# History is certainly funny!



## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

So the other day, I get this email from AristoCraphft

It's an ad for that O scale stuff that they say they are partnering with, but sure looks like they were purchased.

The emails says it's from "Walter M. Matuch" but the actual email address is Lewis Polk.

From: Walter M. Matuch/RMT [[email protected]] On Behalf Of [/b]Walter M. Matuch/RMT 
So, I first think, I'm going to email them back and tell them I don't want to be on an O Scale junk mailing list.

Then I realize that they will probably delete me from everything.

So I was trying to find some other info and I found this:

*http://ftp.resource.org/courts.gov/...-2534.html* 


Saying, what the hey? REA (Aristo) suing someone else for Gray market LGB (see 3rd paragraph).... ha ha ha!

Didn't LGB sue them for copying their stuff?

So I read up more on this Walter guy, his name sounded familiar, and sure enough:


As has been observed on another page, Charlie Merzbach[/b] was a colorful character in the model railroad business. In the late 1940’s until the 1970’s, he was the US Agent for Fleischmann, a Nürnberg toy manufacturer with a line of H0 trains, adding an additional line of N-Scale trains in 1968. In the early 1960’s, he also became the US Agent for Arnold, doing so at least until the late 1960’s, if not longer. But this dry description does not do justice to the man.
As my memory serves, and in talking with others who are knowledgeable about the postwar days of the model railroad hobby, Merzbach[/b] is remembered for using another colorful individual in his advertising in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s period. Many of his early advertisements featured a famous strip tease artist, or in the polite language of that day, an exotic dancer.
This being a family oriented web site, we can only assume that their relationship was purely one of mutual appreciation for German made model electric trains. But I am sure that it probably raised more than a few eyebrows even in that day. By today’s effete standards, we can only imagine what sort of uproar would have developed, but you have to remember that the major market for model trains in the time just after World War II was returning military personnel. 
After spending four years fighting Nazis and crawling from island to island across the Pacific, these were not people who were easily offended. And, the attention getting value of an attractive woman is a well established technique in advertising. Perhaps, after looking at the lovely young lass, these GI’s then turned their attention to the trains and realized that here was a hobby that would be acceptable on the home front, something sure to keep them near to their lovely brides and families. In short, it doesn’t matter where you get your appetite as long as you eat at home.
The exotic dancer in question apparently was Blaze Starr (“Miss Spontaneous Combustion”)(b., 1932), a startlingly famous performer of that era. In earlier times, she had consorted with Earl K. “Kingfish” Long, an equally startlingly famous governor of Louisiana. After Uncle Earl left this mortal world with his last suitcase filled with fifties, Starr moved back to New York. And the rest is history....
An individual associated with one of the model railroad industry publishing houses related to me that Mr. Merzbach[/b] preferred to book his advertising in the inside back cover of one of their magazines. The publishing house in question is a wholesome one, redolent of family values, so the presence of Ms. Starr in the back cover of their magazine presented a conflict for them. Once Mr. Merzbach’s new advertising copy arrived at their offices, a talented member of their art staff would dutifully airbrush out any possibly offending expanses of flesh, effectively reining in Ms. Starr’s considerable talents.
Mr. Merzbach[/b] passed on in 1992.



I gotta be more careful with google..









Greg


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## blueregal (Jan 3, 2008)

Well, at least we know he's human, and has some intelligent and persuasive advertising qualities, oh and yeah geeeeeeeeeeeeez Greg yer still gonna talk to me aren't ya??????? Hah LOL Regal


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## Spule 4 (Jan 2, 2008)

So was there a tie between Messrs Matuch and Merzbach? I am not seeing a link here (but I have been in the sun much of the day, LOL!).


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## Allan W. Miller (Jan 2, 2008)

Greg wrote: "So I read up more on this Walter guy, his name sounded familiar, and sure enough:" 

Do you have even the slightest clue who or what you are referring to? I see no mention of Walter Matuch in the quoted material--not even close. 

Walter was associated with Aristo-Craft some years ago, and today owns RMT Trains, the manufacturer of O gauge toy trains. He is well know in the O gauge community and enjoys respect for his contributions in offering a number of distinctive and affordable O gauge items for the O gauge hobbyist. Recently, he formed a new relationship with Aristo for the marketing and distribution of his O gauge line. It is a straightforward business arrangement that is intended to exploit the respective advantages of both lines, particularly as it relates to marketing and distribution. 

As for the LGB va. Aristo lawsuit of some years ago. LGB sued Aristo for copying the LGB track system--nothing more. LGB lost that suit. Very old "news." And the REA legal action is even far older. 

Do you harbor some personal gripe against Aristo-Craft that motivates you to dig up such stuff?


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Yes, no link other that I was trying to research him and I came up with this off the wall stuff. 

Can you read or did you just react: *"So I was trying to find some other info and I found this:" * 
If you *READ *the majority of what I posted it was about Charles and his colorful life, and Blaze Starr.... 

And the title of the post is "History is certainly funny".... 

Seems you did not latch on to anything but some old junk about Aristo which is certainly not funny... sad actually...

Focus:










Greg 

p.s. this started because Aristo started sending O scale junk to us G scalers... I'd be po'd if this happened with anyone, and I would state as such. But since USA Trains has never done this, and neither has Garden Railways, nor Bachmann, nor Marklin, nor Zimo, nor any other train forum I deal with, then their arrogance to misuse my email address stands out.i


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## Spule 4 (Jan 2, 2008)

Greg:

You had posted: "So I read up more on this Walter guy,_ his name sounded familiar_, and sure enough"

...so that is why I thought there was a link. 

The other fellow is interesting, and I think I had heard a bit of his history from before. And thanks for the visual, LOL!


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Yeah, at first I thought I had stuff on him, but my google search phrase had more keywords, and it kinda went sideways... 

I was trying to go one direction, and it latched onto Aristo, and then REA suing someone and etc... off down a completely different path! 

Now, if I was using Bing, I might have would up with a story about Egrets and football! 

Greg


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

Well I think the wife that was a little risk gay was good. Later RJD


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## TonyWalsham (Jan 2, 2008)

What is risk gay? 

Did you mean risque??


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Yep! You broke the code! I was scratching my head a bit at first... 

On another completely unrelated thought/topic (guess I'm driving people crazy) you can say "suck", as in "no new products sucks" on this forum. See my post on LSC, ha ha.. 

Greg


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

I think Tony figured it out.







Later RJD


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## TonyWalsham (Jan 2, 2008)

You can even say suck it and see!!!


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## Ken101Ward (Jan 1, 2010)

Ms. Blaze Starr is smoking hot IMO! I can't imagine the advertising impact she had in her day.


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

I got confused on Greg's post too. I think I am still confused.


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## livesteam53 (Jan 4, 2008)

Yup me too so I will go get another cup or coffee and move on........


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## Dr Rivet (Jan 5, 2008)

Gregg et al 

The REALLY interesting tie in to your OTW Google hit is that Charles Merzback was the FIRST to import LGB trains to the USA. His advertizing in Model Railroader Magazine in 1968 included "K" KING SIZED indoor/outdoor trains from Lehmann in Germany. They did not sell particularly well and returned as "G", for Lehmann Gros Bahn... The BIG Train. 

Walter M was a marketing and product manager (IIRC) for Aristo back in the early 1990s. I remember him well from dealing with him when I was chairman of the 1992 NGRC in Reston, VA. Interesting fellow with lots of original marketing ideas and drive. 

Regards


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Well, Jim, you got it too! Have to explain it to Mark and JJ! 

Yeah a convoluted path to some interesting history... I would have liked to have met him. 

Regards, Greg


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Greg Elmassian on 13 Aug 2010 09:08 PM 
Well, Jim, you got it too! Have to explain it to Mark and JJ! 

Yeah a convoluted path to some interesting history... I would have liked to have met him. 

Regards, Greg 

Met him? Where? In a dark alley?


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