D is for Dublo

Which was a play on Double-O, itself confusing as it's actually half-O, and that's O and OO, not 0 or 00, strictly being the gauge between the rails on the modelled track. And a title we may have had before?!

Very-much box-ticking Jon's samples of the Hornby lead figures, and they are lead, quite heavy and quite soft, we've seen them before here, and there are comparison shots from Jon coming in the final round-up.

 

These are the pre-war versions, if I recall correctly, available from only 1939, being lost to wartime privations, but as some of the only figures commercially available (Hamblings had carried some), and small enough to be produced in some numbers before rationing came-in, they were bought in quantity, and have survived in sufficient numbers to be findable.

 

The post-war figures were simplified both in paint style and moulding, with the points-guy/shunter getting an integrally-moulded pole, instead of the pre-war wire one, and all painting was simplified. The Locomotive driver became an 'engineer' in bluer overalls, compared to his pre-war navy suit, and their buttons all disappeared!

 

Older above and newer below, the post-war ladies were definitely more colourful, but somebody needs to have a word with Bertie Worcester on his sartorial choices in golfing attire, the Luftwaffe would have spotted that orange jump-suit from 10,000 feet!

 

Many thanks again to Jon, for sending these, I can't remember what I posted, way back when, but I know my pre-war sample is almost non-existent, although it has been added to, I think I have the grey lady with her red-fur (velvet?) trim, and the shunter now, with a loose wire!

W is for Who Made Who!

Bit of a surprise when these turned-up, as they looked familiar, but, err . . . better! Obviously I knew of Minikins, they are in Garratt, where he both spelt them wrong, and was pretty disparaging! O'Brian gives them quite a write-up, but mentions he's omitted the HO set (singular), so these should be new to most and new to the Internet, but I think we did look at them briefly in a show report, so they're not new to Blog!

 

Minikin or Minikins as they are sometimes dubbed, also, really nice presentation boxes for a make better known for dowdy or 'transport' packaging, but they may have been given this packaging at their destination, International Models Inc., of New York?

 

As Minikins were known for copies and derivatives, these would appear to be piracies of BJ Ward's Wardie Mastermodels? Except, as we shall see, they are better, so a new question mark present's itself? One set of station-staff and line workers, the other of passengers, they are reasonably painted, but just far-cleaner castings than Mastermodels.

 

The thing is, I never knew of them, so I've never looked that closely at my Wardie's, and with quality, scale and base-style (among other details) differing across the Mastermodels output, I may well have a few Minikins in there already, but these are probably the only two sets, so we may have them all on view here?

Now, they are not all Mastermodels sculpts the three railway employees for instance, and the central pair on the bottom row are questionable, Wardie did a version of the lady, but she's not quite the same. However, neither are they Comet-Authenticast sculpts, which would be the obvious direction to go in if these were repackaged AHI (see below). They are closer to the Hornby Dublo actually, aren't they?

 

A couple of seated figures, are they Mastermodels sculpts, or cleaned up Comet? They don't seem to be either, which points to original sculpts, and if two are, the rest could be, especially with the question-mark over the station staff?

Obviously the tied-in ones are the Minikins and the three loose ones are Kemlows' finest, except that next to the Japanese production, they aren't that fine at all, are they?  Rougher finished, with huge release-pin marks, heavier tool-handles and a marginally greater 'woodeness'? It's as if the Ward stuff are the copies?

In the Brooke's book 'The Illustrated Kemlows Story' these marks are credited to AHI (note above), but I suspect that was because he was familiar with AHI imports, of which these bear a remarkable resemblance - to wit; being the same!

 

But AHI (Azrak-Hamway International) were a US jobber (importer), Minikin was a Japanese brand, and (through work on the Khaki Infantry, not my non-existent knowledge of most 'BMSS' subject-matter!) I've always thought the better AHI stuff may have been or had a cross-over with Minikins, so the first thing to suggest, is that AHI's imported 'HO' railway figures, were Minikins product. And it would make the correcting of me on the ACW stuff more problematic for the corrector, as AHI had to be getting them from somewhere!

While dates give us the next clue, and with Minikins operating in the late 1940's and Kemlow's helping Ward with Mastermodels after 1951, it has to be suggested that Wardie are the copier here?

 

Also, because we will be looking at other arms of this tree in the next few days, it would mean that those copies of the Merit driving-game figures (themselves copied from Wardie) which come out of Hong Kong with a petrol-pump (a'la Blue Box) may have come straight from these?

Anyway, it's all only thoughts on new evidence, and if anyone would like to throw their tuppence-worth into the mix they're welcome! I'm just asking who made who? And I'm not looking to denegrate Garratt, O'Brian or the Brook's, they are the sources I turn-to for the earlier work on the puzzle, before adding my own tuppence-worth!

T is for Toy Fair 2020 Reports - Hornby - Centenary

As the title suggests Hornby are celebrating 100 years of the brand, in actuall fact the 'firm' really died at the merger of Tri-ang/Rovex and Hornby, but such details are irrelevant when it's all about branding and the brand was founded by Frank Hornby at Binns Road in Liverpool in 1920.

The deal is supposed to be to have ten special or limited-edition items available, one for each decade of the branding, and reflecting some of those older logos or brands, but the salesman explaining it to me couldn't rationalise the display with that 10-total!

He did realise that one of the Rocket's (yellow box) is from the standard range, but that still/then leaves either 11 or 9 other items/groups on display?

Anyway, they are from the top, an

• ·         [Meccano] 'The Hornby' electric train set
• ·         Hornby-Dublo 'Sir Nigel Gresley' train set
• ·         Hornby-Dublo locomotive - stripped box
• ·         Range of Dublo-Dinky 'OO' vehicles
• ·         Tri-ang 'Stevenson's Rocket' (red box)
• ·         Tri-ang Hornby locomotive 'Evening Star'
• ·         2x Hornby Railways locomotives (different price points)*
• ·         2x Hornby [Hobbies] locomotives (different price points)*
• ·         Rovex train set

*I think they are also representing four different 'standard' packaging changes?

This was nice but also possibly the most disappointing of the lot, as it's obviously meant to represents the old burn-your-house-down before a zeppelin gets to it, bare-wire carpet-railway early electrictrickery train sets of the inter-war period, and while on one level it does so very well, especially if it runs on vintage O-guage track (?), on another level; it's a horrid colour/finish.

Don't get me wrong; I'm a fan of maroon locomotives and treasure my Duchess of Southerland despite the fact it hasn't run for over 30-years and may need a complete overhaul, but semi-matt, or eggshell or whatever they call it . . . really? It should have been shiny-gloss, with broad black & gold pinstripes round the tank-case, surely?

These, on the other hand, are both lovely and interesting. Lovely because they are 'true' OO or 1:76 or 23/25mm-compatable vehicles of use to model railway fans and war-gamers everywhere, yet interesting because they are NOT the original vehicles, or reproductions of them (there was a sports car and a tractor, but not these) . . . which, loyal readers, might suggest that if they/their sales are successful through 2020, it could make them the vanguards to a new range (half planned already?) in competition with Oxford Diecast? Only thinking out-loud!

Already two of the vans would make useful (if inaccurate) vehicles for French Resistance units!

D is for something...

Really just a scan from an old 1961 Meccano magazine to augment this post from 2012...seems like only yesterday!

As to the title...I was uploading images at the library when the clock ran out...I must have meant it to be Dublo or Dinky or something but couldn't find the word! Let the record reflect that the Aspergic retard panicked when his button went pink and told him he only had 120 seconds left to think of a word; a single word and further: let the post-title stand as a testament to his fuckwittery!

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!

E is for 'Eavy-metal

As - if not more - collectable as the later 'crystal box' plastic sets by the same company, or the Model Land figures of their rival (and eventual buyer!) are the first figures ever made in particularly small scale (they already had an O gauge range) for railways (although some of the Skybirds figures would suffice) as far as Britain goes; the cast lead figures Hornby first issued in 1938 or 1939.

Two sets, they were solids, although they might have used the hollow-cast principle of a hand held clamp-handled mould they were too small to end up anything other than 'solid', they covered both rail staff and passengers and with the aforementioned Skybirds and a few Cresent and Timpo boxed - vehicle/vessel/aeroplane - sets figures would help fix the size Airfix would later exploit to the full...

A post-war set, like the later plastic set (see post below this one) they would have a pose change...right hand upper shot. Accompanied here by the trolleys and a tractor from the later Dinky Dublo range, which got a die-cast driver. As far as I know there was never any luggage with this vehicle (or mail bags?), but by the time it was issued both Wardie Mastermodels and Britains Lilliput had ranges of suitcases, trunks, pick-nick baskets and the like to load them up with, and both the Dinky Dublo plastics and Merit were round the corner.

The set of passengers which is - again - a post-war set. There used to be clear delineation in the books (Hammond, Ramsay...) between the pre-, and post-war sets vis-a-vis colours, but more varients have turned-up over the 20 years since the books were first published, and as some have been around for over 70 years, there would have been a fair bit of re-painting and chipping to the point where (everything was gloss before the 1960's!) it's not possible to make such a clear list any more, suffice to say; that pre-war are better painted.

There was also the problem of piracy, and here we see in the larger image lower left, a copy on the right and an original with the 'HD' of Hornby Dublo on the left. In the upper of the two small images we can see three pirates by two unknown companies, with a crude rail worker and two very good 'man reading paper's' only given away by the heavy base and the base-colour. The lower of those two images shows variations in original Dinky/Hornby figures as does the upper right-hand picture. I always used to think the guy with the small hat was a miss-mould (lost his brim when the figure dropped from the mould) but in fact there are several differences, including - as you can see - a much higher newspaper position, different mould-line etc...

C is for Crystal

Following the lead/whitemetal sets Hornby produced this fine range of injection-moulded polystyrene accessories. These ran for about five years and are variously known as 'the good ones', 'the crystal box ones', 'the plastic tray ones' etc...I go with Crystal Boxes as they look at their best in their compartments, which at the time were the height of modernist packaging design, they are also unquestioningly the best model railway figures the UK has managed to produce.

The three sets together with the replaced pose top right. It would seem, that there was always an 'empty plinth' in the second set, why they didn't add a second bench or another piece of street/platform furnitures I don't know, but there you go!

This set had - like the metal sets - a pose change somewhere through the run, as the two poses are about the same in rareness, it must have been either mid-way through the run, or that they ran together contemporaneously, mixed in the factory? And why didn't they just put the other policeman in the empty compartment of the passenger set? [See comments]

When I say in the post below "fluid movement and grace" I am waxing a bit lyrical, as they are - like most railway figures - standing around waiting for trains for the most part! But there is a subtlety to that standing and this can best be seen in the passenger set, the figures have their weight on one foot and their hips or waists are sculpted to reflect that.

I don't know who the sculptor was, but similarities between these and the concurrent Tri-ang Model-Land sets would suggest Charles Stadden, although these are a little 'heavier' than most of his output, however that could be down to the size of the masters or some other production process factor. They certainly have some classic Stadden signatures, the angular folds in the clothing being typical.Who knows....no really; does anybody know?

Below the figures are a rather nice pair of sets from the accessory range that came in with a mixed lot and make the similar sets from Merit look as poor as they are! That's unfair really, the later Merit ones are all right but the quality in these is everything that should have made Hornby shine on, not go futt a few years later.

The platform staff figure set is the best of a good bunch, with a mobile magazine stand, refreshment cart (I don't think the 'snack' had been invented then!!) and some of the other paraphernalia of a busy station. You can see a sand coloured suitcase in the boxed set, and I'm sure all three pieces were available in all three colours.

I is for Interim

Tonight's post looks at the stuff that carried both Hornby and Tri-Ang names, or the more esoteric bits and some odds that are not figural at all! When the two companies came together, it was the 'true' Hornby that suffered, with most of its range being dropped. Triang had 'new tech.' plastic rolling stock with a high degree of detailing, free-flowing wheels etc..And, while Hornby had started to move into plastics, both with figures and rolling stock, there was too much lumpen heavy-metal and tin still in the range, so it went!

These were the figures that 'replaced' the crystal boxes of Hornby, being already in the Triang oeuvre. Issued as painted or unpainted 'budget' sets in white, cream, or pink styrene in the case of the passengers and dinning car sets and white, cream, navy and blue-black for the train crew set, they are not that bad, looking a bit wooden though compared to the fluid movement and grace of the Hornby oppo's.

At one point painted passengers seem to have been glued to platform sets in the factory, but that may be a false conclusion based on my constantly finding them like that, any train fan know for certain? The contents of the Dinning-car set seem to be a bit of a movable feast, with three, four or five figures, sometimes one of each, sometimes one missing and/or [another pose] doubled-up. The seated train-driver in the crew set is similar but not the same as the chap we'll look at now below.

These run through from before the Hornby buy-out to the present day, have carried several codes, came with numerous steam locomotives (under the individual loco code), and in the last 30-odd years (of a +50-year reign) have usually been accompanied by some accessories, which vary according to the set or accompanying loco, but include some or all of: Brake Hoses, Lanterns (and 'Lantern Plates'?), Fire-box tools etc...

They have been packaged in tissue-paper, waxed-paper or cellophane envelopes, cellophane, heat-sealed or self-seal/click-shut polyethylene bags and carded blisters and have also been painted (earlier) and unpainted (later) in blue-black styrene and straight black. As a result they are impossible to fully itemise as a definitive list! The seated figure is- as I said - slightly different from the one in the stand alone crew set above and the two figures bottom left at the front are both, with the loco accessory on the left and the train crew set figure on the right.

On to other things...among the earlier experiments with plastic that Hornby were stating to explore as they (or their parent group) went under, were the horses - above left - for the horse-box wagons. Showing the O gauge one in a neutral grey and the OO gauge pair next to him, these were also included in road transport horse-box models from Dinky and Dinky-Dublo.

To the right of the horses is another long-lasting set of platform fittings and equipment that I think is still in the catalogue (occasionally?), early ones have a full Triang marking and code in/on the underside of the bigger pieces, the modern ones (paler green) are unmarked.

Below them is a really nice clip-together fence system marked Tri-ang, which I assume to be from the Model-Land range? Mine must be slightly lacking as I can't get it to make a prefect oblong! The shot bottom right is of a piece from the TT range, a cattle-loading dock, which makes a fine sheep-loading dock in HO/ or OO!

Can anyone help with this wheelbarrow? It's not the same as the Merit one, it's not Preiser or Merten, I'd love a name for it if anyone recognises it. It may be from a kit (Revell/Bachmann?) as there is clearly a wheel missing but no sign of glue, nor any locking mechanism for a free-runner?

Finally, the 'problem' figures...they're big, at about 27/29mm, they have a hollow base with an 00X code and 'ENGLAND' in raised lettering. I have only found 3 figures in 40-odd years, and only the two poses. I was finally told last weekend, that they 'may' be a last-minute Hornby thing, and while two separate sets of model railway dealers told me - they all made clear it was a very tentative identification.

If it is correct, that leaves two possibilities, one; that they are part of a larger set that replaced the 'crystal-box' set, or two; that the picture shows a complete 'pair' of train crew? Does anybody have any other idea or definitive proof either way? I used to think they might be Playcraft, but I learnt years ago that they imported the French Jouef figure sets.

 

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.

S is for Size, Scale, Ratio (with an 'r') and Gauge with a 'g'!

This image is a round-up of the articles which will appear above(for ease of reading in the western manor by 'page' scrollers in the future)  over the next few hours or days and represents a size comparison of the output of the companies/brands variously called Hornby-Dublo, Dublo-Dinky, Dinky Toys, Hornby Hobbies, Hornby Railways, Triang Railways, Tri-Ang Hornby, Battle-Space, Modelworld and Minic Motorways.

As you can see from the result of 80 years production with a continuous lineage, the debate about scale/size is a pretty pointless and fruitless way of wasting time!

From the left and in not very chronological order; sizes given from underside of base to top or approximate top of head.

Hornby Dublo/Dublo-Dinky, poured lead, 22.5mm or approximately 00 gauge
Hornby Dublo/Dublo-Dinky injection-moulded styrene plastic, 26mm (Schoolboy is 18.5mm)
Triang/Tri-Ang - Hornby, injection-moulded styrene plastic, 22mm
Triang/Tri-Ang - Hornby, injection-moulded styrene plastic, 25mm
Tri-ang Railways - Model-Land injection-moulded styrene plastic, 24mm
Hornby Hobbies/Hornby Railways, vinyl-rubber with propylene base, 21mm (also Hong Kong and Life-Like)
Tri-ang - Hornby Battle-Space, injection-moulded styrene plastic, 30mm
Hornby Hobbies/Hornby Railways, rigid ethylene plastic, 25.5mm
Most generations/Brands, injection-moulded styrene plastic, 21mm
[Believed to be] Hornby Dublo, injection-moulded ethylene plastic, 28.5mm 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.

This last one which will be covered in the posts above was tentatively confirmed as late Hornby Dublo at Sandown Park last weekend, by people who know more about trains than I do, it is believed they were only available for a short period before the Triang buyout, and would have replaced the 'crystal box' set of railway personnel who were a little smaller.

Missing are the 2nd and Third generations of the Battle-Space figures, 2nd generation were the same size, 3rd were slightly smaller and we looked at them here;

B is for Battle-Space and Blue Box

T is for Trains

Bit of a cheat this one 'cause most of them are more Triang, but there are some non-Triang among them. The one I really wanted to post I can't bloody find, despite going through most of my stuff twice in the last few days, hence no posts!! Have to save it for neverwhen!!

This is a Jouef/Playcraft low sided plank wagon, being prepared for the HaT Colonial Artillery (which - co-incidentally - was posted on the HaT forum yesterday, and it looks good), I started with Humbrol body-filler but it was a bit hard, so I painted it with liquid-poly cement and it went too soft! Finished up with terracotta Miliput and toothpicks for the cross-bracing. The bogie's have been removed so I can give the whole thing a military paint-job and Hornby couplings.

Behind is a Triang bogie-bolster wagon, which is another one you can build up with sand-bags, I may use this for the same colonial train, or use it to try and replicate the oft-reproduced picture of a 1939/40 era German train loaded with troops (I think it was originally from Signal, and is in all the Purnell/Pan/Ballentine part-works of the '70's), using the ridiculous Revell 'firing on my mates shoulder' posed MG42, and similar posed on wall MG34 from Italeri?

Another Jouef for Playcraft, this is the entry-level clockwork locomotive, which comes in a reasonable shade of military green, and if you buy an old one for 50p at a car-boot sale...it comes ready weathered!!!! I think the track may be Playcraft as well, but it might be Triang, as it's a piece of child-hood surviving stuff, and we had Triang clockworks not Playcraft.

Comparison between the two best loco's for a military marshaling yard, without the need for lots of repainting, although you can also use black 'GS' types with most armies.

T is for Triang Battle Space

Some more movements on the Triang rail network.

Here we have some regular wagons pressed into service to move some HQ elements up the coast from Alex, protection is provided by a 6lbr. travelling forward of the locomotive.

These trucks are on the early, non-military well-wagons, in grey, orange and blue, Triang would issue many variations of their rolling stock, with further variations coming from places like New-Zealand.

Khaki well-wagons with East-German armour moving up to their start positions for a race to the Fulda Gap!

The first incarnation of 'Battle Space' was in a British racing green NATO scheme, this is the helicopter launcher and the searchlight wagon, it's missing its little bits, but the light still works. The helicopter was a bit of fun, couldn't fly for toffee, no working tail rotor to keep it strait so it would spin off at a rakish angle and fly into the locomotive bringing the whole train to a catastrophic halt in the middle of the station, which is why the man with newspaper and bowler hat is always missing his feet, which were glued to the platform in the factory!

Khaki version of the helicopter launcher and 'plane launcher, I'm missing the 'plane, but most people are, unless you want to pay Monopoly money for a mint boxed version! I have the body as it was plastic, but the wings were card and have not passed the test of time.

T is for Triang (or Tri-Ang)

Both are correct, both were used on packaging. Well...what have we here? Another of my favourites, that's what! The beauty of having your own blog!!! Triang Battle Space, the best range of trains anyone ever had to run round the living-room floor!

I couldn't find the correct rocket for the rocket-launchers, until I'd taken the photo's and put everything away, so here is the correct missile, I have no idea what the other (yellow one in below shots) one was from! Crescent's Space Rocket

These are early issues, when the items were stand alone rolling stock, 'Battle Space' had not yet arrived as a concept, the first aid wagon is - I think - a guards or parcel carriage with a new paint job.

The sniper who pops up and down due to the action of a track-side accessory on a counterweight under the wagon, the same mechanism was used for the giraffe of which this is a khaki version of the same wagon.

This is the sniper wagon (I'm missing the roof) and the exploding wagon, again a track-side gizmo tripped a switch and the whole thing blew sky high.

Finally the khaki rocket-launcher and the Command Car, this was nothing more complicated than the travelling post-office in military colours, it would pick up and drop off post-bags...sorry, secret dispatches!

T is for Tractors

These are a few of my tractors, I have a soft spot for farm vehicles and figures, my fathers family have a farm near Retford in Nottingham and in the days before Health & Safety we spent many a holiday riding the grain trailers, running under the chaff-walkers of the combines and jumping out of the old Victorian loading stage into the grain mountain two stories below! I've also spent some time working farms in the past. This is the Paramount tractor, it came with various implements (which I will cover another day) and the figure is approximately 1:72, although the tractor is a bit big. These are by Jean and as can be seen, the tractor came in civil or military colouring. An added touch was the lifting bonnet (hood) which revealed a very basic engine for the farmer to work on! A selection of Hong Kong production with an old hay-turning rake-harrow and a tipping trailer. The little green one is the sort of thing that may have come with Kinder Eggs, not that I believe it did, it's small enough to have originated in a Christmas cracker? Behind is the Britains Lilliput Farm Tractor, with the nearly always missing driver, in front of which is the Hornby Dublo tractor, which never had a driver - as far as I know - being designed to be used as a load for rail flat-beds and low-loaders, or left parked around the marshalling yard! Finally a carded set of Hong Kong efforts, there is actually a piece missing from the bottom right, I suspect a trailer, and keep meaning to test fit my lose HK trailers to see if one fits. The yellow one above looks like a good candidate, but came with a completely different tractor, however such details mean nothing when dealing with HK output!