HST Mainline Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 (edited) This is not really a question, but simply a finding. I really think the Hornby TPO deserves some recognition for being a great toy. I bought one after seeing the "Night Mail" documentary on YouTube and a video by Oscar Paisley. What an interesting train service and the way it is replicated by the Hornby TPO is just amazingly simple. I have two mail coaches now (one for the kids, the privatization livery "Royal Mail Letters" in screaming red) and one in GWR livery (R4526) - the latter is for dad's use only. Putting up mailbags and have them delivered gives hours of fun, and in such a simple mechanical way. And you know what, in the digital age: Sometimes, you need that. 👍 Edited March 29 by HST Mainline Spelling 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moccasin Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 It really is iconic and I remember the adverts. I wonder if they could get it into TT120?! The original film with the Betjeman poem is a classic (as are the others which I have in a DVD set). One memorably showing a group of workers on a London day out and having a singing on the riverboat. 😂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rallymatt Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 I remember we had the Hornby Dublo 3 rail one (Many years ago) getting it to work was an art but such great play value. More modern electrics and mechanisms could make a TT:120 possible, the development team at High Fell have obtained a Mk1 coach for experiments 😁 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rana Temporia Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 Playcraft had an HO one so not that much of a reduction to get to TT. That one was similar to the modern Hornby one in its operation with the two ‘doors’ on the same side as opposed to the Tri-ang type. I think it was the only British item of rolling stock that Jouef kept after the demise of Playcraft although with continental couplings instead of the Hornby Dublo type. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yelrow Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 I still run the Hornby Dublo one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony57 Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 Hi HST Yes the TPO is a great addition to a train set as it give a serious play purpose to it. There are 3 different version of the TPO coach, a small 7 inch version, a large 11 inch version used in the transcontinental, Battlespace and BR range and the Stanier Coach version covering LMS GWR BR and Post Office red. The said could be same for a number of other operating wagons like the Consett Ore wagon / engineers wagon with its bottom drop hatch when used with a gravity unloading bridge, the side tipping log wagon (R345) and end tipping wagon when used with a R528 End tipper set. Its a pity that Hornby does not make more of the play value functional wagons in the Railroad branded section, it could attract the younger generations to the hobby. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rallymatt Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 In its day Battle space was one of the continuous top sellers for Hornby. The ‘signal and token set’ was another great interactive innovation. Maybe there is a space for play value trains but still more grown up than ‘Playtrains’ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moccasin Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 Modern era wagons such as car carriers with the raising hoods (used by MINI and other car manufacturers) would be another good addition. With the various container wagons, a reach stacker to unload them could also be added to the range by Hornby/Corgi/Oxford. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTSR_NSE Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 3 hours ago, Tony57 said: Its a pity that Hornby does not make more of the play value functional wagons in the Railroad branded section, it could attract the younger generations to the hobby. If the original tools still existed in a usable state - I can’t imagine that Hornby wouldn’t be producing models from them. However they are extremely unlikely to create new tooled models for the railroad range - they wouldn’t sell enough of them to make a lower price viable. The railroad range is (almost exclusively*) for older toolings that have already sold enough for viable lower prices. * Several of the ‘design clever’ models are the exception to this rule , but they probably highlight the viability issues - with the exception of the Hall/Hogwarts’ Express! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rallymatt Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 There was a point in recent history at Hornby where a sizeable amount of ‘old tooling’ was scrapped during the period SK was not there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony57 Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 I guess my problem is as I still run 1950's 60s 70's Tri-ang & Tri-ang Hornby rolling stock like 12t box vans with opening hinged doors and sliding doors, 5 plank open wagons with working hinged drop sides , 7 plank with hinged opening doors, working hopper wagons with a working hinged bottom door, utility vans with 6 sets of opening doors and a rake of 5 Lunt working end opening 7 plank open wagons, and their transcontinental counterparts. Some say they are toys, to me they are more like the real thing than today's offerings. with a few small modifications some of the newer tooling like the older HAA hopper wagon could be made into operating model. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rallymatt Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 What is a toy or a model? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTSR_NSE Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 46 minutes ago, Tony57 said: I guess my problem is as I still run 1950's 60s 70's Tri-ang & Tri-ang Hornby rolling stock Nothing wrong with that - just unfortunate if you hope/expect that tooling to still exist in a usable condition. 48 minutes ago, Tony57 said: with a few small modifications some of the newer tooling like the older HAA hopper wagon could be made into operating model. Modifying tooling (to remove moulded detail or panels) will only be possible in certain circumstances. However adding separately fitted/moving parts instead, will significantly increase the production cost & may well then push the viable selling price above the railroad bracket! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodge1965 Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 Will it deliver to the wrong place and 3 weeks late ? Like the real Post Office? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTSR_NSE Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 Or collude with redacted to screw over innocent…. Train of thought interrupted to prevent crossing line into political diatribe! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LesXRN Posted March 30 Share Posted March 30 I can still remember the old exploding amunition van that I used to have back in the fifties. Little did I know then that I would end up working with real explosives in the Royal Navy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moccasin Posted March 30 Share Posted March 30 51 minutes ago, LesXRN said: I can still remember the old exploding amunition van that I used to have back in the fifties. Little did I know then that I would end up working with real explosives in the Royal Navy. I hope your van never exploded 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HST Mainline Posted March 30 Author Share Posted March 30 23 hours ago, Rallymatt said: What is a toy or a model? You know what, I get that "oh that's a toy train" a lot. To be fair, it is a toy, it is made to be a toy, but it is also a model of a train, which makes it a model train. 😊 I just hope the tooling for the TPO is not lost. It has been a while since we've seen it in the program. What coaches would go with the TPO? I believe the current Hornby TPO is based on the LMS TPO. I don't mind that my GWR is not completely realistic, but I do wonder which coaches would go with it. Also, do these older coach models have the same width and height as newer models? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now