Many thanks for the interest in this thread. Got some interesting leads to other sites where I have posted inquiries. (active thread on RM WEB UK http://tinyurl.com/mb6m9vv and finscalerr.com http://www.finescalerr.com/smf/index.php?topic=2284.0 )
@stoker....wonderful photos of the Chicago...
Thanks folks for the replies. Does anyone have a suggestion as to where to look for more specific information? My friend Fred Fraily at TRAINS suggested I contact a British model train forum, but I haven't figured out how to do that.
My father gave me this model sometime in the 1980’s. It came with a framed sign that said something to the effect that “this train was displayed at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair”. No documentation of its history was offered, and I suspect a dealer somewhere along the sales chain became...