by Tony Cook/photos as noted
Clarence Harvey Menteer founded one of the great hobby companies that helped pioneer 1:87/HO scale; however, the manufacturer’s name and identity recognition is a bit of a challenge. Was it Model Die Casting? Was it Roundhouse Products? Yes, to both names. I was aware of this area of confusion for the Model Die Casting-Roundhouse name and had encountered it several times in the past with collectors who would inquire about which name came first or which name is correct.
Today, as part of Athearn’s line and owned since the early 2000s by that famed company’s parent Horizon Hobby, the reference has leaned toward simply Roundhouse. In a recent rebranding of Athearn’s product levels, the base or entry category became “Athearn Roundhouse,” and here you’ll find a mix of toolings from Athearn and Roundhouse heritage, as well as newly added efforts like the newly tooled F7A diesel locomotive model. I begin this article presenting steam locomotive kits from Menteer’s company with the naming history to aid the reader’s understanding and appreciation. Going forward, I will refer to the manufacturer as simply “Roundhouse.”
ABOVE: Roundhouse’s HO 0-6-0 switcher came with a slope-back tender set-up for oil burning. This reproduced the Southern Pacific prototype of the locomotive. Like the other components in this era of kits, the tender shell was die-cast metal, as was its frame.
Postwar Steam
While the years immediately following the conclusion of World War II are commonly known as the era that diesel locomotives became a standard in North American railroading, this was not the case for Roundhouse’s line of HO model trains. The postwar years found Roundhouse offering hobbyists metal-component kit selections and details and accessories (with some offerings available in 1:48/O scale).
The first HO steam locomotive from Round-house appears to surface in late 1947. This replica follows a Southern Pacific (SP) prototype, reproducing the road’s 1100-class 0-6-0 steam switcher roster members. These locomotives came from Baldwin beginning in 1906 with the newest arriving in 1911.
There is no injection-molded plastic to be found among the parts and pieces that made up Roundhouse’s 0-6-0 kit, which according to the company’s 1948 catalog came as a complete kit (01-001) retailing for $29, or fully assembled and painted (01-050) for $35.50. Roundhouse listed its 0-6-0 locomotive available without a tender (01-002; $24) and the slope-back tender was offered separately in kit form (01-003; $5.50). For fifty cents, hobbyists could buy Roundhouse’s SP 0-6-0 Switcher Decal Set (90-100). Some today lament the quick and easy availability of parts for model trains, Roundhouse’s 1948 catalog walks one through its 0-6-0 part-by-part, across six pages and shows you could purchase individual pieces with pricing starting at a nickel for various items.
ABOVE: The chassis and drive mechanism on 1953’s 0-6-0T followed the same approach Roundhouse employed for its first HO steam locomotive, the 0-6-0. This angled motor with worm gearing was not exclusive to this company and was a very common design for a great many 1:87 steam locomotive models.
In addition to this steam locomotive, the 1950s open with Roundhouse adding several HO freight car kits. These will look familiar to modelers who know this line; however, the first decade of availability on these offerings was composed of metal versions. Most Roundhouse freight cars returned beginning in the 1960s with plastic body shells supported by die-cast metal underframes. Still later, Roundhouse replaced the metal with plastic versions of its underframes.
The second HO-scale steam locomotive from Roundhouse came in early 1953 and was pro-moted as the company’s “yardhog” and “little husky.” It was a Saddle Tank 0-6-0 model (5L-1), which came as a simplified kit carrying a $12.95 suggested retail price. This model was powered by Pittman’s DC-62 motor. Roundhouse stated the prototype was a Baldwin Locomotive Works product that served logging camps, mining, and industrial concerns. The little 0-6-0T was die-cast metal and the manufacturer claimed it able to push or pull 20 or more cars, and could attain a top scale speed of 35 mph. The same year (1953) Roundhouse introduced its 0-6-0T; the company promoted a more detailed edition of its 0-6-0 with slope tender (2L1) retailing for $16.95…