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Who made it ? Diecast N2


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Lone Star,(DCMT-Die cast machine tools)were the manufacturers of Treblo lectric trains,firstly push along then motorised.Gaiety loco bodies were produced by Castle Arts products in Birmingham.

 

Have a look here>/www.binnsroad.co.uk/railways/gaiety/index.html

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Definitely the Gaiety version. Two clues are the embossed lettering and number (coincidently? the same as Dublo's LMS liveried tank) and the horizontally mounted 5 pole motor with pickups made of wire wrapped around the brushholders (The same chassis as the pannier). Originally black all over, it appeared in various colors as a push along toy. Many years ago, I purchased a green one in BHS in Plymouth for 3/6d. Eccentrically, she had a rigid 2-4-0 chassis with large driving wheels.

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Matt black AFAIK. Mine is for certain. I'll post a picture, if I can find which box she's in.

 

As regards the Budgie 0-6-0T. This was available for years (4/6d comes to mind) and all the ones I have seen were red, though I have read of a green version. The wheels were set to a narrower gauge than 00. Youthful attempts to regauge one failed miserably. It is also rather crude*. The Gaiety pannier is good in comparison.

 

*As you can see here:-

http://essexmodelsan...uk/blog/?cat=23

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I had one of the Budgie locos but haven't a clue what happened to it. I can remember having it when we lived in London but not after we moved in '65. I suspect it was thrown away in the removals clear out!

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I believe Triang picked up this body casting in the early years & fitted a clockwork mech.to it.

 

Ray.

 

Actually, the Tri-ang Clockwork loco was a version of the "Trackmaster" loco. Lines Bros, bought the tooling for the Trackmaster loco, and the open wagon and van (To become the long lived R.10 and R.11 (etc.) wagons.

 

The 0-6-2 was made by Gaiety, Trackmaster/ Tri-ang, and Hornby Dublo (and later a modern plastic version by several names...)

 

On another note, the Hattons Pannier tank was a Gaiety body on either a Tri-ang 0-6-0 (R.52 Jinty, etc.) or a Hornby Dublo R1 chassis.

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I've got both Hornby Dublo and Tri-Ang (Trackmaster) N2 bodies (well a whole HD one actually for a 1970s 56xx project!) and the Trackmaster version is much the better, both crisper and more accurate than the, admittedly slightly older, HD one.

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Actually, the Tri-ang Clockwork loco was a version of the "Trackmaster" loco. Lines Bros, bought the tooling for the Trackmaster loco, and the open wagon and van (To become the long lived R.10 and R.11 (etc.) wagons.

 

The 0-6-2 was made by Gaiety, Trackmaster/ Tri-ang, and Hornby Dublo (and later a modern plastic version by several names...)

 

On another note, the Hattons Pannier tank was a Gaiety body on either a Tri-ang 0-6-0 (R.52 Jinty, etc.) or a Hornby Dublo R1 chassis.

 

 

 

Of course,getting my Trackmaster & gaiety mixed up.In Pat Hammonds Vol.1,rhe loco was R51 but it was also included in a set with loco,wagons & track although its not easy to recognise the track from the illustration.This would be around the early 1950`s.In Micheal Fosters` book on Hornby Dublo,there is a line up of HD 0-6-2 tanks with the Pyramid & Gaiety models side by side,very similar!!

 

 

Ray.

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  • 2 months later...

The Trackmaster tank came in a set (I was given one, but it came to an unfortunate end) and consisted of the locomotive, some die-cast track making up an oval and IIRC 3 wagons - van and 2 opens). The tank was lettered 'BRITISH RAILWAYS' in yellow and the wagons GW or NE in grey or bauxite as appropriate on a mazak casting representing a 9' 6" wheelbase wooden underframe with crown plates and grease boxes. Later Tri-ang incarnations were less conscientious with colours, mixing grey and bauxite and adding green and white. The underframe became cruder as time went on becoming a really dreadful plastic horror. Regrettably the bodies were moulded in acetate and all survivors exhibit warping to a lesser or greater degree. In particular the Tri-ang roofs suffer distortion.

 

I'm still looking for a replacement loco. My two requirements of cheap and reasonable condition seem hard to satisfy. After all, I paid £7 for my latest Dublo N2. It did take a while to remove all the thick paint however and she's now green*. (Originally a black LMS version I believe - the inside is black and the small windows and 'Hornby' on the smokebox suggest 1949 -1952. The motor is a later replacement from a BR version - large diameter crankpins - so no use for dating.

 

I'm undecided whether to paint her in GNR livery and fit (or ignore) the condensing pipes or as the N2 which was actually painted green. (I forget the number, but have a photo.) I might even correct the cab shape as there is a moulding flaw on one side resulting in a large swelling, (but maybe not as Dublo mazak is very hard!).

 

Sorry for waffling on and I will try and remember the Gaiety photo.

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The Trackmaster tank came in a set (I was given one, but it came to an unfortunate end) and consisted of the locomotive, some die-cast track making up an oval and IIRC 3 wagons - van and 2 opens). The tank was lettered 'BRITISH RAILWAYS' in yellow and the wagons GW or NE in grey or bauxite as appropriate on a mazak casting representing a 9' 6" wheelbase wooden underframe with crown plates and grease boxes.

 

A bit like this one?

 

TRACKMASTERTRAINSETBOXTOPandset6MODCROPBEST.jpg

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  • 1 year later...

There was also this 'N2' body advertised by Taylor & McKenna in Feb '54.  I'm sure I've also seen some editorial about it in a '53 magazine which says it 'resembles' an N2!  It at least does have a correct number.

 

Also below is an advert for a motorised Gaiety (I suppose) Pannier with an interesting chassis that features a 'plug-in' motor.  This could be a very useful idea for testing a chassis under construction.  The price seems slightly higher than the ones offered by Hattons et al.  Advertised by Cherry's Northern.  Presumably related to Cherry's in the South?

 

Plus an advert  in April 51 for Trackmaster parts that didn't include 'strategic' metals.

post-807-0-45241400-1381590553_thumb.jpg

post-807-0-80333200-1381590624_thumb.jpg

post-807-0-79502800-1381590907_thumb.jpg

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Matt black AFAIK. Mine is for certain. I'll post a picture, if I can find which box she's in.

 

As regards the Budgie 0-6-0T. This was available for years (4/6d comes to mind) and all the ones I have seen were red, though I have read of a green version. The wheels were set to a narrower gauge than 00. Youthful attempts to regauge one failed miserably. It is also rather crude*. The Gaiety pannier is good in comparison.

 

*As you can see here:-

http://essexmodelsan...uk/blog/?cat=23

I had a Budgie Jinty, I'd completely forgotten about it until now. I beleive mine was new to me and I wasn't born until 75 so it must have been a long lived toy
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Taylor & McKenna's N2 looks like the Tri-ang one, which would explain the plugged keyhole in the tank.

 

The motor in the Gaiety pannier looks like the original Gaiety one. The Gaiety chassis exists in several variations (none particularly good).

 

I'll see what I can dig out and post - I still haven't found my Gaiety N2, but I now have another.)

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I had a Budgie Jinty, I'd completely forgotten about it until now. I beleive mine was new to me and I wasn't born until 75 so it must have been a long lived toy

 

The Budgie Jinty was still on sale in WH Smith's kiosk on Brighton Station in the late 1970s, as was the same manufacturer's London Bus (and possibly a black cab?).

 

The Great British Souvenir market prolonged their life. (You could also buy "London" Postcards in Brighton! :scratchhead: )

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Taylor & McKenna's N2 looks like the Tri-ang one, which would explain the plugged keyhole in the tank.

 

The motor in the Gaiety pannier looks like the original Gaiety one. The Gaiety chassis exists in several variations (none particularly good).

 

I'll see what I can dig out and post - I still haven't found my Gaiety N2, but I now have another.)

 

Hi David...

 

The running number is the same as the Trackmaster loco in the set, and the lettering certainly doesn't look cast-in.

 

So, very likely a Trackmaster Body.

 

The Gaitey  Chassis were a bit of a work of art...Castle Arts?

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