Graham Farish OO gauge.
 

Hello everyone, can anyone tell me please, when did Graham Farish do OO gauge ? I thought they were always N gauge, but I acquired an OO gauge wagon and van of that make and they are not plastic, they are metal and heavy, a good solid model, both of them.

Any one know ?


48111

Farish did quite a bit in the early 50's including Bullied Pacifics and a Black 5 : early 2 rail I think. They then did a 94XX panier in the early 60s. All well before they moved into N gauge.

Best wishes,

John H-T.

Yes John thank you for that. They are a solid model and well made. So you think they are "getting on a bit" then ? Well they "aint" going no where I THINK THEY ARE GREAT.

48111

Some of the early locos may have replacement motors as the Farish were not very good.

Best wishes,

John H-T.

00 farish
 

My first " train set" was 00 Farish bought as a birthday gift in about 1950. It comprised a Black 5 with half a dozen trucks and a guards van. The track was a simple circle of somewhat overscale dimensions. The controller, also Farish, offered rather crude insensitive control using only three positions in either forward or reverse. But well made nevertheless.
The loco was a really solid cast metal affair and tender driven with a most ingenious motor which had a cranked drive shaft opening and closing circuits instead of the conventional segmented commutator. Later I used the loco and a Farish Prairie Tank most successfully with a decent controller on a 'proper' layout.
All rolling stock was of good quality cast metal frames and bodies but abyssmal plastic wheels with flanges prone to chipping. And the worst hook and bar couplings imagineable.
Farish also made other rolling stock, including Pullman coaches. I had a few of these. Good looking products but still the poor wheels and couplings.

I made a terrible mistake in selling my Farish stuff ( about 20 years ago) and have regretted it ever since.

Alex10

I seem to remember that in the early 60's Farish produced what at the time was supposed to be the flexible OO track that everyone aspired to.

I started buying model railway stuff in 1975 and Farish wagons and a Pannier tank were still available then, still with the horrible hook and bar couplings.

Morning All,
Yes you are right in what you say about the wheels and couplings.I suppose I could have a go at changing them on the couple of Farish wagons I have got, but I have got one or two more important projects on the go at the moment.But they are a solid model otherwise.

48111

In the 70s GF did a Prarie Tank 81xx and a 94XX Pannier which was a good model except it is too narrow both with Triang like motors, like a cheapened X04
The 262 had no piston rods in its cylinders and no lamp iron recess in its bunker but was a good solid body as was the 94XX and I have 2 of each running with modified Triang Chassis with Romford and Hornby Dublo wheels.

They also did some nice pre nationalisation coaches which I keep trying to acquire from Ebay but keep getting outbid. The wagon were good looking but the ones I have seen were rather flimsy and made of brittle plastic.

The 1950's locos were far more crudely made, plastic driving wheels etc and badly made if my King and G 5 metal bodies are typical, mazak metal fatigue is also a problem.

Some time ago, I bought a Graham Farish Merchant Navy body and tender that someone had married to a Tri-ang Princess loco and tender chassis!
I have now utilised a modified Hornby Dublo West Country chassis, with an XO4 type, 5-pole motor. The tender chassis is a new Hornby product that fits beautifully.
The unit is very quiet in operation and smooth.
It has been in the paint shop and now sports B.R. green livery, nameplates yet to be attached.
As a model, it may not be entirely to scale but it looks far better than the Wrenn offering.
On another point, I recently purchased a King. A friend pointed out to me that the name does not match the cast number on the cab side. Is this usual?