Triang Blue Pullman

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Some time ago I raised a query about a Triang Blue Pullman car I had purchased. It appeared to be in BR Rail Blue, not Nanking Blue, despite being the old style moulding (old style mouldings were always Nanking Blue and new style were Rail Blue with different window attachments - my purchase was definitely old style). The general consensus was that the car was old style but that the plastic had fade/degraded from Nanking to Rail Blue. I accepted this at the time although it seemed odd that the plastic had apparently degraded uniformly over the entire area of the car and throughout the entire thickness of the plastic from Nanking Blue to an exact match for Rail Blue. Recently I read something to the effect that during the change over from old style to new style mouldings a small number of the old style mouldings had been produced in Rail Blue plastic. Does anyone have any information about this, please?

[atom3624]

I loved my old Triang Pullman back in 1971, those knurled wheels on the Super 4 track helping it climb slopes up to chair seat height, from ground level - equalled only by Polly, such are the things you do when 10-11 years old!!

I remember them changing to the yellow ends option, then the inverted livery as well.

During that period up to perhaps mid- to late-seventies which was when I believe they were produced, there was only one blue I remember.

Even on my visits to the original Hattons' on Smithdown Road, or Hobbies in Liverpool town centre, that would be the only shade of blue I saw.

I do not remember any re-issue, or change of shade around that era.

Al.

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@atom

Yes, there was only Nanking Blue until the early 70s change to rail blue. The change to Rail Blue definitely coincided with a change to the mouldings to accommodate a different window attachment

[Tony57]

Hi Threelink,

Just had a look at the History of Rovex VOL 1 - 3,, it appears there was a batch of Blue Pullmans produced in Nanking Blue these have yellow fronts, Pat Hammond does not say how large the batch was that was produced I would think it was in low thousand.

The forth livery version is in Electric Blue with the light grey strip running most of the loco like the grey version.

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That's interesting, TO, thankyou. The car I have is an old style moulding that should be in Nanking Blue but instead seems to be in Rail Blue (without yellow ends). All very weird.

[Tony57]

Hi Threelink

Can you post a picture please

[The son of Triangman]

It's a grey area. Uniform fading can occur but the blue plastic tends to go a muddy shade of blue. The factory did however did run out of plastic from time to time, a batch before the yellow ended version came out were produced in rail blue. Without the records from the old shop in front of me I cannot give an exact year, but around 1965 amalgamation year would be my guess until I can confirm as money was tight due to buying Hornby-Dublo and Margate did use up stocks of surplus plastics around this time.

The rail blue version turns up now and then, they aren't rare but not far off that category.

[threelink]

Thanks TO and SoT. I shall post a picture soonest but it will be a few days as the car is in store