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Oooh...shiny things!


Guest spet0114
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Guest spet0114

Having seen the photos of the new, uber-expensive A4/Dyno coach set from Locomotion, I was struck how many locos with a glossy finish Hornby are putting out these days.

It then put me in mind of the period during the early-mid 70's, when Triang-Hornby (later Hornby) had a similar 'glossy' period and we saw a number of old favourites in shiny, laquered finishes. This co-incided with the introduction of Nickel-tyred wheels and produced, to my mind, a very attractive batch of models. Over the years, I've been accumulating a small collection of them. It's worth noting that the 'shiny' treatment wasn't given to all models - for example we (sadly) never saw Flying Scotsman so attired.  

First up - the Caledonian single. This was available in this form for a short period around 1973. Apart from the slightly oddly-shaped funnel, I think this is probably the most attractive release for this perennial product. (Apologies for the slightly out-of-focus photo).

 

S1.jpg

Next, the L1. Available around 1972 (you can find them in both Triang-Hornby and Hornby boxes), this was one of only two appearances for this loco before the moulds were sacrificed to produce the mediocre LMS 2P. Such a shame as it's a really nice loco and the gloss makes it look beautiful.

 

S2.jpg

Finally (for the moment) the good old industrial tank in the attractive SDJR-esque livery. It was a latecomer to the party, released between 1976 and 77. So far, the final appearance for this loco - I often wonder if the moulds have survived and Hornby will one day issue an updated version. One can but hope...

 

S3.jpg

Other locos that fit into the 'shiny' category are the short Princess (in LMS livery), Evening Star and the Lord of the Isles. The latter is a bit of a doubtful inclusion as the pony wheels were (as far as I can tell), not given nickel tyres. Maybe in time I'll add one of these to the collection.

 

S4.jpg

Ok, that's enough of my ramblings.

Cheers
Adrian

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Guest spet0114

 

Two more shiny ones, Sir Dinadin and LNER tank:

 

Regards
Fred

 

 

Sir Dinadan is definitely on my 'to-get' list. Didn't know the LNER tank got given the treatment. It's now on the list! :-)

 

Also, the M7 in it's 245 guise - completes the trio of shiny southern locos.

Edited by spet0114
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I plan on doing a proper N15 as Sir Dinadan one day. Just to make up for the atrocity than Hornby committed. :)

 

 

Another "glossy" one I can definitely remember was 70013 Oliver Cromwell.

 

Possibly the last version of 4983 Albert Hall as well, before it changed to Kneller Hall which was dull.

 

 

 

Jason

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Poor Sir Dinadan, the N15 that dare not speak its name!

 

Its nice to see the Triang 3F tender behind Sir D and the L1...

 

One wouldn't expect Tri-ang to make a new tender, when they already have one!  :)

 

To be fair, it's more like the Southern tenders than the Midland one it was supposed to be. (As in nothing like....)

 

The shiny effect is a matter of taste, but, since it came courtesy of a thick layer of varnish, I'd rather not.

 

I would agree the model is better as an L1 than a stretched 2P. (The exta 2mm on the coupled wheelbase really shows.)

Edited by Il Grifone
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  • 2 weeks later...

The M7 was available shiny, and to my mind looked particularly awful, because the plastic seemed almost translucent ..... it looked as if it was made from wax (I think that technically some plastics are cross-linked wax, but that's not what I mean). Even at the time, as a mere yoof, I thought it looked b.....y terrible.

 

This ebay listing makes it look less horrible than it does in reality https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tri-ang-Hornby-M7-Tank-0-4-4-SR-Locomotive-Green-number-R868A-Southern-328/263825002437?hash=item3d6d320fc5:g:6DQAAOSwt5Balc9H

 

More broadly, I quite like shiny when done well, which the triang ones definitely weren't, especially black locos, however unrealistic it is.

Edited by Nearholmer
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I forgot I have a shiny Southern Railway L1 and M7 too*. The shiny phase didn't last long. it was probably one of those things that seemed to be a good idea at the time! They soon dropped it (after they got the bill for the varnish?)

 

* I've also an N15, but she had received a coat of matt green paint before I acquired her.

Edited by Il Grifone
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Here's the GWR 8750 pannier tank in shiny finish along with a Jinty in a funny red colour*.

 

 

In reply to a couple of the comments:

 

Yes the real thing was shiny ex works (even in BR days) but it didn't last long and

 

coal is shiny (especially anthracite) and was usually kept wet to keep the dust down.

 

The model is not bad but suffers from the use of the standard Tri-ang chassis**.

 

*I suppose it's supposed to be crimson....

This might have been carried when she was built in 1926 (very unlikely, but it is a toy and children are supposed to like colours - I would have been most upset to discover it was incorrect!), but not post 1934 when she carried this number. It should be 16something (couldn't be bothered to work it out!) and have LMS in a panel on the bunker.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LMS_Fowler_Class_3F#/media/File:LMS_0-6-0T_3F_locomotive,_16564_(CJ_Allen,_Steel_Highway,_1928).jpg

 

** Wrong wheelbase (even for a Jinty), 2mm too high and far too many wheel spokes for a start and why did they put the coupling rod joint in the leading section when on most locomotives it was in the rear section? (15 for a Jinty (corrected in later models) and 14 for a 8750).

 

Perhaps one shouldn't be too pedantic about a Tri-ang Hornby model!

Edited by Il Grifone
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I think the Ivatt Class 2 appeared after the gloss mania had passed. (I could be wrong, as I haven't checked.) She didn't interest me at the time, as I was into EM 1920s GWR back then and the model isn't one of Hornby's better efforts anyway.

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  • 4 weeks later...

The real tenders were flush riveted I believe not welded, not that you can see the difference. i don't know why they bothered with the rivets in the first place as the 3F tender didn't have them (It's actually closer to a 4F tender, but it was probably easier to model). They could just as easily have made a model of a 4F in any case.

Incidently the 3F 43775 had already been scrapped when Tri-ang produced their model of her. The choice of a different number could have been one with 4' 11" wheels which would have been a bit less underscale.

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I think the Ivatt Class 2 appeared after the gloss mania had passed. (I could be wrong, as I haven't checked.) She didn't interest me at the time, as I was into EM 1920s GWR back then and the model isn't one of Hornby's better efforts anyway.

The Ivatt Class 2 I have is what I'd describe as a matt "soapy" green, but at least the motion and wheels are shiny...  The one in black looked a little better!

 

The one thing about its mechanism is that because it has an X04, it goes on for ever!

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  • 3 weeks later...

I just bought myself a shiny Southern liveried L1.  I'm not too sure why....

Given the width of the driver tyres, you wanted a steamroller?  :jester:

 

My L1 is a very old, battered BR Green example, with very unshiny wheels.  Its an almost authentic end-of-steam representation....

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That's one of the disadvantages of the shiny wheels. When they went to open spokes very early in the 1960s they made the wheels a bit finer than they had been in the '50s, but when those same wheels got shiny tyres they showed how far out they still were. Quite apart from the gloss laquer that's one reason I prefer the '60s models to the '70s ones.

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It seems strange that both Hornby Dublo and Tri-ang (00 and TT) did issue locos for a time in gloss but I don't remember seeing Marklin etc doing it. It could be because I was never interested in foreign ones and that only one shop in York had a little Marklin in that I remember. It is nice to have the odd one as an ex works loco, in fact only today I have sprayed two locos with a gloss finish. I will say it is not often I leave the smokebox gloss though preferring to give that a satin finish as here with a Dublo Castle or a TT King.

Garry

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Edited by Golden Fleece 30
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