Lesser-known toy train manufacturers

[starfire700]

Here are some photos of 2 lesser known manufacturers, Thomas Industries and Sakai of Japan. Thomas Industries produced some high quality metal and diecast locos and cars in the 1940's and 50's. The 1880's Shawnee Express train, 4-4-0 American type loco and Pioneer cars are probably the best-known Thomas Industries products. The TCA website shows a surprising variety of diecast and metal cars and locos produced by Thomas (surprising to me!) If anyone has any other Thomas products, It would be nice to see them. Note that the station platform shown is also Thomas. 

[starfire700]

Also shown above is the Hudson Pacific freight produced by Sakai of Japan in the late 1950's, possibly 60's. Sakai also produced a surprising variety of trains, starting with British-prototype tin trains produced for the UK market in the 1930's. I believe their production went into the 1960's. Per the TCA site, many Sakai trains came home to the USA with soldiers returning after WWII.

[starfire700]

To see these trains by Thomas Industries and Sakai in action, see my list of Youtube videos

https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCUfhIqTj6nbDLmY3rXzvn7g

I would like to see any Sakai that other members have.
The TCA site also mentioned that Sakai made trains under a variety of different names.

[early0electric]

My only exposure to Sakai or Seki is through "Collecting Model Trains" and "Riding the Tinplate Rails" books by Louis Hertz. I was intrigued by the following drawing from "Rails" because it looked like the early O gauge 610 Pullman. I have searched but have never seen one of these in person. There are a few paragraphs about this manufacturer in the book.