LNWR18901910

Day 11 (Quick announcement before I begin - I fear that I'm running out of ideas to work with as well as material so if anybody has anything to share here, please drop me a line, thank you!) Scotland the braw! Yes, it's The Caledonian set from the 1990s - a renaissance to the company as well as the hobby if you will. You can tell at a glance that this pays homage (not in a drunken way) to the Tri-ang Hornby era of yesteryear. This is similar to a piece of railwayana or paintings. It reflects on the time when nationalisation was in full-swing until Order 55 (even though many steam locomotives were scrapped before then) but the big give-away is the D tension-lock coupling. N.B: Special thanks to those who liked and agreed with my thoughts on the last one I looked at, sorry if this is shorter. Also, thanks for sharing your memories as well as facts and such, hopefully I will be back tomorrow with yet another analysis on some more model railway art. Until then, bye for now!

Day 10 Another Centenary and a half! This catalogue showcases any potential models YOU wish Hornby would've actually made, but out of the three, only one was made so guess which of the three it was. You have what appears to be more of an image board like a presentation you do at work or at school (it's what we had) and this ticks all the boxes. The white background gives it a sort of pocket dictionary or Dorling Kindersly feel to it. This is a celebration of how rail transportation has progressed (or in some cases degressed especially in recent times) and continues to this day. You will also notice the description of the locomotives underneath and they are all real-life preserved examples. If you haven't been to the NRM, you ought to! I know I did. Not much to say on this one, but it does give a touch of educational class (without the school bullies, high-strung and tetchy teachers and school dinners that make us throw up). N.B: Thanks very much to those who liked the previous advent post, I'm really coming close to the halfway point, I am! Thanks to Legend and Ruffnut Thornston for sharing your thoughts and memories as well as thanks to those for images of the Freightmaster train set (Freightmaster may seem a touch better than Freightliner), well done and thanks again. Another post on time, sorry if it's short but I will be back with another advent post hopefully better and much more in-depth than this one, bye for now!

Day 9 The Freightmaster - sounds like a rewarding promotion or job title you could earn, right? Well, so you would be if you were working in a certain department like Postmaster, Harbourmaster, Headmaster, Quartermaster or Jedi Master. I suppose it could be some sort of job title or maybe, if it was passed to a woman, it would be Freightmistress, maybe? We do have Postmistress as well as Headmistress, don't we? So why not Freightmistress? Depicted here as an English Electric diesel hauling a freight train through what might be the Alps (it's supposed to be British, but it looks almost like Switzerland or maybe Scotland or Wales, I don't know). The mountains represent the many challenges we have faced at some point in our lives and we are that train itself chugging along until we reach that destination that is our goals and achievements! That's what it could be! The United Dairies tank wagon represents calcium, the livestock wagon represents protein and at the very back is the brake van that represents support and encouragement as well as discouragement judging by the signals in the distance. This is something that's obviously meant to be taken as realistic as possible but judging by the gaint D tension lock coupling, it's like the entire model was suddenly hit by a powerful ray gun and made life-size! Remember the scene from that Ant-Man film where Thomas the Tank Engine turns gigiantic and destroys a house? This box-art pre-dates that cinematic moment! However, as with most train sets, you still have to get your own darn platforms, signals and spare track. Quite the challenge, huh? N.B: Special thanks to Brit70053, RyanN91, Ruffnut Thornston, caradoc, BernardTPM, railroadbill, Steamport Southport and Legend for your reactions to the last post, glad you guys enjoy it! Special thanks goes out to Ruffnut Thornston for providing an image of the Freightmaster set for me to analyise and metaphorically define and again, thanks goes out to Ruffnut Thornston, BernardTPM, Steamport Southport, Nearholmer and Mountain Goat for the additional information which I enjoyed and was fascinated by same as everyone! Thanks for your memories as well, Legend! Well, I honestly can hardly believe another advent post bang on time! However, one thing I should point out is that this thread may be gone by January 6th of this year but seeing as we have so much to talk about in terms of historic nostalgia, might as well leave it up here though I might have to change the title of it and such. Anyway, with all said and done, I hope you guys enjoyed this post and I'll be back with another one tomorrow and I might throw another one in for a bonus (a two for one thing, maybe). See you all next time and please leave your thoughts and memories here and I hope to include my own Hornby memories in the next post. See you tomorrow!

Day 8 GWR...we've never been that far...at least, not until this new Millennium where they dropped the word 'The' at the beginning after replacing it with 'First'. How cocky can you be calling it First Great Western when it started in 1835 right up until 1948? Anyway, onto the main content. What can I say about this catalogue cover but...splendid? This is a GWR 6000 King Class (King George V) thundering down the mainine without her iconic bell from her visit to the States but with the most unusual headboard on the front. Strange, is it not? Notice the insane high speed she's travelling at with smoke billowing out her chimney, the shiny finish on her Brunswick Great Western Green livery, it's rejoice for people living in the West of England as the railway has come to their region! Why should all those Northerners build all the railways? The border is stylised like that of a GWR locomotive cabside and the rivets have been picked out as if the catalogue was made out of heavy steel...nah, I'm just being daft and just making that up, that would be ridiculous. Also, in the bottom-left corner, is the debut of a certain second-famous locomotive from a series of books created by a religious railway enthusiast. You know who I'm talking about... N.B: Special thanks to Ramblin Rich, BernardTPM, Ruffnut Thornston, Islesy, JaymzHatstand, Legend and acg5324 for your reactions on the last post, glad you enjoyed it. Thanks to Legend for sharing his memories here and to thanks to Mike_Walker and Ruffnut Thornston, I will be analysing that box art on that train set as well as that catalogue image in the next posts so thanks for providing an image or two for me to work with, it's just what I needed. I'll be back with another in-depth analysis into the catalogue and artwork, so stay safe and healthy and Merry Christmas! See you all again!

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!

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!

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!

Day 4 Call to arms with Task Force Action Set! This is something for all you Action Force/ G.I. Joe, Colditz, Dad's Army and M.A.S.H. fanatics out there! Considering this was released back in the 1980s, this has got to be the manly hardcore train set there ever was! A symbol of anarchic testosterone, you might say and think. For those of you who may or may not have seen the film Major Payne (a remake of The Private War of Major Benson) but this set predates said-film. This is a scene of anarchy here - a tank firing at a rocket car this giving an explosive effect minus the fire, smoke, destruction and carnage! This is family friendly to a how new level! Hornby Railways displayed their logo at the bottom while the font seems to be almost like that from an 80s action film - considering that this is reminiscent of a movie poster Drew Struzan-style with a hint of comic book effects! It looks as it it's just another typical mission to cross enemy lines in order to deliver supplies, but then, suddenly right out of nowhere - KA-BOOM! BAZAMMO! The enemy ain't havin' jack so they attempt to deprive the enemy of their requirements. One or two other things I just realised; the original film's premise was done twice for TV as Hard Knox and Major Payne by Universal Pictures so I'd say this set would be fitting. This isn't the only time Hornby used such rare pieces of rolling-stock - these are reminiscent of the Tri-ang Battle Space models that was done during the 1960s and most likely re-used from said-range. Task Force - they're the ones to call for Action! N.B: Thanks very much to Graham Heather, Brit70053, railroadbill, Ruffnut Thorston, JaymzHatstand, laurenceb, BernardTPM, 69843, Hroth, Legend and caradoc for liking and reacting to Day 3, much appreciated and to both Brit70053 and Steamport Southport, I totally love and get the jokes and so does everyone! After all, Christmas is a time to make merry and be a comedian (I know I can be, too). And here we are, an actual Advent posted on time just right! I'll be back again tomorrow with another look into more Catalogue and Box Art, but in the meantime, please share your thoughts on which catalogue covers and train set boxes remind you of happy times and festive memories. Until then, bye for now!

Day 3 Just another typical Summer Holiday like in a Cliff Richard song especially with this train set. This set,(a product of its time maybe, also harkens back to a time when anyone (if they were lucky enough) can catch a train to the sea. Hands up if this harkens back any memories (except me as I wasn't alive back then so obviously I'm no 2000 Year Old Man...and I totally missed out big time). On the right, you see the people about to embark aboard the train to their destination, but move to the left, the effect is almost revealed to be a model the whole time implying that giants are in control of our railway network, but that's okay - we're gonna have a wonderful journey...at least until giant hands pick up the 8:15 from Manchester to Blackpool off the rails almost in a Godzilla-like fashion. Part of the station has been cut-off by what appears to be a white fog (that's probably our British weather, I guess). The way it was drawn is like a sort of surreal piece of art almost like that of Dali, Magritte or Ernst, a sortof blend of fantasy and reality colliding together. On closer inspection, the locomotive is numbered 61572, based on the real-life preserved example still with us, but the only thing missing from that is the standard D Couplers. But then again, I'm just being daft, maybe I'm being too surreal myself. If anyone owned the set, feel free to share your memories. N.B: Thanks very much to Ruffnut Thornson for sharing images of the Railway Children rolling stock and thanks to Bernard TPM for sharing an image of children figures. Also, special thanks to Mike Bellamy, BernardTPM, Hroth, Islesy, Legend and laurencecb for your reactions to the last Advent post. This post I got done early in advance even though it was meant for tomorrow but because I have a rather pressuring yet overly-busy schedule, I was able to get two or three posts out. So kindly leave your thoughts and memories and I'll be back again with another Advent post to come until Christmas - see you all then!

Day 2 Diving into licenced merchandising (or moichandizing) territory, we have The Railway Children Set. According to the description of the Tri-ang Hornby 1972 catalogue, it was modelled on the train from the film featuring a GNSR-liveried tank locomotive and coaches as well as your typical everyday station with platform, oval of track, power clip and uncoupler but no figures. However, in the film, it's actually a GWR Pannier Tank repainted in GNSR brown on the real-life K&WVR, but in this train set (and according to the box-art), it's a Jinty 3F 0-6-0T. Anyway, let's talk about the artwork... You see before you one of the story's climactic scenes (nowhere near as climactic as Moby Dick or Dracula considering it's a children's story) where one of the titular and aptly-named children characters is seen waving down the train preventing a serious accident from happening (can't say the same for Mr Dickens considering where he got the idea for The Signalman). The train looks like it's coming towards the person (Jenny Agutter's character, mind you) in a certain perspective as if we are about to encounter a chance meeting with the Grim Reaper for the sake of saving innocent lives. The makeshift flag is dangling over her head because she is frantically waving in desperation for the train to stop or maybe it's another flag being waved by another of the children off-screen. Above the image seen here, we happen to have three of the film's young stars on the top-right with the exact logo on the left (most likely lifted from the poster or professionally recreated, my congratulations go to them). Considering that this story is set in the Edwardian era when it was originally published, you may notice the BR-era smokebox numberplate with the 47000 numbering on the class which does make it somewhat inaccurate for the time period (but that's just me being the odd-purist in railway history so do excuse me). The background looks rather watercoloured (the sky and the trees) which reminds me of the time when I attempted an oil-painting in watercolours in my Art lesson in school. The bushes and tiny leaves as well as those on the sticks have got some fair detail on them, but this was most likely in the days before the internet and Photoshop so I won't judge it too much. Just when you think that this is a perfect tie-in piece of merchandise for when the film came out in 1970, unfortunately, it was two years late but on the other hand, it is nice to bring home more than just the experience of the movie (the same thing would happen with Star Wars but that's a whole other story). Better late than never, I suppose! N.B: I know it's technically a day early at the time of writing this post, but at least I got it out of the way in advance and most likely for the third day and also getting my house and room ready for Christmas so we'll see how it goes. Also, thanks goes to Legend for sharing his nostalgic memories and his thoughts on it, so Merry Christmas and thanks, Legend! Also, special thanks goes to BernardTPM, Robin Brasher, Ruffnut Thornston, Black 5 Bear, Hroth and caradoc for liking the first post as they seem to enjoy and agree with my thoughts and analysis on the first piece of artwork I looked at and reviewed. Happy Holidays and see you guys back with another post definitely on the exact day as an advent calender should or probably bang on time, but like I said, I'll see how it goes. Kudos and see you later for now!

Day 1 Saddle up, partners! The Davy Crockett comes from the Tri-ang catalogue from 1962 (the year Sean Connery blasted onto cinema screens as 007, a certain father and son rag-and-bone men made TV audiences laugh and your friendly neighbourhood titular and eponymous webhead swung into comics)! What strikes me about this artwork is the locomotive moving forward along with a passenger train. At first glance, you may think that the model's wheels are black but on the official release of the model, they're yellow. The steam coming out of the smokestack gives an effect reminiscent of railway posters, picture-postcards and illustrations from books. The orange-red sky contrasted by the orange-yellow Western American frontier gives a sort of hint to Westerns of the Golden Age (Westerns were big at the time) so this model fits right into that environment respectively. The wording 'TRI-ANG RAILWAYS GO WEST!' gives a sort of indication like in Western film trailers and novels. The look of it gives it the kind of cinematic poster feel and from a certain perpsective, you are standing on the ground looking up at this beast of a locomotive passing by. An impressive piece of art showing consumers what to expect in a product.

As you can tell from the title, this was my biggest surprise in mind! Up until December 25th, I will be analysing and giving my thoughts on the various box and catalogue art. Plus, I will be hearing your thoughts about it, too. This is something we can all discuss and give our verdicts about for the holiday season. All research has been done or is being undergone as I have relied on the Hornby Railways Collector's Guide website for information as well as images when need be, but if I can't get a proper image or find one on said-site, then I would have to do a Google Image Search when the moment calls for it. Merry Christmas and stay safe and healthy!

Well, it's good that you finally got back on track (pun somewhat intended) with this project! I'm so sorry to hear about the motor, I've had similar experience with it myself on more than on occassion. However, I hope you finally finish this model and get it up-and-running, fully-detailed and fully-lined and liveried (mind you, it does remind me of some Furness Railway rebuilt D5s). As a modeller, I am deeply fascinated by Pre-Grouping locomotives from 1870 to 1920 and this has to be one of them.

What a fantastic locomotive! If I did something similar, it would have to be a re-imagining of it as a proper mainline tender locomotive! It looks very nice as a model, but how did you make the chassis outer-framed like that? I know you already made the body, but the chassis is, on the other hand, a different matter I often considered. Apart from that, neat model!!

The retro-style models are back! I have recently purchased a 3D-printed GER S56 0-6-0T body in GER livery No. 87 after the preserved example still with us today! It should be on its way here and once it arrives, I will share photos of it off my phone and share with you the progress of it. The body takes the old Dapol/Hornby Terrier chassis so it gives it the old-style look of models much like the SECR O1, the LNER B17, the LNWR George the Fifth and the LSWR S15 Class. As Christmas is fast-approaching, I have plans for my 1000th post and I happen to have something in mind which you'll all like as it is mainly to do with Hornby's Centenary Year (or whatever's left of it).

The more I read this thread, the more I feel sorry for those who have spent their lives undiagnosed. Not all kids in their early years are diagnosed right on the spot.

Nice tank locomotive. It sort of dips from the front to the back according to the sideview, though. I expect it runs well in both directions.

So, here I am back again with another project totally underway! My WMR 5P 0-6-2T adapted from a Bachmann E4! Also, a Six Wheel Coach project is underway, too. I am using two Hornby Clarabel coaches based on what TangoOscarMike is doing. I hope I can pull it off.

Amazing work! It looks fantastic! I hope it runs well. In fact, I'm working on a Pre-Grouping Steam-era interpretation of modern-day train companies and I was wondering if this would make a great steam locomotive! Would you be interested?

Perfect for a Pre-Grouping tri-axle mineral wagon! Where can I find such a body?

Yes, and I apologise.

I found some Dapol upainted wagons which I can then use for my WMR rolling stock.

Ta very much, mate! I think I'll give it a shot and get some coaches.

Blimey, I'm tempted to try this!

I've always wanted to make my own Six Wheeled coaches! Would the Bachmann Emily coaches be good to work with? I was hoping to make LNWR ones out of them as well as WMR ones.