McCoy Manufacturing
Encyclopedia
McCoy Manufacturing was a small American
toy train
manufacturer, based in Kent, Washington
. It specialized in Standard gauge
trains reminiscent of Lionel's offerings from the 1920s.
Starting in the 1950s, McCoy produced reproductions of Lionel's original 2 7/8-gauge equipment, as well as Standard gauge parts. By 1965, it was producing entire cars, financing the operation by making pulley
s for rock
tumbler
s. McCoy ceased building reproduction Lionel Standard gauge items in 1965 after its owner learned that people were artificially aging them and then selling them as originals.
McCoy production differs from earlier vintage production in its use of thicker steel and its use of silkscreening, rather than lithography
, decal
s, rubber stamp
s, or brass plates, which were the methods of lettering cars in the 1920s. However, McCoy kept with the simplicity of the vintage designs, choosing not to add large amounts of detail.
Bob McCoy, the company founder, died in 1995. His wife and son ran the company until 1998, when they ceased operations.
Although not widely known, McCoy offerings have a following with Standard Gauge collectors, particularly because the company often did very small production runs of its cars.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
toy train
Toy train
A toy train is a toy that represents a train. It is distinguished from a model train by an emphasis on low cost and durability, rather than scale modeling. A toy train can be as simple as a pull toy that does not even run on track, or it might be operated by clockwork or a battery...
manufacturer, based in Kent, Washington
Kent, Washington
Kent is a city located in King County, Washington, United States, and is the third largest city in King County and the sixth largest in the state. An outlying suburb of Seattle, Kent is also the corporate home for companies such as REI and Oberto Sausage...
. It specialized in Standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
trains reminiscent of Lionel's offerings from the 1920s.
Starting in the 1950s, McCoy produced reproductions of Lionel's original 2 7/8-gauge equipment, as well as Standard gauge parts. By 1965, it was producing entire cars, financing the operation by making pulley
Pulley
A pulley, also called a sheave or a drum, is a mechanism composed of a wheel on an axle or shaft that may have a groove between two flanges around its circumference. A rope, cable, belt, or chain usually runs over the wheel and inside the groove, if present...
s for rock
Rock (geology)
In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
tumbler
Tumbler
Tumbler may refer to:* A part of a lock whose position must be changed by a key in order to release the bolt...
s. McCoy ceased building reproduction Lionel Standard gauge items in 1965 after its owner learned that people were artificially aging them and then selling them as originals.
McCoy production differs from earlier vintage production in its use of thicker steel and its use of silkscreening, rather than lithography
Lithography
Lithography is a method for printing using a stone or a metal plate with a completely smooth surface...
, decal
Decal
A decal or transfer is a plastic, cloth, paper or ceramic substrate that has printed on it a pattern or image that can be moved to another surface upon contact, usually with the aid of heat or water. The word is short for decalcomania...
s, rubber stamp
Rubber stamp
Rubber stamping, also called stamping, is a craft in which some type of ink made of dye or pigment is applied to an image or pattern that has been carved, molded, laser engraved or vulcanized, onto a sheet of rubber. The rubber is often mounted onto a more stable object such as a wood, brick or an...
s, or brass plates, which were the methods of lettering cars in the 1920s. However, McCoy kept with the simplicity of the vintage designs, choosing not to add large amounts of detail.
Bob McCoy, the company founder, died in 1995. His wife and son ran the company until 1998, when they ceased operations.
Although not widely known, McCoy offerings have a following with Standard Gauge collectors, particularly because the company often did very small production runs of its cars.