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TCA Grading Standards

Condition/Grading Standards

The following Condition and Grading Standards apply to all toy train and related accessory items. The items that are being evaluated may or may not include the original box. Boxes and other paper are subject to a separate set of grading and condition standards. Standards for all toy train and related accessory items apply to the visual appearance of the item and do not consider the operating functionality of the equipment.

The Standards have been expanded with the introduction of a separate designation for restored/refinished items. Restored/
refinished items must continue to be marked as such using the pressure sensitive labels (Identags) available from the TCA. The Association provides these labels through members of the Standards Committee or the National Business Office.

Condition and Grading Standards are subjective, at best, and are intended to act as a guide. It is important and logical that wishful thinking not be allowed to influence the choice of grade.

  • C-10 Mint—Brand New: all original; unused and unblemished.
  • C-9 Factory New—Brand New: all original; unused; may
    evidence factory rubs and the slightest evidence of handling,
    shipping and having been test run at the factory.
  • C-8 Like New—Complete all original: no rust, no missing parts; may show effects of being on display and/or age; may have been run.
  • C-7 Excellent—all original: minute scratches and paint
    nicks; no rust and no missing parts; no distortion of component
    parts.
  • C-6 Very Good: Minor scratches and paint nicks, minor
    spots of surface rust, free of dents. May have minor parts replaced.
  • C-5 Good—Signs of play wear: scratches and minor paint
    loss. Small dents, minor surface rust. Evidence of heavy use.
  • C-4 Fair: Scratched, moderate paint loss, dented missing
    parts, surface rust. Evidence of heavy use.
  • C-3 Poor—Requires major body repair: Heavily
    scratched, major rust and missing parts. Restoration candidate.
  • C-2 Restoration required.
  • C-1 Junk—parts value only.

Restored / Refinished Items Standards

Restored/refinished toy train and related accessory items must continue to be marked as such using pressure-sensitive labels available from TCA. All replacement parts considered “major component parts” such as an engine frame, boiler or cab that have been used in the restoration of an item must include the required identification marks of the manufacturer.

  • R-5 Professional Grade—Restored in all aspects of finish and detail as when manufactured: Finished in correct type of paint, color, texture and gloss. All wiring exactly matches the original. All trim in correct finish or plating. Virtually identical to the original. No surface imperfections in the metal work. No wear or evidence of use present. Authentic in all aspects.
  • R-4 Very Good—Restored to a general high standard: However, noticeable differences exist particularly with respect to the color, finish, and texture of paint when compared to an original piece.
  • R-3 Good—A restored piece that has signs of play wear
    with minor dents and scratches.
  • R-2 Fair—A non-professional restoration: Color, texture
    and finish clearly different from the original. Other items, such
    as non-authentic wiring are also evident.
  • R-1 Poor—A poorly constructed restoration in all respects: May be a candidate for restoration. Includes dents or rust pitting under the finish.

Paper/Box Grading Standards

  • P-10 MINT-BRAND NEW Complete and all original as
    manufactured and unused.
  • P-9 STORE NEW Complete and all original and unused.
    May have merchant additions such as store stamps, price tags
    et al. Boxes must have inner liner/s, if appropriate.
  • P-8 LIKE NEW Complete and all original. Evidence of light
    use and aging, additional notations since leaving publisher or
    manufacturer. Contents of box may be missing.
  • P-7 EXCELLENT Complete and all original. Handling
    indentations, minute edge wear, small creases.
  • P-6 VERY GOOD Complete and all original. Minor abrasions, creases and/or folds. Small tears, slight color changes,
    minor soiling. Box may have inner liner/s missing.
NOTE: Any paper or box that has been repaired can be graded no higher than P-5.
  • P-5 GOOD Items show substantial wear. Moderate abrasions, creases and/or folds; moderate tears and losses. Moderate color changes, staples may be rusty or replaced. May have been repaired with archival tissue and adhesive.
  • P-4 FAIR Heavy damage but generally legible. May or may
    not have been repaired. Paper may be brittle. Boxes may have
    inner flaps missing.
  • P-3 POOR Incomplete, may be very brittle, significant
    deterioration. Extensive amateur repairs. (Scotch Tape ® or equivalent).
Based on 563 reviews
94%
(527)
3%
(18)
1%
(7)
1%
(5)
1%
(6)
Excellent Customer Service

I purchased several items, but one item was defective. I contacted Squeaky’s Trains and they promptly shipped out a replacement unit no questions asked. They made the process easy and stress free. The replacement unit was perfect and the issue was resolved. Thank you!

Great Prices & Fast Shipping

A great store to order your model train needs!!

Amoco tank car 9311613

Tank car very small to rest of my H.O. cars and Locomotive. Wheel base is correct. Just look funny pulled along rest of cars

Woodland Scenics Economy Pack Assorted Figures

Popular product with excellent detail, Best painted figures in N Scale, in my opinion. I appreciate how the sets are grouped together. I like how the photos provide a suggested staging to tie a theme together. Squeaky's Trains had the best price on both the Assorted Workers and Assorted People sets. Shipping was professionally done and protected items very well. Great value and great transaction. THANK YOU.

Mount Em High

These work quite well but we have discovered that the higher you mount it the better the connectivity. One last thing, if you're going through a wall, the connectivity may be a bit scattered.

Buddy mini

Fits perfectly in the tender of my Shay. Just trying to figure out how to wire everything from the OEM board. I might have to go back to the original and use this mini in a different project

Nothing but good things to say.

Ordering was as you would expect.
The stuff came.
Speed was fast.
Oh and there was a nice treat in the box! Thank you. 😊

My first time with Squeaky’s - appropriately I ordered ‘lube’ (the previous place I tried sent an open incomplete box)

Thank you for choosing Squeaky's Trains! 😊 So glad you enjoyed the surprise treat and that everything arrived quickly and complete. We appreciate you giving us a try - happy railroading!

Woodland Scenics 5702 | Just Plug Lighting System - Expansion Hub | Multi Scale?

The Woodland Scenics Just Plug System is easy to use and to add to after the initial installation.

Stock more Rail Pro

Please stock more Ring Engineering products

Geat

Great, it was easy to program from my 52 and they were easy to hook up to the switches

Woodland Scenics 1970 | Birds and Nests - Painted Figures | HO Scale?

Another small detail that adds real life to scenes around our Club!

Owdpotter

Excellent wee lights and dead easy to install love them ,may replace all my street lamps with them

This works well when using Static King applicator while combining the 12mm with 7mm static grass

Excellent Service

Very impressed with Squeaky's - fast responses to questions (emails) and fast shipping. Very reasonable pricing.

Love this Decoder

One of the best decoders out there for Deadrail trains and standard DCC operations

Would like to see loyalty points applied to seller, but was toldit only applied when buying directly

Fits as expected, now i just need to wire everything

Woodland Scenics 5701 | Just Plug Lighting System - Light Hub (Multi Scale)

Great Price

I was looking for this model and when it came online from Squeakys Trains I bought it, great price, fast delivery. Good stuff

Best Service, Low Prices

I am very happy with the service, selection and pricing at Squeaky's Trains and Things. Did I mention fast turnaround and replies to questions? Yep, that too. I bought some decoders and speakers to retro-fit my old diesel switchers. Clayton at Squeaky's helped me out quite a bit, especially when I ordered the wrong parts. But it's all good in the end - the right parts were ordered and all is well.

Thank you so much for this wonderful review! ⭐

We're very happy to hear that you had such a positive experience with us!

Reviews like yours really mean the world to us. We're here whenever you need us for your next model railroad project!

Happy railroading!

Woodland Scenics 5633 | Just Plug Lighting System - Lamp Post Street Lights | HO Scale?

The Woodland Scenics Streetlights add a nice touch of realism to our Club - the North Conway Model RR Club in N Conway, NH! Our visitors love them!

Hi there!

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review. We are happy to hear that the street lights have added a touch of realism to your North Conway Model RR Club. It's wonderful to know that your visitors love them as well. Thank you for choosing our product and happy modeling!

These were actully much smaller than i anticipated (im not great with understanding scale sizes yet). However these are exteremly well made, prime up and paint well, and look amazing with some of my exsisting diorama. Very happy!

Arrived very quickly! Box was in collectors level condition, packed with care. However can not wait to build! Thanks Squeaky!

Woodland Scenics 5900 | Just Plug Value 12 Pack - Wooden Pole Street Lights | HO Scale

The Woodland Scenics Just Plug Value Packs are a great way to add lighting to a layout at a reasonable price!

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