Delivering the Goods

Another recent acquisition for the model railway is this goods depot.  I suppose it could be described as 'modern', but actually dates back to the sixties.  These were sold as kits, but I got this one already assembled for a pretty low price via Ebay.  It isn't the best construction job I've ever seen - I suspect that, at some point, I'm going to have to find a way to disassemble it and try to reassemble it a bit more neatly - but it is complete.  Which is unusual, as most of these I've seen being sold secondhand are inevitably missing something.  Usually the crane, but often doors and/or windows. It even has the complete and unused decal set that came with the kit.  The only thing missing is the original box, which doesn't bother me as, in the long term, it is going on the layout, not sitting in storage. 

Having the box, though, would enable me to identify which version of the kit it was. The kits were actually of continental origin, (meaning that it is really HO rather than OO), manufactured by, I think, Pola, but were marketed in the UK under several different banners at different times.  I first recall seeing it in the hornby catalogue back in the early seventies, when Hornby marketed a range of Pola kits under the Hornby banner, which included this, a coaling stage, various residential buildings and a petrol station.  Prior to that, in the sixties, much of the same range had been marketed in the UK by Playcraft (the UK subsidiary of Joueff).  Later, the same range appeared in the UK under their original Pola banner.  (They may still be available, for all I know).  Anyway, the depot is another of those things I saw in my childhood and quite liked, but never acquired.  At last, though, I've got my hands on one to finally incorporate into a layout.