Who doesn't deserve a train set for their birthday?
My Dad enjoyed a major birthday recently, and I thought it would be nice for him to enjoy a set as a present. Of course, he doesn't do that DCC stuff, he's old-fashioned enough not to be convinced by that new-fangled electricity either, so clockwork it is!
The local model shop had a really tidy Tri-ang Dockmaster set on the shelf, and I decided that I wanted it it would make an excellent fun gift. A little fiddling with the track and we had fishplates on the ends of all the rails - they are spot welded, but some had still gone missing. Fortunatly, Super 4 rails slide in and out of the sleepers easily, and after a bit of digging around, the owner and I managed to make up a complete set. Price was a little higher than the original 16/11 though!
The loco and wagons are in excellent condition, hardly used, if at all. There is a key too. Once set up, the loco runs really smoothly, performing 7-8 circuits before running out of puff.
I know this isn't a rare set. Pat Hammond's history tells me that in 1964, this was the most numerous set produced by the firm. I don't care though. For a start, handing it over was fun and made everyone smile - worth a lot on its own.
It's the box I really like though. Look at that painting - it shows a world that would have been current when the model was produced, and is history now. Cargo ships arrive at ports laden with metal boxes, not holds to labouriosly unloaded by men and cranes with hooks.
I like the way the artist has painted the model in the box, complete with missing buffer heads and coupling rods, not a fictionalised version to look real. Even the sqaure hump on the boiler top to give the clockwork spring somewhere to expand into is there.
It's a lovely set, Unashamedly a toy, and from and era when model railways could be fun.
