# Prototypical Vintage European Vehicles



## [email protected] (Dec 31, 2012)

I attempted research on vehicles that may have existed in Germany in the 1920s-1930s with little results. Does anyone know of a diecast manufacturer that made/makes historically accurate vehicles? I was able to find many such vehicles for the U.S. via eBay. Ertl has many, many diecast "bank" vehicles that have compartments for dropping in coins that are inexpensive and yet very well made. I was thinking of modifying some of these by painting over the existing U.S. labeling and using them in my layout. However I wonder how different these vehicles may have looked from European vehicles of the same era. I realize that most people would see "vintage" vehicles and be none the wiser. I suppose I'm trying to make the layout as authentic as possible. I know, why on earth why I do that?  PS-My DB passenger coaches are being pulled by a 0-6-6-0 1925 LGB 2095D mallet. 

Thank you! 
Calvin


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## Paulus (May 31, 2008)

Hi Calvin, 

There were many US vehicles in Europe in this era for a very simple reason: the Great War. 
During WW1 the US shipped their troops an material to France. After the war those cars, trucks, ambulances and gun carriers found their way to civilian owners. 

Truck brands that can be used 'safely' are: Jeffery, White, Packard, Locomobile, Riker, FWD, Pierce-Arrow, Ford, GMC, Kelly Springfield, American ,Graham, Mack and Sampson. Specially if they were prior to 1918. 
T-Fords were very populair in Europe and the coaches were mostly modified or totaly rebuild to fit the owners wishes. 

These vehicles also found their way to Germany after WW1 as wel as France, Belgium and The Netherlands. 

This war surplus opened a new market and later on, during the interbellum, many US car companies exported trucks and cars to Europe and opened garages/ service points. Chevrolet and Ford for instance were very common US export vehicles during the late thirties (the German Wehrmacht possesed hundreds of modern Ford trucks). The export stopped temporarly in 1942 when the US entered WW2 but that is already much later than the era you wanted. 

Hope this was helpful a bit...


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## Paulus (May 31, 2008)

This is a nice exampe of a modified WW1 T-Ford in use as commercial vehicle (soap powder): http://www2.tresoar.nl/kentekens/?t=0&nummer=7 

If you browse on the site you'll find more examles. It's in Dutch but I think the pictures will show enough information. (Edit: this site only shows cars that were in use in Friesland, a provence of the Netherlands but the way the vehicles look are representative for Europe in this era). Edit2: this is the site of the Ford A owners club in The Netherlands. http://www.a-ford.nl/cms/ It seemed Ford even allready had an own factory in Rotterdam in the twenties. It also had a factory in Germany.


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## [email protected] (Dec 31, 2012)

PRECISELY the information I was hoping for. Very informative and precise. Thank you very much or your time and effort. There are a few Ertl models that will fit quite well and, I won't feel foolish for using them!  

Regards, 
Calvin


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