L is for Listing

This listing is not complete, certainly isn't definitive and - frankly - never quite will be! However, any help correcting or adding to it will be gratefully received, and the list will remain here forever (hopefully) for all to see. [Or in the depths of some on-line archive beamed direct to Mars Colony by Microgooglefonapedia Inc., Corp.!]

It is designed to be read in conjunction with the four posts immediately below it and the two Tri-ang/Husky [Mettoy] articles posted in the last few months and many thanks are given to Bernard Taylor for all the help he gave me back in the summer sorting out some of my queries and tracking down esoteric bits of info.

Roughly divided into four generations, the overlaps are as numerous as the omissions! Basically we start with the metal figures of Hornby from before the war and run into their plastic sets, we then look at Tri-ang as it runs into Hornby! Then the separate Model-Land and Motorway sets (which ran concurrent to some of the previous list) and finally from the management buy-out to the present which includes some duplicate listing.

Hornby Trains, Frank Hornby, Dublo Dinky, Hornby Dublo (Meccano Ltd. Binns Road, Liverpool, 1938-1964) UK and France, see also; Dinky and AchO 
A small range of painted metal figures to accompany their OO gauge model railway system. Called Dublo, the range was later complimented by the Dublo-Dinky vehicles for Dinky Toys.
Metal Figure Production - Individual Figures Station Staff - green box 7 different male figures, with one issued as replacement after the war.
- Station master, (job number; 11740)
- Guard, (job number; 11741)
- Ticket Collector, (job number; 11742)
- Engine driver, (job number; 11743, figure replaced with driver in loose jacket, post war, not known if the figure got a new job-number)
- Porter with bags, (job number; 11744)
- Shunter with pole, (job number; 11745, pre-war figure has inserted wire pole, post-war version has integrated cast pole, not known if the figure got a new job-number)
Passengers - red box 6 figures, 3 male and 3 female.
- Man carrying a raincoat, (job number; 11752)
- Man reading a newspaper, (job number; 11753)
- Golfer, (job number; 11754)
- Woman with rug, (job number; 11755)
- Woman walking, (job number; 11756)
- Woman in fur coat, (job number; 11757)
Metal Figure Production - OO Gauge - Boxed Sets
D1 [Hornby Dublo] - Station Staff (1938/9-41, 6 figures - became; 1001, suitcases different colours, yellow label on box)
D1 [Hornby Dublo] - Passengers (1938/9-41, 6 figures - became; 1003, different paint styles, yellow label on box, early sets had the same box code as the Station Staff)
D2 [Hornby Dublo] - Passengers (1938/9-41, 6 figures - became; 1003, different paint styles, yellow label on box)
50, 250 [Hornby?] - Station Staff (1945/6-1950 (approximately), 6 figures, rare numbering or catalogued only, never issued?)
50, 251 [Hornby?] - Passengers (1945/6-1950 (approximately), 6 figures, rare numbering or catalogued only, never issued?)
1001 [Dinky Toys] - Station Staff (1952-54 or '59?, 6 figures, post-war colour changes, replacement figures, suitcases same colour, driver pale blue, green label on box)
1003 [Dinky Toys] - Passengers (1952-54 or '59?, 6 figures, post-war colour changes, simplified schemes, pink label on box)
051 [Dinky Toys] - Station Staff (approximately 1953/4-1959 [1953 catalogue for 1954 season?], 6 figures, as 1001, green label on box)
053 [Dinky Toys] - Passengers (approximately 1953/4-1959 [1953 catalogue for 1954 season?], 6 figures, as 1003, pink label on box)
Plastic Figure Range - 'Crystal Boxes' (1959-1964)
050 [Dinky] - Railway Staff (12 figures, pose change in late sets)
050 [Dinky] - Railway Staff (policeman with hands behind his back has been replaced with shunter)
051 - [Number used by metal set]
052 [Dinky] - Railway Passengers (11 items)
053 - [Number used by metal set]
054 [Dinky] - Railway Station Personnel [4 figures, 8 other pieces)
4315 - Horsebox, British Rail (polystyrene horse, red oxide)
4315 - Horsebox, British Rail (polyethylene, red oxide)
4316 - Horsebox, Southern Region (polystyrene, sand yellow)
4316 - Horsebox, Southern Region (polyethylene, sand yellow)
Unknown - might be late Hornby
? - Blue polyethylene railway staff or train crew (hollow base with 00X number and 'ENGLAND' marks) 2023 - These are now known to be Crescent Toys, issued with a set of Mazac/Zamak die-cast scenic accessories in HO-OO gauge-compatible size, probably as a seasonal ('for Christmas') gift-box, with thanks to Jon Attwood for the missing poses, see Crescent Tag.

Dinky Toys/Hornby Trains - Plastic production; O gauge
Listed due to similarity with HO version, O gauge will be covered in full another day under Meccano/Dinky.
? - Horsebox (polyethylene horse, grey)

Notes -

Piracies/home-casts exist of both metal sets without the 'HD' for Hornby Dublo under the base.

Help is needed to sort out the horsebox horse, was there ever a polystyrene version? It is referenced in various sources but I've never seen one. Were they colour-specific to each railway companies horsebox? or could you get either colour in either box...in either plastic?

Tri-ang Hornby - (Vague time-line)
Up to the 1967 edition catalogue; 'Rovex Scale Models Limited'
968 / 1969; 'Rovex Industries Limited'
1970 - 1972; 'Rovex Tri-ang Limited' (1972 catalogue omitted 'Limited')
1973 - 1975; 'Rovex Limited' (though both 1974 & 1975 catalogues also show 'Rovex Models and Hobbies')
1976 - 1981 'Hornby Hobbies, Rovex Limited'
1981 - 1999 (approximately) 'Hornby Hobbies Limited'
Approximately 2000 - present 'Hornby plc'

Tri-ang Railways and Tri-ang Railways Model-land/Minic Motorways, (Rovex/Lines, 1955-1964)
Tri-ang Hornby (Rovex/Lines, 1964-1972)
R.148 - [Trolleys and platform fittings set] (1st type, marked 'Tri-ang')
R.148 - [Trolleys and platform fittings set] (2nd type, unmarked
R.164 - Battle Space Commandos (1st type)
R.164 - Battle Space Commandos (2nd type)
R.164 - Battle Space Commandos (3rd type)
R.234c - Stephenson's Rocket (2 period figures, 3 wagons)
R.281 - 5 Train Figures (2 seated similar to figure in 413, 2 guards - short legs)
R.282 - [Number used for 1st Edition Triang-Hornby instruction manual and later both an 125 HST engine shed model and the Hornby 25th catalogue - 1979]
R.283 - Set of Platform Figures (3 passengers, 2 staff)
R.284 - Set of Coach Figures (4 or 5 figures; 1 waiter and 3 or 4 passenger busts)
R.348 - Giraffe Car (with ducking giraffe)
R.360 - Railway Figures Set (See notes)
R.413 - Locomotive Crew (2 figures, painted)
6 R.413 - Locomotive Crew (shop display card - 6x2 figures)
R.639 - Battle Space Sniper Car (with ducking soldier, variant of R.348)

Notes -

The contents of set R.413 were often included in the larger sets and with individual steam locomotive models, particularly when the locomotive had an open cab, with enough room for both figures, some of the smaller models having not enough room due to the practicalities of scale and/or the way the motor was contained within the body of the model.

The 'Battle Space' commandos were often included with other items in the range, sometimes officially (listed in the catalogue as being included), sometimes as an afterthought. Toward the end of the range's life the 3rd type seem to have been stuffed into all individual items remaining in the range. The three types are as follows; 1st Type - Brown copies of the Britains 54mm Khaki Infantry on round 'penny' bases, marked 'Hong Kong'. 2nd Type - Brown copies of the Britains 54mm Khaki Infantry on round 'penny' bases, unmarked. 3rd Type - Grey figures with unmarked bases, based on but not identical to the Britains 54mm figures. The 3rd type were the last version, as to which of the previous two were the first or second to be issued, I don't know. When included in the other individual models, they were bagged in sixes, the stand-alone sets received 12 figures, except...they didn't always even when they were supposed to, often the little bag contained 7 figures, meaning some big sets may have received as many as 14 figures!

As far as I know there were no figures issued for the TT range.

R360 contained 30 unpainted figures moulded in pink plastic in 1972-4. There were two runs of these in two shades of pink, and consisted of two sprues of the former R281, R283 & R284 sets all sold together in a large plastic bag

Tri-ang Railway Model-land/Mettoy
Model-Land RML.8 - Accessories (mould ended-up with Dapol - via Airfix?)
RML.70 - Pedestrian Figures Set No. 1. (7 figures on 6 bases - mother & child together)
RML.71 - Workmen's Figures Set No. 2. ('RML.74' in incorrect catalogues, 6 figures))
RML.72 - Children's Figures Set No. 3. (6 children)
RML.73 - Urban Figures Set No. 4. (6 figures; 3 cops, 1 each; robber, window cleaner and road crossing 'lollypop-man')
RML.74 - Industrial Workers Figures set No. 5. (Issued in blue overalls, 'RML.75' in incorrect catalogues, 6 figures [Minic Motorways ref: was M1709])
RML.75 - Road Workmen Figures Set No. 6. ('RML.71' in incorrect catalogues, 6 figures)

  Mettoy Minic 'Motorway'
M1709 Mechanics/Pit Stop Crew (RML.74 Industrial Workers issued in white overalls [Model Land ref: was RML.75)

Notes -

A difficult time-line division as the Minic Motorways range appeared in the Tri-ang Hornby Minic catalogues (next entry) of 1968 and 1969 but keeping their Minic Motorway/Tri-ang Model-Land code-numbers rather than the 'R' numbers of the combined model railway companies.

RML 70-75 were issued on individual titled/code-stencilled blister-cards under the Tri-ang Model-Land label and M1709 in a blue and white header-carded bag under the Tri-ang Minic Motorways brand.

Hornby Railways / Hornby Hobbies UK
1973-present, (Dunby/Combex/Marx, from 1973-? [mid-1990's? Management buyout 1979?]), see also; Dollar Tree, Life-Like and Toy Masters.
Traditional Polystyrene Figures and Accessories
R.148 - [Trolleys and platform fittings set] (2nd type, unmarked)
R.413 - Locomotive Crew (2 figures, always unpainted by this time)
R 573/1/924 - Locomotive Super Detail Pack (contents differ slightly between batches)
R 573/1/924/A - Locomotive Super Detail Pack (contents differ slightly between batches)
X1400 - Locomotive Crew (as 573 but only two brake-hoses)
X4700 - King Class Accessory Pack - Figures and Coupling (contents differ from X1400)
Mixed Media Accessory Range
R 551 - Apple Trees, (Issued Spring ‘83)
R 552 - Mini Shade Trees, (Issued Spring ‘83)
R 553 - Green shade trees, (Issued Spring ‘83)
Vinyl-rubber/PVC Figure Sets
Range listed below is bought-in from Hong Kong/China and is from the same range as Life-Like’s sets and had previously been seen as a generic/unbranded carded product.
R 560 - City People (issued 1983, Life-Like stock No; 1182, 6 pedestrians, 1 moped and 1 rider)
R 561 - Sitting People (issued 1983, Life-Like stock No; 1186, 6 figures)
R 562 - Town People (issued 1983, Life-Like stock No; 1189 - Townspeople, 6 adults, 2 children)
R 563 - Working People (issued 1983, Life-Like stock No; 1190 - Railroad Workers, 6 figures, 1 sack barrow, 1 wheel-barrow, 1 crate)
R 564 - Farm People (issued 1984, Life-Like stock No; 1187 - Farmers, 5 standing, 1 seated)
R 565 - Farm Animals and Fencing (issued 1984, Life-Like stock No; 1181 - Barnyard Animals, 1 each; beef cow, dairy cow, sheep, sheepdog, pig, horse, goat + 4 fence sections)
R 767 - Sheep (Life-Like do not appear to have carried the sheep?)
R 768 - Cows (Life-Like stock No; 1183 - Cattle)
Dense/Rigid Polyethylene/Hybrid or Polypropylene Figure Range
R 1147 - Codename Strike Force (2010, reissue of T 1501)
T 1501 - Battle Zone (2000, contains the same modern G.I.’s as the Dollar Tree/Toy Masters mini sets)
X 8920 - Pack of ten rockets for Battle Zone play set

Notes -

The contents of set R.413 were often included in the larger sets and with individual steam locomotive models, particularly when the locomotive had an open cab, with enough room for both figures, some of the smaller models having not enough room due to the practicalities of scale and/or the way the motor was contained within the body of the model. Earlier sets might still have been painted, but late sets were unpainted, and from time to time they seem to have been included with accessories to 'super-detail' the locomotive, such as brake-hoses, tools and such like. Occasionally the accessories were issued without the figures (closed cab/modern diesels?) and the compliment of tools or accessories varied depending upon the nature of the model.

R 573's, X1400 and X4700 are repackaging of the R.413, and variations of the contents exist, also the contents are sometimes still on the spruelets, sometimes picked loose.

A made in Hong Kong carded set exists, containing a mix of part-contents from sets R 560, 563 and 565 above.

The vinyl sets first appeared in the spring of 1983 (four sets/29th edition catalogue), with the other two sets coming a couple of years later (1984/30th edition), the Hong Kong set probably pre-dates these Hornby issues and seem to have been made for/or with the American market in mind, the Farm People in particular being sartorially garbed for that continent's late 1970's agri-fashion!