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My Hornby Dublo Train Set – Christmas 1938
John sent in these wonderful memories of Christmas 1938.
I was eight and my brother Tim was five at Xmas 1938. We had begged my Dad (and Santa Claus!) for a train set for Xmas, so when we opened our Stockings early on Xmas Morning we were excited to find a box containing a Hornby Dublo train! We were saddened to discover, however, that there were no rails! When we complained to Dad he said that we couldn’t expect everything at once and we would have to be patient.
After breakfast when the excitement had diminished somewhat, there was a sudden scream from my brother who, on entering the sitting room, had found a table with a whole train layout set upon it! Now over 80, I shall NEVER forget the excitement of that moment!
The war years meant that we were unable to build up our layout as quickly as we would have liked but Tim and I became train crazy and fervent trainspotters. Living in Market Harborough (Leics.) we were in a good position to enjoy the hobby and now and again we would travel (by train of course!) to pick up “namers” on the west coast line at Rugby!
In 1951 my parents emigrated to Cape Town and I subsequently married there and had three sons. My Dad had shipped the trains to our new home and in due course built up a really complex layout of Hornby Dublo stock. Following his retirement he spent many hours working on his trains and more specifically showing my boys how to operate them.
My home in Cape Town was not far from my parents and consequently we visited them quite frequently. It became a little embarrassing as on arrival the boys would say “Hello Grandpa, can we go up and play with the trains please?” And they were gone, until they were dragged down to say hello to Granny!
Sadly, the years passed, my sons grew up and of course my folks passed on and my brother and I disposed of the Hornby trains.
I often wished we hadn’t but neither my brother nor I had the space to accommodate them. So all we are left with is the wonderful memory of Xmas 1938……and this little story will tell you that to this day, I still have a fascination for British Steam trains, AND their model counterparts!
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I received a Hornby Dublo train set in the 1950`s. It is now long gone, but I wish I had kept the stock. I am 60 years old now and still have a layout. It is a large German/Austrian HO layout in my loft space. I also have an HOe layout which is part of the HO one.
Martin