Hornby Railways Catalogue and Box Art - An Advent Calendar Lookback

[BernardTPM]

The 6th edition TT catalogue also had a Cuneo on the cover.

[Legend]

15 hours ago, LNWR18901910 said:

Day 5

Race to the North, anyone? Yes, the eponymous and recognisable steam locomotive (next to Thomas the Tank Engine, mind) gracing the cover in style! On the left is the old two-way sign with London and Edinburgh (I seriously doubt if this still exists today unless they put it on a highway) and on the right is an old LNWR locomotive hauling a passenger train still chugging alongside at a steady pace. The engine driver of the A3 is looking out of the cab as if to say; "See you at the finish line, losers!" This is parallel to modern times when some guy has an old sceond hand car and another guy has a hip and flashy new sports car and while waiting at the traffic light, the latter challenges the former to race.

 

Maybe it's set in 1923 when the Big Four emerged so it's laying the foundation for changing times. It's after WW1 and nobody wants German goods anymore. Still, you gotta love the good old Hornby Railways logo above, that's the brand we all grew up with including me. Getting back to the scene, it's more or less an inverted take on the Aesop fable The Tortoise and the Hare as if it's telling consumers that they either get with the times and win or stand out from the crowd and fail (can't say I blame them, really).

 

N.B: Thanks very much to Graham Heather, Ruffnut Thornston, RyanN91, Legend, JaymzHatstand, laurenceb caradoc for their positive reactions, you chums are amazing! Special thanks goes to Legend for sharing an example of Tri-ang stock (the missile launcher's impressive as I did see one at my local model railway dealer's prior to the lockdown many moons ago) and special thanks to Steamport Southport for sharing a nice scan of an Argos catalogue (those things are like a time capsule themselves as well as the A-Team train set from America)! Here is another post bang on time tonight and I'll be back with another trip down the Hornby achives looking for whatever box and catalogue artwork I can find -be it good, bad or ugly. Until then, I'll see you all tomorrow with more!

Another good example of Calalogue Art . From memory this was the first calalogue to revert to Landscape design for sometime . Other than the superb cover there was little remarkable about it though .  1993 was the year that they introduced a range of Flying Scotsmen . There was one with a GNR style tender, the normal corridor tender one then a BR one with “ Elephant “ smoke deflectors and non corridor tender .  There was also one with twin tenders . But I think that was really all that could be described as new .  Oh Cuneos mouse is sitting on top of the sign if you haven’t spotted it 

Edited December 5, 2020 by Legend

[LNWR18901910]

Day 6

Details, details...nothing special, really. This was a time when Hornby began to re-use and adapt toolings by Dapol the same way Bachmann would do the same. This white fluroscent light effect adds atmosphere to this investigation of this Dean Goods model. Yep, Hornby splashed out big time on new toolings which kind of helped them out of a financial troubling time.

 

The magnifying glass is held over the model as if to show how impressive the detail in something this of small scale. The background is a sort of grey-ish white but the top is darkened as if to represent the old Chinese proverb; "Without darkness, there can be no light." Well, you're not wrong there. But focusing on the magnifying glass, it's like a detective is trying to find fingerprints or traces of anything kind of like an episode of Inspector Morse (try sitting through an episode without falling asleep). This cover choice is like something from an activity puzzle novel aimed primarily towards teen audiences (pretty much like Harry Potter and Twilight).

 

As far as the image goes, this shows the joys of hobbies and past-times over tedious scrutiny. Not only does this cover leave us in suspense, but the questiosn remain - "What is the clue? Could this be the clue? Did anybody designing this have any clue?" That's one mystery I can't solve.

 

N.B: Finally, a post right on time! Special thanks very much to BernardTPM, RyanN91, Brit70053, laurencecb, JaymzHatstand and caradoc for your reactions on the last post, clearly you both enjoy and agree with my thoughts on them! Special shout-out to Ruffnut Thornston, Nearholmer, JaymzHatstand, atom3624, BernardTPM and Legend for the additional information and everyone else for sharing their Hornby memories here as well. Yes, I am aware of Terence Cuneo; as well as a raiwlay modeller and artist, he's quite a cowboy too so I might have followed in his footsteps and most likely still am. Thanks very much everybody, I will be back with yet another analysis on a Hornby catalogue or train set box-art tomorrow! Until then, bye for now!

[Big James]

I have such fond memories of this one. It was the first one i ever owned. I remember taking it everywhere with me. Till on a hot day I left it in my parents car in Folkestone and what ever they used to bind it melted. 
 

big james 

[ikcdab]

On 02/12/2020 at 08:02, Legend said:

Brilliant idea LNWR18901910.  Aged 10 I remember getting the catalogue and rushing home to see what was new in it . The catalogue had the Cuneo Condor on the front and I think the headline new releases were the GWR Pannier and Southern liveried L1 , and of course in the Trainsets was The Railway Children set , just a bit too early for the Pannier , and some continental sets . 
 

Every  day is going to be a blast from the past . 

Fantastic, you must be roughly the same age as me as that was also my first catalogue. I remember memorising the contents of every page and then being tested on it... What's on page 29 etc. Forgotten it all now, of course.

Ian

[Hroth]

8 hours ago, LNWR18901910 said:

Day 6

Details, details...nothing special, really. This was a time when Hornby began to re-use and adapt toolings by Dapol the same way Bachmann would do the same. This white fluroscent light effect adds atmosphere to this investigation of this Dean Goods model. Yep, Hornby splashed out big time on new toolings which kind of helped them out of a financial troubling time.

 

The magnifying glass is held over the model as if to show how impressive the detail in something this of small scale. The background is a sort of grey-ish white but the top is darkened as if to represent the old Chinese proverb; "Without darkness, there can be no light." Well, you're not wrong there. But focusing on the magnifying glass, it's like a detective is trying to find fingerprints or traces of anything kind of like an episode of Inspector Morse (try sitting through an episode without falling asleep). This cover choice is like something from an activity puzzle novel aimed primarily towards teen audiences (pretty much like Harry Potter and Twilight)....

 

 

 

An interesting catalogue cover, with strong graphic elements.

 

The Dapol/Hornby Dean Goods isn't a bad model, even now.  The only thing that lets it down is the confounded tender drive and the hump of "coal" to conceal it!

 

 

[Butler Henderson]

34 minutes ago, Hroth said:

The Dapol/Hornby Dean Goods isn't a bad model, even now.  The only thing that lets it down is the confounded tender drive and the hump of "coal" to conceal it

The toolings for the plastic parts was produced by Heller on behalf of Airfix although the model appeared under Palitoy ownership in the Mainline Railways range.

[Ruffnut Thorston]

The following photos are a comparison between the original Airfix designed Mainline Dean Goods, and the model from Oxford Railways...

 

The Oxford model is the one with the cab interior painted.

 

The Mainline model has been fitted with Bachmann screw fitted Narrow Tension Lock Couplings.

 

The Mainline model passed to Dapol, and thence to Hornby.

 

The Oxford model was a new tooling.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 6, 2020 by Ruffnut Thorston
More added

[Legend]

5 hours ago, ikcdab said:

Fantastic, you must be roughly the same age as me as that was also my first catalogue. I remember memorising the contents of every page and then being tested on it... What's on page 29 etc. Forgotten it all now, of course.

Ian

Yes these were happy days ,when you’re major concern was what was in the Triang Hornby/Hornby catalogue . I think my favourite catalogues were the 67 one that had the double page panorama with Hornby Dublo and Triang items on it . I spent hours staring at it spotting all the models , the ones I had, the ones I wanted and figuring out where all the tracks went . The 73 and 74 catalogues were also great having set piece displays . The 73 one with the fantastic layout on page 2/3 , the engine shed scene at the back . The 74 one that showed parts of layouts for from the forthcoming edition 3 of track plans . Like you I was expert on the contents of each page .  I remember feeling slightly cheated when I found out some of the layouts weren’t layouts at all , just set ups for the catalogue!  

[Ruffnut Thorston]

From the Tri-ang Hornby Amalgamation leaflet of 1965...

 

 

A similar double page spread. Interestingly, a lot of the trains shewn are the rolling stock from sets, such as the Old Smoky, Car-a-belle, Freightmaster, and Britannia Pullman sets...

 

 

 

Edited December 6, 2020 by Ruffnut Thorston
Typo

[Legend]

Yay . That’s the picture Ruffnut ! 

[Steamport Southport]

The coal on the Dean Goods is quite correct.

 

That's how they loaded them.

 

http://www.gwr.org.uk/no-tenders.html

 

 

Jason

[Hroth]

4 hours ago, Steamport Southport said:

The coal on the Dean Goods is quite correct.

 

That's how they loaded them.

 

http://www.gwr.org.uk/no-tenders.html

 

 

Jason

Amazing!

Just how big are those lumps?!

 

On most models, the moulded coal looks more like housecoal, rather than the huge boulders on 2467s tender...

 

[Steamport Southport]

The Grange near the bottom is the best. Well out of gauge!

 

I think it was an idea that water is everywhere, but not many places to stop to refill with coal, so pile it up high. Once it's done a few miles then it will be down to an acceptable level.

 

 

Jason

[Nearholmer]

12 hours ago, Hroth said:

An interesting catalogue cover, with strong graphic elements.

 

Strong hint that they'd worked out by then that their prime customer target was "sad old blokes who buy model trains", rather than boys, given that the former tend to value (be obsessed) by details, and the latter (forty or fifty years ago) tended to value huge dream layouts, packed with action.

 

TBH, I think that the oil-paintings and huge layouts still appeal more to me than clinical photos details.

[Legend]

Just now, Nearholmer said:

 

Strong hint that they'd worked out by then that their prime customer target was "sad old blokes who buy model trains", rather than boys, given that the former tend to value (be obsessed) by details, and the latter (forty or fifty years ago) tended to value huge dream layouts, packed with action.

 

TBH, I think that the oil-paintings and huge layouts still appeal more to me than clinical photos details.

Nice to hear that . I thought it was just me . The modern catalogues are very professional but lack the excitement of the old ones. . I thought it was an age thing .  

[Hroth]

Hornby need to go back to commissioning paintings to go on the catalogue, of locos that they'll never produce*... 

 

Quote

The Grange near the bottom is the best. Well out of gauge!

Definitely a tender drive model!  The Abadare at Chester in 1938 is also a victim of enthusiastic loading...

 

 

* Metrovicks, Jubilees, Jenny Lind, City of Truro, etc.

Edited December 6, 2020 by Hroth

[LNWR18901910]

Day 7

1966 - England wins the World Cup, TV audiences thrill to the endearing adventures of the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise going where no man has boldly gone before, The Beatles are at their height and the Cold War rages on. However, during this time in the modle railway world, Tri-ang and Hornby merge into one!

 

This catalogue cover depicts an old steam locomotive and a shiny new modern electric locomotive together side by side. You can tell what period this is, it's the 1960s and working steam traction is slowly giving way to modern diesel-electric traction. This is indicated by the overhead catenary wires which is used by the electric locomotive. Right on the pantograph is a sparkof blue electricity so maybe Emperor Palpatine would have something to do with it (that just about explains where he got the idea for Order 66). It's either the early hours of the morning or it could be an early evening, I don't know but that's up to you to decide. As the driver looks outside the cab, he's like, "C'mon, ol' gal! We can make it! We can make the signal!" The steam driver is trying to outbest the diesel driver by making the delivery. The steam locomotive represents the age-old impression of maintaining its usefulness, charm and reliability despite age while the big electric engine represents society embracing its new way of the future and encourages us to get with the times.

 

This is like something you see as a time when progress was changing. This is a metaphor for "out with the old, in with the new" but some old things are great. We are embracing amazing, marvellous and wondrous new technologies that are coming our way, but at the same time, we still try to preserve the past of whatever's left of it. It's telling the modeller which side to pick - steam or diesel-electrics? You be the judge.

 

N.B: Special thanks to Ramblin Rich, JaymzHatstand, Brit70053, Mikkel, Ruffnut Thorston, Legend,, BernardTPM and Hroth for reactions and positive likes on the last post, seems like you guys enjoy and agree with my thoughts. Also, a huge thanks to Ruffnut Thornston for NOT only sharing with us the comparison of the Mainline, Dapol and Oxford Rail Dean Goods model, but for surprisingly predicting what I was about to share and review! You read me like an open book! Hroth and Butler Henderson, I agree with you chums on the mouldings, how times have changed. Big James, thanks for sharing your memories and the same goes out to everyone! I will be back with another review on some model railway catalogue and train set box art, Merry Christmas and see you next time!

[Legend]

8 hours ago, LNWR18901910 said:

Day 7

1966 - England wins the World Cup, TV audiences thrill to the endearing adventures of the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise going where no man has boldly gone before, The Beatles are at their height and the Cold War rages on. However, during this time in the modle railway world, Tri-ang and Hornby merge into one!

 

This catalogue cover depicts an old steam locomotive and a shiny new modern electric locomotive together side by side. You can tell what period this is, it's the 1960s and working steam traction is slowly giving way to modern diesel-electric traction. This is indicated by the overhead catenary wires which is used by the electric locomotive. Right on the pantograph is a sparkof blue electricity so maybe Emperor Palpatine would have something to do with it (that just about explains where he got the idea for Order 66). It's either the early hours of the morning or it could be an early evening, I don't know but that's up to you to decide. As the driver looks outside the cab, he's like, "C'mon, ol' gal! We can make it! We can make the signal!" The steam driver is trying to outbest the diesel driver by making the delivery. The steam locomotive represents the age-old impression of maintaining its usefulness, charm and reliability despite age while the big electric engine represents society embracing its new way of the future and encourages us to get with the times.

 

This is like something you see as a time when progress was changing. This is a metaphor for "out with the old, in with the new" but some old things are great. We are embracing amazing, marvellous and wondrous new technologies that are coming our way, but at the same time, we still try to preserve the past of whatever's left of it. It's telling the modeller which side to pick - steam or diesel-electrics? You be the judge.

 

N.B: Special thanks to Ramblin Rich, JaymzHatstand, Brit70053, Mikkel, Ruffnut Thorston, Legend,, BernardTPM and Hroth for reactions and positive likes on the last post, seems like you guys enjoy and agree with my thoughts. Also, a huge thanks to Ruffnut Thornston for NOT only sharing with us the comparison of the Mainline, Dapol and Oxford Rail Dean Goods model, but for surprisingly predicting what I was about to share and review! You read me like an open book! Hroth and Butler Henderson, I agree with you chums on the mouldings, how times have changed. Big James, thanks for sharing your memories and the same goes out to everyone! I will be back with another review on some model railway catalogue and train set box art, Merry Christmas and see you next time!

 

For me thats the image that defines that model railway era . As you say out with the old in with the new , and that could be within the real railway context , a shiny new AL1 and an old jinty , or in the model railway context , the end of Hornby Dublo and start of Tri-ang Hornby .   As Ruffnut has already posted (sorry hope we didn't steal your thunder) this leaflet contained the brilliant panorama of a layout featuring both Hornby Dublo and Tri-ang products . I always wanted that H-D Mainline station with the overall roof . Thought it looked fantastic . The image went on to form the 1966 Catalogue Cover and the layout reappeared in the 1967 catalogue (the one with M7 on the cover), which I think was the one I would have been staring at for hours! 

 

Maybe its particularly special to me as I got a Tri-ang Jinty in 1966 as a present to cheer me up when I got my tonsils out  and it was followed up that Christmas with the AL1 .  I already had a trainset , the Tri-ang Freightmaster with "Brush Type 2" It got extended so I had two ovals and an incline in a passing loop . As it was all on the dining room table , the gradients must have been fearsome.  The AL1 appeared from Santa because I had asked for an electric train like the one that took me to Lewis's Glasgow to see his helper . Well it was blue with three windows on the front , so Santa was close!  Still waiting for what I now know as a Class 303 Blue Train .  I'm hearing Tom Jones singing "The green green grass of home" which I think was the number 1 that Christmas thats todays earworm!  I also vaguely remember a rocket launch around Christmas time .I remember staring out the window at night looking for it!  Could it have been one of the first Apollos? 

 

Happy days . As you've probably gathered , thoroughly enjoying this thread and wallowing in the nostalgia!

Edited December 7, 2020 by Legend

[BernardTPM]

Star Trek didn't arrive on TV here until 1969 but there was the appearance of Patrick Troughton as the second Doctor Who so the first time we saw the regeneration of a Time Lord.

Ironically both locos on the cover (Jinty & AL5) have been made by Bachmann, though of course an AL5 is basically an updated AL1 so pretty close to what Tr-ang and Hornby Dublo could provide.

The last of the Gemini missions was in November '66 so that might be the rocket launch, though if you had one of the new Battle Space models there might have been lots of rockets going off over Christmas.

[Mike_Walker]

9 hours ago, LNWR18901910 said:

Day 7

1966 - England wins the World Cup, TV audiences thrill to the endearing adventures of the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise going where no man has boldly gone before, The Beatles are at their height and the Cold War rages on. However, during this time in the modle railway world, Tri-ang and Hornby merge into one!

 

This catalogue cover depicts an old steam locomotive and a shiny new modern electric locomotive together side by side. You can tell what period this is, it's the 1960s and working steam traction is slowly giving way to modern diesel-electric traction. This is indicated by the overhead catenary wires which is used by the electric locomotive. Right on the pantograph is a sparkof blue electricity so maybe Emperor Palpatine would have something to do with it (that just about explains where he got the idea for Order 66). It's either the early hours of the morning or it could be an early evening, I don't know but that's up to you to decide. As the driver looks outside the cab, he's like, "C'mon, ol' gal! We can make it! We can make the signal!" The steam driver is trying to outbest the diesel driver by making the delivery. The steam locomotive represents the age-old impression of maintaining its usefulness, charm and reliability despite age while the big electric engine represents society embracing its new way of the future and encourages us to get with the times.

 

This is like something you see as a time when progress was changing. This is a metaphor for "out with the old, in with the new" but some old things are great. We are embracing amazing, marvellous and wondrous new technologies that are coming our way, but at the same time, we still try to preserve the past of whatever's left of it. It's telling the modeller which side to pick - steam or diesel-electrics? You be the judge.

 

N.B: Special thanks to Ramblin Rich, JaymzHatstand, Brit70053, Mikkel, Ruffnut Thorston, Legend,, BernardTPM and Hroth for reactions and positive likes on the last post, seems like you guys enjoy and agree with my thoughts. Also, a huge thanks to Ruffnut Thornston for NOT only sharing with us the comparison of the Mainline, Dapol and Oxford Rail Dean Goods model, but for surprisingly predicting what I was about to share and review! You read me like an open book! Hroth and Butler Henderson, I agree with you chums on the mouldings, how times have changed. Big James, thanks for sharing your memories and the same goes out to everyone! I will be back with another review on some model railway catalogue and train set box art, Merry Christmas and see you next time!

I think it's the 1966 catalogue version of this artwork that they managed to hide the mouse by placing the T-H logo across the bottom - the mouse is on the top of the catenary mast. Can anyone supply a 1966 cover to prove/disprove this theory?

[Legend]

12 minutes ago, Mike_Walker said:

I think it's the 1966 catalogue version of this artwork that they managed to hide the mouse by placing the T-H logo across the bottom - the mouse is on the top of the catenary mast. Can anyone supply a 1966 cover to prove/disprove this theory?

 No you are right . I'm looking at it . The Tri-ang Hornby logo is over the mast . 

[Ruffnut Thorston]

Tri-ang Hornby Catalogue, 1966. This being the first catalogue to have the Tri-ang Hornby logo. The 1965 catalogue being printed before the decision to use Tri-ang Hornby as the brand name.

 

 

 

The interesting 1965 Catalogue Cover...who painted this?
 

Edited December 7, 2020 by Ruffnut Thorston
1965 added

[Ruffnut Thorston]

Especially for Legend.... The first of the Freightmaster sets, from 1964 on...

 

[Mike_Walker]

15 minutes ago, Ruffnut Thorston said:

Tri-ang Hornby Catalogue, 1966. This being the first catalogue to have the Tri-ang Hornby logo. The 1965 catalogue being printed before the decision to use Tri-ang Hornby as the brand name.

 

 

 

The interesting 1965 Catalogue Cover...who painted this?
 

Phew, good to know I'm not going quite so gaga as some claim!