series of posts). There also seemed to be very little information available for these low-end Japanese toys.

When I was invited to give a talk on Japanese postwar tin toy cars, (part of the Collecting -- and Collecting Information series) I easily found some materials written about the high-end car models of the Japanese toy lines, but not much else. I ended up having to piece together what I could, using Ebay product photos as my primary resource.

And that leads me to this series. Do you have a Lionel train set, or a random Lionel train car or two? There are multiple listings and histories available to help you identify what set your car belongs to, and a complete inventory of what originally came with the set. That latter bit of info can be helpful if you're considering purchases a set.

Similar research has been done for virtually all the toy train manufacturers -- Gilbert (American Flyer), Marx, Dorfan, Haffner, Ives, et al. The offerings of European companies such as Marklin and Hornby are also extensively documented.

Not so postwar Japanese tin toy train sets. Part of the reason might be because they were all self-contained. All of the above-mentioned manufacturers sold sets, but they also sold accessories (extra track, buildings, rolling stock) so you could add to it. All of the Japanese sets I've found so far have no such option. They have all the track you need, the power pack, the train -- and that's it. The sets were designed as inexpensive, single-purchase items.

Over the course of researching for my talk, I kept running across listings for these sets. And as I looked at the images carefully, I saw boxes with lots of useful information. I also saw many mismatched and misidentified sets.

So I've decided to just online information as best I can, and try to pull together some type of listing of sets and set contents for the various manufacturers. This is going to be a slow process, and one you'll see unfold in this blog.

If you have any information about the train sets produced in the 1950s and 1960s by ALPS, Bandai, Cragstan, Haji, Mizuna, Modern Toys, Nomura, Yonezowa or others, please leave a comment.

I'll need all the help I can get for this project!