Trix AL1 (class 81)

[roythebus]

I used to have a small fleet of these at one time, maybe 5 or 6 durning the early 1980s, mostly built from the Locobuilder kits at £4/19/6d each. they were latterly used on the MRC's New Annington layout when that had OHLE. The locos ran remarkably well despite being over 20 years old in those days. One got sort of converted to an AL6 and never quite got finished as Hornby (Margate) had just done the 86.

 

Another was converted to an 85 which I may still have tucked away somewhere. The others got sold on as I left the New Annington layout for others to run.

 

One of the 81's was recently discovered and following a spot of oil on the turning round bits it worked! I now use hand-built track with C&L or Scaleway plain track. The AL1 sounded a bit rough and a quick inspection showed the traction tyres had deteriorated and may have caused the rough running. However, further investigation showed the flanges were too deep and were running on the chairs a lot of the time. We never had this problem on New Annington which also used fine scale bullhead rail, but soldered construction; the problem we had there was with the Lima cheesecutter wheels.

 

So the question is do I turn down the Trix flanges or replace the wheels? The flanges are nice and thin, but just too deep. It's a nice loco with a nice weathering job. I'll take some pics of it next time I'm in the railway room.

[roythebus]

Here's a couple of pics of my 81003 with added roof detail. It has a Kadee one end and a wire tension lock loop the other end. I love the Kadees but on New Annington we used tension locks. On modern traction we used a thin wire loop which meant we could get all the pipework on the front.

[sagaguy]

On 21/04/2020 at 22:09, roythebus said:

 

So the question is do I turn down the Trix flanges or replace the wheels? The flanges are nice and thin, but just too deep. It's a nice loco with a nice weathering job. I'll take some pics of it next time I'm in the railway room.

British Trix locos will run happily on code 100 rail.The wheels are finescale for the period that they were manufactured.Over the years,Finescale has come to mean just that,locos built today have much finer flanges.The only answer it seems is to remove the wheels & turn the flanges down but given the reasonable rarity of the model,i would reluctantly leave well alone.The only source of tyres that i know of is the TTRCA who can supply.The Trix model was not able to collect current from the overhead wire without a modification to the pantograph as in the pic .

[roythebus]

Yes I know they run fine on code 100 and code 75, and FS bullhead rail providing it's soldered track not chaired!

 

The original has 2 rivets on the roof and a hole where a wire popped though attached to a brass "insulator". This was the change-over from track to overhead pick-up.

 

The flanges are indeed quite fine, just a bit too deep!

 

dod you know Adrian Swain of ABS Models made the patterns for the bogie sideframes. m/any years ago when I was in his car there was one lying around on the dashboard. There were made too long so that Trix could use a standard motor bogie. But again, for the time, they were really super-detail.

 

I think with this particular model as it's already been modified a bit off the flanges won't detract from it too much.

 

[Dagworth]

I found that my ones suffered from zinc pest in the bogies, both mine now have Heljan internals. The over-long bogie side frames were cut down to the correct length.

 

Before I redid the undergubbins and added the roof tanks

 

Andi

[Gibbo675]

Hi Folks,

 

I do like a ROARER !!!

 

They take me back to the 1970's watching locomotive exchanges between the electrics and diesels at Preston. I was given a second hand Trix AL1 in electric blue with white roofs when I was about five and I loved it. Unfortunately the motor burned out a couple of years later and my dad gave it to his cousin to fix it, this never happened and it was lost to me for the next eight years. As soon as I got it back I re-bogied it with modified Hornby class 86 bogies and fitted Sommerfeldt pantographs both from Blackwells of Hawkwell. It was also repainted it into BR Blue and fitted Wills Flushglaze, just the thing for parcels trains or Freighltiners. A few years later I acquired several reproduction bodies from the Dapol stand at show which formed the base of my early electric fleet.

 

Should I pull my finger out and finish them I shall have five 81's, an 82, an 83, an 84 and two 85's which is more than enough. Below is a far as I have got in the last couple of years after getting back into toy trains again after nearly thirty years,

 

Refubished 81 015

 

Electric blue E3013

 

Refurbished 84 009

 

What will be refurbished 82 006

 

85 024 before fitting the glazing and the arrows.

 

Gibbo.

Edited April 24, 2020 by Gibbo675

[andyman7]

I have recently acquired (for more money than I'm sure its worth, but I've been after one of these for years) a late production post-1977 Liliput 1005 Class 81 with TOPS numbers. Regardless of the slightly dodgy yellow applied down to the bufferbeams, it's staying as made.

 

[sagaguy]

Yes,they are a nice model,i wanted mine to operate from the catenary so i had to modify the pantograph head,i don`t think it was ever intended to be operational.I received this Dublo version a couple of days ago,the yellow ends have been painted on but to a good standard but i can live with that.I`m waiting for a 3 rail collector assy,a very easy conversion as it`s the EMU chassis with a shorter connecting bar.

 

                    Ray.

[forest2807]

On 24/04/2020 at 19:18, Gibbo675 said:

Hi Folks,

 

I do like a ROARER !!!

 

They take me back to the 1970's watching locomotive exchanges between the electrics and diesels at Preston. I was given a second hand Trix AL1 in electric blue with white roofs when I was about five and I loved it. Unfortunately the motor burned out a couple of years later and my dad gave it to his cousin to fix it, this never happened and it was lost to me for the next eight years. As soon as I got it back I re-bogied it with modified Hornby class 86 bogies and fitted Sommerfeldt pantographs both from Blackwells of Hawkwell. It was also repainted it into BR Blue and fitted Wills Flushglaze, just the thing for parcels trains or Freighltiners. A few years later I acquired several reproduction bodies from the Dapol stand at show which formed the base of my early electric fleet.

 

Should I pull my finger out and finish them I shall have five 81's, an 82, an 83, an 84 and two 85's which is more than enough. Below is a far as I have got in the last couple of years after getting back into toy trains again after nearly thirty years,

 

Refubished 81 015

 

Electric blue E3013

 

Refurbished 84 009

 

What will be refurbished 82 006

 

85 024 before fitting the glazing and the arrows.

 

Gibbo.

Any chance you could give us a guide to producing the bodyside grilles on the 82?

[Darius43]

I think this is a great model locomotive and it stands up well against models of today.  I have modified a few with new pantographs and roof details etc. 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers

 

Darius

 

 

Edited July 6, 2020 by Darius43

[Gibbo675]

7 hours ago, forest2807 said:

Any chance you could give us a guide to producing the bodyside grilles on the 82?

Hi Forest,

 

I cut strips of .040" plasticard slightly wider than needed and as long as all the grilles required and then I use either a junior hacksaw or razor saw blade to score the ribs of the grilles into the plasticard. When scoring the plasticard hold the edge of the plasticard against a straight edge and use that edge to guide the end of the saw blade.

Light pressure and plenty of passes works best as if you press too hard then the grilles go a bit wobbly, once the effect is created I just cut them to size and let them into the body sides.

 

The grilles with a rib around them were made by first cementing a strip of .010" around the perimeter of the hole in the body side and then letting the grille into that later on.

 

The blow photographs will shew what I did:

 

Class 82.

 

Class 84.

 

Gibbo.

[forest2807]

Thanks Gibbo, that is very useful/helpful.

 

[Silverfox17]

11 hours ago, sagaguy said:

Yes,they are a nice model,i wanted mine to operate from the catenary so i had to modify the pantograph head,i don`t think it was ever intended to be operational.I received this Dublo version a couple of days ago,the yellow ends have been painted on but to a good standard but i can live with that.I`m waiting for a 3 rail collector assy,a very easy conversion as it`s the EMU chassis with a shorter connecting bar.

 

                    Ray.

My Trix one bought new worked from OHLE with a wired insulator on the roof to plug in two small eyelets, one for the track and the other for catenary. 

 

Garry 

[David_Belcher]

The Trix AL1 started as a Liliput item (and of course later ended up back in their hands!), originally sold in the UK through Miniature Construction of London IIRC. It was announced not long after the real ones started to roll out from the Smethwick works, so for a 60-ish year old model it stands up extremely well.

 

Also, unlike a lot of Trix of that era it's bona fide 1:76, rather than their inbetweeny 3.8mm/ft scale.

 

David

[andyman7]

I have the box (but not the model) for the original Liliput/Miniature Construction version

 

[roythebus]

One of mine must have been an original Lilliput model as it has different wheels. 

 

As I may have mentioned earlier, the late Adrian Swain of ABS Models made the patterns for the bogie sideframes for this model.

 

The fleet we used on New Annington had working pantographs, but not for current collection.

[andyman7]

I have managed to obtain what I think was the last Liliput UK catalogue produced - is is a series of catalogue sheets stapled together and comes with a 1986 price list. 

[GoingUnderground]

When the AL1 was introduced it wasn't originally a Trix model, but a Miniature Construction Limited model as has already been said. I believe this is an original MCL or at least a pre-redesigned Trix model, judging by the pantographs, which are unlike any others that I've seen on the Trix AL1, the raised BR totem, the silver grey roof, cab roof and window surround colour, and the lack of any mounting points for the Trix centre rail pickup.

 

 

 

It was made to 1:76 not Trix's half way house of 3.8mm:1ft, because it wasn't designed by Trix but by Ernest Rozsa and made and partly assembled by Liliput for his company, MCL, who imported the model into the UK and did the final assembly in the UK reduced the import duties. it was introduced in 1960. Rozsa/MCL was the UK agent for Liliput, and when he joined British Trix in 1961, he took the AL1 and his agencies with him.

 

When British Trix folded in the UK in the early '70s, Rozsa set up his own business again and took back the AL1 and the Liliput Austria agency. His new business, Liliput model Railways (UK) included the agencies for Vollmer and Kibri as well as Liliput.

 

 

 

[Philou]

I'm surprised that mention was made above saying that the panto didn't work as both my E3001s (Blue/White and Blue/FYE) do pick up from the overhead via the moveable plug on the roof. My first one, the B/W, worked so well that I cut a groove in the panto contact blades and had to get replacements from Trix in Wrexham. Well, how was I to know that the contact wire is staggered over the rail centre-line (as any fule 'no) all those years ago? Still have a number of the original Trix post and arms.

 

Here they are with two more modern counterparts (that are definitely getting on as well):

 

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

[andyman7]

1 hour ago, GoingUnderground said:

When the AL1 was introduced it wasn't originally a Trix model, but a Miniature Construction Limited model as has already been said. I believe this is an original MCL or at least a pre-redesigned Trix model, judging by the pantographs, which are unlike any others that I've seen on the Trix AL1, the raised BR totem, the silver grey roof, cab roof and window surround colour, and the lack of any mounting points for the Trix centre rail pickup.

 

 

 

It was made to 1:76 not Trix's half way house of 3.8mm:1ft, because it wasn't designed by Trix but by Ernest Rozsa and made and partly assembled by Liliput for his company, MCL, who imported the model into the UK and did the final assembly in the UK reduced the import duties. it was introduced in 1960. Rozsa/MCL was the UK agent for Liliput, and when he joined British Trix in 1961, he took the AL1 and his agencies with him.

 

When British Trix folded in the UK in the early '70s, Rozsa set up his own business again and took back the AL1 and the Liliput Austria agency. His new business, Liliput model Railways (UK) included the agencies for Vollmer and Kibri as well as Liliput.

 

 

 

Yes, that's a Miniature Construction one, the large moulded emblem on the side is another giveaway. See further up for the box, which was an (early) Liliput one with typed end labels. The bodies were apparently mouled at the Lego factory in Wrexham.

[GoingUnderground]

1 hour ago, andyman7 said:

Yes, that's a Miniature Construction one, the large moulded emblem on the side is another giveaway. See further up for the box, which was an (early) Liliput one with typed end labels. The bodies were apparently mouled at the Lego factory in Wrexham.

Thank you for confirming that it is an MCL model.

 

But I think you're wrong about the bodies of the MCL models being made by Courtaulds in Wrexham. During 1962, the models were bought in by Trix from MCL. Courtaulds didn't have any involvement with Trix until 1963, when they bought the Trix company thinking it would be a good fit with their toy interests which included manufacturing Lego. The tooling remained with Liliput in Austria until 1964, when Courtaulds bought it from Liliput and presumably moved it to Wrexham, by which time the AL1 had been a "Trix" model for 2 years.

 

Your Liliput box says made in Britain because final assembly was in Britain, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if that typed end label was added by MCL themselves. As Tony Matthewman (The Trix 'Pat Hammond') says "The model was initially manufactured to a partially-finished state in Austria by Lliput..and imported by.. Miniature Construction... The model was completed on the premises of Miniature Construction by adding two simplified working versions of the Stone Faiveley pantographs and by a general adjustment of the locomotive to give a more efficient performance." That would have been enough to qualify as "Made in Britain".

[sagaguy]

Trix AL1s will operate from the catenary but not Trix catenary,the pantographs catch on the clips that locate the wire on the mast.I have no doubt that it will work with Sommerfeldt or Peco catenary.The pantograph on the locos is not one of the best,won`t lock down & on one of my locos,stuck up in the air.I`ve replaced it with a Sommerfeldt 968 pantograph,much more positive.I know,i didn`t line it up with the centre of the mounting pad,this will be rectified now that i know how to remove the motor bogie easily.

Edited August 20, 2020 by sagaguy

[Philou]

I don't know what happened with your catenary, but my AL1s ran happily using the Trix overhead - albeit having tweaked the clip in order to minimise any catching. I seem to recall flattening the underside slightly. My Fleischmann SNCF BB 13000 ran under it too!

 

Regarding the locking down of the panto, I recall it to be a friction fit between the underside of the panto pick up and the base. I had the same problem yesterday with the B/W one having taken it out of the cabinet and touched for the first time in 5 years! I think it may have something to do with our current heatwave though.

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

Edited August 21, 2020 by Philou

[roythebus]

On the locos we used on New Annington all had Trix pantographs. We even fitted a couple of Hornby 86s with them. None gave any trouble. All could be clipped down if adjusted properly. A couple of the Lima 87s had scratch-built willis Brecknock pans, they worked as well.

 

[Darius43]

Three Trix AL1s recently refurbished.

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers

 

Darius