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Aug 14, 2023

‘Pulling the Puffers’

Cast iron toys first appeared around 1870 as a byproduct of the Industrial Revolution. Because of their superiority over wood and tin toys, cast iron toys, especially cast iron trains, quickly caught

Cast iron toys first appeared around 1870 as a byproduct of the Industrial Revolution. Because of their superiority over wood and tin toys, cast iron toys, especially cast iron trains, quickly caught on and helped fulfill the imaginative dreams of many young boys.

By the 1880s, millions of cast iron toys rolled off assembly lines each year, but by 1920, the heyday of cast iron toys was over, leaving behind a treasure trove for collectors. Of these toys, many collectors seek the trackless iron toy trains.

As the name implies, trackless cast iron trains did not run on rails. Rather, they were hand pushed; string pulled, or ran using a strong, wind-up, clockwork mechanism.

The earliest of these trains were made of malleable iron, but these toys are quite rare today, so collectors focus on cast-iron trains. Most of the train cars and locomotives were cast in two pieces by pouring molten iron into sand molds. When the metal cooled, the trains’ halves were removed from the sand and riveted together at the seams. Adding wheels and an axle completed the train cars.

Sand cast molds continued until about 1937 when die casting began, so when looking for antique cast iron trains, get to know the different look that is attributed to cast iron that has been either sand cast or die cast. On average, die-casting produces a much smoother surface, indicating that the toy is newer.

According to Ann Bland, Automotive Cast Iron Toys, “Very early toys were not marked because manufacturers depended upon jobbers to sell their goods to merchants who then sold to the public.” Jobbers tried to protect their middleman status by “insisting that toys not be marked with the manufacturer’s name.”

It was not until 1900 that branding toys became common. Companies began to see the advertising sense in getting their names before the public, especially when dealing with children. About 1900, toy companies also began selling toys in sets. Since parents returned to stores to buy different pieces in the same sets, it became necessary for buyers to identify certain toys with certain manufacturers. Thus brand naming became important. Soon companies such as Hubley Manufacturing Co. were putting their name on all of their toys, making later identification of toys much easier for collectors.

Hubley was one of the last large toy companies to produce cast iron trains. Founded in 1894, Hubley Manufacturing is better known for cast-iron toy guns than for trains, but the trackless trains they did produce are highly sought after today. Hubley’s 1906 catalog advertised train No. 60-1/2. It was a cast iron locomotive, tender, and two passenger cars, with a polished copper oxidized patina. At nearly four feet long, this train weighed over 12 pounds. Like all Hubley toys, it was hand painted.

One car missing from this train and most toy trains of the cast-iron era was a caboose. Few cabooses were manufactured, so it is the rarest of cars, regardless of manufacturer.

One of the largest manufacturers of cast iron toy trains was the Ives, Blakeslee and Williams Company of New York City. Ives began casting locomotives in the 1870s and quickly led the industry. In 1893, Ives produced the Cannon Ball Train—the largest cast iron toy train ever made. It was nearly five feet long and weighed over 30 pounds. The train consisted of the locomotive, tender, and two cars and the locomotive was an accurate representation of a real locomotive, so children loved it. The Cannon Ball Train is still one of the most sought cast iron trains from the 1800s.

Ehrich Brothers of New York was a small toy manufacturer. In its 1882 catalog, Ehrich advertised a solid iron toy train—locomotive, tender, and two freight cars—painted red and black. New, this train cost 95¢ plus freight, which made it an expensive toy for its time.

Buyers need to watch for reproductions. Hubley’s older cast iron toys often sell for $100,000 or more at auction, making them targets of con artists. It is sometimes difficult to spot a reproduction since it is also sand cast iron. In general reproductions are more primitive with less detail than originals. Reproductions also use different colors; however, for $100,000, a dishonest seller may go to great lengths to duplicate an original, so either know your trains or seek expert advice when making large purchases.

In the late 1800s, a popular expression among parents was, “Johnny, come pull the puffers,” which was a call for children to relax on the family’s floor and play with their cast iron trains. A “puffer” was literally the smoke stack of the train, and with cast iron trains, the puff and smoke issued from the excited mouths of children as they puffed along. Today, kids and collectors can still imagine smoke puffing from these antique trackless trains.

For further reading: Cast Iron Floor Trains: An Encyclopedia with Rarity and Price Guides by Rick Ralston (Ralston Publishing Company, 1994).

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