It started here. One of my original and very first locomotives. Now battered but soon to live again.
As mentioned in a previous post, I’ve recently rediscovered a few of my long lost childhood trains.
The one I was most pleased to see again was a Hornby D3302 Dublo Class 08 shunter in BR Green. It must be at around 40 years old and I was overjoyed to find it.
It and the other trains were in an old wooden box and while protected from nasty bumps they’d still taken a fair battering over the many, many, years since I last used them.
This was particularly the case for the shunter.
It was a non-runner and a quick visit to my workshop and a check of the internals revealed the problem.
These old models were robustly built, complete with metal gears, but while the main motor and chassis were intact the brushes had broken.
This is an ancient loco and even Peter’s Spares who I use for replacements when repairing other trains didn’t stock the parts for this venerable old workhorse.
Luckily, I found a couple of chassis for this exact model on eBay and after a bit of work soon had the motor working again and the wheels spinning.
I can’t tell you how much joy seeing this childhood memory running around a simple oval of track gave me.
One of the front bumpers had also snapped off but luckily it was still in the box so this will be fixed and this and the bent bonnet ladders are next on my list of repairs.
It also needs a major dusting baut that can wait until the repairs are complete.
The important thing is that this memory from my childhood is once again running and will soon take pride of place on my layout.
PS: If anyone knows a source of parts for old Dublo models, add a comment below and I’ll be happy to link to them.
Andy is a lifelong modeler, writer, and founder of modelrailwayengineer.com. He has been building model railways, dioramas, and miniatures for over 20 years. His passion for model making and railways began when he was a child, building his first layout at the age of seven.
Andy’s particular passion is making scenery and structures in 4mm scale, which he sells commercially. He is particularly interested in modelling the railways of South West England during the late Victorian/early Edwardian era, although he also enjoys making sci-fi and fantasy figures and dioramas. His website has won several awards, and he is a member of MERG (Model Railway Electronics Group) and the 009 Society.
When not making models, Andy lives in Surrey with his wife and teenage son. Other interests include history, science fiction, photography, and programming. Read more about Andy.