A daily updated blog typed by someone with painty hands, oil under his fingernails and the smell of solder in his nostrils who likes making all sort of models and miniatures. And fixing things.
Friday, June 07, 2019
Graham Farish OO gauge van
Interesting vintage model railway item here - a OOgauge van from the days when Farish didn't just mean N gauge.
The body and chassis are diecast, the roof pressed metal.
It was a lot of money when you could buy Triang for 1/2 and Dublo for 2/4. But the GF model is classy and would have been seen as a special birthday treat from Grandma. Good purchase on your part and the box is lovely.
12 pennies in a shilling, so 6d = 0.5 shillings. 20 shillings in a pound, so 6.5 shillings = £0.325
Using: https://www.officialdata.org/uk/inflation/1955?amount=1 we can find uk inflation. Judging from the box artwork, are we talking about 1950's, or 60's?
I'll take a guess at 1958...
The website suggests that £0.33 decimalised pre-decimal currency in 1958 had similar buying power to £7.65 in 2019
A google brings up Hatton's website which suggests a basic 4-wheel box van could set you back £6.50 for a Dapol box van, rising to around £20 for a Bachmann "Branchline" with weathering.
On that basis it would suggest 6/6 is about inline with the cost of similar today.
The average manual worker weekly wage in 1958 was 253/2, meaning 6/6 was about 38.9th of the weekly wage. The average laborer wage in 2019 is £17,600, or £338 per week. The equivalent 38.9th of the weekly wage now would be £8.70 ...so once again it suggests things have remained fairly static.
Comments in my volumes of the Model Railway News show that Graham Farish wagons were highly regarded by modellers of the day. Not surprising when you compare your example with Hornby tinplate and Triang plastic.
It was a lot of money when you could buy Triang for 1/2 and Dublo for 2/4. But the GF model is classy and would have been seen as a special birthday treat from Grandma. Good purchase on your part and the box is lovely.
ReplyDeleteIt's Friday morning, I'm bored...
ReplyDelete12 pennies in a shilling, so 6d = 0.5 shillings.
20 shillings in a pound, so 6.5 shillings = £0.325
Using: https://www.officialdata.org/uk/inflation/1955?amount=1 we can find uk inflation. Judging from the box artwork, are we talking about 1950's, or 60's?
I'll take a guess at 1958...
The website suggests that £0.33 decimalised pre-decimal currency in 1958 had similar buying power to £7.65 in 2019
A google brings up Hatton's website which suggests a basic 4-wheel box van could set you back £6.50 for a Dapol box van, rising to around £20 for a Bachmann "Branchline" with weathering.
On that basis it would suggest 6/6 is about inline with the cost of similar today.
The average manual worker weekly wage in 1958 was 253/2, meaning 6/6 was about 38.9th of the weekly wage. The average laborer wage in 2019 is £17,600, or £338 per week. The equivalent 38.9th of the weekly wage now would be £8.70 ...so once again it suggests things have remained fairly static.
Comments in my volumes of the Model Railway News show that Graham Farish wagons were highly regarded by modellers of the day. Not surprising when you compare your example with Hornby tinplate and Triang plastic.
ReplyDelete