Collecting and Collecting Information 37 - Cragstan, Nomura, and Rosko

I've often said that the primary source of information about postwar Japanese tin toys is the packaging. (Yes, I know there are books available about the high-end car models, but that's the exception.). The set pictured below was listed on eBay.

It's a set I know quite well. The locomotive and the passenger cars are all branded "TN" in a diamond - the mark of Nomura. What's interesting about this set is that it was not imported by Cragstan, but by Rosko. Rosko Steele, Inc, usually branded "Rosko Tested." was another importer who dealt with many of the same Japanese toy makers as Cragstan. 

No question - this is a Rosko Steele import.

I had previously thought that this set was imported by Cragstan, as it was so similar to one they imported from Distler of Germany. (See Distler vs. Nomura)

The Distler-made set imported from West Germany by Cragstan.

But I've never seen an original box for the Nomura-made Santa Fe passenger set with the Cragstan mark. I have, though seen several examples of Nomura-made Rosko sets, including variants on the F3 diesel used in this set.

That  Santa Fe diesel was offered both with and without
flashing lights.

So perhaps I have it wrong. Original boxes prove that Rosko imported Nomura H0 tinplate trains. Original boxes tell me that Cragstan imported a similar set from Germany, and that in the mid-1960s imported a second train set from Distler. This one was plastic. But I don't have any direct evidence that Cragstan imported Nomura's H0 sets. Yet.

The evidence suggests that Nomura was Rosko's source for battery-operated H0 train sets. And perhaps that relationship was exclusive to Rosko. 

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.

Collecting - And Collecting Information 35

When labels fail

In the early postwar years, Japan provided a steady supply of inexpensive toys to the American market. Many of these cheap tin toys were brought in by American importers under their own brand. Others were simply brought in and distributed to jobbers for placement in dime stores, department stores, and pharmacies.

Margins were low, and it was never about brands -- just price. Many of the small friction cars I've accumulated for the Straco Display Layout have no logos on them. Sometimes it's possible to figure out which company made a particular piece. 

If a company didn't always brand their toys, the original packaging can often help.  But not always.

Another dead end

When I saw this new old stock convertible for sale, I was hopeful. It's identical (save in color) to one I already own (see Straco Express Layout, Part 35). The vehicle itself has nothing to indicate which company made it.

The new old stock convertible (top), and the example
I own (bottom). Origin still unknown.

Unfortunately, neither does the packaging. The label simply reads "Four wheels friction car, Japan" in a generic font. Obviously, these toys were made for the low end of a rack jobbers' selection. My guess is they retailed for a nickel or less, and were sold in the late 1950s.

And another insight

I ran across another vintage Japanese friction car in its original packaging on eBay. The label was of better quality than the convertible's. It was printed on cardstock and in color! The information was equally unhelpful, though. "Assorted Cars" is pretty generic.

But I own an example of that same vehicle (see Straco Express, Part 31). So I know the car itself is branded. On the side is the "TN" trademark of Nomura. And that provides some additional information. Nomura either provided an importer with these cars, or another Japanese company sourced them to put together packages for importers.

Either way, I now know that Nomura was at least one of the suppliers for "Assorted Cars." The next step will be to find other vehicles in bags with this same label. Will they all be Nomura toys? Hard to say. Nomura usually put their brand on the packaging (even when making products for other companies). I think it likely that other toy manufacturers also provided products for "Assorted Cars" (whoever they were).

No question - this is the same car that 's in the bag.

And there's the TN mark on the back.

Collecting - and Collecting Information 34

A recent offering on eBay caught my eye -- and perhaps added to the Straco Express mystery. The offering consisted of a tank car, a box car, and a caboose. The locomotive and track were missing.

The original eBay posting. Three cars, branded Alps.

The brand ALPS was visible on the boxcar, so I know who made these pieces. Alps Shoji Ltd. was based in Tokyo. From 1948 through the early 1970s they made toys for the American market. Most of them were battery operated (as this train presumably was).

What struck me was the similarity of the caboose to other examples I had.

Top: Unknown manufacture; middle: MRK; bottom: ALPS

The design is the same with all three cabooses. The ALPS piece has the railings at either end punched out. The railings on the other two pieces are only embossed. There are no markings on the two pieces I have. I know that my original Straco Express was made by "MRK," but there is no information at all about that firm -- or even other examples of toys they produced.

Could ALPS be MRK? 

There's a significant difference between the MRK boxcars and the ALPS version. The ALPS boxcar has a rounded roof, It also has smooth sides, as opposed to the embossed sides of the MRK boxcars. The frame is different as well.

Top: unknown; middle: MRK; bottom: ALPS

The photo of the tank car best shows the coupler system for the ALPS rolling stock. There's a pin at one end, and an open, squarish hole at the other. The pin is a two-part construction. That's a relatively expensive assembly compared to the MRK couplers.

Although they also have a hook and loop system, both parts are made from a single piece of tin that's stamped and bent to shape. Simple and cheap (and less durable than the ALPS couplers).

I'd like to find the locomotive for this set. It might provide more answers (or not).

Collecting -- and Collecting Information Part 32

Two new offerings on eBay provided some additional information on the evolution of Shioji's line of friction toy trucks.

In Part 28 I outlined the development of the trucks from the mid-1950s through 1963. At that time there was a change from all-metal to a mixture of metal and plastic. These new offerings are from that post-1963 transition period.

L-R: Gen 3 tank and cattle trucks; Gen 2 covered bed and dump trucks; Gen 1 tow and express trucks.

A Bit of Background

During the late 1950s, Shioji offered a series of all-metal friction toy trucks. The primary differences were the truck bodies. But there were some small changes in the manufacturing process over time as well. These changes made these toys a little cheaper to manufacture. And with the slender profit-margins Shioji was working with, any cost-cutting was welcome.

Here's how I've broken down the changes:

• First generation: Rivethead hubcaps, flat chassis bottom, six securing tabs.
• Second generation: Solid hubcaps (cheaper to make and install), rounded chassis bottom
• Third generation: Four securing tabs instead of six

Using up inventory

The fourth generation used a plastic cab and frame. Why not just go to injection-mold plastic? I think the answer was cost. First of all, creating a brand-new set of molds was expensive. And I believe that Shioji had some leftover parts from their previous runs. 

The fourth generation trucks have solid hubcaps (from Gen 2) and use the truck bodies from the previous runs.  

I had previously found two examples of Gen 4 plastic chassis trucks. 

In these models, Shioji replaced the stamped metal cab and frame with plastic one. Although the cab shape is different, it's made to fit the same metal parts of the old Shioji trucks.

Gen 4 plastic trucks. The one at left has a Gen 3 tank body, the other
a Gen 2 covered bed.

The new listings offer some additional variations -- and insights -- into the later days of this truck's production run.

Gen 4 plastic trucks. The one at left has part of the Gen 2 covered bed.
The other a modified Gen 1 tow assembly.

One of the trucks has an open yellow bed. It's one of the components for the Gen 2 covered bed. Both versions were offered. I haven't found an example of the open bed on an all-metal Gen 2 chassis. My conclusion is that Shioji had fewer covers than beds in their inventory. Once the covers were gone, the truck was sold with just the bed.

Also of interest is the tow truck. Originally offered in Gen 1, the body is pretty complicated. It has a white frame. Attached to it are a yellow crank assembly and a yellow crane. All three pieces need to be shaped, painted and tabbed together. The Gen 1 version also has a side panel that's also tabbed to the frame.

In this shot, you can see the separate "Service" side panel. Note in the back
the tab holding the other side panel in place.

The Gen 4 version of the body eliminates the separate side panels.

These side panels are missing from the Gen 4 version. Two fewer pieces to manufacture and assembles means a little more to the bottom line. I do wonder how many pieces of the tow truck were left over.  If the side panel slots were one the frame, I would have guessed all of them.

But there are no slots, so these frames were made from a modified stamper. Perhaps there were some bins of the yellow tow truck parts that needed to be used up.

And there's another mystery. The Gen 4 tow truck doesn't have the crank, string or hook. These were always early casualties with this toy (even the Gen 2 version). It would have been cheaper to simply leave these parts out and let the child's imagination supply them.

Is that what Shioji did?  I'm not sure -- yet.

Collecting -- and Collecting Information Part 31

Shioji and Coke

A new offering came available on eBay recently. It was yet another variation of the Shioji friction toy truck.

This one was a Coca-Cola delivery truck. And as often happens with items that appeal to more than one collecting interest, the bidding soon sailed past my maximum offer. Those Coke collectors can be ruthless!

Sometimes photos are enough

Still, the photos provided were detailed enough for me to place this vehicle in the evolution of Shioji's line. (See Part 28 for more details).

I own five of the known variations. Here they're arranged in chronological order.

The basic time line goes like this:

• First generation: Rivet head hubcaps, flat chassis bottom, six securing tabs.
• Second generation: Solid hubcaps (cheaper to make and install), rounded chassis bottom
• Third generation: Four securing tabs instead of six

Dialing in the date

The Coke truck has solid hubcaps and a rounded chassis. That makes it either second or third generation. 

The solid hubcaps help date the vehicle.

The use of just four tabs to secure the truck bed mark this a third generation vehicle.

It also has four tabs securing the truck body to the frame. And that makes it third generation. So I'm guessing this vehicle was probably made around 1961-63. 

An unusual work-around

I also found the overall construction interesting. Coke trucks have payloads that sit low over the wheels. Rather than create a new chassis for their version, Shioji simply worked with what they had.

The tabs in the middle of the chassis secure a flat bracket. The ones in the back hold an extension. It's those pieces that the truck body is secured to.

All of the previous examples of this Shioji truck I've found have
 the truck bed resting on top of the chassis.

Otherwise, the truck bed would sit too high, as it does on Shioji's express van and cattle truck (above).

Are there more variations out there? Perhaps. I'll only know if they come onto the market. 

Collecting - and Collecting Information Part 30

Starting from nothing

There is very little source material about the Japanese toy manufacturers of the early postwar period. Most of it centers around the currently popular areas of collecting: space and robot toys, and large metal car models. Well-researched reference works can help you date a particular piece, and identify its Japanese manufacturer and its American importer.

No such luck for these companies' entry-level toys. There are no reference books -- just information printed on the boxes.

Nomura, the original

Most of the larger companies, such as Nomura, Alps, and Yonezawa, supplied toys to several U.S. importers. And sometimes interchangeably. These cross-currents complicate the picture -- like the examples below, made by Nomura.

The original - made by Nomura (TN), branded by Nomura.

The first example is the original box art for this Santa Fe H0 set. The Nomura logo ("TN" in a diamond) is right there on the box. The set is exactly as pictured. And note how artfully it's pictured. The last part of the second boxcar is hidden behind some trees, implying more freight cars and a long train.

Not so. One locomotive, two boxcars, that's it.

Rosko, the importer (of Nomura)

The second set is branded Rosko Tested. Rosko was a US importer of battery-operated tin toys in the late 1950s and early 1960s. As you can see, Nomura didn't go out of their way to change the cover art for Rosko. The maintenance instructions have been resized and moved over to make room for the Rosko logo. And, for some reason, a red film was laid over the front of the loco.

I don't think the color change on this box art is fooling anyone.

At this time, four-color printing involved using different plates of film - one for each for cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. If you wanted to alter the image, you had to change each color plate the change affected. The black plate had to be changed, of course. And the only other color in the Rosko logo is red (which would change the magenta plate).

So why overlay the loco with extra magenta?

No idea. The set inside is still the same, with bold red, yellow, and black Santa Fe markings. Did they want the box to look different in case the two brands showed up side by side in a dime store? Perhaps, but I doubt the average customer would notice.

Whether branded Nomura or Rosko, the contents are the same.

No, this one's a mystery.

Collecting - and Collecting Information Part 29

Our story so far:

There was no brand on the traffic signs I found for the Straco Express display layout. They were made in Japan in the late 1950s-early 1960s. But that was all I knew.

Then I found them in a floor train set made by Ichimura. So the mystery was solved.

The Ichiban set. Originally, it was about the signs.

Soon after, I found them again in a penny toy car set imported by Cragstan. There was no other brand on the packaging, so it was logical to assume that it also was made by Ichimura.

The KHT train set. So who made the signs?

I then ran across another penny toy set that had the signs. This one had a train and was branded KHT, Kawahachi Toy Co. Ltd. So who made the signs? KHT or Ichimura?

Enter "NT"

I recently ran across a set that further muddies the waters. There are no signs, but this little box set has the same loco and rolling stock as the KHT set.

The surprise isn't inside -- it's on the top of this box.

The lithography has been changed, but it's definitely the same stamped metal design. Only the box bears an N with a T overlay -- the brand of Nakamura Toy of Tokyo, Japan.

The logo, an N and T inside a circle, is on the far right of the box.

Who was Nakamura Toy? I can find examples of their products, but no information about the company itself. What was the relationship between KHT and Nakamura? Who supplied the original train, and who rebranded it? Or did they both get their product from Ichimura? Or vice-versa?

The Nakamura set (top) and the loco from the KHT set (bottom).
The locos are identical, save for the lithography.

The only thing that's remained constant is the importance of the packaging. It's the only place any type of branding has appeared in relation to these toys.

Collecting - and Collecting Information Part 28

All of a sudden there seemed to be a lot of Shioji friction toy trucks appearing on the market. Over the last few weeks, I've shared what I've learned about the examples I own. But there's a lot that can be learned (and/or deduced) from just examining photos.

Recently two lots came up for sale on eBay. The one I passed on because of the cost; the second because it was outside of my field of interest. But only just.

Towing the line

I've found examples of Shioji using the same truck chassis for a variety of bodies: van, tanker, flatbed, and dumper.

Variations on a theme: five iterations of the Shioji truck.

This example is a tow truck, and it has some very interesting features. First, it's pretty easy to place in my Shioji timeline:

• First generation: Rivet head hubcaps, flat chassis bottom, six securing tabs.
• Second generation: Solid hubcaps (cheaper to make and install), rounded chassis bottom
• Third generation: Four securing tabs instead of six

The tow truck is a first generation Shioji friction truck.

The six tabs securing the body to the chassis make this a first or second
generation vehicle.

The rivet head hubcaps make this a first generation vehicle. 

And note the crank's rubber cap. It's identical to the one used for the dump truck, which is also a first generation vehicle.

End of an era

The second eBay offering I passed on because, well, I don't buy broken toys. These trucks had plastic cabs, as well as metal parts from the earlier Shioji vehicles.

Around 1963 U.S. child safety regulations came into effect, addressing things like sharp edges on metal parts. That, plus the lower cost of injection-molded plastic spelled the end of the tinplate era. Plastic toys quickly became the norm. Which is what makes these examples so interesting -- they're a transition from metal to plastic.

In these models, Shioji replaced the stamped metal cab and frame with plastic one. Although the cab shape is different, it's made to fit the same metal parts of the old Shioji trucks.

The injection-mold cabs are new, but the metal bodies aren't.

The grille is identical, as are the tanker and covered flatbed bodies. I'm sure the next generation of these trucks (if there was one) were entirely made of plastic. The tanker was a third generation vehicle, probably the last before the transition. The covered flatbed was earlier.

Was Shioji trying to use up pieces of existing stock? It's possible.

And there's one more thing: note the opening in the chassis just behind the cab. That's where the crank's located on the metal dump truck.

The square notch behind the cab may have been necessary for
dump truck version.

The metal chassis is completely redesigned. It uses far less metal under the
cab than the original version. The tab only extends far enough to
go completely under the notch in the chassis.

The metal chassis holding the friction drive is much shorter than the original version. Yet it extends over that notch, probably to secure the crank mechanism.

I think this plastic chassis was designed to be all-purpose. And that suggests there might be a dump truck version of this plastic/metal hybrid. I wonder if the express and cattle truck bodies were also recycled?