Uploaded March 2021 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
This 40+ year old model Mk1 had previously been written off as too crude, bright and garish to stand shoulder to shoulder with the more recent and excellent toolings by Bachmann and Hornby.
But with some careful attention to the colours of the livery, the interior and some weathering a decent model can result. In fact I'm pleased to say that the owner didn’t believe it was the same coach when he first saw the photos of the transformation.
Coaches like this and many other old models can be picked up relatively cheaply. Sure the wealth of details do not compare to current models but they can still look the part behind a top of the line model locomotive and can boost the rolling stock of your collection. Do you have old stock too that never sees the light of day?
Interpretations of liveries and finishes by model manufacturers change over time, and this old Triang coach is a good example. The cream was far too yellow, and the carmine was far to brilliant a red so it really stuck out when marshaled within a train of current Bachmann Mk1's of the same livery.
By the way, see the brilliant new video by Bluffers to Buffers where they take a similarly old coach, but distress it to scrap yard condition: youtu.be/n531uQs60sM
For me the overall impression of a model railway is extremely important, so any given coach, locomotive, building or item of scenery needs to blend with its neighbour and in to its surroundings. Hopefully this video demonstrates that creating a harmonious overall appearance is still achievable, even with this extreme example.
Archive sound for the Black 5 hauled train was recorded by Peter Handford and is used with kind permission from Old Thundridge Records. Music supplied by Tim Brearley.
This 40+ year old model Mk1 had previously been written off as too crude, bright and garish to stand shoulder to shoulder with the more recent and excellent toolings by Bachmann and Hornby.
But with some careful attention to the colours of the livery, the interior and some weathering a decent model can result. In fact I'm pleased to say that the owner didn’t believe it was the same coach when he first saw the photos of the transformation.
Coaches like this and many other old models can be picked up relatively cheaply. Sure the wealth of details do not compare to current models but they can still look the part behind a top of the line model locomotive and can boost the rolling stock of your collection. Do you have old stock too that never sees the light of day?
Interpretations of liveries and finishes by model manufacturers change over time, and this old Triang coach is a good example. The cream was far too yellow, and the carmine was far to brilliant a red so it really stuck out when marshaled within a train of current Bachmann Mk1's of the same livery.
By the way, see the brilliant new video by Bluffers to Buffers where they take a similarly old coach, but distress it to scrap yard condition: youtu.be/n531uQs60sM
For me the overall impression of a model railway is extremely important, so any given coach, locomotive, building or item of scenery needs to blend with its neighbour and in to its surroundings. Hopefully this video demonstrates that creating a harmonious overall appearance is still achievable, even with this extreme example.
Archive sound for the Black 5 hauled train was recorded by Peter Handford and is used with kind permission from Old Thundridge Records. Music supplied by Tim Brearley.
