Most commonly owned model

[Sweeps]

I've owned a Hornby Dublo Duchess of Montrose for about 55 years, I 've no track to run it on but it just seems right that I have one, there must be thousands upon thousands of them about as they are rather bomd proof and the Volvo of the railway model world - are they the most commonly owned model?

[Ian Smeeton]

Could be, but I suspect something smaller like the Jinty, and its successors over the years has started more off in the hobby.

 

Some of us may still have the original (in my case) Triang, or even earlier still shunting away.

 

The floor is open....

 

Regards

 

Ian

[PaulRhB]

I'd guess the Hornby Smokey Joe has exceeded it by now as it was a starter for so many and widely used in kits

[big jim]

I'd say Katie price AKA Jordan....

 

She's a commonly owned model judging by the number of times she's been wed!

 

Back to the question in hand, Hornby flying Scotsman (in its many incarnations) has to be right up there, I think at one point I had 4 of the 70/80's version that were gifted to me by people clearing out their attics

[Dan Griffin]

Id rekon the Hornby generic 0-4-0 steam tank. The origins of which where the Tri-ang nellie??

[Rivercider]

Could be, but I suspect something smaller like the Jinty, and its successors over the years has started more off in the hobby.

 

Some of us may still have the original (in my case) Triang, or even earlier still shunting away.

 

The floor is open....

 

Regards

 

Ian

I was thinking of something smaller.

My first loco was Nellie which I still have boxed away, and an ever older 2nd hand Jinty in my display cabinet, neither now run though.

 

cheers

[rockershovel]

I had a Triang Nellie and the 0-6-0 tender loco, I haven't seen them in recent years but I suspect they are still there somewhere.

 

I certainly have a 2-rail Hornby Dublo 2-6-4T which seemed to be very common at one time?

[kevinlms]

If its a specific prototype, rather than an exact model, I offer the standard BR 20 Ton Brake Van.

 

Every one who has ever produced a range of BR RTR models, seem to have always included this within their range. Most of the goods sets have one, so even youngsters with their first train sets, get one.

 

Then there are kits, such as the Airfix/Dapol one which is still in current production AFAIK, so the odd one or three must have been sold.

[Phil Bullock]

The humble 16 ton mineral surely?

 

Hornby, Triang, Airfix/Dapol kit, Mainline, Bachmann, Dapol versions to name but a few

 

Phil

[Nearholmer]

Track.

 

Specifically plain track.

 

Name me a railway modeller or collector who hasn't got at least one piece.

 

Even people who own no 16T mineral wagons, or brake vans, or Nellies, usually own a piece of track.

 

K

[Titan]

Track.

 

Specifically plain track.

 

Name me a railway modeller or collector who hasn't got at least one piece.

 

Even people who own no 16T mineral wagons, or brake vans, or Nellies, usually own a piece of track.

 

K

 

But which piece? My guess would be a standard second radius curve...

[Guest]

For those of us not yet receiving a pension, the humble Hornby Class 25 must surely figure. I have a banana-shaped green one in the loft somewhere that I stood on once. It should really go in the bin but I just can't do it.

[Poggy1165]

The numbers of 'traditional' Hornby-Dublo and Triang locos produced far exceed any single model from later years. I suspect the HD locos have survived better. So I would go with the HD Duchess/City class if we are talking survivors, the Triang Jinty if we are talking total number ever sold.

[russ p]

Track and wagons aside ,if it isn't flying Scotsman then I would go with GW101 in its many guises. Out of all the 0-4-0 tanks produced by Hornby this must be the longest lived.

The other big seller is probably clockwork Thomas,as we don't really notice or see them as they can't really be used for much else.

Aside from OO the push along Ertel Thomas is probably top of all

[darrel]

The original Hornby HST must be up there

[jonny777]

I had a Triang Jinty once, but have no idea what happened to it.

 

Lima Mk1 coaches must have been very common at one time. I think that I have a couple in boxes somewhere that have never been sold, or given away.

[Bilbo]

If it's just a class of locomotive the 37 or 47 must be in the running.

[Ramrig]

What about the Tri-ang princess? Various liveries, loose or in sets, along with the Jinty always seen on second hand stalls

 

Ps my first electric loco was a Jinty. First actual loco was a clockwork 0-4-0 "dock" shunter which I still have somewhere

[Legend]

Taking into account that trainsets sold huge numbers in the 50 s and 60s then I'd say it would be the Triang , then Triang Hornby Jinty.

Not only because it was in many trainsets, but because once you got a trainset and wanted to extend it , the nice low cost option was the Jinty. So that's why it became my second engine after receiving my Freightmaster with "brush Type 2 " in 1965

 

other popular ones

Hornby Dublo Duchess got to be up there

Aforementioned "Brush Type 2" or Class 31 was used in the very popular trainsets in 60s through to 1976 I think

Flying Scotsman

Pannier Tank , in lots of Hornby sets in 70s

HST

[russ p]

When we look back at our childhoods they seem to have lasted forever but unfortunately they didn't.

The Hornby HST was probably high on kids Christmas lists for about 6 years,then video games started to come in.

Six years seemed forever then but now it almost takes that for a model to appear in a catalogue to it being on shelves.

I would doubt that the biggest selling model is something that adult serious modellers would hold high.

It has to have been cheap or reasonable, very long lived and widely available. So for probably for the last ten years or so must have been in the likes of Argos and toys r us

['CHARD]

Red Dock Authority shunter was my first.  But I'm prepared to believe the Hornby Nellie was more numerous.

[Horsetan]

.....Aforementioned "Brush Type 2" or Class 31 was used in the very popular trainsets in 60s through to 1976 I think....

 

I still have the bodyshell of the one that I was given as part of a Hornby "Freightmaster" set in 1975 - the set that started off a lifelong journey in 4mm scale.

 

The controller was battery-operated, and you had to clip it to the top of two huge Ever-Ready 4.5v 6v "lantern" batteries - almost the size the batteries that Halfords supply for motorbikes!

[Robin Brasher]

On page 129 of Tri-ang Railways, the Story of Rovex Volume 1 1950-1965 by Pat Hammond it says that over 720,000 black Princess locomotives were made; 90% selling in sets so this may be the most commonly owned steam engine. My father bought me and my brother a green Princess which I requisitioned. I played with it for about ten years and sent it back to Margate several times to be repaired before I tried unsuccessfully to fit scale wheels and threw it away. I bought a lined green body for it and a maroon body and tender. I also had a smoke unit fitted. I am more interested in the Southern Railway so if it had been a Southern engine I would probably have kept it.

 

In a magazine or an RM Web review the Princess would have been criticised for errors in the dimensions, lack of pulling power, deep flanges, no daylight under the boiler, no window glazing and moulded handrails but the customer wanted a good value locomotive and at £2.7s 6d in 1960 this is what Tri-ang provided.

[BoD]

Exeter?

[Nearholmer]

Regarding track, Titan asked "But which piece? My guess would be a standard second radius curve..."

 

My betting would be HD curves, for two reasons:

 

- there is an iron law of toy trains which dictates that, somehow, you always end up with too many curves and not enough straights; and,

 

- survival rate, in that HD track seems to last forever, and, if you ever own any at all, then decide to get rid of it, you always end up with a leftover bit that it seems a shame to throw away.

 

K

 

PS: nobody mentioned the HD 0-6-2T yet. Probably too costly to be up there with the Rovex Jinty and Princess, but they must have churned out a fair number.