HORNBY DUBLO ‘DUCHESS’

or those of us of a certain age (post-War ‘baby boomers’), the name Hornby Dublo is synonymous with the very ‘best’ train sets of the 1950s. The system was more expensive than its Tri-ang (plastic) competitors, far more accurate than its Trix equivalent and far more reliable than the costly Graham Farish locomotives of the time. It was generally all-metal and three-rail. In a way, it denoted the pocket depth of the parents buying it. My oldest friend – whose father was a test pilot – had it and I – my dad was a teacher – had Tri-ang, which rather proves the point. The irony was that