More Fun at The Fair

Another visit to the local toy and train collectors fair - the last of the year - yielded some more bargain purchases.  In the middle area trio of extremely cheap cement wagons.  The bottom two of the Presflo type are both Wrenn versions of the Hornby Dublo wagon.  Both are somewhat play worn - but I like that, it gives them 'character'.  Like all Dublo/Wrenn wagons they have a very solid and weighty feel, thanks to their diecast metal chassis, (unlike contemporary Triang wagons, which had lightweight plastic chassis, as do most modern wagon models).   These two 'Blue Circle' Presflos will join a 'Tunnel Cement' version I've had for many years, (although I have some spare 'Blue Circle' decals for these wagons, so it might yet change identity to conform with these new additions).  The third wagon is the Hornby version of the Triang Cemflo design.  Again, it was very cheap, despite appearing to be in pristine condition.  It will join the other two Triang Cemflos, which I acquired in much poorer condition and which I'm currently trying to respray to resemble this one.

Above the cement wagons is a Peco double slip, possibly the most complex piece of point work you'll find on a model railway.  Brand new, they'll cost you upwards of fifty quid, even second hand examples are usually at least twenty quid.  I got this one for a tenner.  It was one of several a trader who I've regularly bought from had in a box, along with a huge array of other point work, which looked like they had been lifted from a dismantled layout.  Everything in the box was in excellent condition and relatively low priced.  This now joins the Fleischmann three way point at the bottom of the photo, which I recently obtained via eBay, also for around a tenner - I'm currently assembling the point work I'm going to need when I finally extend the layout.  Second hand bargains like these are a huge boon, saving me a lot of money.  Sooner or later, of course, I'm actually going to have to finish clearing rubbish out of the spare room so that I can begin construction of the expanded layout - maybe in the New Year...