The Interweb is full of FACTS so here are a few about the R.348 Triang Giraffe Car:
1) The model was in the catalogue from 1963 to 1971 with the exception of 1970 when it was mysteriously absent.
2) Like many Triang operating accessories, the inspiration was a Lionel O gauge model.
3) According to the 1969 catalogue, the Giraffe's name is Georgina. Previously it had been referred to as Georgie.
4) Due to the box inner not including a hole for the left ear, this tends to be knocked off in transit. 2-eared giraffe's are rare and you can normally point out the missing Auris. I've bagged a few discounts this way.
5) It is the best model railway wagon ever made. Why it has never been re-introduced is a mystery.
8 comments:
Over on New Railway Modellers forum we've been discussing the Airfix/Bachmann exploding car and accompanying trap door car which was part of an old set and can be found on ebay.
I think it's a shame that items such as these are no longer available. Roughly once a year the question crops up, what can we do to introduce younger people to the hobby. The answer is re-release these types of rolling stock :)
Hornby have re-run the exploding car and helicopter wagon. The log unloading set was also reproduced with a new unloading device.
I'd agree that wagons with more "play value" might help expose a few more people to train sets. Does that get them modelling? Well, I don't see how it would hurt.
And yes, I must try to add the Airfix wagons to my collection. A Dr X set would be nice too...
It's funny you mentioned the Dr X set, the conversation on NRM also went onto that. Maybe I should keep my eyes peeled for one, (not literally, that sounds painful).
I recall the review described DR X as "the first corpulent model figure".
One of these has just landed on my doorstep.
It has the flag but not the operating rails that sit between the rails, have you found an alternative? I wonder if a layer of tin under the track would work.
Steel might work - or you could track down some second hand Super 4 rail. Once upon a time there would have been a ton of this cluttering up second hand stalls at shows...
Success has been had from blu-tacking a strip of tin between the rails. So far its only been pushed along by hand, but it does prove that the mechanism will work with such bodgery.
Tin obtained from the top of an Aldi mushroom soup can (yummy!). I don't think the magnet is strong enough to react to something placed under the track.
Now I await the update on your blog about converting it to 009...
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