Antonio Ligabue – Roar

Favero trains

(written by P.G.)

Very few is known of the origin of this Company that appears to be registered at the Chamber of Commerce of Padua from 1947 and subsequently changed its name to “Industry toys AGFA SaS Aldo Favero & C. Via del Santo 88 Limena (PD) Tel. 92083

It produced trains in HO scale probably from 1957 to 1964
In 1964 the Company registered the trademark UNICAR, they abandoned trains and produced cars in 1/24 scale for slot-racing tracks.
Since 1969 we lose any track of the Company..
We know a catalog published in 1958 with the price list for the “Toy Series”.
The same catalog is proposed in 1960

For the first time, only in the price list, appears ” Model Series”.
There are also three “Sheets News”:
– The first, probably in 1959, with complete packages where it appears also sets with  mechanical locomotive spring-wound

– The second, probably in 1960, in which appears the two-axle locomotive art. 1020

– The third, in 1961: “Favero trains presents: The new locomotives  Model Series“

In 1957 and 1958, perhaps as early as 1956, the Company produced only complete packs sold through representatives especially in northern Italy in tobacco shops, small toy stores and so on …

Four locomotives were used in the sets:

– The steam 0-2-0 freelance mechanical charging spring, with superstructure and tender joint with 0-3-0 axes

– the electric locomotive type E 424, produced in two versions with slightly different mechanics

Ten in all are coaches and freight wagons and they used the tracks, very similar to those of Lima, tracks are equipped with plastic and steel rails.
In 1958 Favero decided to present itself as a manufacturer of toy trains, complete and expandable, published a catalog already mentioned, the first known, with packs and single items where there is one then defined “Toy Series”. For Christmas, that year, Favero packs were also sold in toy departments of Standa.

The catalog of 1958 is proposed, in addition to an expanded range of cars and trucks used in the packaging, also a number of cars to intermediate between the toy and the future Series Model used later in the packages with 424 and defined as a “passenger wagons large 14 cm “.
Very nice “special packaging was the blue train”

In 1958 appears a leaflet outlining only the electrical and mechanical packaging.

Curious that the package 701

is proposed without rails and that the “small cars travelers” in it adopted, are completely free of doors of access for the poor travelers who can not then go up or down … . .
year 1959 saw the birth of the loco-tender 0-2-0 T freelance art. 1020, defined in the package insert “… of great power …” two axles, with mechanics of Fleischmann inspiration , a unique case in the production of Favero, with metal frame.
This locomotive, which adopts the same boiler of 0-3-0, has a mechanical and a towing capacity of markedly higher than previous locomotives .

There is a package in which the locomotive is coupled to the passenger cars of the smaller size and it really bad suited …

In 1960 Favero decided to play in the court of the great range planning a “model”  that had ambitions to compete with Rivarossi and German manufacturers proposing, at least in the intention, models of quality far superior to those of Lima.
With them is given a new generation of tracks with brass rails very similar to those of Fleischmann.
As the catalog is used than in 1958 when the “Model Series ” appears only in the price list. At the end of the same year the new sheet: “Favero Trains presents: The new locomotives Model Series“.
This serie included the first E 428 FS 

which mechanical parts were copied from Rivarossi, including errors, and the BB 9200 SNCF,

copied its error too , from VB.
Two known versions of the 428 Favero that differed in the pantographs and for the lower part of the carriages. Also for the BB 9200 are known two versions that differed for the trolley motor and for the coupling of the superstructure of the chassis.
The wagons in the colors of the French Compagnie prewar and the CIWL, are similar to Pocher of  the time and, in the packaging art. 611 ,

they constitute a strange and unlikely train towing the BB 9200.
There are cars of the same era “Western” ,

  of similar Pocher’s cars, followed later by the  “modern” coaches of the DB .

While there is no news of the “locomotive 4 axes American” proposed in the price list in 1960, the “locomotive 3 axes FNM”, announced in the catalog in 1960,

 

The Swiss Ae 6/6 ,

most likely the last locomotive produced by Favero and now virtually unfindable, is a faithful reproduction of the prototype, apart from the bad pantographs , with a cart with two axes extreme engines and, to accentuate their adherence, the central axis is reduced in diameter. It does not appear in any catalog.

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(@ January 29, 2015)