Hi Jenny, coincidently I've just discovered dublo, I was a Triang boy in the sixties and still love them, but I recently I bought a three rail layout for fifty pounds , with twin roads and turntable etc unused for fifty years. I've bought some engines and rolling stock etc and I'm up and running . I love the fact that there is no plastic involved and that they are a fantastic British made product. I plan to build a loft layout , time and God willing. Thanks for all your videos and have a happy Christmas.

Gosh is that your music creation too? Absolutely brilliant! I started my collection of Hornby Dublo in 1954 👍 I just make Fender Strats and gauge 1 locos in my retirement. Will have to make a proper Hornby Dublo 3-rail layout soon - before I get far too old. Lovely videos thanks so much! John Stephens

3 Rail Dublo A4. That brings back memories of my childhood. Many years later I purchased the same model in 2 rail form, but as re released by “Wrenn.”. I ran it alongside the plastic bodied Hornby version of the 1980’s. Thanks for the memories.

A very balanced comparison. Thanks Jenny.

I had a 3 rail hornby layout and at 6yrs old I had Silver King pulling a variety of different livered coaches! I didn't know any better so it was called Gordon to go along with an 0-6-2 tank engine called Thomas of course! I also had a Class 20 called Duck the Diesel! Oh the innocense of youth!

Thanks for this great comparison, Jenny. Like you, Dublo was my first introduction to model railways (at a similar time period too), and after many years dreaming I have recently built a good sized 3 rail Dublo layout. I have a number of these A4s - many renumbered and repainted into different liveries. They are absolutely bulletproof, as you say. But what impresses me is how much detail and finesse they managed to achieve. These locos are literally as old as the real thing. Yes, there has been progress in recent years, but many models of the 60s-90s were a considerable step backwards from Dublo.

There is a charm to the Hornby Dublo. The Dublo BR green is richer and looks more accurate than the more pastel green of modern Hornby and Bachmann. Decades ago I had a Dublo Stanier 2-8-0. The middle pairs of coupled wheels were not only unflanged but hung a millimetre above the track. It couldn't go up a gradient or pull the skin off a cold rice pud.

I'll admit liking to see dublo layouts at exhibitions. I was always jealous as a kid of the rich mates who had Hornby and I had Triang.

I have a 2 rail Hornby Dublo metal Cardiff Castle that was bought for me for Christmas in London in 1960. Beautiful heavy engine which I loved using with the dining car that came with it, would run at all speeds that I dialed in.

Been bitten by the Hornby Dublo bug, sold all my new models and been steadily buying the Hornby Dublo steam locos produced. Yes, they don’t have the detail of the new models but they have a charm and when running with a long train is a sight to be seen. Hornby Dublo wins for me hands down. ;)

This interesting comparison shows just how far ready-to-run model locos have come in recent decades. Like 'Liquid Fuel' below, I also had some Wrenn diecast locos but to me they looked and worked like toys compared with the models available now so I replaced them.

I had a slightly later version of Silver King with a ringfield motor which protruded deep into the driver's cab in a most un-prototypical manner. It was driven by a Meccano A2 controller in die-cast case with regulator type throttle arm. The valve gear was easily damaged but a nearby specialist model shop was able to replace the entire unit at minimal cost.

Had a second hand A4 Silver King 3-rail as a boy in late 1960’s. Regret passing it on.

That could possibly be my very own Silver King :-) Looks as beaten up as mine was - also with a couple of tin plate carriages.

Jenny, my first electric train was the "Hornby Dublo A4 Sir Nigel Gresley" in Garter Blue with maroon tinplate coaches from my paternal grandfather's collection in about 1955ish. I agree with your assessment of it. It brought me much pleasure but I don't have an A4 at the moment as I have never seen one "in the flesh" and I prefer the less high profile locos and work horses, like the black five and class 47 etc. I loved you in the GMRComp. and your videos and take on railway modelling. Happy New Year. Alan.

I had a BR green Wrenn A4 Pacific Mallard in the 1970s which was cast metal and a nicer model I thought than the plastic Hornby Princess Elizabeth I also had at that time. The Princess had come with a train set for Christmas and had a smoke generator installed which needed oil dropping down the funnel. They both ran well but I liked the weight of the Wrenn offering.

Considering how long ago the Hornby Dublo model was made, it's incredible that Silver King still performs as it did when new. Really fantastic models, though the more modern Hornby loco does have a lot more fine detail.

Very enjoyable. Very different review

I've got a freight set no2 still in its box from meccano.

I have a Hornby Dublo Silver King that I can run on my 'vintage' 3 rail layout. I made a controller that uses pulse width modulation with feedback and that gives quite good slow running. I have heard some comments that this can cause overheating, but I haven't found this. I'm not having the locos crawl all the time though. The A4 pulls six coaches with ease, this is about the maximum that can be run on the vintage layout. Thanks for posting this, it's interesting to see the two compared.