So I have this Aurora Postage Stamp Bus System….

[craigolio1]

Hey all. I’m helping sell the estate of a friend and he has some really cool stuff. Including the Aurora Postage Stamp bus system. Actually I think he had five sets but I’m not sure.

I was hoping to open some discussion about them as I’m unfamiliar with them, and their value.

I’ve done some research and it looks like they came out I. 1968. There are certain parts that appear to be quite rare. Namely the transformers as they were sold as sets with or without but perhaps not separately?

Also the Greyhound bus was apparently the most sought after.

One of the sets is brand new, with the product inside the box still in plastic.





And then based on the transformers and out of the box busses, I think I have possibly four other sets, and a couple of extra busses.





Then there is probably extra road in that pile and I have several boxes of extra road, including some grade crossings.



This is such a cool set. I’d love to know “what I have here” if anyone has any experience. Is the one still in the plastic an original Barbie so to speak?

Here’s a couple of links to a website with a lot of good info.

http://davidksmith.com/postage-stamp-trains/bus_sets.htm

http://davidksmith.com/postage-stamp-trains/chapter-8.htm

Also I have a Faller car system starter set still in the plastic.



And a Brawa Trolley-Minibus set. Both still in plastic.



They aren’t compatible but they are the same subject matter so I’ll include them in the discussion.

Thanks for the chat.

Craig

[Dwight in Toronto]

Hello Craig.  Interesting post … you forced me to go digging into the nether regions of my train room, but I found it - the same Postage Stamp starter set that you’ve come across.



I found mine inside the bigger box shown at the back of the pic.  That bigger box was the birthday present that I asked my dad to get me for my 16th, which would have been in 1972.  That Aurora train set was the start of my N scale model railroading.  If you can make it out, the price tag reveals that he got it from long-gone Woolco department store, for $27.97

I would have picked up the Greyhound Bus set, plus the various roadway add-ons, roughly two years later, so maybe 1974/75.  It was basically an N scale slotcar-like product, that wasn’t in the hobby shops for very long. Maybe only a year or two.

The last time I ran the bus was just before Christmas, 3 years ago, when I set it up for my then 3 year old granddaughter to play with.  The copper pickup brushes on the bus needed some burnishing, ditto for the metal rails in the roadbed, but after that it ran surprisingly well. 

[brill27mcb]

These were really produced by Faller of Germany. They and Aurora Plastics had an arrangement whereby Faller sold Aurora stuff in Germany/Europe and Aurora sold Faller stuff in the U.S. The main slot car products like this were in HO, not N like the bus sets. The track/road system is basically the same - just the overall dimensions of the "N" roadway pieces are smaller.

Obviously Faller transformers ("Trafos" over there) would have been different than those in the U.S. sets. The U.S. transformers still have little value, though. The vehicles themselves have the most value, then the "turnout" tracks. The angled grade crossings should have value, too, but I have seen an awful lot of them around. The unopened items will have the most value. The actual prices you might realize will depend on whether real collectors show up -- people who value "NIB" condition. Same applies to the Brawa trolley bus. Unless you are "religiously" opposed, I would suggest Ebay, listed in both the Model Railroad and Slot Car categories.

The Faller Car System set in N is rarer than the HO versions.

Hope this helps!

Rich K.

[craigolio1]

Wow great info guys. And Dwight thanks for trip down memory lane.

I’m not opposed to eBay. I likely will list it there. Thanks.

Craig

[brill27mcb]

It is neat stuff!

Rich K.

[Dwight in Toronto]

Invigorated by what Craig started here, I set up a small loop of roadway on the kitchen table so that our youngest granddaughter could also experience running the little bus, just like her older sister did three years ago.  Cleaned the track, hooked up the throttle and power supply, and gave the bus mechanism a quick clean-&-lube.

Everything was working magnificently, but after 20 minutes or so, one of the tiny rubber rear-drive tires pretty much disintegrated - several brittle pieces simply crumbled and fell off of the little rim.

I carefully replaced it with one of the front tires (which is comparably weak and fragile - to be expected, since these items are at the 50 year mark).  The fun continued on 3 wheels, but the writing is on the wall - all four tires will need imminent replacement.  I KNOW that factory parts have not been available for decades!

I’ll try to attach a pic or two later on, in the hopes that TRW brotherhood might offer up ideas on how to fabricate replacements!

[Dwight in Toronto]

As mentioned, here’s a closeup pic of the Aurora Postage Stamp N scale bus.  I’m down to 3 rubber tires, and the one shown here is the only one still in reasonably good shape. 

I don’t have a precision micrometer/calipers, but my best estimates are:
- tire o.d. - ca: 11 mm or 7/16”
- tire i.d. - ca:  5 mm or 7/32”

The N scale ruler should help illustrate relative size.

Knowing that factory replacement parts are wishful thinking, I’m really interested in hearing ideas and suggestions from our creative crowd of micro-innovators, on how one might source or fabricate little rubber donuts that could substitute as functional tires for this wee model.

I await feedback, and as always, thank you in advance for your assistance.

[McKeen]

Perhaps an O-Ring from the local hardware store or plumbing supply?

[nickelplate759]

HO Slotcars (which were never really HO scale) are still a thing.  You probably don't want racing slicks on your Greyhound bus, but you may be able to repurpose wheels and tires intended for that market.

[peteski]

Judging by the steep angle of the worm, these buses likely ran quite fast (with not much slow speed).

The O-ring tire idea seems feasible since there are hundreds of O-ring sizes out there.  I would find a good hardware store which has large selection of O-rings, and try to find one which will work.

Another alternative would be 3-D printed tires (if suitable soft resin can be found). CAD drawing for those shoudl be relatively easy for someone woith CAD skills.

[nkalanaga]

I don't think we have any exactly that size, but the plant I work at has similarly shaped (kind of fat) O-rings from 3 to 30 mm, so someone will have a suitable one.

[Dwight in Toronto]

Great stuff guys - thanks so much.  A search for small, chubby O rings would be easiest, also worth looking at HO slot car replacement tire sizes.

Alternatively , I thought I’d make a small mold by pressing that one good tire into some plaster just before it sets up.  I could then try dripping in some silicon rubber, or maybe that liquid ‘electrical tape’ compound, or that stuff that you dip bare metal tool handles into.  Thoughts?

[wm3798]

Years ago we had a set of Aurora Model Motoring that we added to the HO scale Christmas garden my dad would set up for us.  My brother wired it for two way traffic, and so we had a "beltway" that ran loops around the Christmas village.  The mechanism in the bus models is very much the same as the car models sold with the HO sets.

I had a bus set pass through my collection, and was interested in how similar the drive was.  The only difference is the motor is mounted vertically in the bus drive.  The wheels, gearing, and overall dimensions are pretty much the same.  You might be able to find parts in the realm of Model Motoring collectors.

Lee

[NSEGeorge]

Because its Aurora, and the Thunderjet was their car at the time, it might be that these will fit:

https://www.autoworldstore.com/products/thunderjet-rear-tire-pair-6-pack?variant=35007828590744&currency=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gad_source=1

[Dwight in Toronto]

Wow, that little baggie of tires LOOKS promising.  I’ll try to find out dimensions.  Thanks man!