Another Train of Thought
We haven't talked about model railways here for while. Not that I've made any real progress with mine, but I have made a few new acquisitions. First up are some old Trix BR Mk 1 coaches I bought from eBay a couple of weeks ago:
There's also a second buffet car, but in chocolate and cream rather than green. A train composed of carriages in multiple liveries like this wasn't uncommon on the Southern Region in the mid to late sixties, as steam ran down. With many locomotive hauled passenger services on other regions being replaced by diesel multiple units, the surplus coaches were cascaded to other regions which still had predominantly locomotive hauled services. Liveries other than the Southern Region's native green were also seen on inter-regional services, of course. (Actually, I have to admit that, in either case, ex Western Region chocolate and cream coaches would be rare, as they were only used on named expresses working from Paddington, regular Western region services used maroon liveried coaches).
Here's a closer look at the coaches:
Bearing in mind that these models date back to the 1960s, the level of detail on the mouldings is excellent. Indeed, they are some of the best representations of Mk 1 stock I've seen in 00. Like all Trix products from this period, however, they aren't true 00 gauge models, as they are made to 3.8mm to the foot scale rather than 4mm to the foot scale, which makes them slightly under scale. This can clearly be seen when they are compared to the Hornby Mk 1 (which is to 4mm to the foot scale) posed in the foreground:
As long as the Trix coaches are kept together in separate rakes and not mixed with true scale 00 Mk 1s, the discrepancy isn't noticeable. Certainly, I like them enough that I'll be trying to obtain some more in the near future. Perhaps due to the scale issue, Trix coaches are often cheaper to buy than their Triang/Hornby, Lima and Mainline equivalents. (They also run better than the Mainline versions, which, I find, simply won't stay on the track). In front of the coaches in the above photo is te tail end of a tanker train. While I've owned the four tank wagons visible for more years than I care to remember, the foremost part of the train is composed of some more recent acquisitions:
I'll admit that there are better tank wagon models on the market than these old Triang-derived types, but their simplicity lends them a certain elegance. Moreover, they have a nostalgic appeal for me, as I had one as part of my very first, clockwork, train set when I was five or six.
So, there you have it - I've done little in terms of pushing the layout forward, but I have, at least, expanded the rolling stock roster. I really must get on with the wiring so that I can run more trains, then think about painting the exposed areas of the baseboard. I've also got vague plans for the station area, which is currently composed of bare platforms. You never know, I might actually find time to do some of this in the foreseeable future.
There's also a second buffet car, but in chocolate and cream rather than green. A train composed of carriages in multiple liveries like this wasn't uncommon on the Southern Region in the mid to late sixties, as steam ran down. With many locomotive hauled passenger services on other regions being replaced by diesel multiple units, the surplus coaches were cascaded to other regions which still had predominantly locomotive hauled services. Liveries other than the Southern Region's native green were also seen on inter-regional services, of course. (Actually, I have to admit that, in either case, ex Western Region chocolate and cream coaches would be rare, as they were only used on named expresses working from Paddington, regular Western region services used maroon liveried coaches).
Here's a closer look at the coaches:
Bearing in mind that these models date back to the 1960s, the level of detail on the mouldings is excellent. Indeed, they are some of the best representations of Mk 1 stock I've seen in 00. Like all Trix products from this period, however, they aren't true 00 gauge models, as they are made to 3.8mm to the foot scale rather than 4mm to the foot scale, which makes them slightly under scale. This can clearly be seen when they are compared to the Hornby Mk 1 (which is to 4mm to the foot scale) posed in the foreground:
As long as the Trix coaches are kept together in separate rakes and not mixed with true scale 00 Mk 1s, the discrepancy isn't noticeable. Certainly, I like them enough that I'll be trying to obtain some more in the near future. Perhaps due to the scale issue, Trix coaches are often cheaper to buy than their Triang/Hornby, Lima and Mainline equivalents. (They also run better than the Mainline versions, which, I find, simply won't stay on the track). In front of the coaches in the above photo is te tail end of a tanker train. While I've owned the four tank wagons visible for more years than I care to remember, the foremost part of the train is composed of some more recent acquisitions:
I'll admit that there are better tank wagon models on the market than these old Triang-derived types, but their simplicity lends them a certain elegance. Moreover, they have a nostalgic appeal for me, as I had one as part of my very first, clockwork, train set when I was five or six.
So, there you have it - I've done little in terms of pushing the layout forward, but I have, at least, expanded the rolling stock roster. I really must get on with the wiring so that I can run more trains, then think about painting the exposed areas of the baseboard. I've also got vague plans for the station area, which is currently composed of bare platforms. You never know, I might actually find time to do some of this in the foreseeable future.
posted by Doc Sleaze at
9:51 pm
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