First Train Set - Where did you start?

[JN]

The Hornby mixed goods/passenger (a blue PO coal wagon, a red tank wagon and brown van with two 4-wheel coaches and a guard's van). I'd always run it in that formation and I thought it looked 'right' (made sense rather than accurate). The locomotive Great Western 0-6-0 Pannier tank. I actually feel sad thinking about it...

[russell price]

The Hornby operating mail train! Class37 and 2 mkII coaches and the transcontinental tpo in Blue and Grey. Christmas 1975, and on Boxing Day went out and bought a GWR freight set. Dad had as much fun as I did. The pannier donated its chassis to a GEM5600 when things got a bit more serious!! The 37 is still here . 

[kevinlms]

On 21/04/2021 at 08:22, cypherman said:

Hi all,

I think Hornby had started to try and save money by the time this set was released. The original Frieghtmaster set had a Class 31 and 7 wagons. I always wanted this set as a kid.

The agd old problem,  put up the price, or provide less in the packet or box!

[GoingUnderground]

My first set arrived somewhere around 1957 and was the Hornby O gauge tinplate LMS set that had been my father's when he was a boy. It had a clockwork non-reversing mechanism and was the LMS 0-4-0 tender loco with 3 clerestory carriages and an oval of 1' radius track the sleepers of which were all superelevated, even on the straights. I think it dates back to 1927-28. (EDIT 1926-27) as There was even the original box, but that didn't survive me, sadly. But eventually we could no longer get new track or rolling stock for it as Meccano stopped production of O gauge in the 1950s.

 

Here is the loco, and it still works, but its range and pulling power is somewhat diminished as the spring is now quite weak, not surprising as it is approaching 95 years old. I still have the coaches and track.

 

 

So a change of gauge and maker beckoned. My next set was in OO gauge and was the Triang R3.D Goods set in 1959, which I also still have, complete with a somewhat careworn box, and its very played with contents. http://www.tri-ang.co.uk/r3dset.html

 

Like other folks we used bell batteries to start with , but that soon got replaced with a Triang P5 transformer/rectifier controller which I also still have and use from time to time.

 

I've been a Triang enthusiast ever since, and it grew into a substantial loft layout shared with my brother.  The Hornby O gauge kit wasn't ignored though, and used to get taken out to the garden in the summer on fine days.

Edited June 16, 2021 by GoingUnderground

[BernardTPM]

According to the Hornby Railways Collectors' Association the 0 gauge tinplate range ceased production in 1962, though it could be that few places still stocked it by then.

[cypherman]

Hi Going Underground.

You should be able to get the engine resprung to restore it to it's original power.

[GoingUnderground]

9 hours ago, BernardTPM said:

According to the Hornby Railways Collectors' Association the 0 gauge tinplate range ceased production in 1962, though it could be that few places still stocked it by then.

Where we lived the closest toy shop in the High Street didn't stock O gauge tinplate. Only HD and Triang OO/H0. The other toy shop was at the end of the High Street and did have some O gauge, but very little on hand. I think we might have bought their last stock, 2' radius curves, 2 rail/clockwork..

 

7 hours ago, cypherman said:

Hi Going Underground.

You should be able to get the engine resprung to restore it to it's original power.

Thank you, but it wouldn't be quite so original. It has had some repairs, about 10 years ago when I took it to one of the real experts who replaced a missing buffer and the broken drop link coupling on the tender.

 

It's part of my family's railway history as my great grandfather was a stationmaster for the LMS, which I suspect is why the loco is LMS.

[cypherman]

Hi Going Underground.

This was the tinplate train set I was allowed to play with. Sadly it was broken up and sold off about 7 years ago to pay for a 32mm narrow gauge garden railway.

Edited June 16, 2021 by cypherman

[GoingUnderground]

Lovely. In excellent condition as far as I can see, and electric as well. A great pity that it was sold off. The items seemed to range a bit in age. Take the 2 signal boxes, the one with the slot at the bottom in photo 15 looks to be for the Control System where points and signals were controlled via rod and wire linkages from a lever frame installed in the box that would make it 1920s-1930s. The other in the last photo posted, a No.2 with the steps but no cutout slot must be from the 1940s-1950s as the control system was not popular and was not reintroduced after WW2.

 

It would have broken my heart to sell it if it had been mine. But nothing's forever in this life.

Edited June 16, 2021 by GoingUnderground

[RyanN91]

I have posted this post in a previous thread although this one is cropped and edited from the original photo. As it is relevant to this thread.

 

Here it is Saturday December 25 1993 better know as Christmas Day age 2.

This was my favorite present this year. This R258 Hornby Thomas Clockwork Passenger Playtrain set. With an attached full image taken from the 1990 Hornby catalogue and a photo of the train set in full showing the full product. I believe it must be the very moment when I became a ferroequinologist and it was captured on camera and it never left me! 

[sncf231e]

My last train set (until now):

 

 

Regards

Fred

[westernviscount]

Here is my first model. I cannot remember exactly when I got this but I am sure it was for my 6th or 7th birthday. 

 

I loved it then and although I dont model the appropriate period, I would never part with it...

 

 

 

 

 

[brianusa]

Pre war Dublo SNG Passenger set.

     Brian.

 

[RyanN91]

On 05/09/2021 at 18:42, westernviscount said:

Here is my first model. I cannot remember exactly when I got this but I am sure it was for my 6th or 7th birthday. 

 

I loved it then and although I dont model the appropriate period, I would never part with it...

 

 

 

Ah the marvelous Hornby BR Class 142 Pacer BREL/Leyland Railbus a truly fantastic model! you have the first one Hornby produced in 1987 in the Provincial Sector BR Blue  livery from the BR Sectorisation era. This model catalogue number R.867 was released/ available for six years from 1987 as a newly tooled model catalogued through to 1992. Although it is possible you may have bought this one after 1992. The 142 was then released in various other new liveries from around Great Britain in the regional BR regions until in the late days of BR  to the Privatisation era franchise liveries including Arriva Wales Blue, First Great Western (the one I bought available from 2009-11). (At the time of writing)  Right up to the last time it was issued by Hornby in 2012 this time the Northern Class livery last two both from the Network Franchising era. 

 

[On30runner]

I started with a Dublo N2, 8F and Sir Nigel Gresley, three rail of course, running around the sitting room floor. Somewhat paradoxically I'm only 32. The N2 and 8F were dads, the A4 was the beginning of a collection that could stock Little Bytham with change if Mr Wright fitted a stabiliser rail.

[MrWolf]

On 03/09/2021 at 20:56, sncf231e said:

My last train set (until now):

 

 

Regards

Fred

Never seen one of those before. Beautiful old set, the station is a work of art.

[2E Sub Shed]

1st "train set" - Lone Star Treble-O-Lectric  - OOO gauge.

 

Long gone, had loads of it.

 

Treble O page

 

Used a scaled down version of the Athearn "Hi-Fi" drive in the locos.

[LNERGE]

I was into signals at an early age..

 

[ianmacc]

On 13/09/2021 at 14:01, Coombe Vale said:

Thank you to all those who responded with friendly/support. It is appreciated.

Nothing wrong with that at all. I’ve been naming businesses and street signs etc on my layouts after family members and pets alive and deceased for decades  

[MrWolf]

7 minutes ago, ianmacc said:

Nothing wrong with that at all. I’ve been naming businesses and street signs etc on my layouts after family members and pets alive and deceased for decades  

 

Agreed, there's not much outside of the railway on my layout that could have a name, but the weighbridge plate is a one off, instead of H. Pooley & co, Birmingham, it bears my other halfs name and her birthplace, Chester. 

If she hadn't kicked me up the ar5e I wouldn't have started the layout.