Tin Can Ally

 Those of you who were kind enough to listen to the latest Swordcast will have heard me 'fess up to a newly acquired love of the tin toy. My nasal droning revealed that having recently bought a Bandai train on ebay, I have finally moved across to the dark side and embraced the Golden Age toys of yesteryear. While I won't be dashing out to replace all my beloved plastic toys with tinplate, I do have a marked fondness for the odd piece.

 As I mentioned in the cast, it was the red and black  Bandai loco which drew me to the toys and shortly after, another japanese loco joined the fold. The distinctive lines and shape of the engine draws to mind the huge transcontinental Canadian Pacific trains of the fifties and sixties, as illustrated on the covers of Lionel and Triang Hornby catalogues.

 The train sets I had as a child were mostly Triang Hornby and all plastic based models. These japanese locos are much larger, although running on roughly the same gauge track.

 On the wagons for the Bandia toy, the previous owner had swapped out the bogies for standard plastic ones to fit on OO/HO rails, but the larger B & O loco has the original wheels and looks much more in proportion. the larger model also has a little more detailing on the caboose and a front electric light on the engine.

Bandai Loco