Wrenn Railways

[Golden Fleece 30]

They were Dublo couplings, which were also fitted to the 2-6-4 set which had some wagons AND 2 of the SR super detail suburban coaches.

[Colin_McLeod]

Oh for a time machine and some old money.

[Golden Fleece 30]

I cannot be certain on this but I think the locos may have already been fitted with Tri-ang ones which without Tri-angs converter wagons gave us the situation in one set what we already had buying different makes. Dublo couplings MAY have been included for the locos. Someone hopefully will confirm right or wrong on this.

[5050]

Out of interest the Wakefield show in those days was near Kirkgate station before moving to Unity Hall. I was still at school but allowed on the train on my own from York.

Must have been one of the early Wakefield shows as this year is our 55th.  I moved to Wakefield Nov. '71 and the 10th edition '71 show was my first.  In 2 years time the club will be 60 years old and some of us (mainly amongst the more 'vintage' members) do have an interest in 'collectors items'.  Perhaps a display of suitably vintage models of a comparable age might be an idea for the 2018 anniversary show.

 

But, getting back to topic, I could never afford Wrenn and by the time I could I was well into 'scale modelling' so it held no interest in terms of ownership.  However, reading the posts on this thread, my eyes have been opened in regard to all the nuances of models, chassis configurations etc. which I have found very interesting.

[Golden Fleece 30]

Hi 5050, it will have been around the mid 60's I guess, maybe 1966/7.  I have recollections of something like a scout hall, school dinner hall or something, I don't think it was that big.  I think it was a single floor place and the only layout I remember had a Wills whitemetal A2 loco kit pulling some Hornby Dublo super detail coaches, why?, because I had the Wills kit but could never get the Britannia cylinders re-positioned/glued without them falling off and one of the coaches was a rare maroon Restaurant Car which was unavailable by then being rare as not many made unlike the others which were still on shelves in the early 70's.  A few years later I did get the A2 sorted but probably the late 80's before I got my S/D Restaurant car.

[Il Grifone]

Dublo couplings were included with the locos (at least at first - I think they were an optional extra later on. The casting of the bogies on the 2-6-4T were modified for the Wrenn version of the couplings which clips on.

 

I had the same cylinder problem with my motorised Kitmaster Prairie, but never solved it. I don't know why I bothered with this bodge up - a Farish 81xx would have been cheaper. Maybe my conversion pre-dated it but memory fails on this one (long time ago!).

 

My maroon SD Restaurant car has been repainted (Quite well, but why?). Mustn't complain, it came at a very Grifone friendly price as a result

[melmerby]

I don't know why I bothered with this bodge up - a Farish 81xx would have been cheaper. Maybe my conversion pre-dated it but memory fails on this one (long time ago!).

 

 

 

Thank you.

You have just solved a puzzle of mine!

I have an old die-cast prairie tank body with no maker's name in it.

Googling for Graham Farish 00 came up with the very same loco.

 

I scrapped the chassis long ago when I tried to build a new one. Thought of using the body for a rough & ready Large County tank.

 

I also have the remains of some wagons which had the same coupling. They had a two piece chassis and the guard's van has a tinplate roof. Are these also Farish?

 

Cheers

 

Keith

[Golden Fleece 30]

Still off topic but answering to last post, here is my Graham Farish body mounted on a Dublo A4 chassis with Dublo Castle cylinders.  It still needs a little work doing to it yet though to neaten it up but what a runner.  The front is bent slightly but I dare not try to straighten it knowing what might happen to the mazak

 

Garry

[andyman7]

After Wrenn started production of the previous HD stuff some HD items were still in stock.

 

I remember being shown the Wrenn version of the 8F goods set (Still boxed) in a model shop shortly after the Wrenn takeover

The loco had the castings modified to show "Wrenn" but the wagons were still marked "Hornby Dublo"

Don't ask me what couplers were fitted!

 

Keith

 

 

I cannot be certain on this but I think the locos may have already been fitted with Tri-ang ones which without Tri-angs converter wagons gave us the situation in one set what we already had buying different makes. Dublo couplings MAY have been included for the locos. Someone hopefully will confirm right or wrong on this.

The arrangements for clearing Hornby Dublo stocks varied. The Wrenn 'train packs' contained a Wrenn loco factory fitted with HD couplings plus various items of HD stock depending on the set purchased. There were a number of HD locos advertised in the Tri-ang-Hornby 1965 Amalgamation Leaflet. These were sold in HD boxes with Tri-ang-Hornby labels affixed and the leaflet states that these were supplied with a free of charge Converter Wagon. Wrenn solo locos (and initially the wagons too) came with Triang couplings but with alternative HD couplings supplied for the owner to fit. These were quickly omitted from the wagons, which were overstickered advertising that exchange couplings were available direct from Wrenn at 1/6 a pair, but locos continued to be supplied with alternative couplings for many years.

 

Of course a lot of HD ended up being disposed of on the grey market - Hattons of course famously acquired a huge stock but there were a couple of other outlets too. Triang's aim was to ensure a controlled release of models, they wanted to avoid the whole lot being dumped on the market in a single go. Given that Hatton's still advertised a selection of new HD items well into the 1980s they did a good job....

[Il Grifone]

AFAIK anything with Farish couplings is of their manufacture. Their couplings are so bad that no one else even considered using them. There are three versions: The early one (40s/50s) has a narrow loop with a fine hook. This has a dropper in front of the loop, but it is too short to be of any use as an uncoupler. It is mounted just below the headstock and may or may not be bent down to a level about consistent with Tri-ang or HD couplings, though it won't couple well with either. Later ones (Early 60s) have a tinplate version of Tri-ang couplings, with which they will couple (in theory). The last type (60s/70s) is a plastic tension lock.......

 

Very wise Garry! - Farish mazak is an uncertain quantity. I have seen one a 94xx pannier tank body with severe corrosion of the cab (most was missing). Luckily mine is OK. She is a beautifully smooth runner too. My 81xx body is also OK, but one of the two chassis I acquired for her ( a first issue from around 1950) is all broken up. Making one out of two needs a set of cylinders. I'm hoping that a Tri-ang Princess set can be pressed into service - next time I dig her out of her box.......

 

She will be either black or her original green (Life's too short to bother with lining....), but I have coloured all her safety valve casing brass (gold pen) - I never did like Farish's rubbish attempt at this item... George Jackson would not have approved of their attempt at his firebox either!

 

I did hear that some 'Barnstables' were sold at a certain East London market at a ridiculously low sum. Unfortunately I can't speak from experience here....

[locomad]

I cannot be certain on this but I think the locos may have already been fitted with Tri-ang ones which without Tri-angs converter wagons gave us the situation in one set what we already had buying different makes. Dublo couplings MAY have been included for the locos. Someone hopefully will confirm right or wrong on this.

Almost certain they where in little packs I think triang ones where fitted but the moulding for the peco type left in place, it was up to the owner to remove the triang one and replace it with a Hornby dublo using a bush and screw similar to export HD ones.

 

Early wrenn wagons had the same moulding left these make excellent converter wagons as the triang wrenn ones are too light and limited to two types coal & horsebox

[Il Grifone]

The Tri-ang converter wagons also have the open axleboxes  left over from the fifties. I have not found them too light (the underframe is mazak and there is plenty of room for lead anyway), but the bodies show economy - the open wagon is plain black and the horse box has Tri-ang's raised grooves (apart from this it's not a bad representation of a GWR PACO C) (Lima's version is better). The bodies of most Tri-ang and some Hornby wagons will fit on the open wagon underframe to give variety. They will also fit on the old Trackmaster underframe with an improvement in appearance, if a wooden solebar and grease axleboxes is appropriate. The wheels will probably need replacing though (mazak, BRMSB standard and non insulated - clockwork spring driven).

[melmerby]

Given that Hatton's still advertised a selection of new HD items well into the 1980s they did a good job....

They found some HD track still in stock a couple of years ago!

 

Keith

[Golden Fleece 30]

Hi 32A,

 

Those are not Airfix transfers they are Dublo replica varnish fix ones that had to have a lot of cutting to make up the shape.  Each piece has to be left overnight to dry before washing off the backing tissue so it was not a quick job. Personally I have never liked Airfix ones.  Since I started using varnish fix ones I am not keen on waterslide ones now but varnish fix have not been made in this country for nearly 10 years. The last company to do them is Kayleigh Transfers who have said no one wants them any more so we have ceased their production.  When stocks run out from the handful of people who still have these then they will be getting waterslide.  Kayleigh also made HMRS ones, note Meths fix is the same as varnish fix, and they can no longer get them and have said when stocks run out it will be pressfix only.

 

Here is a link to show how I put the transfers on.  Using varnish requires an overnight wait but using meths/water mix its only minutes as such. The instructions are on the YouTube clip which does not show on the link.

 

 

Garry

[BR60103]

I have a Wrenn 2-8-0 from the 60s. It came with TriAng couplers mounted, but there was a brass rivet behind them. The TriAng couplers were riveted on, I think with the casting they were mounted to. If they were ripped off, the Dublo plastic coupler had a slot at the back of the hole and was supposed to pop over around the brass rivet.

I also have a Triang/Wrenn Mallard, but the couplers on it were replaced with Kadee before I got it.

[andyman7]

I have a Wrenn 2-8-0 from the 60s. It came with TriAng couplers mounted, but there was a brass rivet behind them. The TriAng couplers were riveted on, I think with the casting they were mounted to. If they were ripped off, the Dublo plastic coupler had a slot at the back of the hole and was supposed to pop over around the brass rivet.

I also have a Triang/Wrenn Mallard, but the couplers on it were replaced with Kadee before I got it.

Yes, that's how the early replacement couplings worked. Later, the brass rivet was deleted and the replacement coupling came with a collar and self tapping screw.

[andyman7]

As a result of some auction acquisitions I am able for a brief period to illustrate the 3 main variations of Wrenn 'City' loco as demonstrated by different examples of the W2228 City of Birmingham:

 

 

The top model shows the most common, regular issue made from 1973 until the mid-1980s; it has 23mm driving wheels and unflanged centre drivers. Middle is the 5-pole motored Mk2 version with 24mm driving wheels, all flanged, as well as being fitted with cab backhead detail. Bottom is a 1990-made Mk1 chassis version - these were made after the Mk2 locos and retained the 24mm drivers but with the centre pair unflanged, a 3 pole motor and no cab detail insert. You will note the different shade of finish on the late loco. 

 

The cab detail worked really well, here is the Mk2 loco so fitted:

 

Here is the regular version:

[Il Grifone]

The cab detail is still available (or was until recently), but at £25 I passed.

[81E]

Dapol bought the assets and name of the Wrenn company when it ceased trading in 1992, but although plans were announced they never re-released any locos. It turned out that the cost of making the locos would be astronomical - the tooling was very old (mostly ex-Hornby Dublo) and the degree of fettling and hand finishing made any kind of mass production untenable. However, there were copious quantities of spares, and the plastic bodied wagons were put into production, some initially on remaining sticks of Wrenn diecast chassis, and then later using the modern Dapol wagon chassis.

In 2001 following restructuring the Wrenn name and assets apart from the wagon bodies were sold to some enthusiasts who wanted to ensure that the Wrenn name was maintained in the spirit of the original company - this included Maurice Gunter, who has written the authoritative history of Wrenn. Most of the wagons are now part of the Dapol range, and a testament to the superb tooling of the original Hornby Dublo Super Detail wagon range in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Wagons such as the Fruit D or the Gunpowder wagon look absolutely the part on their modern chassis and completely the age of the original moulds.

It's a pity that Dapol has not re-released the GWR Mica (I wonder if something happened to the tooling). Despite this models shortcomings (It's a bit of a hybrid - too long for the type of ice boxes it has or got the wrong ice boxes for the length) as they also look good mounted on new Dapol chassis

[81E]

My second loco was a Wrenn N2 in LMS black (o 2385. bought for £7.45 I think from PECO in the mid to late 1970s. Sadly I modified the chassis for scratch built body. However I have since bought two others (one now converted to DCC while the other is left original). ince then I have acquired a couple of R1s and at long last the GWR 2-6-4. The latter I won on ebay for less than £50 last year (boxed and looks mint) 

[Prometheus]

It's a pity that Dapol has not re-released the GWR Mica (I wonder if something happened to the tooling). Despite this models shortcomings (It's a bit of a hybrid - too long for the type of ice boxes it has or got the wrong ice boxes for the length) as they also look good mounted on new Dapol chassis

 

If you are tolerant, the existing chassis can be tidied up quite easily and re-wheeled, and a cheap but passable Mica thus pressed into service....

 

 

Details here:

 

http://srmg.org.uk/a-mid-week-quickie/

 

I have a rake of five and probably did not spend more than £30 all in [including eBay purchase]. At three feet they look good.

 

Tony

[Dubloseven]

I've done something similar myself fitting new wheels and couplings to the Peek Freans and Robertsons vans.

 

Cliff.

[Il Grifone]

 

 

If you are tolerant, the existing chassis can be tidied up quite easily and re-wheeled, and a cheap but passable Mica thus pressed into service....

 

 

Details here:

 

http://srmg.org.uk/a-mid-week-quickie/

 

I have a rake of five and probably did not spend more than £30 all in [including eBay purchase]. At three feet they look good.

 

Tony

 

 

There was a Wrenn version in GWR livery (16" G W) - I bought mine when it was current, with no thought to collectability. Careful attention with a razor saw* removed the excess length from each end and a new underframe completed the job (or would have done - the roof still needs a little filling and smoothing down....) The same treatment plus removing the steps and handrails produced a grey MICA. The underframe for this is more involved, as they had carriage wheels and the Dean 'spider's web' brake gear (still unfinished of course!). A BR livery one still sits on a Dublo underframe...

 

* My first one (an X-acto) lasted for years (I ruined it cutting an aerial mast - It did the job with ease, but the teeth were never the same again ) Subsequent ones have lasted about five minutes, not being very good to start with. Just me or something to do with manufacture in the Far East?

 

The quote appears to have disappeared following one of Firefox's frequent crashes....