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Oldest RTR British Outline model to pass muster today...?


andyman7

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The later HD SD wagons were somewhere between very good and excellent (apart from the mineral, and the brake vans)- The 21t hopper still looks good today, as do the 4-wheel and bogie chemical tanks. My 21t hoppers came with a purpose-designed 12' underframe, complete with roller-bearing axleboxes and cast end-step on the LH end- only the handrails were absent.

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The Hornby Dublo Southern Electric EMU (really a Class 501) apart from the deep flange wheels this is an accurate model of a Class 501 which is near 'enough the correct scale length and the power car underframe is good representation of the prototype.

 

XF

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Totally agree about the Hornby Dublo EMU. I've long coveted this but as there's one on ebay for £425 (only a single coach), I'll have to keep wishing. If anyone has a battered old one, even a non-runner - let me know.

Pete.

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Totally agree about the Hornby Dublo EMU. I've long coveted this but as there's one on ebay for £425 (only a single coach), I'll have to keep wishing. If anyone has a battered old one, even a non-runner - let me know.

Pete.

Hi Pete . Mine is in near mint condition albeit not in the original boxes. I purchased it for £6.50 in 1972 , after selling all my Lone Star collection to fund it. Now I have 6 other Class 501's as well!

 

I subsequently replaced nearly all of my Lone Star in alter years!

 

Nigel

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The later HD SD wagons were somewhere between very good and excellent (apart from the mineral, and the brake vans)- The 21t hopper still looks good today, as do the 4-wheel and bogie chemical tanks. My 21t hoppers came with a purpose-designed 12' underframe, complete with roller-bearing axleboxes and cast end-step on the LH end- only the handrails were absent.

The wagons suffered from a common underframe (as did Tri-ang's), which was only the correct length for some of them. Probably the worst was the open wagon, which only bore a passing resemblance to anything on BR!

 

Regrettably, the hopper and bogie tank wagon bear large collector's price tags today, though the Wrenn version of the hopper can be found more reasonably.

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To my eyes the Hornby Dublo 3-rail litho printed tinplate wagons had character and looked more realistic than competitors plastic wagons. Today we have to weather our wagons to make the planks and strapping stand out, so aren't we really going back to an almost litho look...?!

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>SNIPPED

Then there's the Tri-ang L1 (perhaps not the tender), Lord or the Isles (still available).

>SNIPPED

 

Tri-ang Railways Lord of the isles, and the Caledonian Single, no 123. (1961 and 1963)

 

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Tri-ang Railways L1 4-4-0. First made in 1960...

 

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Tri-ang Hornby M4 0-4-4 Tank Locomotive. First made in 1967...

 

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Opening smokebox door, not a new idea from Bachmann...(Also has "Firebox glow"...)

 

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Tri-ang Hornby Hymek Diesel Hydraulic. (Later Hornby Green example, pre-ringfield motor bogie, from the early 1970s...)

 

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Some pictures of two Tri-ang 3MTs and the Bachmann version.

Tri-ang Railways R.59 2-6-2 3MT Tank C1956 (Cellulose Acetate Plastic) 1st edition. & the Bachmann version.

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Tri-ang Hornby (Hornby Railways) R.59S 2-6-2 3MT Tank C1972 (Polystyrene Plastic) Last edition, with Synchrosmoke. & the Bachmann version.

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Tri-ang Railways R.59 2-6-2 3MT Tank C1956 (Cellulose Acetate Plastic) 1st edition.


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Tri-ang Hornby (Hornby Railways) R.59S 2-6-2 3MT Tank C1972 (Polystyrene Plastic) Last edition, with Synchrosmoke.


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Bachmann 2-6-2 3MT Tank 31-975 Made 2009. Bought 2012.

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The Tri-ang versions are "higher" (Tri-ang stock usually is a bit high, so as to cope with sudden gradients on "elevated" track.) and a bit longer overall, than the Bachmann.
Body detailing is not so bad for such an old "toy". The wheels are too small, but the alternative "Princess" wheels were too big!

 

Hornby Dublo 3-Rail 1954, Hornby Dublo 2-Rail 1959 and Bachmann Branch-Line 2003 BR Standard 4MT 2-6-4 tank Locos.

Hornby Dublo 3-Rail.

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Hornby Dublo 2-Rail.

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Bachmann Branch-Line.

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Hornby Dublo 3-Rail and Bachmann Branch-Line.

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All three.

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The Hornby Dublo 3-Rail version has a different chimney to the 2-Rail version. This was modified after comments about the original chimney not being correct.
The hole in the bunker was to access a device to vary the magnetic field strength of the motor.
The bodies are Diecast metal.

The 2-Rail version was later made by Wrenn, in many liveries.

 

 

Some "Jinty" comparisons...

1950s Tri-ang and Bachmann..

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Late 1956 Polystyrene plastic Tri-ang and Bachmann..

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Two Hornby Railways Models, the earliest at the front, from the old tooling, then the new tooling, and then the Bachmann Version...

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The LMS and BR liveries from Hornby Railways.

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Hornby (Latest) the most recent I have, was a DCC set loco body, on the Railroad Pannier Tank Chassis...

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The Bachmann version...

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The Tri-ang railways R.152 0-6-0 Diesel Shunter, original Electric Cellulose Acetate Plastic model, and the Bachmann version of the Class 08 B.R. Shunter.

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It seems that the Tri-ang model has an earlier pattern radiator, and is close to the later LMS Shunters. (Except for those inside frames, which "went out with the Ark", even on the LMS!

 

(The Bachmann model has had the cab interior painted, a crew added, and one side window is now "open".)

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What about the first Airfix r-t-r (31, Mk2 coaches) and Mainline (J72) offerings which came out ~1976?  Memory tells me that they were a significant step forward from what had gone before but I was nine at the time and so may not have had the necessary critical faculties :).

The Airfix Mk2ds and the slightly later Mainline Mk1 Buffet Restaurant were sensational in comparison to the competition and still stand up well today. I know that many are looking towards the Bachmann Mk2f, but the Airfix coaches are remarkable in looking quite contemporary for 35 year old mouldings.

 

I bought the Mainline Buffet Restaurant coach in Coventry in about 1981 in blue/grey - I was around 13 and remember sitting on the platform at the station with the model in hand and the real thing in front of me in a WCML consist and marvelling at the fidelity of the model to the actual prototype. It was in a totally different league to Lima and Hornby offerings.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I agree on the Dublo 2-6-4 tank. It is one of my favourite locos of all time. There is something about the solidity of Dublo locomotives that I like- it is real engineering. I like modern locos but there is something about the finish on some Bachmann locos that makes them look very "plasticky". The Hornby Dublo breakdown set is another old one I like. I put it behind a Bachmann class 40 and to me it looked excellent!

 

Hornby Dublo 2 rail track actually looks very good especially considering it is from tha late 50s early 60s period. Once you have studied  a section and then gone back to modern track the latter's closely packed sleepers really show up.  It is for HO gauge really I suppose. Dublo points look a bit coarse but they have an old school  charm.

 

 

I also have a blue / grey Mainline buffet. I like the general appearance and the finish is fine. I have nothing against a train made up of all makes of Mk1 as it adds a bit of variety!

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Some photos of  Hornby-Dublo 2-Rail stock (Including the Breakdown Crane) at Ffrwd Locks...

 

8f Goods Train Set. Early Version.


F5522BF4-DACA-4CE3-AF02-C58859044558.jpeg.a60e4765e8bdedeba832bb582a01953a.jpeg

 

 


The Breakdown Crane...

 

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17DAE5A1-2CE4-4B43-9E59-BB7299FA3D1B.jpeg.bda101181c73bf78824c85594a10e998.jpeg

 

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The Green R1 and Green and Maroon Suburban pre SD Coaches...

 

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49790079-A9CC-4161-950D-5F6615C12795.jpeg.a2913ebabdab1cafae44de21425965dc.jpeg

 

 

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Guest spet0114

What about the first Airfix r-t-r (31, Mk2 coaches) and Mainline (J72) offerings which came out ~1976?  Memory tells me that they were a significant step forward from what had gone before but I was nine at the time and so may not have had the necessary critical faculties :).

 

I reckon that's about right.

 

The near-simultaneous arrival of the Mainline and Airfix ranges (and Jouef - discuss!) around '76/77 was the start of what I like to think of as the 'fine detail' models we have today. There were three key aspects. Firstly, the level of detail on these newcomers was a quantum leap up from contemporary offerings (Hornby, Wrenn, Liliput etc). Secondly, they were mainly targeted at the modeller and/or collector rather than the 'train set' market and finally, they introduced the business model centred upon far-eastern manufacture.

 

Sure, there were flaws with some models (bufferbeam on the Mainline Peak, for example), and the quality of some of the drive mechanisms was a bit variable, but at the time it gave Hornby a heck of a fright - have a look at their 1978 catalogue and the laughable attempts to portray their models as accurate and/or highly detailed!!

 

The majority of the Mainline models went on to form the initial Bachmann range in the early 90s and some are still with us today. Ironically, it was the acquisition of the remainder of ex-Airfix/Dapol and some ex-Mainline moulds that probably kept Hornby afloat during the mid-late 90s when their 'indigenous' models were being shown up by the contempoary Bachmann offerings.

 

In short, to my mind, the modern model railway market starts with Mainline/Airfix.

 

Cheers

Adrian

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  • 2 months later...
  • RMweb Gold

The shape and subtle details on the Tri-ang EM2 were very good when it first appeared over 50 years ago now. I think that has stood the test of time well.

Peter

For everything on the bodywork. But the chassis (borrowed from the 31/Brush Type 2) was dreadful.

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Actually the EM2 pioneered that bogie. The 31 was the copy. It is a truly dreadful mechanism though. The model otherwise is one of my favourites. Better than the recent Heljan one.....

 

They actually have different frames, though the actual mechanism is the same. Unfortunately the detail is not deep enough, which rather spoils the effect. Lowering the body onto the bogies improves the whole thing dramatically. I wouldn't do this to an EM2 though (collectable and all that!).

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  • 4 months later...

If you look at the inside of the Triang EM2 body it's quite clear it wouldn't be hard to put two motor bogies into it.

 

Could perhaps take that a step further and make a reversible conversion to a central motor drive layout!

 

The Nim.

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The Triang 3MT and Rocket models still holds it looks really well I think, although my 3MT doesn't want to smoke for some reason. Help?

 

There is an element in earlier smoke units (looks like a short length of wire) that tends to fall out and get lost. I don't know where to obtain a replacement though - I don't remember ever seeing them on eBay.

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Yes, it's wire that goes in the 'smoke pipe' in the earlier Seuthe smoke generators that can burn out or get lost. In the later Synchrosmoke generators it's an element (part no.X549) which although obsolete does turn up on ebay, albeit you will pay round £10 for one nowadays.

 

Seuthe still make smoke generators and I haven't got round to checking whether the necessary part for the older generators can be obtained or adapted from their current range. 

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