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Carlisle & Finch Trains

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History

Carlisle & Finch is credited as being the inventors of the electric toy train since they were the first American company to introduce electrically powered miniature trains produced in volume. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, they originally made electric motors, then toy trains, and they also produced nautical equipment (a carbon arc searchlight). The company was founded in 1894 by two electrical engineers, Robert S. Finch and Morten Carlisle. They had purchased a Cincinatti repair shop from GE and renamed it Carlisle & Finch Company. The company repaired electric motors and rewound armatures. The toy trains were first produced in September 1896 as a way to increase revenue and to utilize the small electric motors that they made.

Carlisle & Finch #1 Trolley Variations
Carlisle & Finch #1 four window trolley in 2 inch gauge - 1st generation 1897 Carlisle & Finch #1 four window trolley in 2 inch gauge - early version with paper labels and cut out windows Carlisle & Finch #1 four window trolley in 2 inch gauge - 1900 version with block lettered labels Carlisle & Finch #1 four window trolley in 2 inch gauge - small label version circa 1901-1903 Carlisle & Finch #1 four window trolley in 2 inch gauge - later embossed version

The first manufacturing facility was located at 5th & Elm Street, but because of the limitations and logistics challenges with rewinding very large armatures presented by a second story operation, the company was moved to larger ground level facilities at 830 West 6th Street in July of 1894. The very first electric train products made were brass trolleys. Each powered unit was 7 inches long, 4½ inches high with a single 4 wheel truck, and equipped with a 2 pole, non-reversing 10 volt electric motor. It had 4 windows and cast iron wheels. The motor was mounted to the wood base inside the body. A rubber band or string belt was used to connect the pulley on the motor armature shaft end to one of the trolley wheels that was grooved. The trolleys were available in both powered and unpowered (trailer) versions. Included with the set was a 3 foot diameter circle of track. Priced at $3.50 and marketed as the #1 'Complete Electric Railway', the set became very popular, especially around Christmas, and the company wound up producing 3 times the amount of sets as originally planned. Between the years 1896 and 1897 approximately 4,500 of these trolleys were made. Most of the trolleys were made out of brass with wood frames and had roofs that were painted black. All of these early trolleys were made with large lithographed paper labels that were glued onto the sides and ends of the trolley. All the trolleys had the words "Electric Railway" on each side. In the early versions the windows were part of the litho and were covered over. In later versions the windows were cut out from the paper and the tinplate, exposing the motor inside. One variant of the #1 trolley used small labels that had large block lettering another variation had smaller block letters on the paper label and framing on each side. The early trolleys had completely smooth sides and ends to accomodate the paper labels. By 1900 3 corrugated lines were embossed into the car sides, and by 1904 the 'Electric Railway' lettering itself was also embossed. The #1 trolley remained in the line from 1896 through 1907.

The manufacturing company was incorporated in 1897 with Morten Carlisle as President and Robert Finch as Secretary and Treasurer. And that year the first catalogue depicting trains was issued. The next item to be made was the #2 eight wheel double motor 12 inch long trolley, or referred to by some Carlisle & Finch early #2 Brass Trolley Non-powered trailer car as an Interurban. The 1898 catalog lists two versions. One for operation on batteries and a similar one for 110 volts DC or AC operation intended to be used as a store window dispiay. It was made of brass with a wood floor, wood trucks and the wheels were cast iron. It featured the same two pole motors, one in each truck, as the rubber band drive ones used in the #1 trolley. It was 5 inches high, had 7 windows, a smooth brass body, open end platforms, rounded end brass celestory roof, and the paper label "Electric Railway" signs under the windows on each car side. The initial price for the motorized trolley car was $5.00. A matching unpowered trailer car was offered at $2.00. The trail car was equipped with link & pin type couplers. Despite changes to the sides, labelling and couplers over time, the same illustration of this car was continued in every Carlisle & Finch catalog from 1899 through 1915. However, the #2 trolley in this form was only offered through 1902.

Catalogs were expanded in 1898 and production now included an entire line. The #3 coal mining set was made up of the #3 0-4-0 loco and three small 4 wheel coal cars. Initial versions of these coal cars were diecast on wood frames. Later versions used tin buckets and could tilt sideways and dump their loads. The #3 mining loco was made of tin and intially used the same 2 pole motor and belt drive as the #1 and #2 trolleys. But beginning in 1899 the new geared 3 pole armature motor and a reversing switch were installed. The #3 became a mainstay in the product line for several years and became the least expensive product offered at $3.5O for a set. Early versions of the locomotive used paper labels. Later versions were enameled, then eventually embossing was used and the style of the loco changed from a trapezoidal shape to a more rounded humped design.

Carlisle & Finch #3 Mining Train in 2 inch gauge circa 1900, paper label covered version on tin body with wood flooring, fixed link & pin couplers, three non-tilting cast iron coal cars Carlisle & Finch #3 Mining Train in 2 inch gauge Carlisle & Finch #3 Mining Train in 2 inch - later version with embossed tin locomotive painted enameled yellow, circa 1908-1909 Carlisle & Finch #3 Mining Train in 2 inch - 1913 version with embossed tin locomotive painted enameled green, 3 non-tilting coal cars

A fourth item listed in the early catalogs was the #4 'Inclined Plane Railway'. This item is so rare that there are no known existing models today. This item apparently was not very popular, and was discontinued in 1899 after manufacture of only 120 units. Carlisle & Finch also created a #20 toy electric powered boat and the #19 toy electric powered automobile during this period. But, like the incline railway, these were not popular items and manufacturing of these products was discontinued after very short runs. Carlisle & Finch replaced the #4 incline railway with the very popular #4 0-4-0 steam type loco in 1899. By assigning it the number 4, Carlisle & Finch was able to retain the numbering sequence in their catalogs. The #4 Steam Freight train set proved to be another mainstay in the Carlisle & Finch Company line and because of its economy, durability and popularity, thousands were produced. The #4 came in both passenger and freight sets in 1899. By 1900 Carlisle & Finch had outgrown its facilities and a move was made to a new location at 229-231 East Clifton Avenue in June. This would be the company's home for the next 47 years.

Carlisle & Finch very early #4 0-4-0 black loco with paper covered boiler, uncut cab windows, L.S. & M.S.R.R. black paper covered tender, #13B Union Pacific Baggage Express box car paper covered body, two #13 12 inch brass passenger coaches with paper labels, link and pin couplers

The trains stood about 5.5 inches tall, were made of wood and metal, were colorful, and ran on metal track with rails that were spaced two inches apart. Initial production of the electric train line #1 trolleys used three rail track, then shortly after 1897, the track and trolleys were converted to two rail. These 3 rail trolleys were produced in very limited quantities (500 made in 1896) and are considered to be very rare. There are very few examples in existence today. Two rail became the standard for Carlisle & Finch. Using one rail as a negative conduit for electricity and the other as a positive one had never met with success until Carlisle & Finch perfected the concept. Carlisle & Finch trains were heavy and highly detailed, and catered to the high end market. Early trains used lithographed paper labels to supply the cars with details for numbering and livery. The use of wood frames reduced weight, reduced costs, and helped absorb noise from the electric motors. In addition to using wood for the underframe and cab floors, it was also used for the sand dome, head light, bell, pilot beam, boiler front and boiler button on the locomotives. During this period brass was utilized to fabricate many items. This period saw the use of a link and pin type coupler connected by iron staples. Four wheels were simply nailed into a green painted wood block bolster which made it unnecessary to insulate the cast iron wheels on the loco and cars.

Carlisle & Finch Freight Set with painted tin and wood American steam outline #4 0-4-0 loco in 2 inch gauge. Includes 8 wheel tender, #11 red gondola, #12 yellow paper label box car, rare #53 derrick car, #40 stock car, and #46 red caboose

With the release of the #4 locomotive several new manufacturing techniques were put into production. Early Motorized units from Carlisle & Finch had employed belt or rubber band drive mechanisms. In the #4, as the catalog described, the power was transmitted to the locomotive's drive wheels via 'double reduction spur gearing with accurately cut teeth'. This was a set of brass gears, very similar to the drive mechanisms found in clockwork toys and trains from this era. Another major improvement was the introduction of a three pole armature based motor instead of the original two pole one. The first version of the #4 was all black with paper labels covering the cab, and bore painted gold boiler bands, window outline, the #683 under the cab windows, trim lines and L.S. & M.S.R.R. marking on the tender sides. It was fitted with link and pin tye couplers. The #683 also appeared on the end of the tender. The locomotive drive wheels were painted red and had 7 spokes. This version remained in production through 1903. It was available in both a passenger consist and a freight consist, although the frieght train had only the loco, tender, a yellow labeled #12 boxcar and a red labelled #11 gondola. These were the first 2 freight cars produced by C&F.

Carlisle & Finch #9 Lithographed Paper Label Buffalo Ticket Office first made 1897 While Jehu Garlick was first to market an electrically powered train with his limited run of 200 Electric Tunnel Locomotives in 1895, a year later Carlisle & Finch was the first to market complete electric-powered train sets and thus were the earliest leader in US toy train production through 1904. Lionel didn't produce their first electric train until 1901 and Voltamp came out with theirs in 1903. American Flyer's first electric train came out in 1918. Carlisle & Finch was eventually overtaken in the toy train marketplace by Ives Toy trains. Carlisle & Finch created an agent system for distribution of its toy trains and trolleys. They would ship inventory to their agents who would sell them directly to the public. Ohio Electric Works, based in Cleveland, was one of their best customers and issued C&F catalogues with their own name on them. Carlisle & Finch also operated a direct mail order sale and repair business. In 1901 Carlisle & Finch grossed nearly $21,000 from the sales of toys.

Carlisle & Finch Nickel Plated #4 0-4-0 Loco & Tender in 2 inch gauge circa 1903 In 1903 Carlisle & Finch came out with an improved version of the #4 0-4-0 locomotive that had a shiny nickel plated boiler, a cast iron oil type dummy headlight, a copper bell, a nickel sand dome and boiler bands that were embossed right into the boiler. The loco cab featured arched top non-embossed window openings with the #171 embossed under the windows, into the cab sides. The locomotive bore the same red painted 7 spoke drivers as its predecessor. The wood underframe, boiler front and 3 pole motor were the same as the original design. The new #4 locomotive and tender sold for $6.50. By 1904 a new truck with detailed outside frames and stamped brass wheels using a red fiber washer for insulation replaced the wood bolster type trucks on all cars, including freights and passenger equipment. Other improvements in the line included the use of embossing on the tinplate, and less use of lithographed paper labels, more handrail detail on the locomotives, and more prototypical paint schemes. In late 1903 Carlisle & Finch switched over to bumper band type couplers. A later version of the #4 loco produced in 1904 had newer flat drive wheels, still painted red, but now with Carlisle & Finch #4 2 inch gauge 0-4-0 Loco and tender from 1908 12 narrow spokes. By 1907 a 3rd version of the #4 was now being made. It was modernized with embossing around the cab windows, and with embossing stripes and the #131 under the windows. The tender for this model came with the new outside truck frames, replacing the old wood bolsters. The stamped brass wheels were insulated with the red fiber washer. The tender was embossed with N & M on each side. Later tenders had a double row of rivets along the top and down the front on each side. The design of the cylinders changed in that they were no longer slung independently from the boiler, but extended from the boiler sides. Handrails were added along each side of the boiler and diagonal braces placed from the pilot beam to the boiler sides. The fourth and final version of the #4 abandoned nickel plating and was painted all in black. This model had separate boiler bands, metal boiler front, orange trim, and the box type tender with rivets. It also had square cab windows, drum type headlight, and other variations such as short or high dome or smoke stack.

In 1903 an entirely new #2 all brass interurban trolley, now with 10 windows was produced, replacing the 7 window 12 inch model. The new #2 was the largest trolley ever made by Carlisle & Finch. It was 19 inches long and was outfitted with a new larger motor and cast brass side frames for the trucks. This basic model remained in the line through 1915 with a few changes over time. Initially priced at $5.75, the cost came down to $4.25 in 1913. In 1907 and 1908, unpainted nickel finish tinplate was substituted for brass in the body and roof of the 10-window #2 Interurban. In addition, in 1908 embossed edges were added around the 10 windows. By 1909 a switch was made back to a brass body, but now the #2 trolley had 5 large windows instead of 10 smaller ones, similar to the #87 pullman that was offered in 1905.

Carlisle & Finch #2 Brass Interurban motorized trolley 1903-1908, early version of the 19 inch long car with 10 windows and paper label Carlisle & Finch #2 Interurban Motorized Trolley 1907-1908, 10 window, 19 inch version in nickel plating Carlisle & Finch #2 Brass Interurban motorized trolley 5 window embossed version from 1909

Carlisle & Finch #45 2 inch gauge Engine & Tender painted tin, wood, and cast iron with nickel boiler copper bands cast iron pilot circa 1909-15 overall length 26 inches This second period of development included the creation of the large #2 interurban as well as the creative #53 motorized derrick car, the #87 passenger car and the #45 loco. The largest, most luxurious deluxe steam type locomotive ever made by Carlisle & Finch was the 4-4-2 #45 in 1904. Catalogues stated that it was "made exactly according to scale and no pains were spared to make it complete as to workmanship and finish". It measured 27½ inches long (loco and tender) and required a minimum track radius of 30 inches to operate, at a rating of 10 volts (36 inch radius was recommended). #45 was powerful having a DC motor with a "Gramme ring" or fly-wheel type armature with a five segment commutator. Gearing was high, so the resulting ride was smooth and operation was relatively silent. Stops were gentle when track power was shut off. It was also the most expensive loco selling for $17.00 in 1906, for just the locomotive. It weighed 13 pounds. For $20, 36 feet of track with ties and 9 dry cell batteries were included. This version continued in the line from 1904 to 1908. By 1909 the three pole electric motor was substituted in the #45. One feature that never varied on all Carlisle & Finch locomotives was the red painted drive wheels.

Carlisle & Finch #88 Railway Set with #45 Deluxe 4-4-2 Steam Loco and tender in 2 inch gauge with #51 Baggage Express car circa 1904 and 2 #52 19 inch brass passenger coaches

Carlisle & Finch and later Howard developed the concept of a train outfit which included the trains or trolleys, track, and a station and/or bridges so that a hobbyist could set up a layout right out of the box. The #88 Railway was Carlisle & Finch's most elegent complete train set. It was composed of the #45 locomotive and tender, #51 baggage car, and Two #52 passenger cars. In 1906, it sold for $34.00. This set is considered by collectors to be the most perfectly proportioned model train ever produced. The #52 passenger car, at 19 inches long and six inches high above the rails was the largest ever manufactured. It was made of polished brass. Carlisle & Finch produced four styles or sizes of passenger cars. The smallest size was the #13 coach and #13B Carlisle & Finch #87 Brass pullman Carlisle & Finch #59 15½ inch embossed baggage express car 1909-1915 baggage car at 12 inches long. The early baggage car came with yellow lithographed paper labels covering all sides, bearing Union Pacific R.R. livery and 'Baggage Express', and a black painted roof. The later versions were painted with orange enamel and embossed with the number 26 and 'Baggage Express'. These cars featured sliding doors on each side. The #13 coaches were made of brass and had paper labels with 'Electric Railway' on the sides of the early versions. This car was essentially the same as the first version of the #2 non-powered trolley trailer car issued in 1899. Later versions were embossed and some were made of Nickel plate. Early versions of these 12" coaches and baggage express cars were equipped with the link and pin type couplers. Later The #60 passenger and #59 baggage cars were 15½ inches long (normally packaged with the #34 loco). The #52 pullman passenger and #51 baggage cars were 19 inches long and were designed to be pulled by the #45 loco. The 19" pullman passenger car utilized the same 10 window brass body as the #2 trolley, but came with a black painted tin roof. The rarest of all passenger cars was the #87 Pullman Sleeping Car with cast iron wheels and six wheel trucks, measuring 18 inches long.

Carlisle & Finch #13b Embossed and enameled Baggage Express Car in 2 inch gauge Carlisle & Finch #13 Pullman Embossed and Nickel plated in 2 inch gauge

Carlisle & Finch #20 Suburban 0-4-0 locomotive in 2 inch gauge - early version with nickel boiler and cab Carlisle & Finch #20 Suburban 0-4-0 locomotive in 2 inch gauge In addition to the #4, 0-4-0, Carlisle & Finch also made a smaller #20 0-4-0 switching engine with a coal bunker referred to as a Suburban. This locomotive was 13 inches in length and featured a brass bell. It was carried in thre line from 1903 to 1907. Also during this period newer trolley models were introduced. These included a #42 Electric Railway that consisted of a 5 window brass trolley and non-powered trailer car. This version featured the newer 3 pole reversing motor and brass spur gearing. It operated at a 4 to 5 volt range and could be acquired in a set with 9 feet of strip steel 2" track and 4 dry cell batteries for $3.35. In 1905 through 1908, the #42 trolley was also offered with an elevated railway system, catalogued as #98, with the track mounted on 10 inch high cast iron posts. This trolley was slightly taller than the #1 trolley but looked similar. The motor truck was identical to the motor truck found on the #2 Interurban trolley. The trailer was dropped by 1911, but the trolley remained available through the catalogue through 1915. 1904 also saw the release of the #18 4-wheel trolley. The #18 was a 13½ inch long by 6 inch high closed trolley car with a polished brass body, brass open end platforms, four very wide windows and a black painted tinplate roof. It was priced at $4.50 and remained in the catalogue through 1913. Another powered unit produced starting in 1904 was the #19 Summer Trolley. It was 14¾ inches long, 6 inches high, was constructed of brass and had 4 wheels. It's interior bench seats were reversible. Some versions were painted in yellow and orange. The roof was always unpainted polished brass. It was priced at $5.50 and appeared in the catalogue through 1911. Both the #18 and #19 trolleys were equipped with the improved 3 pole motors located entirely beneath the wooden floors. No trailers were offered with either of these powered trolley cars. In 1905 and 1906 these two cars were also offered as #99 and #100, respectively, equipped with working trolley poles for operation under overhead wires. The closed car with trolley pole was priced at $5.25 and the open car at $6.25. Carlisle & Finch also offered the #103 cast iron wire bracket poles for building the overhead wire system.

Carlisle & Finch 2 inch gauge #42 five window Trolley and Trailer circa 1904-09, originally sold for $3.35 Carlisle & Finch #18 4 window Trolley in 2 inch gauge with brass sides and painted tin roof Carlisle & Finch early brass #100 Summer trolley in 2 inch gauge with reversible seats

Two inch gauge 2 rail electric trains require a DC power source. Carlisle & Finch trains were initially powered using wet cell batteries. This approach created challenges for the hobbyists because these batteries were not commercially available, so they had to assemble the carbon and zinc strips and mix the chromite wet cell elements themselves, usually employing glass Ball-type jelly jars. Carlisle & Finch supplied these mercury coated zinc and carbon strips attached to a wood cross piece and this assembly could be placed into glass tumblers filled with a mixture of bichromate of potash and sulfuric acid, that could be wired into a series to generate the needed electrical current. In 1902, Carlisle & Finch introduced dry cell batteries to make running their trains easier. Later on, they introduced several other clever dynamo and hand cranked mechanisms for generating the electrical current to run the trains. In those days, few homes had electrical power, so these methods (batteries, dynamos, etc.) had to be provided. One very clever electric current generator that Carlisle & Finch introduced actually utilized a water turbine, propelled by a garden hose. It could generate direct current capacity of 75 watts and sold in great numbers. Eventually in 1907, they came out with transformer type devices that utilized household current.

Carlisle & Finch #34 2 inch gauge black steam 4-4-2 loco with eight wheel tender, made 1910-1912 Carlisle & Finch #34 2 inch gauge Nickel plated steam 4-4-2 loco with eight wheel tender, made 1909-1910 A third period of development saw less reliance on the use of brass for component construction with tin and steel emerging as the dominant material used in most freight cars and locomotives. Some passenger cars were made using nickel plating. Items were painted in enamel, and road names were embossed into the metal. In 1908 Carlisle & Finch felt the need to bridge the gap between their small 0-4-0 #4 and #20 steam outline locomotives and the big 4-4-2 #45. They released the #34 Atlantic type. This model used the same 4-4-2 wheel arrangement as the #45 but was shorter at 23 inches (loco & tender). It was fitted with the same three pole self starting reversing motor with double reduction gearing. The iron driving wheels were the same size as the #45 at a 2 9/16 inch diameter, but smaller stamped brass pilot wheels were used. It was designed to operate on track with an 18 inch radius. Both the front and rear trucks were swiveled. It had a nickel boiler and cab embossed roadname (B&O or P.R.R.), black chassis, wood frame, red painted cast iron pilot and drivers, and #131 embossed 8 wheel tender with black painted sheet metal and orange striping. While the first models were nickel with a black boiler front, the Later models were painted all black. It weighed 8 pounds and was priced at $11. At this point in time one-third of the company's revenue was generated through the sales from the electric trains and toys.

Freight cars came in two sizes. The more common regular size, and a large, 13½ inch size long gondola, box car, and caboose.

Smaller more Common size Carlisle & Finch Freight Cars
Carlisle & Finch #11 2 inch gauge blue gondola embossed 131 PRR 131 on sides, circa 1911-1915 Carlisle & Finch 2 inch gauge #47 N&M embossed Hopper Carlisle & Finch #48 2 inch gauge small cattle car with black steel side frames and brass wheels, circa 1911-1915 Carlisle & Finch #12 2 inch gauge Hocking Valley Box Car circa 1911-1915 Carlisle & Finch 2 inch gauge #50 flat car Carlisle & Finch #46 2 inch gauge small caboose with red enameled body, N&M embossed on sides, and black roof, circa 1911-1912

Larger 13½ inch size Carlisle & Finch Freight Cars
Carlisle & Finch #91 13½ inch N&M box car 1911-1915 Carlisle & Finch 2 inch gauge #90 gondola, 13½ inch 1911-1915 Carlisle & Finch 2 inch gauge #92 13½ inch Caboose circa 1905-09

Three other smaller, short-lived U.S. manufacturers, Knapp, Howard, and Voltamp, adopted Carlisle & Finch's 2-inch 2 rail track design. However, Carlisle & Finch did not intially make sectional type track, while the others did. Carlisle & Finch's early approach was to supply long thin metal rail strips and slotted wooden ties, so the hobbyist had to assemble his track in much the same way that real railroaders built their trackage. It was thought that by having longer sections of track, the electrical current would be stronger throughout the layout. Eventually various kinds of 'T' rail track were made as well as switches, cross-overs and track end bumpers. Carlisle & Finch's offerings were by definition non-standard, even though they were considered to be the inventors of the electric train.

Carlisle & Finch #57 36 inch long Suspension bridge Carlisle & Finch #56 Truss Bridge 1904-1915 Carlisle & Finch #5 12 inch long Testle bridge made 1899-1915

The numbers appearing on Carlisle & Finch locos and cars do not coincide with catalogue numbers. The number '131' appears on the later #4 loco cab, on the #4 loco tender and on the #11 gondola. The number '171' appears on the #20 Switcher cab, on the #91 box car and on the middle nickel #4 locomotive. The number '82' appears on the cab of the famous #45 Locomotive. The number '26' appears on the #13b Express Baggage car and on the #12 Box car. The number '111' appears embossed on the #51 Baggage express car. Carlisle & Finch also made accessories such as the #9 Buffalo Railway Station with Automatic Signal, the #97 Passenger Terminal, the #96 Freight Depot, and several trestles and bridges including the #57 Die-cast Suspension Bridge that was 36 inches long.

Carlisle & Finch freight shed with a tiered roof supported by six cast-iron columns with ornate arch extensions sold for $23,600 in 2016 At the height of train production, Carlisle & Finch employed about 120 workers. Carlisle & Finch issued its first catalogue depicting trains in 1898, and its final catalogue for trains was created in 1915. 1916 catalogues were re-issues of the 1915 catalogues. At the beginning of World War I, the United States Government ordered Carlisle and Finch to cease toy train production in order to concentrate on producing searchlights for the U.S. Navy and United States Coast Guard. At the end of the war, the company did not resume toy train production, choosing instead to concentrate on its profitable searchlight business. Within a decade, it was the largest producer of military searchlights in the country.

Finch bought out Carlisle's share of the company in 1926. At that time Brent S. Finch the son of Robert S. Finch was made President and Robert S. Finch continued as Secretary and Treasurer. Over the ensuing decades, the company began producing equipment for civilian use, with its searchlights being used in lighthouses and on offshore oil rigs. An attempt was made to resurrect the train line in the 1930's. Several cast aluminum trains and a streamliner sample were developed. However manufacture of these products was never undertaken. This 100+ year-old company still exists today and continues to produce its line of searchlights and beacons.

Carlisle & Finch trains from the early 20th century are very rare today and are highly sought after by serious train and toy collectors. A very early #1 Carlisle & Finch trolley circa 1897 formerly in the collection of noted train collector and Disney Animator Ward Kimball realized $8,050 in a November 2013 auction. A Carlisle & Finch Electric Railway #2 Interurban with a brass body and embossed sides commanded $12,980 at the same 2013 auction. It had been entered in the sale with a $3,500-$4,500 estimate. Another Carlisle & Finch rarity, a cast-iron #57 2-track suspension bridge with wood planking and metal slat tracks, estimated at $3,000-$3,500, sold for $11,200. And at the same 2013 auction, a Carlisle & Finch Freight Set with a #131 locomotive, N. & M. tender, #26 H.V. orange Box car, #131 blue P.R.R. gondola, maroon N. & M. Caboose, and a quantity of rail and wood ties, all in original condition sold for $6,490. A circa 1904-08 Carlisle & Finch train set with a #45 loco, tender, 2 passenger cars and a baggage car sold for $46,020 at a 2014 Bertoia Spring Toy Train auction in Vineland, NJ. At that same auction a boxed Carlisle & Finch freight set from the collection of Frank Loveland sold for $23,600. In 2016, an original Carlisle & Finch freight shed with a tiered roof supported by six cast-iron columns with ornate arch extensions sold for $23,600. At the 2016 Bertoia auction of Jerry & Nina Greene's collection of toy trains and accessories, a scarce Carlisle & Finch #19 Summer trolley painted yellow and orange sold for $5,700.

Carlisle & Finch 2 inch gauge Freight Set painted and embossed tin American steam outline #4 0-4-0 engine and N&M tender with #12 Hocking Valley Box car, #49 yellow tank car, #47 B&O Hopper and #46 caboose

Carlisle & Finch website

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