Since the announcement of the introduction of TT:120, I have been spending some time going through the wonderful Railway Modeller archive, (courtesy of the app and my subscription). I’ve been reading articles from the days of the introduction of the original TT-3 scale.
There’s a lot of good information out there. Even though it’s up to 70 years old, and there’s the scale discrepancy between TT-3 (3mm:1ft) and TT:120 (2.54mm:1ft).
Back then, track plans and structure drawings were reproduced in the new scale. The grids on track plans came with the handy-dandy, easy conversion rule of thumb that, if a grid square on a track plan was one foot in 00, then it was two feet in O scale and six inches in N. (I’m sure many of us can recall that).TT-3 was listed as being a nine inch grid. Today, I think TT:120 would be a 7 1/2” inch grid.
Then there are articles. From legendary modellers of the past. People like Doris Stokes and Edward Beal. These are an absolute treasure trove whatever scale you model in, and are well worth subscribing to the digital edition of Railway Modeller for. In one issue from the 1960’s I found, nestled between articles from Stokes and Beal, articles from Peter Denny, describing the construction of his Leighton Buzzard Linslade layout. A Model Railway layout that was a classic of its time.
It was a small branch line terminus layout designed as a part of his Buckingham Great Central magnum opus. But it was also designed to fold up and be portable to go to exhibitions. It was built in 4mm scale (EM Gauge) and was just under six feet in length and might make a really nice, small layout in TT:120. Something to consider when planning a layout perhaps. A nod to the past and a look to the future.
Something else I enjoyed doing, was checking out what the prices of the items were when released originally. Locomotives, wagons, track and suchlike. Comparisons between the costs of things then and today are pretty pointless, but it is fun. Especially since England changed from the old pound, shillings and pence to decimal in February 1971. In 1960, The Triang Brush Type 2 (class 31), was two pounds, 12 shillings and sixpence. About fifty-three pounds in today’s money. I bet the Hornby Brush type 2 isn’t fifty-three quid when it’s released. Incidentally, I recently saw an original Triang Brush type 2 for sale on that well known auction site for £183. I’m hoping the new Hornby version isn’t that price!
The one thing that is clear from all the articles though, is that people were as excited about TT-3 back in the 1950’s as we are excited about TT:120 today. It just shows things never change.
Everything old IS new again.
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