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A Tribute to "the people's loco"


The son of Triangman

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Hi Folks as it's 66 years since the people's loco appeared I thought it was time someone paid tribute to the loco that opened up the model railway market in the UK to everyone.  Before the model hit the marketplace as part of a cheap train set made by Rovex for M&S, the marketplace had been dominated by models aimed squarely at the middle and upper class market.  The world's biggest toy maker Tri-ang wanted into model railways and saw the inexpensive little set as a way of achieving their aims and opening up tjhe model railway market to all.

I give you ladies and gentleman the Rovex, later Tri-ang Princess Elizabeth.

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A fitting reminder of when model railways became truly affordable for the working family.  I was given HD as a Christmas present, and I have retained the love of the range to this day.  My parents were working class, but, had already set the die with having bought HD for older brothers and, of course, one had to stick with what range the original locos were, as Hornby Dublo and Rovex Triangle were incompatible due to the 3 rail track versus 2 rail

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Thank you SoT for this fitting tribute to this bullet-proof model.. It certainly deserves all the praise you have for this engine. I still have three in different liveries from my childhood days and they are still running fine on their original motors (which have always received the requested TLC: light oiling, new brushes and new bearings, all provided by my dear old dad  until I got the hang of it. 

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 At the last toy fair I got an early green Princess Elizabeth minus tender for £4 (celulose acetate body with green sprayed almost khaki livery and simplified cab lining). I bought it for spares, but imagine my delight when I applied power to the wheels and she ran away like a good'n.  I will now need to source a good tender for her.

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Mine cost me £8 in Total. £5 for a working locomotive with a GWR castle tender and a crushed and (very very poorly) repaired cab. £3 for a badly damaged bodyshell (with a good cab) and a slightly damaged tender. 

Result is a nice looking, smooth and noisy beast.

And the left overs? The bodyshell was cut down and fettled to fit a mainline 4mt chassis, a new cab built and the GWR tender converted to a Stanier-esque style. A sort of neverwassa LMS Royal Jubilee!

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While the world and his wife seem to have the "Princess Elizabeth", my own introduction to model railways was this one, R258 46200 "The Princess Royal".

 

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I've had this since i was 5 or 6. Rarely leaves its box

 

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These days, those pizza cutter flanges just dont like modern points.

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Hi all

The peoples loco sounds like a soviet thing  ;-) 

I had Princess Elizabeth so I am one of the world. wonder who has a victoria?

Don't have it any more It got well and truly played with must find a good second hand one some day. 

But do have three Hiawathas so maybe don't need to hurry finding a Princess

GeoFF03

Since pizza is in the offering make mine a Hawian with mushrooms please ;-)

regards John

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