Hamblings / MERCO lithograph sides and ends for Southern Railway EMUs

[Captain Slough]

These have survived the storage well since I bought them around 1995

 

i assume they were printed 1930s to 1950s. I have 3 of each, also have 2 copies of a Metropolitan Line CO/CP/R-Stock EMU

 

I built one of the Metropolitan sets and one car of the semifast Southern EMU in the 1990s using a handbuilt balsa wood body and Lima bogies

Edited February 19, 2023 by Captain Slough

[Captain Slough]

Here's the LT EMU

[CKPR]

From memory, there is an article in "Airfix Magazine Annual 3" on a freelance LT layout that has pictures of stock built using the Hamblings lithos.

[Il Grifone]

I have some wagons (as in one or two) built with Merco lithos. If I can find them, I'll post pictures

 

Many (as in many - 50s) years ago I bought a Southern van from ERG. On arrival it turned out to be a block of wood (Hamblings sold shaped blocks for just this purpose) with a Merco litho attached, sitting on a crude cast underframe (one of their less successful products). So crude it made the Dublo wagon underframes look super-detailed (as the expression was back then). So make matters worse it turned out not to be level* so was perpetually derailing. I don't know what happened to it, but I assume a bin was involved.

* The axle hole not drilled true I suspect. In my youth I lacked the skill to sort it out, though I did try bending it - without success of course.

[Nearholmer]

Paper lithos still have a steady following in retro-0, with old ones being reprinted, and new ones produced. There are very nice blank wooden vehicle bodies available too. When they are made-up we’ll and sealed with varnish they look very good.

[sagaguy]

10 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

Paper lithos still have a steady following in retro-0, with old ones being reprinted, and new ones produced. There are very nice blank wooden vehicle bodies available too. When they are made-up we’ll and sealed with varnish they look very good.

Freestone models used to advertise these sheets along with Bilteezi sheets but their website seems to have been down for some time now.

 

                     Ray

[33C]

I used these a while back. Lots of wagons, "POP", "PUGH & co.", "GAS LIGHT & COKE Co.", "CHARRINGTONS", etc. stuck on damaged Triang wagons with painted chassis, nicely weighted, and have made a couple of EMU's (4PAN, 6PUL.) using trashed, old, Triang coaches with Triang "Hymek" power. 

Edited February 20, 2023 by 33C
added detail

[pete_mcfarlane]

Odd that the COR and PUL trailer coaches have low windows rather than the correct high ones. 

[Captain Slough]

Thats great

 

My plan to make a Brighton set involved the two motor cars being built from four Triang R328 Pullman Brakes - right bodyshell tumblehome, close to the right window shape once you remove the toplights and the right number when stretched to about 63ft scale length, would have used either plasticard cabs like I did on my brighton belle conversion of old Dublo pullmans, a Chris Leigh/Mopok Belle cab or an Ian Kirk 2BIL cab.  Centre cars would have been off-the-shelf Hornby. I collected the parts but never started building it.

Edited February 20, 2023 by Captain Slough

[33C]

16 minutes ago, Captain Slough said:

Thats great

 

My plan to make a Brighton set involved the two motor cars being built from four Triang R328 Pullman Brakes - right bodyshell tumblehome, close to the right window shape once you remove the toplights and the right number when stretched to about 63ft scale length, would have used either plasticard cabs like I did on my brighton belle conversion of old Dublo pullmans, a Chris Leigh/Mopok Belle cab or an Ian Kirk 2BIL cab.  Centre cars would have been off-the-shelf Hornby. I collected the parts but never started building it.

Start now!

[Captain Slough]

Found my built-up MERCO London Transport Uxbridge set..    done 1996 with Balsa body forms made at home as none of the supporting castings were still available even 27 years ago.