I'm just wondering if anyone remembers this exact unit
specifically - I made a guess as to age, and I'm curious if I'm right - I
couldn't find any info on it on the web, and this group seems to be about
as
knowlegable in weird stuff as anywhere - made in good old USA, with
internal
construction techniques truely appropriate for a 4th world country - cheap
cheap cheap cheap - that's why I'm guessing right after or right before
WWII

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300349153548


--
Bill
www.wbnoble.com

"Bill Noble" <nobody at (no spam) nowhere.invalid> wrote in message
news:h91qit$5qm$1 at (no spam) news.eternal-september.org...

I'm just wondering if anyone remembers this exact unit
specifically - I made a guess as to age, and I'm curious if I'm right - I
couldn't find any info on it on the web, and this group seems to be
about as
knowlegable in weird stuff as anywhere - made in good old USA, with
internal
construction techniques truely appropriate for a 4th world country -
cheap
cheap cheap cheap - that's why I'm guessing right after or right
before WWII

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300349153548


--
Bill
www.wbnoble.com



circa 1948 - eliminates the need for tricky rewiring of war surplus
radios, motors - $15.95 - )

google -> Scintilla Rail and Power Works

"Bill Noble" <nobody at (no spam) nowhere.invalid> wrote in message
news:h91qit$5qm$1 at (no spam) news.eternal-september.org...
I'm just wondering if anyone remembers this exact unit
specifically - I made a guess as to age, and I'm curious if I'm right - I
couldn't find any info on it on the web, and this group seems to be about
as
knowlegable in weird stuff as anywhere - made in good old USA, with
internal
construction techniques truely appropriate for a 4th world country -
cheap
cheap cheap cheap - that's why I'm guessing right after or right before
WWII

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300349153548


--
Bill
www.wbnoble.com


circa 1948 - eliminates the need for tricky rewiring of war surplus
radios, motors - $15.95 - )

google -> Scintilla Rail and Power Works

I'm just wondering if anyone remembers this exact unit
specifically - I made a guess as to age, and I'm curious if I'm right - I
couldn't find any info on it on the web, and this group seems to be about
as
knowlegable in weird stuff as anywhere - made in good old USA, with
internal
construction techniques truely appropriate for a 4th world country - cheap
cheap cheap cheap - that's why I'm guessing right after or right before
WWII

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300349153548


--
Bill
www.wbnoble.com

"LD" <lobby.dosser at (no spam) verizon.net> wrote in message
news:pH_sm.2729$Jd7.24 at (no spam) nwrddc02.gnilink.net...
"Bill Noble" <nobody at (no spam) nowhere.invalid> wrote in message
news:h91qit$5qm$1 at (no spam) news.eternal-september.org...
I'm just wondering if anyone remembers this exact unit
specifically - I made a guess as to age, and I'm curious if I'm right -
I
couldn't find any info on it on the web, and this group seems to be
about as
knowlegable in weird stuff as anywhere - made in good old USA, with
internal
construction techniques truely appropriate for a 4th world country -
cheap
cheap cheap cheap - that's why I'm guessing right after or right before
WWII

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300349153548


--
Bill
www.wbnoble.com


circa 1948 - eliminates the need for tricky rewiring of war surplus
radios, motors - $15.95 - )

google -> Scintilla Rail and Power Works

Well, that's interesting - thanks - I spent way too much time with google
and didn't find that particualr ad - but that isn't the same transformer
assembly, though it is the same company - the item I have is really a
train transformer, with the vairable voltage, and this thing is a single
voltage power supply for powering surplus stuff, as they say - I'm deeply
suspicious that the timeframe is similar, but the "Electrapack Senior"
might be older - and of course the nomenclature suggests that there was
also an electrapack junior.

Were there model railroad magazines right around the end of WWII that
might show this? This definately has the look of one of those small
garage operations that sprang up everywhere (like heathkit) after the war

now this is interesting - I found another (newer) train transformer that
I wasn't using - it's a Tyco PowerPak 56A
(http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220483049390) and
it says it was made by Scintilla Rail and Power in New York - so maybe
Tyco bought the company? or maybe they morphed into Tyco?? I thought
of Tyco as this huge behemouth - but this stuff has a lot of hand work
(soldering, etc) in it - not at all behemouth-like

"Bill Noble" <nobody at (no spam) nowhere.invalid> wrote in message
news:h91qit$5qm$1 at (no spam) news.eternal-september.org...

I'm just wondering if anyone remembers this exact unit
specifically - I made a guess as to age, and I'm curious if I'm right - I
couldn't find any info on it on the web, and this group seems to be
about as
knowlegable in weird stuff as anywhere - made in good old USA, with
internal
construction techniques truely appropriate for a 4th world country -
cheap
cheap cheap cheap - that's why I'm guessing right after or right
before WWII

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300349153548


--
Bill
www.wbnoble.com

I'm just wondering if anyone remembers this exact unit
specifically - I made a guess as to age, and I'm curious if I'm right - I
couldn't find any info on it on the web, and this group seems to be
about as
knowlegable in weird stuff as anywhere - made in good old USA, with
internal
construction techniques truely appropriate for a 4th world country -
cheap
cheap cheap cheap - that's why I'm guessing right after or right before
WWII

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300349153548

Bill Noble wrote:

now this is interesting - I found another (newer) train transformer
that I wasn't using - it's a Tyco PowerPak 56A
(http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220483049390) and
it says it was made by Scintilla Rail and Power in New York - so maybe
Tyco bought the company? or maybe they morphed into Tyco?? I thought
of Tyco as this huge behemouth - but this stuff has a lot of hand work
(soldering, etc) in it - not at all behemouth-like


Nah!!! Tyco was a 'Holding Company', The 'Trains' originally were
'Mantua'
Chuck D.

I'm just wondering if anyone remembers this exact unit
specifically - I made a guess as to age, and I'm curious if I'm right - I
couldn't find any info on it on the web, and this group seems to be about
as
knowlegable in weird stuff as anywhere - made in good old USA, with
internal
construction techniques truely appropriate for a 4th world country -
cheap
cheap cheap cheap - that's why I'm guessing right after or right before
WWII

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300349153548

O.K. A little more comment --- The 1948 is pretty accurate. That model
may have been produced for 10+ years or more.
Selenium rectifiers --- Nothing wrong with them, that hasn't been solved
by progress [Silicon Diodes] [That would have been an easy upgrade if
problems had showed up.]

On Sun, 20 Sep 2009 09:34:47 +1200, Charles Davis <cad at (no spam) gamewood.net> wrote:

Bill Noble wrote:

now this is interesting - I found another (newer) train transformer
that I wasn't using - it's a Tyco PowerPak 56A
(http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220483049390)
and it says it was made by Scintilla Rail and Power in New York - so
maybe Tyco bought the company? or maybe they morphed into Tyco?? I
thought of Tyco as this huge behemouth - but this stuff has a lot of
hand work (soldering, etc) in it - not at all behemouth-like


Nah!!! Tyco was a 'Holding Company', The 'Trains' originally were
'Mantua'
Chuck D.



Tyler and Co. (>Tyco) existed before "Mantua".
Tyco wanted to launch a better quality range so introduced the brand
name "Mantua".
The Tyco brand items were soon dropped as model standards improved.
Later Mantua began importing a cheaper range - the nasty stuff.
General Foods(?) bought out Mantua/Tyco c1980
(presumably that was about the time the founder reached retirement age)
GF on-sold the firm, or perhaps just the Mantua range, by the 1990s
.
Sorry Greg ----- This one I know ---- I was around then.

On Sat, 19 Sep 2009 17:35:22 +1200, Bill Noble <nobody at (no spam) nowhere.invalid
wrote:

I'm just wondering if anyone remembers this exact unit
specifically - I made a guess as to age, and I'm curious if I'm right - I
couldn't find any info on it on the web, and this group seems to be
about as
knowlegable in weird stuff as anywhere - made in good old USA, with
internal
construction techniques truely appropriate for a 4th world country -
cheap
cheap cheap cheap - that's why I'm guessing right after or right
before WWII

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300349153548



I remember reading an ad or review for a Scintilla in an old MR.
(probably early 1960s as I don't think I ever had any earlier than that)
It had a motorized metal wheel in a star shape and a sliding electrical
contact which could be moved from near the center to out near the tips,
producing a form of pulse width modulation for speed contol.
Unfortunately I cleared out most of my old MRs about two moves ago.

Regards,
Greg.P.
N
Z
That was an early attempt (using mechanics vs. electronics) to achieve a

Greg.Procter wrote:
On Sun, 20 Sep 2009 09:34:47 +1200, Charles Davis <cad at (no spam) gamewood.net
wrote:

Bill Noble wrote:

now this is interesting - I found another (newer) train transformer
that I wasn't using - it's a Tyco PowerPak 56A
(http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220483049390)
and it says it was made by Scintilla Rail and Power in New York - so
maybe Tyco bought the company? or maybe they morphed into Tyco?? I
thought of Tyco as this huge behemouth - but this stuff has a lot of
hand work (soldering, etc) in it - not at all behemouth-like


Nah!!! Tyco was a 'Holding Company', The 'Trains' originally were
'Mantua'
Chuck D.
Tyler and Co. (>Tyco) existed before "Mantua".
Tyco wanted to launch a better quality range so introduced the brand
name "Mantua".
The Tyco brand items were soon dropped as model standards improved.
Later Mantua began importing a cheaper range - the nasty stuff.
General Foods(?) bought out Mantua/Tyco c1980
(presumably that was about the time the founder reached retirement age)
GF on-sold the firm, or perhaps just the Mantua range, by the 1990s
.
Sorry Greg ----- This one I know ---- I was around then.
Mantua Metal Products, was one of the original HO manufacturers Early
1940's. Tyco, was formed by some of the principals in Mantua, and took
over the business. They (Tyco) moved from metal Kits, to plastic 'Train
Set' market. With the attendant drop in quality. (This was happening
late '40s, 50's.)
Chuck D.

"Greg.Procter" <procter at (no spam) ihug.co.nz> wrote in message
news:op.u0i9o9mdt7a1n0 at (no spam) promodel-5a9821...
On Sat, 19 Sep 2009 17:35:22 +1200, Bill Noble <nobody at (no spam) nowhere.invalid
wrote:

I'm just wondering if anyone remembers this exact unit
specifically - I made a guess as to age, and I'm curious if I'm right -
I
couldn't find any info on it on the web, and this group seems to be
about as
knowlegable in weird stuff as anywhere - made in good old USA, with
internal
construction techniques truely appropriate for a 4th world country -
cheap
cheap cheap cheap - that's why I'm guessing right after or right before
WWII

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300349153548


I remember reading an ad or review for a Scintilla in an old MR.
(probably early 1960s as I don't think I ever had any earlier than that)
It had a motorized metal wheel in a star shape and a sliding electrical
contact which could be moved from near the center to out near the tips,
producing a form of pulse width modulation for speed contol.
Unfortunately I cleared out most of my old MRs about two moves ago.

Regards,
Greg.P.
NZ

well, that's an intriguing concept - mechanical pulse generator....
sadly that isn't what this unit is, it's just a transformer with a wiper
and selenium rectifiers, but what a clever idea