Golden Fleece 30

A few interesting bits I have acquired. Some of the chassis's have TT Romfords, others 00 Romfords. The crank throw shows which is which. All solid construction with 1/16" brass sides. The builder liked fine gears so all are slow running as such. The 0-4-2 has its outer wheels set for a 14xx but the rear drivers are too far apart. I have no idea what I will do with them but there are also some very nice Pug wheels + other wheels and bodies not in the photo. The 4-4-0 is to big for the 2P so maybe for the LNWR body I have, the XT60 is far too large for the 2P. Some nice signals to add to the collection ready for the layout (should have a 25 yard box of track coming today). There is one very large motor (if for TT) I have not seen the likes of before in the centre of the photo, this has a universal joint fitted to its shaft. One of the bodies is a good candidate for a black 08. The Kitmaster bogies are fitted with metal wheels which I may remove to use in other items like the BEC bogie parcels vans. Garry

Here is my Lord of the Isles 3-railed, magnet between the wheels removed and replaced with lead and still pulling 9 Exley suburbans on nickel track. Garry

If I remember correctly this was also in Black as a British loco and Yellow as a continental one. I think its power source was the old Transcontinental diesel unit. Garry

I don't anything about Aire Valley but the Keighley TT model Aireworth is I think Tri-ang based stock. Garry

When I mentioned about the tin coaches it was in relation to the end of Dublo as stated in a post. Until the late 50's all Dublo wagons were tinprinted then they were gradually changed to plastic versions (Brakes, coal, mineral etc) with some wagons dropped from the catalogues like the brick wagon and other new items not produced in tin plate. The only tinprinted wagon to the end was the 4 wheel petrol/oil tanker. At the end there were still cast mazak bodied wagons like the weltrol and bolsters. Garry

Dublo's coaches, except for the Pullmans, were tinplate to the very end of production. Their coaches apart from being short for the tight curves were only bettered by Exley. Even today with modern technology Dublo's S/D tin coaches are a better looking model. Because the 0-6-0's RTR at the time were limited that is maybe why K's and Will's brought so many kits out to fit both Tri-ang and Dublo chassis's. Garry

Totally agree with you Robert (no like, agree buttons etc to use on my phone). With compromises there are so many things Tri-ang could have done without too much cost but we will never know, unless, there is someone out there who worked there and had knowledge. I know there are a couple of brothers who worked on Dublo, drawing office and inspection I think, who still have an input on their site. Garry

Those are not Dublo wagons though, modern pinpointed Mainline/Hornby/Bachmann etc so 51 of these should be easy lol. Garry

Where would we be without the internet? Just sat by the pool in Gran Canaria and still managed a Buy it Now M/N and tender. Just hope the wife doesn't find out lol. As for Collectors v Modellers, it is open to many interpretations. I collect models but not a collector as such as I don't do it at any price, or, for things I have no interest in which is why I don't a blue diesel, blue and grey coaches or anything of the French models. Regarding Dublo I do have a Dorchester, Liverpool, 3-rail EMU (genuine), Mallard with nickel wheels and an E3002 but all at a non inflated price just being lucky in the right place at the right time. My 48094 was in a box of locos and when I bought them I only knew of an 8F in the job lot. That job lot also included the very rare plain green ended EMU, front end that is without the moulded ridge for the Yellow. Still don't have a Ludlow or 80059 as no bargains ever appeared. Garry

Have the ends had a green over the yellow paint job, looks quite neat. Garry

That's true Ray, A Tri-ang TT Restaurant car in Blue and Grey has just gone for £179 and a couple of Blue and Grey bakes for £231, another pair made £197 and these were not mint and unboxed. A few TT items are now out pricing some Dublo rarities. My first brand new Dublo EMU trailer was sold off at half price making it 10/6d as were a lot of my maroon and green suburbans all from a cycle shop in Leeds. Garry

Hi David, I get just the same with my wife saying "Just because you used to teach etc etc" as that is what I did lol. I have to say I do have too much of what I don't need and a few times been selling things off at Toyfairs but end up spending the money on more of what I am doing at the time like TT now. All I get then is "I thought you had enough and don't want anymore " Partners just do not understand lol. I have to say all my Tri-ang Standard, Super 4, series 3, Trix Bakelite and fibre track went a long long time ago, unfortuntlely in those pre Ebay/Toyfair days it was the bin. Garry

Thanks David although the question "Why were split axle wheels ever made?" was actually a rhetorical one and meant as a statement as such. I did have a couple of the split wagon chassis's though and thought I maybe able to modify them but they just snapped when trying to separate the two halves. You certainly have a lot of variation track wise for your layouts. Mine is all standard Peco whether 0, 00, 3-rail, TT and N gauge. It must be 40 years since I last had a go at track making and it was a pain then which is why I went for off the shelf. Garry

Robert, nice idea about the T fitting for the bogies and it is something I can start to think about while I am beside the pool, I cannot just go away and forget about railways lol. Garry

Peco make TT track now, since the 90's?, but it is aimed at the continental market. Old Jackson TT wheels along with Romfords go nicely through it but Tri-ang TT has an issue. Either the points need modification or all the wheels do. The plastic two part wheels can be pushed out with a washer between of which I have done a handful, but as I prefer metal wheels I am slowly changing mine. Why were split axle wheels ever made? All other manufacturers managed without. Locos would need replacing (far too expensive for me) or pushing out on their axles, pushing out is not an option as it then causes issues on Tri-ang curves so I am modifying the points fitting new check rails opposite the frog not along side it. Plus, I still want my locos and stock to run on Tri-ang track as well as Peco. I am not worried about the sleeper spacing or size, just like the trains to run smoothly. At this time of life, life itself is too short to start hand building track. Garry

Here is the BEC Brush type 4 primed and base colour painted. I wish I was putting it together now as I found out that when the sides are fully around the 3 internal spacers they are slightly narrower than the roof. Also even though I got them as flat as I could a gloss finish will not be on the cards as there are still some "ripples" where the internal ribs are located they would not press flat. It seems also that the sides are very slightly bowed down at each end so I had to do a little bending of the roof. Hopefully a screw will pull it down for a better fit. People talk of the front not looking quite right and seeing this in paint I think I know what they mean, the front below the window should slope a little backwards to the buffer beam as opposed to "straight" down, correct chaps? It will probably be a little while before much more is done due to an impending call from Gran Canaria beckoning us Well done Robert, it was a nice little collection from Dava and should keep you entertained for a while. Garry

Hi David, I thought the M7 was a 64 model but it was a 67 introduction. EMU's and DMU's have an issue as to whether locos or rolling stock for different people including me lol. I can see how "rolling stock" applies as all units are passenger carrying vehicles but Tri-ang, rightly or wrongly, classed the end vehicles under locomotives in the catalogues as "power" unit and "dummy" unit. My own personal interpretation is if it has a motor its a loco lol. I know the Ian Allen combines of rolling stock includes multiple units but then isn't a locomotive classed as a piece of rolling stock? The mind boggles with variations What were you classing as the Dublo E5, was it the Wills kit on the Dublo Chassis? There were a couple of other kits in Southern mode, the M7 again before the Tri-ang Hornby version and a G6 I think. Garry

Thanks Robert. Garry

It is very rare for me to be a solo operator, this only happening when it is lunch time and my co-operator has his lunch, and vice versa. Because of this, and there are always at least two parts to my layouts like main line and goods yard, I am looking at installing a remote shuttle from one platform to fiddle yard so passenger trains can still run while shunting is going on during a lunch or call of nature break. Obviously this is a need due to an end to end layout. It does not surprise me that the Castle kept going. Regarding the mazak rot we are fortunate that it has never seemed to affect TT, or Tri-ang 00, like it did with Hornby Dublo. It surprises me that this issue cropped up again in this day and age a few years ago with modern Hornby, and also Heljan with a batch of their 47's. Going back to the Autocoach topic has anyone made up the 3smr model and if so are there any issues with it? Garry

Thanks David, I did not think an Autocoach had been made but unsure as I stopped TT about the time you started. I have to agree with your comments regarding the TT versus 00 especially the Type 2 and DMU. Glad you found a new home for your collection. Garry

I know there is a WR Autocoach available from 3SMR but going back to the old days was there a whitemetal metal one from GEM (who made the 14xx) or K's ever produced? Garry

I lost out on the 47 while in the swimming pool but I had already put my limit on it. Could the 5 pole armature in the motor bogie be from the same source as the ones used in the Castles etc? I don't know who made them but understand it was a long time ago and the chap stopped a fair while ago. Garry

Don't forget David there was also the Tri-ang EMU and M7. Garry

A few spare minutes tonight gave me the chance to drop the BEC Brush type 4 into some Caustic Soda, clean it up and then solder it together as it had previously been glued. It was a little distorted but the sides easily were "flattened" as much as they could be. Once completed I will see if I can glue some brass sheet inside to strengthen them as they are quite thin. Robert, was the DMU bogie the one that finished a couple of days ago? If so you beat me to it and it sounds to be a beauty . Garry

These "overlays" were cast whitemetal and very thick putting about 1mm on the thickness of a wheel, I think the coupling rod screw actually screwed into the casting too. I am hoping to have some etches made as an extra on one of my future kits. These will be brass and fit inside the wheel rim. Garry