Who remembers Polly from 1960s?

[John-350544]

Back in the 1960s (I know, showing my age here) my parents gave me for Christmas a 00 train set with a little red engine called Polly. Boy, could she motor.

unfortunately, due to house move, the 00 gauge had to go.

ok so I am now trying to relive my childhood, but I have decided to try and find that engine again.

boys and their toys…😂

[What About The Bee]

Could this be Polly?

http://www.hornbyguide.com/item_details.asp?itemid=451

Bee

[Rana Temporia]

Polly was the red version of the generic 0-4-0 locos usually with the number 9 but sometimes 6. Also available in various shades of blue usually as Nellie and no 7 but also as Connie No 6, or as the rarer yellow Connie no 6.

Also produced in lined green as no 27, black with or without BR logos, and in bright red with the Triang fax no on the sides. Virtually indestructible great runners apart from the last version made with the rubbishy plastic cog that disintegrates. Loads available secondhand.

[Tony57]

Hi

Don't forget Connie and Nellie

[Rana Temporia]

Also S&D Blue one (I forgot that one!) with 7178 on the side. The Green No 27 was also made in a few shades of green, a khaki type colour and bright green at least.

[Tony57]

Hi Rana

Have you seen the 3D printed cab interior in resin that someone has made for Polly etc.

E Bay seller Secret anorak resin models, looks interesting.

[atom3624]

Polly was my first locomotive I think, as part of a set.

Al.

[ellocoloco]

The chrome domed red 25550 was my one. Great engine and still the fastest loco I've ever owned. The only thing I had that came close to it was a lima 09 but it was top heavy and fell over as soon as it saw a corner.

[Anglia998]

Hello everyone

here is my list of Polly and her friends - it may not be complete

[Buz]

hi John-350544

I remember Nellie Polly and Connie blue red and yellow respectively there was also a later S&DJR version and green one no72 I think, lets not forget the red one with a chrome dome.

Then the weird euro thing done both in clockwork and later as an electric and the North British diesel in BR blue (set only) and BR green and the Dutch OH electric in BR green

pretty sure they all had the same chassis and motor but others may know better on that score.

I had Nellie, the S&DJR, the chrome dome and the BR blue North British.

The North British came as a propper pick up goods set with brake van.

I think Nellie is still lurking some where waiting for replica decals and brass name and number plates and builders plate when I work out who might have built it a 1960's super detail job LOL.

If you find a Polly in good working order don't forget the later model open wagon fish van and brake van to go with itsmiley and look for modern wheels to fit them the open wagon looked good with split spoke wheels if its the wooden framed variant.

It will also be advisable to find a period good quality train controller ( don't forget to get it safety checked ) as well some of the older locomotives don't like the modern DC controllers.

regards John

[Rana Temporia]

Tony57, I have seen them and they look very good but with around 20 of these locos it could prove expensive grin. I recently found a box with four in that I didn’t even know I had, which have probably come from job lots I bought years ago. I just bought another yesterday from the Bolton swapmeet with a damaged body purely as a source of a cheap X04. I paid less than a set of new brushes for it so quite happy with that one!

Actually looking at it the only thing wrong is a missing funnel, two steps and nameplates which I probably have a spare set somewhere, the lining and number are perfect which is unusual. I know the funnel and steps are available as 3D prints but I really don’t need another of these locos whereas an X04 is always useful.

[threelink]

Great little locos for all purposes from spares (as RT mentions) to alterations - I recently turned out one with outside cylinders as a dock shunter, using some broken Triang Princess cylinders and a set of Princess con rods and crank pin screws. Although freelance, it really looks the part.

[threelink]

Great little locos for all purposes from spares (as RT mentions) to alterations - I recently turned out one with outside cylinders as a dock shunter, using some broken Triang Princess cylinders and a set of Princess con rods and crank pin screws. Although freelance, it really looks the part.

[Rana Temporia]

Threelink, in one of the modelling mags someone once described how to make an 0-16.5 double fairlie using two of the Nellie chassis with cylinders and pistons from the Tri-ang 3MT tank. I think they also made a model of one of the England tanks using a single Nellie chassis with the same cylinders and pistons.

[threelink]

@RT

I love the idea of the double Fairlie! I might have a go myself if I have enough parts in my hoard. I could get away with it as a private owner industrial shunter, I think.

[Rana Temporia]

Why not a standard gauge 0-4-0+0-4-0 Garratt then along the lines of William Francis? The wheelbases of the bogies would be too long but it might be possible to adapt a Tri-ang Deeley body for the boiler and cab. Plenty of room to hide the mechanisms below the water tank and coal bunker, although you’d probably only need one to have a motor in it.

By chance I have a spare damaged Deeley body. It’d be a big loco!

[Rana Temporia]

I know this is getting off topic in a silly way but I have been thinking about this. The ‘front’ of the chassis have an upstand already drilled and tapped. Turn them inwards with a connecting bar to mount the altered body onto and use two B12 or the like tender bodies, leave one for the coal and convert the other to a water tank. Main problem is that both chassis will have the insulated wheels on the opposite sides so if you used a metal connector it’d short circuit. Solution, use an insulating connector or swapping the wheels round on one of the chassis which with a new pick up could make this an 8 wheel collecting chassis if they were wired together. I would only use one X04 as it’d have all the power it would need.

It would need measuring up to see if it would work but a quick check makes it look feasible. There would be quite a lot of modification needed to the Deeley body as well. Painted in NCB or other private livery with a train of 16t wagons it would look the part even if only roughly based on the prototype.

[threelink]

@RT

A Garrett - what a cracking idea. Sadly it will have to go on the back burner for the time being - I've too many projects on the go at present, but it's definitely one to put on the list.

[What About The Bee]

Those who follow Oscar will already have been informed, but for those who don't, Oscar Paisley puts Polly on film

Bee

[JJ73]

& here is a Clickable link :-

🚂

[John Goodwin]

I too remember Polly and still have her although she doesn't run. I believe she was part of a set called the Goods Set which contained a circle of track , a Mineral Wagon , flat truck , Guards Van and transformer. There was also I believe Nellie (Blue ?) & Connie ( Yellow )

Happy Memories of the 60's !

[Rana Temporia]

A few of the variants and some homedone ones.`I shaver some more somewhere;

[Rana Temporia]

Found my blue Nellie No7 to add to the above. The blue one in the previous picture is No6 Connie.

[What About The Bee]

Hello Rana

A crazy thought just occurred to me. Can you run all 12 in one consist? Nose to tail, 12 in a row. All with one controller!

Bee

[Rana Temporia]

Bee

I have more than this but they are in storage! I have run three together but never more than that and as the chassis is live they all have to face the same way otherwise there is a short through the couplings. All these apart from the blue 7178 have an X04 motor and I think draw around 0.3 to 0.4 of an Amp. All twelve would therefore require something in the region of a 4A power supply.

The 7178 has a can motor and may draw less current.

I think the two least common ones are the yellow Connie and the No6 Polly, Polly is usually No9. I think the blue No6 Connie was only available in a set but I may be wrong on that one. The red one with the silver dome was also made with a plain red dome and occasionally a brass dome. the dome is off The Lord of the Isles and I suppose when they ran out of silver ones they used brass?

The body moulding ended it’s days with a name printed on the side and a plastic push along chassis for use with the orange plastic track used in Thomas sets. My children had one and the plastic wheels didn’t last long. They do occasionally turn up with an electric chassis retro-fitted.

The chassis was used for the NB Diesel, the TC OH loco and with various motors under the top tank and transcontinental steam loco bodies.