Trix Twin Wagons

My friend Earl dropped by the other evening with a box of model railway goodies for me to look at. Tucked away in the bottom were these three wagons. 

At first, I assumed they were Hornby Dublo due to the tinplate construction, but careful examination of the Bassett-Lowke liveried wagon revealed the maker was in fact Trix. 

A quick look at Ramsay's guide tells me that the Peco style couplings suggest these are post-war models, but the designs date from 1936. Manufacture of each finished around 1951 making them over 70 years old. Despite this, the paint finish is still really good, so they have been looked after. 

Values are in the region of £14 to £20 each, although since they don't have their boxes, presumably on the lower end of this.

First, we have a 5 plank wagon in Bassett-Lowke livery, which I think looks really attractive. Ramsay's doesn't list this as a post-war model, but unless the couplings have been replaced, it can't date from 1936/37 when the design first appeared.

 

The timber wagon has a block of wood which has been milled to look like wooden beams held together with straps. Sadly, the wheels have been replaced with more modern ones. Did the originals wear out or break? 

Finally, the tarpaulin wagon complete with its bulbous wool load. Assembling these must have been quite time consuming. Ramsay's dates this to 1948/49. 

Hopefully these will all find good homes as they are very attractive. They also show how the hobby has advanced over the years, but I bet young boys of the period were really chuffed with them.