Hornby DUBLO PULLMANS - variations in batches - any significance?

[TEAMYAKIMA]

The widow of one of our members of Twickenham & District MRC has donated a load of Hornby DUBLO Pullman cars.

 

I have been tasked to sell them on ebay - having first spruced them up to look their best!

 

I've noticed variations between apparently identical coaches - mainly two styles of bogies and slightly different shades of cream …………….

 

 

 

but also we have one odd brake coach with a load more lining ……………………….

 

 

Obviously I want to get the best price for Twickenham club - what is the significance of these variations and does it effect their value?

Edited September 6, 2019 by TEAMYAKIMA

[sncf231e]

Hornby Dublo introduced Pullman cars in 1961. These plastic cars have interior. The cars are 23 cm long, which is a bit short for their scale of 1:76. Hornby Dublo made 3 different cars:

·       Aries first class with kitchen, catalogue number 4035

·       Car No 74 second class, catalogue number 4036

·       Car No 79 second class brake, catalogue number 4037

From 61-63 they used Gresley bogies and from 63-65 BR bogies.

I assume your car no 70 has numbering and lining changed by a previous owner.

Regards

Fred

[Il Grifone]

The Gresley bogies are equalised and indicate an earlier example of the car, whereas the BR type are rigid and indicate a later example. Hornby Dublo cars only carry the numbers '74' for the 2nd class saloon and '79' for the brake/2nd, but the Wrenn reissues can have other numbers. Wrenn cars usually have the Tri-ang tension lock, but this could be substituted with the Dublo type.

The third car looks like a Wrenn example to me, but it will be marked underneath. There will be an indication where the mould was modified to remove the Dublo name! The Wrenn cream is usually darker (more yellow) than the Dublo and they made alterations to the lining.

It could have been renumbered/lined by a previous owner as stated, but this will detract from the value (collectors like original!), or it could even be a Wrenn body on a Dublo chassis. They screw together so are easy to dismantle. Take care to not lose the spacers around the securing screws. These serve to prevent the body being tightened too far onto the chassis and easily fall out and lose themselves.

 

The cars aren't especially valuable  - usually £10-20 (the presence of the box will increase this considerably). Damage (the missing dropper for example) will decrease the value. Even a slight mark will knock 10-20% off the mint value (as quoted in price guides) A poor example about 10% of this. About 50% of the mint/boxed price is for the box (yes really!  ). Again condition is all important.

AFAIK there is no great difference in value between the various versions, but Wrenn is a bit of a minefield here.

Edited September 6, 2019 by Il Grifone

[locomad2]

Interesting as a set of Pullman cars I've got has been  continuously been on several layouts over the last 50 years, all purchased at the same time, 3 belong to the barnstaple set. Once they all were the same shade, now all different, some got lighter some got darker, one or two have different shades each side. All have been in darken rooms no sunlight, but assume even natural light fades them, also wonder if LED light has any effect as noticed it's more prominent recently or it could just be age at 56 years

[Il Grifone]

LED light does tend to be more  blue, but whether this actually promotes fading I don't know. The cars probably come from different batches and could have different paint composition.