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Best value for money models ever made


Jinty7109fan
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I well remember reading a Railway Modeller magazine of the time, announcing that

Triang- Hornby were introducing a range of pre- nationalisation coaches.

Being primarily a coaching stock enthusiast, I was naturally very excited that the days

of MK 1 based Thompsons and Caledonian coaches might at last be over.

But imagine my horror when the new range hit the shelves to find that the SR coaches

were Collets painted green, albeit with a different roof, and the rest of the range were

pretty awful too.

 

How things have moved on !.

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Chapter and verse, Sarah, and you've stirred some childhood memories.  I had Ruth (I mean the Pullman, not the girl my sister used to knock around with; her standards were a bit higher than me and who can blame her).  The 10" sleeping car and buffet car were originally, correctly, only offered in lined maroon as they were not introduced as prototypes until after 1956 and never carried crimson/cream.  I'd forgotten about Triang's maroon/cream livery.  Can't remember if the buffet was ever offered in green, or if this would have been correct for it; I don't think the Southern Region had any.

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4 hours ago, The Johnster said:

Chapter and verse, Sarah, and you've stirred some childhood memories.  I had Ruth (I mean the Pullman, not the girl my sister used to knock around with; her standards were a bit higher than me and who can blame her).  The 10" sleeping car and buffet car were originally, correctly, only offered in lined maroon as they were not introduced as prototypes until after 1956 and never carried crimson/cream.  I'd forgotten about Triang's maroon/cream livery.  Can't remember if the buffet was ever offered in green, or if this would have been correct for it; I don't think the Southern Region had any.

 

I used to have one of those 'short' buffet car, and in green. I remember it being bought by my mother, in 1964-5. It was either Gamages or Hamleys.

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10 hours ago, trevor7598 said:

My vote for a good value for money model would have to go to Hornby's

Thompson 01 2-8-0. At £98-99 from Rails of Sheffield, I think this is Excellent value.

 The loco runs very sweetly, and is ready to help out my  Bachmann WD's on long coal trains.

P1400363.JPG

 

Ah yes I'd forgotten that gem, currently for sale at good low prices  and it looks great weathered too, although perhaps not quite in the 'brown dust up to the waist' style done in the factory weathered version of a few years ago.

 

Here below is an aftermarket weathered version I bought, and they were great engines on 'windcutters', preferred by crews to Stanier 8Fs.  A Thompson success story!

 

63890_01_portrait1_1abc_Img_3363abc_r1800.jpg.872b126918af0c6250e903bbd2ad704e.jpg

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8 hours ago, The Johnster said:

Chapter and verse, Sarah, and you've stirred some childhood memories.  I had Ruth (I mean the Pullman, not the girl my sister used to knock around with; her standards were a bit higher than me and who can blame her).  The 10" sleeping car and buffet car were originally, correctly, only offered in lined maroon as they were not introduced as prototypes until after 1956 and never carried crimson/cream.

 

That didn't stop Tri-ang releasing the RMB buffet car in crimson and cream though...it was only the sleeping car that escaped that.

 

8 hours ago, The Johnster said:

 I'd forgotten about Triang's maroon/cream livery.  Can't remember if the buffet was ever offered in green, or if this would have been correct for it; I don't think the Southern Region had any.

 

Yes, the 10 inch  RMB Buffet Car was released in SR green livery.

 

I can't help it, I am a bit of a Tri-ang enthusiast...

 

I have read a good few books...

 

Memories....glad to have stirred up some good ones. :)

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18 hours ago, The Johnster said:

… the girl my sister used to knock around with; her standards were a bit higher than me and who can blame her …

She can’t have been interested in railways. I think you had a lucky escape. She probably married an accountant and spent the rest of her life in prosperous boredom. (Apologies to any accountants who read this.)

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On 17/03/2020 at 14:13, Tim V said:

The one I remember being exceptionally good value was the Triang/Hornby converter wagon - it had a tension lock at one end and a buckeye at the other. It was less than half the price of their ordinary wagons.

A friend of mine back when those wagons were in the shops, in the 1960s, told me that people were buying two of them and coupling them so they still had tension locks at either end.  In other words, they didn't really need converter wagons but it was a great way of getting two for the price of one.  Admittedly we were just kids back then so quite how my friend knew I can't say, but I'm sure that some folk did it.  

My vote would go for the Hornby Maunsell coaches when they were released.  Twenty-two pounds for something with incredible detail and lining.  If I recall, they were released around the same time as the Gresley Teaks and those, if memory serves me well, cost something like fifty percent or maybe even seventy five percent more. 

I bought three of the Maunsells at a shop my friend owned.  He said he would knock a bit off but when he rang them up in the till he charged me full price.  My other friend whispered, "He said he'd give you a discount."  I showed him one of the coaches telling him that I thought twenty-two pounds for a coach of this calibre was excellent value for money anyway. 

I also have a Railroad Falcon A4.  Fifty-seven pounds that at the time was forty pounds or so cheaper than the 'standard' one, yet exactly the same in every single way (same chassis, motor, etc) apart from lacking a bit of cosmetic prettiness.  

Steve.

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With previous posts here agreeing that the Hornby Railroad Hall class has been at times sold at very low prices I set about finding one new or second hand, and came up with R3499 'Helmingham Hall' late BR green from a local retailer,  

 

Lovely...  runs smooth as silk.

  

don't mention green, I like it.  Cost a little more than UKP50,  Photo unedited but stack-focussed and de-saturated a tad, tricky lighting mix of reading lamp and adjacent window.

 

Img_4614abcd_r1800a.jpg.67da98fafacbdd7c6fbc3cc3d744ca6a.jpg

 

Hope to receive an R3205 main range Rood Ashton at some time in the future for comparison. There is one on its way but delivery is anybody's guess.  Not complaining at all, 

 

Cheers

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and the conventional catalogue view.   

 

I imagine Bachmann Halls can be bought quite cheaply these days too...

 

6947_hall_Img_4624abcde_r1800.jpg.f99a905193f290fd0a038db38c11f2c7.jpg

 

more pics on 'Best Ever' thread...

Edited by robmcg
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