Not me. But the guys at JFP’s Fun Stuff saw a niche, and are offering a reproduction of the Dorfan no. 3930 “Crocodile” electric locomotive.
For those coming into the theater after the picture began, Dorfan trains were made by Milton and Julius Forchheimer from 1924 to 1934. Dorfan offered locomotives and rolling stock in O gauge and Wide gauge (At the time, Lionel was the only firm to use the words “Standard gauge,” but Wide gauge is the same size).
Most Dorfan locomotives were designed like a clam shell: two die-cast metal halves holding the motor, gear shafts, and wheel axles in alignment. The locomotives could easily be assembled and disassembled with a screwdriver. The shells were made of a copper-zinc alloy that looked good early on, but which deteriorated with depressing ease because of impurities in the metal. Since there was no frame, most brittle Dorfan locomotives that survive today are warped so badly they can’t operate.
The model
This is a modern interpretation of the original Dorfan no. 3930 electric locomotive. It uses a can-style motor instead of the open-frame style of the original. It’s the second Dorfan reproduction from the folks at JFP’s Fun Stuff. Previously they honchoed a reprise of a Dorfan crane for T-Reproductions (see Product Reviews, November 2001).
While I don’t have an original no. 3930 in my personal collection for comparison, it’s clear the reproduction Crocodile matches up well with descriptions and photos of originals.
The locomotive is chunky and sturdy, and the level of detail – huge rivets and cleanly cut window frames – appears to match the original. It feels like a big, rugged hunk of metal because that’s exactly what it is.
The shell features brass handrails and trim, oversized light-bulb sockets with engine numbers on the sides, and small pantographs (technically correct for an electric locomotive operating at New York City’s Grand Central Terminal, but a bit undersized if you’re duplicating the Milwaukee Road electric lines in Montana). As a modern-era guy, the Dorfan couplers mystify me, but they are true to the originals and also can be swapped for Lionel, Ives, or American Flyer prewar couplers with minimal effort.
The paint job on our sample locomotive was pretty straightforward. I especially liked the contrast of the silver rims and the body-colored spoked wheels. The locomotive is available in orange, black, gray, green, red, and two-tone ivory and red.
On the test track
We don’t often have the opportunity to review Standard or Wide gauge locomotives, so I’m adopting the track performance of the MTH 400E 4-4-4 (Product Reviews, CTT Nov. 1998) as the benchmark for new Standard or Wide gauge products.
The Crocodile recorded a racy low-end speed average of 51.9 scale mph (we used 1:29 ratio as our scale). Our high-end speed average was 148.7 scale mph. Both are pretty high, but keep in mind that with a high-friction prewar train in tow, those numbers will come down.
Drawbar pull for the the 7 pound, 10 ounce locomotive was a light 12 ounces. Realistically, I’d estimate that it could pull three or four appropriate prewar cars.
The manual reverse lever took a bit of getting used to. I’m just glad I wasn’t operating the locomotive on a point-to-point line!
The Dorfan Crocodile is a welcome addition for Standard gauge operators.
And those who collect Dorfan rolling stock, which doesn’t suffer as badly from the same metal disintegration as original locomotives, can now place a reliable and accurate locomotive at the point of their trains.
JFP’s Fun Stuff’s plans to offer Dorfan Wide gauge coaches next, so if you crave something different for your Standard gauge pike, the big “D” may be just what you are looking for.
