Tender Trap 12 - The Black Scorpion

What is the Tender Trap? It's what happens when someone places the tender of a toy or model locomotive backward because it "looks right that way." Usually, to do so, they have to ignore the connectors that are specifically designed to work only when the tender's facing the right way. 

So to insist on placing the tender backward, ignorance isn't enough -- you have to deliberately ignore the evidence in front of you.

One doesn't expect a lot from a 1950s monster movie. But The Black Scorpion did something that I believe is unique among B-movies. It fell into the Tender Trap.

The 1957 movie was a joint American-Mexican production, and clearly with an eye always to the bottom line. The trailer can't quite disguise all the shortcuts. Even in this two-minute promo, there's a lot of stock footage (even more in the film). While the stop-motion is well done, it's sometimes undercut.



Did you notice the train wreck? Here it is in detail:



The special effects department used a Lionel train set. That wasn't uncommon at the time. But they didn't have the budget (apparently) to repaint it!

And... the tender's backward. In order to connect the tender, the special effects crew had to wire the tender's knuckle coupler to the locomotive frame, and wire the tender's coupling bar to the passenger car's knuckle coupler. Wouldn't it have been easier to just turn the darned thing around -- especially if time was money?

Just asking.

The Tender Trap 11

What is the Tender Trap? It's what happens when someone places the tender of a toy or model locomotive backward because it "looks right that way." Usually, to do so, they have to ignore the connectors that are specifically designed to work only when the tender's facing the right way. 

So to insist on placing the tender backward, ignorance isn't enough -- you have to deliberately ignore the evidence in front of you.

Examples of toy and model locomotives with backward tenders are ubiquitous. So much so that it has to be something really unusual to add an example to this series.

But this is a new one, even for me.

What's wrong with this picture? Plenty.

I think this is the first time that the locomotive's backward as well. This turn of the century penny toy has a simple eyehook and pin coupler system. One end has an eyehook, the other a pin. The pin goes through the eyehook.

In this case, I give the person a partial pass on the tender. It looks symmetrical. Unless you examine the couplers carefully, it's difficult to say which end is the front.

Not so with the locomotive. It has an obvious front (that's where the smokestack is), and an equally obvious back (that's where the cab is). The front has no coupler at all. The back has an eyehook.

In this shot, both pieces are shown properly oriented. Why was this so
hard to do in the lead image?

So why place these two pieces this way? It makes no sense to me. Here's the way it should be displayed.

And here's why this stuff is important. The seller has all kinds of information about these pieces. But they didn't even put them in the right order. Why should I trust anything they have to say about an object they so clearly don't understand?

No sale.

The Tender Trap 10

What is the Tender Trap? It's what happens when someone places the tender of a toy or model locomotive backwards because it "looks right that way." Usually to do so, they have to ignore the connectors that are specifically designed to work only when the tender's facing the right way. 

 So to insist on placing the tender backwards, ignorance isn't enough -- you have to deliberately ignore the evidence in front of you.

It's one thing for an individual who knows little about trains to connect a tender backwards. It's a little more aggregious when it's a company. Both Rosko (see Tender Trap 9) and Lionel (see Tender Trap 8) are guilty of this error. And so is the unknown Japanese toy company in this example:

The actual toy train inside the box looks nothing like the artwork, so my beef is exclusive with the marketing department. The Japanese artist was clearly, um, inspired by the Lionel Prairie-type locomotive.

See how the tallest part of the tender is in the front -- not the rear?

And in case you're wondering, Lionel did get it right. Here'a photo of the actual locomotive:

I'm not sure how the commercial artist got the tender wrong unless he was painting from life -- and someone set up the trains incorrectly. Or maybe it was an art director who thought the correct version looked wrong.

The Tender Trap 9

What is the Tender Trap? It's what happens when someone places the tender of a toy or model locomotive backwards because it "looks right that way." Usually to do so, they have to ignore the connectors that are specifically designed to work only when the tender's facing the right way. 

So to insist on placing the tender backwards, ignorance isn't enough -- you have to deliberately ignore the evidence in front of you. 

There's something wrong with this picture -- or is there?

I see the tender trap all the time -- especially on auction sites -- so frequently, I could probably just title this blog "The Tender Trap" and have at least one new post daily. But there's no real point in that. The posts would get pretty repetitive pretty quickly -- only the actual images would change.

So I limit my posts to unusual examples. And this time, I was the one who was in error. Below is a Nomura train set from the 1960's, offered in the box. With that style of locomotive, the taller part of the tender (where the coal is stored) should be next to the locomotive. So the tender's backwards!

Below is a photo of the locomotive that Nomura modeled theirs after. As you can see, in real life the tender is taller in the front, shorter in the back.

Aha! I thought. Another clear example of the tender trap.

Then I noticed that the couplers were identical on both ends. So if someone wasn't familiar with steam engines, the connectors wouldn't provide any clues as to which end should be connected to the locomotive.

This cover art is gorgeous, but it doesn't help much.

But wait, I thought, this set still has the original box. Why didn't they just follow the box art?

I had already posted about someone who ignored the box art (see: The Tender Trap 3), and was sure that's what happened here.

The box cover doesn't show the tender clearly enough to provide any guidance. And if you compare it to the set's actual contents, you'll see there's a lot of artistic license going on with that cover.

Then I looked closely at the side of the box. There the contents were displayed in an orderly fashion. And the tender is depicted facing backwards! So the person selling the set, whether they know anything about trains or not,wasn't in error. They placed the contents in the box just as the instructions said to.

In this case, the fault's all mine for racing to judgement too quickly.

The side of the box told the tale.

Yep, it's backwards all right, compared to the prototype. But still,
I can't fault the seller for following the directions.

The Tender Trap 8

What is the tender trap? It's an all-too-common error where someone sets up either a model or toy steam locomotive and places the tender backwards. To the folks setting the train up, it "looks right" with the tender backwards.

My issue isn't with their ignorance. It's a pretty esoteric area of interest we're talking about, after all. But most toy trains are designed so that the engine and tender share a unique coupling arrangement, making it impossible for the two pieces to be connected any other way. And yet, the phenomenon persists.

Today's example is perhaps even sadder. Because although there is no unique coupler to give the people setting up the toy train to photograph, it's something they should have gotten right --because they were employees of Lionel.

Lionel is perhaps the best-known brand of toy trains. The company was founded in 1900 by Joshua Lionel Cohen, and continued as a family-owned business until 1969. Since then, the Lionel brand has gone through many hands . It was first bought by MPC (General Mills) in 1970, then real estate mogul Richard Kuhn in 1986, then another group of investors -- Wellspring -- in 1995.

Somewhere along the way, the knowledge of trains got lost, because this is a gaffe that never should have happened.

Look closely at the main photo on this box. (click on image to enlarge)

As you can see from the detail at left, the tender's backwards. It's easy to tell, because there's no opening for the coal.

But look at the train in the upper right hand corner of the box. The tender is oriented correctly! (Here's another view, below).


 Throughout the Cohen era, and even into the MPC and Kuhn ownerships, catalogs and advertising art always had the tenders facing the right way. For those of us who notice such things, it just indicates a further dilution of a once-respected brand.

The Tender Trap 7

Sometimes I think I should start a Pinterest board for the Tender Trap. But there are so many examples, I wouldn't have time for much else. So I'll stick to just posting some especially outrageous examples once in a while.

What I call the tender trap is a deliberate error. A lot of people who aren't familiar with toy trains place the tender backwards because they think it looks better. If it was as simple as that, I wouldn't say anything -- but in order for them to place the tender backwards, they have to deliberately ignore how the train's hooked together.

For example: here's one I found on eBay.

Look closely at the couplers. The engine has a bent pin. On the far end of the tender is a tab -- designed to hold the bent pin. But the seller chose to reverse the tender, forcing the pin into the knuckle coupler.

Notice something else -- the back of the tender has a blank wall. So how was the coal supposed to get from it to the engine cab? Here's the way it's supposed to look.

And here's another view.

Personally, I think having the correct end of the tender connected to the engine "looks right." And all you have to do is just match up the links. How hard is that?

The Tender Trap 6

After my post yesterday about the Yonezawa Toys train set (and the incorrectly positioned tender). I decided to do a little more research. I found a complete set available for sale on eBay -- and a very reasonable price -- and another example of the "tender trap".

Things start out so well, too. Look at that box lid. No question there  how the cars should line up.

And look at that fine profile on the side of the box. Yes, it's clear that the coal load should go towards the locomotive cab.

Ah, even sitting in the box the tender's facing the right direction (although the caboose is out of sequence). How nice.

And now it's setup and -- ?! OK, the tender's facing the right direction, but it's in the middle of the train.

All they had to do was just follow the pictures -- how hard is that? Gaaah!

(Good price on the set though...)

The Tender Trap 5

Finding examples of what I call the "tender trap is easy. So easy, I could easily fill a Pinterest pinboard to overflowing. Setting up a model or toy steam locomotive and placing the tender backwards is a pretty common error, though, and one I don't need to comment on all the time.

Except now. I recently ran across this offering on eBay. It's all that's left of a Yonezawa Toys train set. Even though the locomotive, I can still tell the tender's backwards.

How? Simple. The coal load is always as close to the locomotive's cab as possible. Always. Yet most people insist on the highest point of the tender face away from the engine (I offer my thoughts on why in Part 1 of this series).  The photo above is just another illustration of that mistaken notion.

The Tender Trap 4

I've talked before about what I call the "tender trap." It happens when someone sets up a model or toy steam locomotive and places the tender backwards. Most times, the manufacturers have a unique coupler to join the engine and tender, which makes this error harder to forgive.

Recently, though, I did run across an example that I couldn't fault the person too much for. On eBay this person had a 1940's Marx train set for sale.

Yes, the tender is backwards. Now Marx used the same type of simple coupler throughout the set, so you can indeed connect the tender in either orientation to the engine. But take a close look at the tender. The opening is at the far left -- the opening that should face the locomotive's cab.

Without that unique coupler arrangement, there's nothing to indicate to the novice how the tender should be joined to the locomotive. If you know something about steam engines, you would know this looks wrong. If not..

The Tender Trap 3

I know I should leave this subject alone, but shortly after my last post about the Tender Trap I ran across an offering for a Marx train set on eBay.

Here's the photo of the train all set up. Attractively displayed, don't you think? (click on the images to enlarge)

Yet something doesn't seem right. Oh, I know. The tender's backward! Let's look at that a little more closely:

Yep, it's backward, all right. Notice how the coal empties away from the engine. OK, that's pretty subtle, but what about this? The tender is designed to connect to the locomotive and the other cars in one way and one way only.

Notice that the engine has a simple hook. There's a corresponding one with a slot on the correct end of the tender. The cars all have knuckle couplers (that don't work with the hook). There's a knuckle coupler on the correct end of the tender. Let's take an even closer look, shall we?


On the left are the engine and the wrong end of the tender. No match on the couplers. On the right, the other end of the tender and one of the freight cars. No match there, either.

I know, the complexities of couples might be beyond some folks. But there's one other thing.

Also included in this offering is not just the train itself, but the entire set: track, transformer, and original box.

A box with cover art. Cover art that shows how the train should be set up.

 

Let's take a closer look at the artwork.

Yep, there's no doubt about it, in order for our knuckle-headed seller to set this train up incorrectly, he had to not only ignore the obviously mismatched connectors but had to assiduously avoid looking at the box art for guidance. But I'm sure he felt the tender "looked right" the way he had it. It's what they always say.

From another auction site, here's the same engine and tender properly displayed.

Let's take a closer look. Notice how, even though not connected, the two hooks just look right. It's obvious they go together. Is this really such a difficult concept? After all, these things were designed for young children to set up and play with.

The Tender Trap 2

I was looking at some items on eBay the other day and ran across not one, but two examples of something that really, really, bugs me. I call it the tender trap.

When you're talking about steam locomotives (at least in the U.S.), the car immediately behind the engine is called the "tender." It's where the engine's fuel supply is carried. In the early days, this was wood, but soon it was replaced by coal. The term is probably a shortened form of "coal tender."

Now I know that most people don't really know -- or even care to know -- that much about toy trains. But if you're going to display them for sale, why not set it up properly? It definitely makes what you're trying to sell more appealing to the potential buyer (who most likely does know something about these items).

So how can you tell if you've set the train up right? Simple. Just hook the cars together. Almost any toy train will have some kind of unique coupling arrangement that prevents you from having the tender face the wrong way.

Why would anyone want the tender to face the wrong way? Because there's a mistaken notion that the tender should slope into the engine's cab, so the end that's taller should be in the back.

Here's the first example, a small Strombrecker floor toy:

Yep. The tender's backward. That opening should be facing the engine, because (if this were a real train), that's how the fireman would access the coal. And ignorance is no excuse. These Strombrecker trains used a very simple coupling system. Underneath the body of each car runs a long wire that sticks out at both ends. On one end is a hook, and on the other, an eye. Sticking out of the back of the engine is a hook. In the current setup, the photographer has the hook from the engine touching the hook of the tender. That should have been a clue that perhaps it wasn't set up right.

Strombrecker built the train so that the tender could only be connected to the engine one way -- by using the hook on the engine to connect to the eye of the tender (found on the open end). So simple, a child could do it (and often did, back in the day).

Here's what it should look like, in an image from the Strombrecker  catalog. If you look carefully, you can even see the hook and eye connectors. (You can click on an image to enlarge)

This next one really takes the cake, though. It was clear from the copy that the seller had absolutely no idea what the tender was for. He called it a "blue car." Notice how it's not even close to the engine!

And yet, even though he has no idea of the car's function, he still placed it backward! Despite the hook and eye connectors that suggested otherwise, by golly there it is.

As you can see from the Strombrecker image below, these things only connect one way.

One more thing: as an extra added bonus, he also placed the caboose incorrectly. Now again, not everyone knows that a caboose (the red car) goes at the end of the train.  But all you have to do is connect the thing together. The engine has an eye, but no hook. It has to go at one end. The yellow car and the blue car (the tender) have both a hook and an eye, so they go in the middle (and the tender only connects in the right direction). The caboose has a hook, but no eye. It has to go at the end.

No real need for any kind of expertise here. Just connect the cars together, and you'll be fine. Really.

And so will I!

The Tender Trap

A major auction house that specializes in antique toys recently published this picture in a sale catalog. It made me seriously question exactly how much expertise this firm really had.

Notice anything wrong? The tender's backwards.

One of the things that really irritates me as a toy train enthusiast is a backwards tender. The tender is the car that trails immediately behind a steam locomotive. It's where the fuel for the locomotive is stored, (wood or coal), and sometimes extra water for the steam engine.

Most people picture something like this for the archetypal of a steam engine and tender.

The walls of the tender, open towards the engine, slant upwards in the back. Actual tender design from the late 1800's on favored a more rectangular appearance with slightly higher walls in the front. Nevertheless, the archetype remains, popularized in children's book illustrations and other media.

As a result, when people with no real knowledge of trains display a toy steam locomotive and tender, they often have the tender facing the wrong way. Why? Because having the smaller end of the tender next to the locomotive more closely fits the archetype, and "looks right."

So what? Without specialized knowledge, how would someone know that the proper way to display the switch engine below is to have the large end of the tender face the locomotive? After all, that's just ignorance.

However, almost all toy train manufacturers for about a century have designed their tenders to only connect to their locomotives a certain way. The general-purpose coupler that hooks the toy railroad cars together, be it a latch design or more realistic knuckle coupler, can be found at one end of the tender. The engine usually has a completely different coupler -- and its match is only found on one end of the tender.

In other words, for just about any make of toy trains, it's impossible to connect freight or passenger cars directly to the steam engine -- and it's impossible to connect the tender to the engine backwards.

Let's take a closer look at that offending catalog photo. Notice the tender's latch-style coupler in the pairing at left -- and how it doesn't match with the pin on the back of the engine. Now look what happens when we reverse the tender (right). Now there's a tab connector with a hole that matches the pin.

Here's another example, this time from eBay.

In the postwar era, toy trains became more sophisticated, adding whistles and other sound effects. As the motor occupied most of the locomotive's interior, these features were housed in the tender. Look closely at the photo and you can see the cables coming out of the tender. These wires connect the printed circuit boards in the tender with the compatible components in the engine. There's a simple pin on the back of the locomotive, and several terminals for the wire. Yet the person chose to photograph the tender backwards, to match the archetype.

Here's how it should look.

So in order to set up a toy locomotive and tender so that it "looks right," the person has to deliberately ignore the very clear evidence of the connectors. That's not just ignorance, that's willful ignorance.

And in the case of that auction house, it makes me call into question everything they had to say about the items offered. And that's bad for business.

- Ralph