andem Associates began originally back in 1954 when my parents gave me a Lionel train for Christmas. Although it was only a "Scout Set," this event was the beginning of a life long fascination with model railroading. Like many others of my generation, these trains, and those that followed in later years, were always the most anticipated gifts of the holiday season.

The trains were there all year round, and when others became tired (or out-grew) the trains they owned they were either given to me or I purchased them. Many times they were "basket cases," so I repaired them. Then I began repairing trains for Lionel Service Stations in the greater Los Angeles area. It was only a short leap from here, once I discovered the National Clubs, to repainting and restoring many engines and cars for fellow members. Our site has become, over the last decade, an information resource for many Lionel and American Flyer electric toy train enthusiasts.

Working in other gauges where everything had to be constructed to scale only benefited me in my abilities to scratch and kit-bash both the trains and the structures. And doing this only recalled the another fascination I had along with Lionel -- Plasticville. Over the years I’ve never lost my interest in these kits and I still pursue many of the harder to find items manufactured by Bachmann for my collection.

andem Associates has been an on line informational resource for collectors and operators of Lionel and American Flyer toy trains since 1996. Why are we different from other sites on the Internet? We are interested in not only providing the best quality Plasticville kits to the collector, but also those that can be used by the operator.

We continually search for excellent examples of Postwar Plasticville kits, accessories, and paper items. All of the Plasticville that we sell are packaged to the highest standards to insure their safe arrival.

It is our aim to become the best source on the net for Plasticville with an accent on customer satisfaction. We want to you to be as comfortable shopping here as you would at your neighborhood hobby store.

The majority of the Plasticville items that we offer were contemporaries of, and compatible with, the most collectable electric trains of the Postwar period. Properly cared for, these structures and accessories will hold their value just like the trains that they were designed to accompany.

We are members of the following clubs:

Train Collectors Association (TCA)

Toy Train Operating Society (TTOS)

Plasticville Collectors Association (PCA)

Tandem Associates is well known for our history of customer satisfaction and we frequently receive praise for:   Offering quality Plasticville kits that satisfy the needs of both collectors and operators   Describing our merchandise in detail   Careful packaging of all our products   Professionalism in our listings, descriptions, web site, and communications with our customers We are dedicated to fairness in our pricing and policies in order to offer superb value, so that our customers can enjoy the magnificent hobby that is model railroading. It is our fervent desire to provide unmatched service to all of our customers. We are glad that you have stopped by to visit our site and we will do all that we can to give you a reason to return. While you’re here, may we suggest that you include our Home Page among your bookmarks or favorites. IE users can do this by just clicking on the book. Home Lionel Index Lionel Screen Saver Identify Lionel Postwar Lionel Trains Horizontal Rules Lionel Books American Flyer Trains Horizontal Rules American Flyer Books Marx Plasticville Links Awards Privacy Legal FAQ Search Site Map ABOUT US Contact