Triang L1 4-4-0

[Prometheus]

Updating this venerable model has been a project at the back of my mind for a very long time. Obtaining one to work on was another matter altogether though and they have become expensive items. I managed to acquire a 'spares or repair' for £24.99 however and Blandford1969 provided me with a Bachmann N Class tender at an extremely reasonable price [for which many thanks, Duncan].

 

After the titanic struggle I had with Talgarth Hall, a Finescale kit, this provided a delightful and pretty much stress-free project. The intention was not to produce a finescale model but, rather, something which updated the original and so would not look out of place alongside more modern offerings.

 

The build blog is here for those who have little else to do:

 

https://srmg.org.uk/50-years-on-updating-the-triang-maunsell-l1-class-loco

 

...otherwise, some photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tony

 

[Blandford1969]

That really looks the business Tony, glad to help with the tender. i still have quite a few Southern tenders and no real use for them. They may ask silly prices on Ebay, but it does not mean they actually sell.

 

You asked about where the fire irons were stored. If you have a look at this gallery on 31618 the tender shows a bar sticking up on which the fire irons would go over, https://www.derekhayward.co.uk/BluebellRailway-1/Locomotives/Locomotives-not-currently-in-s/1618/i-bpzqMB2/A

 

As for spare lamp brackets, sorry I don't know. The GW had their spare brackets on the running plate and the LMS tenders had brackets on the tender. Not sure on the SR, but someone is bound to know. 

 

Best wishes

Duncan

[Prometheus]

I did wonder about those uprights on the tender Duncan. It may be too late to retro-fit now, but I'll see [I actually have that moulding from an N Class tender in my bits box].

 

Tony

[5050]

When I was a lad I was the proud owner of one of the first batch of L1's.  At the time it was groundbreaking in that it had see-through spoke wheels and was a (relatively) 'scale' RTR 4-4-0 - as distinct to the Trix Twin ones.  The layout I was trying to build at that time never really got going, the complexities of trying to wire Peco spiked track and points defeated me.  I soon became a very enthusiastic cyclist and railway modelling moved into the background.  The L1, being my greatest asset at the time, was traded in and the cash used to buy a Brooks saddle.  I think the guy who bought it at the time actually paid me over the odds so I was quite happy - and I got far more use out of the saddle than I would have done with the loco!

[Ruffnut Thorston]

The original Tri-ang Railways issue was in BR late crest lined Green.

 

1960 issue, I think. The body fixing screw is down the chimney.

 

The next year saw the chassis extension fitted with a socket, and the "S" suffixed models had a Seuthe type smoke unit fitted.

 

The body fixing screw moved to the front footplate.

 

Also Magnahesion, traction magnets, fitted from 1961.

 

The model disappeared from the range for a few years, Hornby Railways re released the SR L1 in Southern Railway green, as above.

 

Later, the tools were altered to give the loco a Midland Railway type cab, to represent the LMS 2p locos.

 

So, no more L1s were made.

 

There was an article in a model railway magazine at the time of the original Tri-ang Railways release, about detailing the L1.

 

The most prominent things missing, according to the article, are the sand boxes...

 

In a box, we have a few L1 locos, one of which had been detailed, probably following that article...

 

 

 

Edited June 23, 2020 by Sarahagain
clarification...

[Prometheus]

This was the 70/71 version. I removed the traction magnet but did think for a while about adding a smoke unit. I saw sense though!

 

The L1 was such a beautifully proportioned locomotive it’s a great shame than none has been preserved. Surprising too, maybe, that no r-t-r model has appeared since?

 

Tony

[barney_leadhead]

Lovely looking model and much improved over the original.

I love to see these old models given an update and daresay they will last longer than many of the superb looking but fragile and 'not made for maintenance' models of today.

[rockershovel]

Nicely done 

[johnofwessex]

Why did Triang choose the L1 rather than a 2P - there were only a handful of L1's compared with the 2P's 

[Prometheus]

There were, I think, 15 L1s in total but I cannot tell you why Triang chose this model. It was, however, their first Southern loco and maybe the reason lies in that?  Supposition though. Their 2P did follow on however.

 

Tony

Edited June 24, 2020 by Prometheus
stupidity

[Silverfox17]

The EMU was their first Southern loco. I would guess they decided on a lined green loco looking more attractive than a plain (or lined) black one. 

 

Garry 

[SRman]

1 hour ago, Silverfox17 said:

The EMU was their first Southern loco. I would guess they decided on a lined green loco looking more attractive than a plain (or lined) black one. 

 

Garry 

 

Maybe, but BR lined green was never actually carried by the real L1s; that was a Triang fiction. They were lined black in BR days, but the lined green SR livery was only produced much later (the 1970s, from memory, but don't quote me on that).

With that in mind, they could have just as easily produced a lined green 2P! 

[Silverfox17]

I think it was lined green from when it was first introduced in the early 60's, I never saw an unlined one available.  I bought mine while still at school which I left in 67. 

 

Garry 

[Silverfox17]

They could have done one in bright red and yellow as the Andy Capp version that went to Blackpool. 

 

Garry 

[wainwright1]

Hi All.

 

I think that the green BR livery on the original one was authentic as a few of the prototype got painted this way. Its a pity that they did not put any other liveries on it at the time.

 

When they reissued it in the Maunsell livery they altered the tooling slightly in order to apply large transfers with the lettering and lining on. This involved removing rivet detail from the cab side and tender side leaving a smooth surface. The tender was erroneous anyway for a Southern one having originated with the Midland 3F loco..

 

All the best

Ray

[wainwright1]

Forgot say, I think that the Andy Cap loco was a Midland Compound.

No doubt someone will confirm.

Still a possibility for a model though, quite authentic if a little short lived.

Ray

[rockershovel]

16 hours ago, Prometheus said:

There were, I think, 15 L1s in total but I cannot tell you why Triang chose this model. It was, however, their first Southern loco and maybe the reason lies in that?  Supposition though. Their 2P did follow on however.

 

Tony

 

I would assume that the L1 came first to maximise sales from a new specification, followed by the 2P to provide a “new model” based on a more numerous and widely known prototype?

[Hroth]

I've a very tired looking L1 in BR Green, the lining, etc is hanging on by its fingertips!  However, It runs well.

 

Did some L1s run through Margate in the 50s/early 60s before they were withdrawn?  It could be that Triang were modelling a local celebrity. 

 

[kevinlms]

2 hours ago, wainwright1 said:

Forgot say, I think that the Andy Cap loco was a Midland Compound.

No doubt someone will confirm.

Still a possibility for a model though, quite authentic if a little short lived.

Ray

Indeed it was a 2P.

[Silverfox17]

Modellers license can use the L1 lol

 

Garry 

[BernardTPM]

3 hours ago, rockershovel said:

 

I would assume that the L1 came first to maximise sales from a new specification, followed by the 2P to provide a “new model” based on a more numerous and widely known prototype?

Very doubtful. The original L1 ran from 1961 to 1967 in BR lined green, then in Southern Olive (Gloss varnished) in 1972, after a 5 year break. More it was a cheap way of making a 'new' locomotive in 1973. I doubt they had contemplated the 2P back at the beginning of the 1960s when they tooled it.

[Prometheus]

Pat Hammond's book comments that Triang were looking for a Southern loco but also something that would be cheaper to produce than one with outside cylinders and the associated slide bar/cross head requirement. The 4-4-0 configuration delivered this admirably. He reminds us too however that some parts of the model press saw it as an unimaginative choice for a new release at the time. I don't know why this was so. The B12, when it arrived, was deluged with praise: I would have thought that a model which delivered open-spoke wheels for the first time and which was also Triang's first Southern steam loco would have been too?

 

Tony

[laurenceb]

I wonder if LBSC's Maid of Kent had any influence, little & large

[Il Grifone]

On 24/06/2020 at 22:42, johnofwessex said:

Why did Triang choose the L1 rather than a 2P - there were only a handful of L1's compared with the 2P's 

 

At the time of its introduction, there had been a campaign concerning the lack of Southern models - we got an EMu and the L1 from Tri-ang, an R1, a rebuilt WC and an LMR EMU numbered as SR (the SR version was longer), and a 'Schools' from Trix (only a few examples of this exist as it was very approximate).

 

A previous campaign concerning the GWR gave us the HD Castle and the Trix 56xx. Tri-ang ignored it until later, but gave us the Dean single and their rather pathetic 'Hall'

[Silverfox17]

 

 

41 minutes ago, Il Grifone said:

 

A previous campaign concerning the GWR gave us the HD Castle and the Trix 56xx. Tri-ang ignored it until later, but gave us the Dean single and their rather pathetic 'Hall'

I am probably wrong but I thought the Dean single came out before the L1.  That could be due though to my parents buying the big GWR set before I had enough pocket money to buy the L1 myself.

 

Garry