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What was your first trainset/locomotive?

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30907

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Aged 5 I got an O gauge Hornby set. 040T 82011 IIRC. Dad later told me that if he'd known Triang had battery sets he would have got one.
Graduated to 00 in 1963 - not a set as I didn't fancy any of them: B12, one coach, one box van, which I've still got but not tested since my layout went live in lockdown....
 
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317666

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My first train set was the Hornby Industrial Freight. It came with the standard 0-4-0 in a somewhat bizarre green livery with red wheels, and three wagons (one of which was a blue British Steel open wagon).

Nowadays I'm more into the continental scene and have a reasonable collection of mostly German-outline HO locos and rolling stock. I don't currently have the space for a permanent layout in HO, but would be able to fit one in quite comfortably in N Scale. I've got no plans to get rid of my HO, but am considering building an N Scale layout as a sort of side project over the winter!
 

TT-ONR-NRN

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I got a Hornby Virgin Pendolino when I was around five or six, but that was because of my love of the Virgin brand which came long before my interest in trains.

(My mother often tells of the time I made teachers laugh in kindergarten by telling them I wanted a Virgin for christmas.)
 

Trackman

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My dad bought me one when I was young, problem was it’s from Germany so I haven’t a clue what it was.
What I do remember it was very detailed.
It could have been a Marklin.
 

Peter C

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My first train set was the Hornby "GWR Passenger Freight" in 2015. It came with a small GWR 0-4-0, two wagons, and a 4-wheel coach in GWR chocolate and cream. I also received an LNER 4-wheel coach and GWR Toad brakevan. Lovely little set-up in the conservatory; I think I also had a couple of the Hornby track packs to make a second loop as well. Excellent fun!

-Peter
 

meepmeep

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Mine was a Hornby goods set. A 31 and some wagons. Oval of track. Not even sure if it had a point/siding.
 

DJ_K666

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Mine was the Country Local set with the LMS 0-6-0 Jinty and two clerestory coaches. It was set up on the dining room table and sometimes my brother would bring his stuff down for a big running session
 

Cowley

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Mine was the Country Local set with the LMS 0-6-0 Jinty and two clerestory coaches. It was set up on the dining room table and sometimes my brother would bring his stuff down for a big running session
The Hornby Jinty was one of my first locos and it was an excellent robust little locomotive (much like the real thing).
 

Gloster

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The Hornby Jinty was one of my first locos and it was an excellent robust little locomotive (much like the real thing).

I had two which saw a lot of use over the years. I did try to change the number of one, but didn’t get further than messing it up with a finger nail.
 

DJ_K666

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The Hornby Jinty was one of my first locos and it was an excellent robust little locomotive (much like the real thing).
Indeed. I still actually have it, even if it is a little bit battered. It's 34 years old now and still works. They had a good mechanism and they still make them today.
 

MarkyT

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Long since played with to death, my very first model train was a Jouef/Playcraft clockwork set with a BR green 0-4-0T: http://www.playcraftrailways.com/P535.htm. This was soon followed by some Triang products, memorably the RS30 'crash' set with an 0-6-0T 'Jinty', a small working breakdown crane and match truck together with an old clerestory passenger brake composite coach decked out in departmental black livery for the recovery crew and equipment. Loved that set - loads of play value. Struck a chord with me at the time because Dad was divisional traction and rolling stock engineer for the Kings Cross division (after Top Shed closed), was often on call, and frequently had to attend various rail accidents to direct recovery operations. If I was really lucky on a weekend, he occasionally took me along with him in the car (it was the 1970s!). Many more models followed over the years.
 

Flange Squeal

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Hornby’s ‘Virgin Trains 125’ set, which also included a controller and oval of track. Stock was 43063 ‘Maiden Voyager’, a pair of short Mk3s, and 43093 ‘Lady in Red’. I had also been bought a Mk3 buffet car to go with it, which looked a bit odd as that was scale length. Not sure why the Mk3s in the pack weren’t? Looking at eBay, it was possibly product number R1023.
 

Andrew Tiffin

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My first model railway train set was a Thomas the Tank Engine model with an oval of track and two sidings. I now have a Class 423 in Network SouthEast livery, Class 416 in NSE livery, Southeastern Class 395 "Hornby Visitor Centre", Eurostar, Flying Scotsman, Virgin Pendolino, EWS Class 37 and Southeastern Class 466.
 

reddragon

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Here is my first layout, I think I got it for my 3rd or 4th birthday - all old second hand stuff my dad got for not a lot
 

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MarkyT

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Here is my first layout, I think I got it for my 3rd or 4th birthday - all old second hand stuff my dad got for not a lot
Very nice! Looks like a Triang dock shunter repainted in BR blue with yellow ends on the short spur by the turntable. I had two, one red and one black. My mate had one of those 4 road Dublo engine sheds - always envied that but could never find a good one second hand myself within the limits of my pocket money.
 

reddragon

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Very nice! Looks like a Triang dock shunter repainted in BR blue with yellow ends on the short spur by the turntable. I had two, one red and one black. My mate had one of those 4 road Dublo engine sheds - always envied that but could never find a good one second hand myself within the limits of my pocket money.

I sold that shed 20 years ago for £50 on eBay!
 

83A

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I had a Lima freight set with a class 09 and some wagons, including a dual deck car carrier in Motorrail livery!! Soon after I bought a 2 tone green Class 47 and a BR 7MT Britannia, followed by a pannier tank.
 

32475

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Christmas 1963 or 64 from my Great Grandpa - a Triang clockwork 00 set with an oval of track and a couple of wagons
 

Mitchell Hurd

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My first train set as far as I know was a 2-car Virgin Trains HST back in around 2001 :). Perhaps because I travelled on VT HST's before they were replaced by Voyagers.
 
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