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Limited Vestibule Express Mendocino County Museum Collection spotlight

Cast Iron Toys

From 1890 to 1935, toys were mass manufactured using cast iron. The use of molds and relatively inexpensive materials meant that toys could be produced quickly and at a low cost. This toy train owned by James McNamee is an excellent example of cast iron toys from the turn 20th century. Like many toys of this type it was cast in two parts and later joined using pins, or in this case wheels. While this train may look old-fashioned now, when it was made it exhibited the latest toy making techniques.

Toy train from the James and Ruth McNamee Collection, 1979.0010.0011.
Toy train from the James and Ruth McNamee Collection, 1979.0010.0011.

Cast iron toy train featuring rotating wheels, eight windows on each side, and steps on each end of the car opposite sides.

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Mendocino County Museum
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