Model Railroading > history/origin for Pemco HO train line

Curious to know what anyone may have regarding info on the short-lived Pemco HO-scale R-T-R train line from the early \'80s. I have heard this was to be an Aurora line of trains, but the company decided against entering the HO market. I have seen items boxed in the black-and-gold package that Pemco trains were sold in, but carrying the Aurora name and logo. These Aurora HO items also have both English and French labeling, so I\'m guessing they were sold in Canada only perhaps?

I have one color catalog for Pemco. It has no date, but it does have a 1982 price list from TrainWorld inside it. I remember the Pemco items being sold heavily discounted at Kay-Bee Toy and Hobby in the early \'80s. The train line included a knock-off of the Roco-Atlas SD-35, a knock-off of the Life-Like F40PH, a Century 430, an F-7A, a couple steamers, GG-1, freight cars and some accessories, though no train sets from what I\'ve seen.

Wondered what anyone might add to this info regarding Pemco.

And for you mean-spirited rivet-counters out there, yes I know the stuff was Hong Kong-made junk on the same level as TYCO and not worth bothering with, etc. etc. etc. So please save everyone\'s time with the rotten posts berating these items. There are a good many of us who enjoy collecting this "junk." To each his own.

Thanks.

PEMCO was the result of a collaboration of Chinese and TYCO employees who effectively misallocated funds to be used to expand TYCO\'s oriental production facilities. In addition to the advertized they set up their own facilities to produce what became the PEMCO line. There ensued a legal wrangle which TYCO sort of won. Not all the funds used came from them,so they could not get the PEMCO plant and tooling. PEMCO was to be allowed to sell so much to recover whatever was invested that did not come from TYCO. During all of this TYCO was sold off with Mantua getting its name back and so forth. The Chinese government sold the assets, and things get murky as to who and how much PEMCO produced. ChiCOM officials also grabbed some piece of the action , and a hell of a lot of product was made. The tooling was sold to Model Power and Mehanotechnika who were to collaborate on producing the line (not under the PEMCO marque). However,the wheels began to come off the nation of Yugoslavia, and Model Power needing money sold Mehanotechnika their hunk of the action. The latter lined up IHC to fund this, because IHC needed something beside Rivarossi, and was already selling some Mehanotechnika products. Slovenia became free and with some changes in drive systems the PEMCO line was reborn.

I can\'t comment about DE models, as I have no concern with or for them. However, if you read Bob Higgins test and review of the PEMCO mogul in Model Railroading , back then when Bob Schleicher ran it, you will see it ran well and outperformed any other plastic North American prototype steam locomotive on the market. Reviews of it and the C&O 4-8-2 in Model Railroader and Model Railroad Craftsman likewise indicate they were excellent locomotives both from the standpoint of detailing and performance. The IHC versions sold today differ principally in having RP25, rather than NEM, wheel contours and drives housed in the engine moulding , rather than the tender. IHC/Mehanotechnika have also placed a 4-4-0 frame under the mogul boiler. Inasmuch as the SP mogul represented by the model was a heavy hitter ranking with the O&W\'s camelback moguls.the G-5s,and the Belt Line\'s heavyweight 2-6-0s the resulting American type is nobody\'s standard.
The IHC/Mehanotechnika \'GG-1\' is a more faithful representation of that loco than any other mass marketed one, including earlier ones from IHC/AHM. I can\'t comment about relative merits of DEs as noted earlier, but I can tell you that no model of a steam loco produced by TYCO ever equalled anything produced by PEMCO.
Good-Luck, PJB