Dr. Tinker Repairs Toy Trains, Volume One [Paperback]

David Laughridge (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1997

This 96 page, soft cover book contains over 200 drawings, diagrams and pictures to help the novice or experienced toy train operator make needed repairs to trains and accessories. Many of the stories were articles published in O Gauge Railroading magazine over a 10 year period. They have been updated with new drawings and many are followed by letters from readers with comments or suggestions on related subjects.

This simple-but-effective book enables you to fix repairs to almost any Lionel piece made from 1945 to 1960. Many tricks originally thought to be difficult or impossible, are explained in detail by a person who was in the manufacturing process when they were made. Whether you are getting your trains out storage after years in the attic or trying to solve a vexing problem, you will probably find the answers here.

Editorial Reviews

Review

" David is always a joy to talk too and read. He has opinions on everything. He can show you more tricks-of-the-trade than anyone I know." J. Soloman, NJ -- Publisher Comments

About the Author

David Laughridge has had a love of toy train repair ever since he was a young boy. His ability to fix almost anything with whatever was available earned him the title of "Dr. Tinker". A graduate of the University of Cincinnati in industrial design, his first job was with a toy company ... Merry Manufacturing in Cincinnati ... as head of product design, he soon realized he had found a niche in the toy industry. Several years later, he held the same title when hired by Lionel Inc. at the Hillside-Irvington N.J. factory.

He appeared on many early televison shows demonstrating the toy trainst he had helped develop. Lionel eventually was sold to General Mills and David transferred over to Parker Bros. Shortly after joining Parker Bros, Laughridge was shown a foam-like ball on a stick. The idea was to present it as some kind of game, and his boss, Ed. Parker, asked him to evaluate it. "I realized that it wasn't a game, it was a toy," says Laughridge. "And I saw that it could be marketed as the worlds first indoor ball." Thus was born the Nerf Ball. Laughridge retired in 1990 to become a professional toy-train tinkerer. Working out of his basement in the leaf-blown New England village of Lexington, he repairs trains for his customers and runs a mail order parts business as well as selling parts and wisdom at train shows.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: O Gauge Railroading (October 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0965029115
• ISBN-13: 978-0965029117
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,149,579 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars If all you want to do is tinker...., December 13, 1999

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dr. Tinker Repairs Toy Trains, Volume One (Paperback)

This book is a bunch of reprinted questions and answers from "Dr. Tinker's" magazine column. Much of the content is specialized questions. Because of it's format, the book is rather disorganized. You have to read the questions to see if that is what you are interested in. One would expect the first chapter to deal with a history of trains, or some general repair tips. Instead the author chose the self serving subject of one of his inventions, the Nerf Ball. Give us a break! Save your money and time. I sent my copy back.