When trains ran like clockwork
Funny, the things you remember... in my dim and distant schooldays when model trains were universally popular, the boys of the First Form would occasionally chant “Hornby” in support of their favourite sets, while a lone voice would shout “Tri-ang” in response. On special occasions, the deputy headmaster would show off his own special set in the cellar, complete with papier-mâché scenery and recorded chuff-chuff sounds.
Hornby-Dublo – launched in 1938 – was the creme de la creme of British toy trains in the mid-20th century, the superior quality and realism of its famous OO range putting it in a different class to rivals TriAng and Twix-Twin. But with sets costing about £5 each, they were beyond the pocket of most youngsters.
Maybe that lone First Form voice had the last laugh though because heavy investment in converting the pre-1960 three-track system to two-track – plus stiff competition from British competitors and cheap imports – spelled the end for Hornby, which was taken over by Tri-ang in 1964.
But over the years it is the Hornby name that has shone brightest and it was
Boys of the 50s and 60s craved nothing more than a
Hornby-Dublo model set, writes John Vincent.
nearly 25 years ago when one of the most extensive and remarkable range of OOGauge model railways ever assembled, by Londoner Anthony Bianco, fetched more than £100,000 at auction.
Now, just over a century after the famed Hornby brand was born, a rare example of its first model train was scheduled for auction next month (though this may now change), when it is expected to fetch £400-£600 after being consigned by the Harrogate family who owned the set from new.
The Hornby Clockwork Train was made in November 1920 and would have cost somewhere between 10s 6d (52.5p) and 12s (60p). Specialist Kegan Harrison says of the set: “It really is in fantastic, original condition. It was bought for a child but must have only been used a couple of times. The clockwork key is still in its packet and the original packing slip, which is dated 11-20, is still with the box. I have never seen an example like this.”
The Hornby story starts in 1901 when
Frank Hornby (1863-1936), a Liverpool clerk, founded Mechanics Made Easy – later Meccano – but the construction sets teaching children the basics of mechanical engineering took a few years to catch on. In 1920, Meccano released a pre-constructed clockwork train set which was sold for the first time under the brand name Hornby – and the example being sold at Tennants is one of the first ever produced. The maroon locomotive is accompanied by a tender and an open wagon, as well as lengths of metal track.
The locomotive has “Hornby” stamped on the front and the wagon is emblazoned MR (Midland Railway), one of the companies operating before 1923. Tri-ang Railways was launched in 1951 but the long-established Lines Bros empire which owned it collapsed in 1971.
By now, boys were moving on from model trains to early video games, electric racing cars and hand-held electronic toys with, at the time, revolutionary light-up indicators, keypads and buzzing sound effects. But for many of the post-war Baby Boomers, memories of Hornby and less complicated childhoods live on…
Cook book: A first edition copy of The Life of Captain James Cook by Andrew Kippis, published in 1788, the first major biography of the Martonborn explorer, realised £5,687 at Bonhams in London – eight times more than expected.
Crowd puller: Audience Diaghilev Ballet, a pencil sketch by Staithes Group artist Dame Laura Knight, dated 1922, fetched £480 at a Catherine Southon auction in Selsdon, Surrey.
Hot seat: A rare monk’s chair in oak by the Kilburn craftsman Robert “Mouseman” Thompson of Kilburn, commissioned by the Horlick family in the 1930s, sold for £3,400 at Elstob & Elstob, now based in Ripon. William and James Horlick founded the malted milk hot drink Horlicks in 1873.