RENO, Nev. — A big, 564-lot sale of vintage electric trains was dominated by big hammer prices for antique and prewar items from prominent historic collections at Harris Toy Train Auctions March 1. Complete results are available at LiveAuctioneers.
Collectors showed determination to win, with upwards of 60 bids for many items. The sale’s lead lot was a circa-1914 Carlisle & Finch Pennsylvania Railroad passenger set in 2-inch gauge. Originally part of Disney animation legend Ward Kimball’s collection, the item hammered for $25,000 ($30,750 with buyer’s premium).
When the pioneering model train brand Voltamp went under in 1922, Boucher Manufacturing snapped it up and went into the toy train business, competing against Lionel and American Flyer in the Standard Gauge space. This Boucher no. 2222 Pennsylvania Railroad steam locomotive garnered more than two dozen bids before finally selling for $6,400 ($7,872 with buyer’s premium).
Speaking of Voltamp, this 2-inch gauge no. 2115 interurban also performed admirably, hammering for $7,800 ($9,594 with buyer’s premium). This example has changed hands numerous times in the past, and has been featured in books discussing Voltamp.
Chuck Brasher had an amazing Standard Gauge layout display that was featured in Classic Toy Trains magazine in the early 1990s. This one-year-only (1928) American Flyer no. 108 Union Station was a central element in his display for more than four decades. Bidding opened at $20 and jumped to $3,200 before finally hitting $5,000 ($6,150 with buyer’s premium).
