Trix
Twin : History of Advertisements
© Copyright 2010 Garry Lefevre all rights reserved
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Looking at the changing style and content of
advertisements for the Trix Twin Railway is both informative and interesting in
showing how the early models evolved over 30 years from 1935 to 1965. It is my intention to continuously add to
the advertisements shown here as new examples are discovered. If you have any
copies of magazine or similar advertisements please send these to me so they
can be added here. ( I am particularly
short of ads for the 1940’s )
1935
My thanks to Franz Nowack who responded to my above
request so I can now show
the first ever advertisement for Trix model railways below :-
February 1935 !
The above appeared in a toy trade magazine,
“Wegweiser” published in Pössneck in February 1935 promoting the March Trade
Fair in Leipzig. The advertisement reads
:
“New Items
We will show at the Spring Fair in our enlarged exhibition
stand for the
first time the new, electric table railway
TRIX-EXPRESS
A TRIX quality toy train and accessories, a
train designed for a range of customers, which
because of its exceptional novelty promises
to be a Xmas
hit of first class proportion.”
In August 1935 Trix followed this up with a similar
advertisement just before the autumn Trade Fair :
Note the method of connecting the current to the track
is not the same as put into production.
There appears one square plug for 2 wires perhaps ?
The reference to PETERSHOF is the location of the TRIX
trade stand at the exhibition.
The Vereinigte SpielwarenFabriken is the name of the
company that owned and produced Trix.
AND in ENGLAND :-
Above is the first English advertisement I have which
appeared in the December 1935
edition of Model Railway News.
As the importer Bassett-Lowke called these trains
“Twin Train Table Railway” The name Trix
was not used until 1936 in Britain.
Bassett-Lowke has been involved in developing the Bing
Table Railway in the 1920’s. He was
mainly an importer of model railways, commissioning manufacturers in Germany to
make models for the English market, although his company made some models in
the UK. Clearly he saw the Trix Express
development as a continuation of the “00” Bing trains. As a marketing expert he latched onto using
its main characteristic in its name i.e. “Twin” the unique dual running we are
now all familiar with and the ability to mount it on a “Table Top”, not
possible with his competitor; Hornby 0 Gauge.
Probably to him the name “Trix Express” did nothing to promote the
concept of these smaller model trains.
The price of the passenger set above was 35/- or £1-75 in modern money, the goods set 30/-
or £1-50
1936
In February
1936, Model Railways News showed the above advertisement.
Prices show wagons for just 8d that is about 3 1/2
pence today, coaches for 2s or 10 pence today !
The advertisement promises new stocks arriving soon.
In July 1936 new
supplies were in the shops and the above advertisement appeared in the Model
Railway News.
In November
1936 the two advertisements below appeared in the same edition of Model
Railway News, but in different parts of the magazine
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This is the first advertisement I have using the
name “Trix Twin Railway”, even the catalogue for 1936 showing the new English
outline trains used Bassett-Lowke’s preferred name “Twin Train Table Railway” |
The new English outline stock was first shown to
the public at the British Industries Fair in the Spring of 1936. A photo of this trade layout can be seen in
my Exhibition layout section. By the autumn stocks were available in sufficient
quantities for the expected Xmas rush.
Still Bassett-Lowke used the name Twins rather than Trix Note the prices : goods wagons had now risen 50%
in price from 8d to 1/- |
1937
Coinciding
with the BIF Spring fair Trix launched the Portsmouth set. The advertisement above by Bassett-Lowke
continued to emphasise the name Twin Trains.
Now where in the ad is the word “Trix” used. Indeed the box label only shows “Trix Ltd” as
the manufacturers with the emphasis on Twin Train and Bassett-Lowke.
In the
autumn of 1937 Trix launched there own advertisement for the new Princess where
the name used was only Trix Twin Railway
1938
In the
early part of 1938 Bassett-Lowke launched their own catalogue, showing mainly 0
gauge items but including one page for Trix models still called by them “Twin
Trains”
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In
December 1938 the advertisement on the left appeared in several
publications. The one on the right was in
Practical Mechanics. For the first time
Bassett-Lowke had given in and named these as TTR models but note underneath
Twin Train Railway is still used.
1939
After the outbreak of war, production ceased and the above advertisement
appeared in the autumn of 1939. The loco was to be based on the successful Trix
Express 2-4-2 with automatic coupling at both ends. At least one pre- production model was made.
1940
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The
Model Railway News of February 1940 carried the advertisement on the left. Note
the number of the compound is 1149. This
number was never used in production instead the number 1168 was used for both
the black and reddish coloured models. Thanks
to Don Gibson of Australia for this advertisement |
1942
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The
Model Railway News of March 1942 carried the advertisement on the left. 5
goods wagons were being offered for 12/6 that’s about £20 today. On left (middle), Bassett-Lowke were also
offering to buy second hand model railways for cash. A way
of keeping the business alive during the war. Thanks
to Don Gibson of Australia for this advertisement |
1945-1952
I do not
have any photos of advertisements in this period. If you have any from magazines please send me
a copy to add here
garrylefevre@hotmail.com
I do have the
advertisement below from the USA :
1949
1952
1953
In November 1953 Trix
were promoting their new signal using optical plastic to project the changing
light from the base out of the top of the mast.
1954
1954
was the year of the conveyor and associated diecast wagons
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January 1954 above |
The above 2 page
add appeared in the catalogue for a 1954 Model Railway exhibition in London |
This small poster was
used for shop display
At the end of 1954 the advertisement below
appeared in November
1955
In 1955 the word
was ACTION !!
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January |
February |
November |
1956
By December 1956
a mixture of DC and AC models were being promoted
1957
Co-inciding with the annual Toy fair the whistle/controller was launched.
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September |
October |
By the end of 1957 only the
DC models were being promoted.
Although the Pytchley has the tin plate tender the
picture still shows brushes sticking out of the loco.
1958
The advertisement above appeared in the railway
Modeller in April 1958
The above full page advertisement was shown in May’s
Railway Modeller
Following the
introduction in late 1958, the above advertisement appeared in several
publications.
The name Twix Twin
had been dropped as too much of a reminder of the AC models. There had also been a company re-organisation
and one of several changes of ownership of the company.
1959
1960
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March |
May 1960 |
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July |
August |
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September |
November |
Railway Modeller had
the above insertion ( month not known)
1961
On the back cover of a book by Ian Allen the advert
below was printed
1963
This ad in January
1963 refers to “ New” models compared to “second hand” ones rather than new in
that year as the Bo Bo came out in 1960.
This shop behind Selfridges was still selling only model trains up to
its closure in 1998.
1965
In January 1965 the above advertisement was shown in Railway
Modeller. The Wiad kits shown here were
also included in the Trix Catalogue.
Sad to see now, this
advertisement in early 1965 from the Beatties shop in London offered the 3
coach Meteor for a reduced price from a list price of £8 14s to just under £5
and they threw in free an extra middle coach.
Today in 2009 these 4 units would cost upwards of £165 on Ebay ! In the UK inflation in this time has been 16
times meaning that the equivalent £5 in 1965 would be worth £80 today so an
investor would have more than doubled his money in real terms. Although the original list price at £8 14s
for just the 3 coach unit would equate to £140 today not too different from
what one can buy one today.
By late 1965 two rail and DC only were being
promoted
The end of Trix Twin had been reached.
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November |
November |
My thanks to Jeremy O’Keeffe for many of the
advertisements from the late 1950’s and 1960’s
It is my
intention to add to this page with old advertisements as they are found.
I
particularly need advertisements from the 1940’s, do you have any ?
garrylefevre@hotmail.com
Or
Index
to other Trix History pages