Post-war Hornby-Dublo and Trix couplings

[BernardTPM]

When Playcraft adopted them (circa 1963?) three of the four 00/H0 R-T-R ranges had the Simplex couplings. When Lima attempted Brtish H0 in the early 1970s they used the typical Continental rising loop coupligs. It wasn't until Mainline plumped for a plastic, sprung version of the tension lock that the type really became 'standard'.

[sagaguy]

In one of my parts drawers,i have a bag of playcraft couplings.They are similar to Dublo but not quite.They are a chunkier coupling with an extended vertical hook to stop uncoupling,a sort of cross between the later Dublo metal couplings and the Trix version.

 

                       Ray.

[Ruffnut Thorston]

20 hours ago, Pacific231G said:

I'm curious to know how many people are using these in preference to the tension-lock.

I use Kadees which have the same virtue of being able to lift a vehicle out of a train without any swearing. Tri-ang adoped the tension lock to avoid having to pay royalties for any of the patented couplers. This was a rather thuggish version of the LaNal coupler invented by Eric Lanal (the pen name of Dr. Alan Lake Rice) in the USA in the 1930s  and possibly developed from the coupler devised by H0 pioneer (though both 3.5mm/ft and 4mm/ft were then called 00) A.R. Walkley in 1925.

I went over to Tri-ang TT-3 from HD as a youngster and can remember being distinctly unimpressed by the enormous couplers that seemed as determined to get tangled together at any opportunity as the wretched hinged loop NEM standard coupler (the coupler not the coupler box)

I have come across the Pritchard coupler fitted to Hornby Acho and even some Jouef stock though in both cases it could easily be unscrewed and replaced wth the hinged loop type. 

Hornby Acho stock officially imported by Meccano UK and sold alongside Hornby Dublo was fitted with the standard Hornby Dublo (Peco type) couplings.

Possibly at Binns Road, or at the factory in France.

 

Jouef stock with Peco type couplings could very likely be stock that was officially imported and sold as Playcraft Railways.

Jouef were a major manufacturer of stock, Made In France  By Jouef For Playcraft Railways.

As well as British outline stock, some Continental stock was given stickers and / or transfers to pass for British stock.

Later, to increase the range at low cost, Continental stock with Continental identities was listed in the Playcraft catalogues, including the breakdown crane set, Kangerou road trailer transport wagon set, a version of The Orient Express, etc. and probably most loose locomotives, coaches, and wagons, were sold in Playcraft boxes.

 

Very early Playcraft stock had a type of Lanal hook couplings.

 

This was largely replaced by the Peco type, though Jouef did use the Lanal type on some stock for starter sets…

 

 

 

 

Edited December 10, 2021 by Ruffnut Thorston
Lanal Playcraft couplings added

[muir]

On 10/12/2021 at 09:42, sagaguy said:

Sidney Pritchard of Peco fame invented this coupling and offered it to Meccano ltd.Meccano  wanted to buy it but Pritchard held out for a royalty on each coupling they used.It appeared that Meccano paid Peco a half a pence in old money and with that,peco was founded.Trix tried to use the coupling but infringed the patent leading to a legal battle which Trix lost but came to an arrangement to be able to use it.It still remains today as the Peco simplex auto coupler.At least,when you want to take a vehicle out of a train,you don`t end up with a string of sausages like modern couplings.

                         Ray.

That's what I'm interested in: Sidney Pritchard must've invented it in the early to mid thirties at the latest, so why wait 10 years to show to meccano? Admittedly the war intervened, and possibly Mr Prichard wasn't aware of the imminent dublo launch. Guessing he was just waiting for the right time.

So if he invented it in the mid thirties and got the patent rights then I guess it was just patented in the UK only...

[locomad2]

Interesting I've also read somewhere that peco offered the coupling to Meccano as the "trade" ie manufacturer, but kept the rights to offer it "retail" apparently then the two were quite  separate entities. 

 

Also somewhere among "Model Engineer" bi weekly magazine in late 1940's there is a trade article about Hornby using a new coupling, patents etc must dig it out

[Il Grifone]

IIRC the Peco patent dates from the 1940s (1946?).  Dublo was relaunched in 1947 with the new coupling. 0-6-2T sets only and not many of those - rationing and raw material shortages, though they apparently had a stash of pre-war tinplate printed tinplate they'd hidden from the war effort. Perhaps as already manufactured parts the material was exempt?

Edited December 30, 2021 by Il Grifone

[muir]

It's not a brilliant piccy, but see the couplings on the 1938 American flyer equipment. I'm guessing that S C Prichards more complete ensemble with the uncoupling may have helped with a patent. Although his demonstration model had no provision for uncoupling IIRC?

[Il Grifone]

It could only have been the uncoupling feature. Trix could have won the case otherwise.