The BUDDY “L” TUGBOAT was made by the Moline Pressed Steel Company, East Moline, Illinois in 1928 and 1929. Collectors today consider it the “crown jewel” of the BUDDY “L” line of toys.

The TUGBOAT had a retail price of $27.00 in 1928 when other BUDDY “L” toys such as the dump truck (catalogue number 201) was selling for $3.98 through the Sears, Roebuck catalog. At the same time unbranded steel dump trucks were selling for 98 cents. Along with the Outdoor Railroad Engine and Tender ($33.50) and the Trench Digger Construction toy, the BUDDY “L” TUGBOAT ranked as the highest-pricest toys made by the Moline Pressed Steel Company.

The Moline Pressed Steel Company is a great example of a visionary and an entrepreneur in Fred A. Lundahl, founder and president. The 2 volume history and fact books – the “new book of BUDDY “L” TOYS”, Albert W. McCollough, a Greenberg Publication is widely accepted, often referred to as the “Bible” on BUDDY “L” and here acknowledged as a key source for some information found on this site. (The 2 volume history is out of print but copies often appear on a popular auction website). A Canadian Company, “Imperial® Toy Corporation”, acquired the BUDDY L Corporation in 1990 and I believe continues to produce toys with the name Buddy L®-since 1921.

The line of BUDDY “L” toys is today considered the most collectable in the category of “Pressed Steel Toys” which includes a long list of manufacturers of the era: Keystone, Steelcraft, American National, Cor-Cor, Structo, Kelmet and others.

My first BUDDY “L” collectable purchase was a Junior Line Oil Tanker (catalogue number 2003, made in 1930-32). My interest quickly turned to the aluminum wheeled 200 series. I’ve been able to assemble a collection that includes every piece in the 200 series along with a complete outdoor train set (catalogue number 1000 A), a number of construction pieces, the 3 tugboats featured on this site and a number of examples of BUDDY “L” competitors.

Throughout the years of collecting, I’ve had the privilege of meeting with, talking to and gaining knowledge from many BUDDY “L” collectors. Some of these collectors have been doing so for over 30 years. Much to my amazement, some of these collectors and dealers weren’t aware that there was a Type I, Type II, and a Type III BUDDY “L” TUGBOAT. Additionally, they had never seen or are able to identify a BUDDY “L” TUGBOAT motor (propulsion system).

This is not hard to believe when you consider that knowledgeable collectors accept the estimate that there is between 26 and 28 BUDDY “L” TUGBOAT examples in existence today. The estimate for the number of surviving motors (propulsion systems) is around 6, most were removed from the boats and lost.

It is for these reasons I’ve built this website and its purpose is purely to share and document what I’ve learned about the BUDDY “L” TUGBOAT. Is all the information fact and 100% accurate? Probably not but you can decide for yourself.

Some of the information presented is speculation based on knowledge gained by working on antique/classic automobiles of the same era and practical logic. Whenever I offer speculation I have identified it as so.