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janwerner's picture
janwerner
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-504 and 941 Foden 14-Ton Tanker 'Mobilgas' (1953-56)

A great new addition, the capital Foden Tanker 'Mobilgas'. I am excited! Apparently it is the first time for over sixty years that it left its box. A very much appreciated acquisition, completing my 1950s Foden Tankers! It has a Hudson Dobson label and with a sticker from the famous toy shop of F.A.O. Schwarz, New York. I have manufactured a support for display already. Now for compiling a new catalogue entry and registration. Kind regards, Jan

 

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Jan--Congratulations are surely in order for such a wonderful acquisition!  Finding a very nice or nearly mint example can be done, but to get one likely never out of its box is something else, and a sure treasure.  To me, at least, the Foden Mobilgas tanker is one of rhe most iconic Dinky's ever made, and so recognizable, with its bright red color and magnificent Mobilgas livery.  Meccano did a masterful job with this model, and I was very happy to acquire my own nice example many years ago.  Yours is also a very early example, in the original style box, with red tank tops, and the grey radial tread tires.  Mine is dated January, 1955, and has the later black tank tops, black block style tires, and the later striped box with the 941 numbering.  You must be very happy at finding this treasure, and I look forward to seeing more of your photographs of it when you get the chance.

      Best regards,  Terry

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Mine has no date inside, but just a hard to read check stamp GH9 3 (or 8?). Perhaps someone can link a date to that? Nevertheless, indeed Terry, it is the early one with first box, red filler caps and round treaded tyres (which can be either grey or black), to be dated 1953/early 1954. In 1954 the renumbering to 941 took place and the blue striped box lid was introduced. Remarkably all boxes kept the DINKY TOYS brand (never Dinky Supertoys), whereas even this early example has DINKY SUPERTOYS cast below. An early article on these tankers was written by Graham Bridges and Stewart Orr in Classic Toys 1/2 of Jan/Feb 1995.

In fact this is a happy collecting milestone, as not only the illustrated 1950s Foden tankers are complete now but also the Mobilgas family. See pictures below, which I was happy to make with bright day light, both for my catalogue and for this webforum.

Kind regards, Jan

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Dinkinius
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Jan and Terry (but more so, Jan)

Jan, your question, "Perhaps someone can link a date to that" - is easily answered by someone and that "someone" is moi - possibly you have forgotten my thread in the old site that for some inexplicable reason does not appear in the Boxes Thread. That Thread titled BOXES AND QUALITY INSPECTION STAMPS is tucked away in DINKY TOYS TECHNICAL DISCUSSIONS for some obscure reason which explains why this topic has been forgotten.

The stamp equates to G****** H******* who quality examined the box and model in September 1953. (The name of the employee has been suppressed to protect her identity.)

So, with the red filler caps and the type of tyres used, indicates this model is original and in its correct box, so top marks to you for finding it and adding it to your collection. It is now assured of a long, secure life.

Bruce  (#150)

30 November 2015

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janwerner
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Thank you, Bruce, for your very helpful comment. No doubt the thread you mention can be moved to a more appropriate location. Nothing's fixed. Kind regards, Jan

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Jan ---I am guessing somewhat, but that 9 & 3 very likely equates to September, 1953. Nice photos and nice Mobilgas grouping!
Regards, Terry

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Taken out of the displays as it was for the photo session above, I had the opportunity to make a new 'official' photo of my Bedford Articulated Streamlined Petrol Tanker 'Mobilgas'.

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Jan--So nice....it is a shame that Meccano never did follow through with making that one, as it should have been popular.  It looks perfect in that livery........ Another  one that I wish Dinky would have made was a matching tanker trailer for the Foden Mobilgas tanker....wouldn't that have been an impressive rig.  I seem to remember seeing a Code 3 that someone did in the past with that....do you remember ever seeing it?

     Regards, Terry

Jan Oldenhuis's picture
Jan Oldenhuis
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Yesterday was a glorious day for me when I received my DT 504 Foden tanker Mobilgas. It’s also the 1st issue with grey tyres and red filler caps, complete with the beautiful Mobilgas advertising with the Flying Horse (Pegasus) logo on both sides and rear of the tanker. It has also its first box with a Hudson Dobson USA export label and is coming out of California. It’s my 1st model with an USA export label and I was excited when I unpacked the model. It is in a fabulous condition, I should say in mint condition. Fresh with brilliant shining red and silver colour and grey tyres. So Jan we can shake hands about the condition of this model with box. It’s really an eye catcher on display. At the end I show a part of my display cabinet.

It has a different inspection stamp. It reads as M8 8 and I will show here the pictures of my example. At the end I have some questions about this model.

It was introduced in Meccano Magazine May 1953.

It also appeared on the back page of the Meccano catalogue UK of September 1953.

I add also some background information about the Mobilgas company:

Mobil logo with the flying horse (Pegasus).

Mobil, previously known as the Socony-Vacuum Oil Company, is a major American oil company which merged with Exxon in 1999 to form a parent company called ExxonMobil. It was previously one of the Seven Sisters which dominated the global petroleum industry from the mid-1940s until the 1970s. Today, Mobil continues as a major brand name within the combined company, as well as still being a gas station sometimes paired with its own store or On the Run. The former Mobil headquarters in Fairfax County, Virginia, were used as ExxonMobil's downstream headquarters until 2015 when ExxonMobil consolidated employees into a new corporate campus in Spring, Texas.

PEGASUS (Flying horse) logo:

In Greek mythology, Pegasus was a winged horse sired by Poseidon.

Bellerophon riding Pegasus (1914)

Mobil Oil has had a Pegasus as its company logo since its affiliation with Magnolia Petroleum Company in the 1930s.

A nostalgic Mobilgas gas station.

I will also show pictures of the back and underside plus a picture of the inspection stamp in the lid of the box. It is a different stamp as Jan W’s (M8 8 ??). I hope someone can explain the year/date of manufacturing. Bruce, I will also add this stamp in your special thread of box stamps.

Finally, I discovered some interesting facts about this model that I will share here in this forum, but has also 2 questions about this.

1) I found some pictures of this model with the Mobilgas logo of the flying horse on the front side of the tanker and behind the Mobilgas wording instead of before. One on Vectis 6-12-2016 (not sold) and one on the Saleroom website. Should this be original off factory? Ramsay guide does mention this variation. I could not find elsewhere anything about this variation. Is this an original variation?? Comments about this are very welcome.

DT 504 Mobilgas tanker on Vectis auction 6-12-2016. Not sold. Flying horse decal on front of the tanker and behind the Mobilgas wording instead of before.

DT 504 Mobilgas tanker on the Saleroom website. Sold on 28-5-2015. Flying horse decal behind the Mobilgas wording instead of before.

2) Only the 504 Mobilgas box in blue with the orange/white Mobilgas picture label has right under the Mobilgas picture printed the so called stock number 50506. Not any other 504 tanker box has such a number at the front label. Normally, the last 3 digits of the stock number match the model number, but this stock number 50506 does not match the model number 504. Is there a list of stock numbers?

Stock number 50506 printed on the front label of the 504 blue box with orange/white picture label. Does not match the model number.

Kind regards to all of you,

Jan Oldenhuis 5-7-2017.

janwerner's picture
janwerner
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Wow, Jan, this is great, and exactly the same state and condition as mine - unbelievable. I can imagine your excitement about this acquisition. Remarkable that our examples both had to come over from the other side of the Atlantic. Just be careful with displaying. This bright appearance is owing to the fact that they apparently have been stored in their boxes permanently for over 60 years. So, in order to avoid the slightest fading of the as new paint finish and browning of the bright grey tyres: put it in the darkest corner of your display cabinet! Kind regards, Jan W.

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Jan Oldenhuis
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Hi Jan, many thanks for your comment.

Yes it is stored in the darkest side of my display cabinet out of the sun, in the shade side of my room. It's a model to be seen. If I keep it in a box, nobody has anything about it. Now I can see it every day and I enjoy it. That's why I also have my entire collection in one display cabinet in the room. To enjoy myself and to show it for anyone who is interested and will take a look about it.

I have edit my #9 comment and added a picture of a part of my display cabinet with the DT 504 tanker Mobilgas to enjoy everyone.

Kind regards,

Jan Oldenhuis 5-7-2017

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Dinkinius
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Hello Jan

I have only just read your fine Post and I must coinfess, your Mobilgas tanker is superb - and I am glad it is in your careful ownership.  Mine is not on display, but stored in its box, as I have been permitted to only have a small display cabinet in my study, and due to its size has room for some of my models from my younger days.

I think the Pegasus reversal is a normal error on the part of the staff at the time, not as Ramsay infers a different issue, which may have occurred to a greater extent when the model was new on the production floor, or later when concentration became slack, as it is obvious the left transfer has been applied to the right side and vice-versa.  This is similar to the early Euclids with the plain logo until the staff became aware that the figure has to be pointing forward in the same way that Pegasus has to be facing forward in the direction of travel. In other words, I do not agree with Ramsay and its value, but I guess others will have a different point of view.

It is quite a coincidence that my model was packed in the same month as yours, August 1953 with mine having the letter H in front of 8 3. I must photograph the inspection stamp one of these days. I won this model from Wallis and Wallis in an auction conducted on 13 July 1998, a date that my father would have turned 88, so the model is sort of special to me. It is coming up to 19 years in my "care"!

As can be seen with the above images, my tanker has considerable wear with all three transfers as well as the box is worn, (so it does not warrant the larger images being uploaded!) but the paintwork is quite good.  I do notice that yours has the often used grey ribbed tyres, and that it was originally sold in the United States whereas mine was originally sold in the UK and has black ribbed tyres. I can only assume the tyres on mine have never been swapped, although anything is possible, as grey was the normal or usual issue.

Finally, I see that you have a nice collection of mint Euclids and Terex models. Nice to see someone with similar interests!.  Mine numbers fourteen, all different in one way or other - model or box. I seem to be a nutter when it comes to variations!

Kind regards

Bruce Hoy   (150)

20170607/1131/1245

Jan Oldenhuis's picture
Jan Oldenhuis
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Bruce, I actually also thought of a manufacturing error. But it is very interesting to explain this error further (Sherlock Holmes). 

Unfortunately, I do not have a picture of the back of such a "wrong" tanker with reverse logos. Because I would like to know if there is a logo on the back side of such wrong tanker. I assume that the logos are placed before the tank is mounted on the chassis, otherwise it is impossible to put a logo on the front of the tank when the tank is already mounted on the chassis. If the tank has been reversed incorrectly, there must be no logo on the back side of the tank. If a reversed tank on the backside also has a logo, then the error is "carefully corrected" and perhaps unperceived passed the quality control or taken home by the employees. I think there are very few of these "wrong" models. So my research is not yet complete. I hope ever to get such a "wrong" tanker. This wrong model has for me now become the status "collector's item". When someone may become a picture of the backside of a Mobilgas tanker with reversed logos, please add this picture in a comment.

Bruce, you have come to your 504 Mobilgas tanker in a very special way and moment through an auction of Wallis & Wallis. Just when your father would have turned 88 years old. Of course a special remembrance for you.

Indeed I have mint Euclid and Terex models. I like these models very much and I'm very happy to own these models. A number of damaged models are stored separately. I think I have all the versions outside of the colored wheels.

Kind regards,

Jan Oldenhuis 6-7-2017

Dinkinius's picture
Dinkinius
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Jan

In regard to your Post #9, the image you posted of the reversed side transfers does show a portion of the rear transfer incorrectly behind the cab.  With this example if anything, the photograph displays the method of manufacture; the tank was completed separately and then once the transfers were added, the tank was then attached to the chassis. Although I have never given this much thought I had presumed, incorrectly, that the transfers were the last items to be completed before the model was inserted into its box. The last item was the actual attaching of the tank to the chassis after the transfers had dried.

It would be nice though to see whether the rear of the tank has its own transfer as well! Guess we will never know unless we hear from the owner - one of these days!

The following, a later issue, 941 in a blue-striped box, is a very good candidate of the reversed side transfers with one big difference - there is no visible evidence of a transfer on the end tank behind the cab which would possibly indicate that the rear of the tank does have the correct transfer. I wish the Lot had a photograph taken from the rear!

Unfortunately, this model was sold at auction for €130 last year. It would be great if the new owner could also contact us through this website to verify whether the rear of the tank has its usual transfer. Ramsay makes no mention of a reversal of transfers with the 941 as was the case with the 504 Mobilgas tanker. The plot thickens! And like you, we can only hope and wait that one day, an image will be added to this Topic. Oh yes, the description made no mention of a transfer at the rear.

As for my Euclids/Terex models, actually my total is 24, the other ten having been acquired in the process of upgrading my collection and have yet to be sold.

Kind regards

Bruce Hoy   (150)

20170607/1133/2347

 

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Jan Oldenhuis
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Bruce, it is super that you post this picture. I am very happy with it. It is a proof that these types of mistakes have occurred more often. It makes the research even more complete and exciting. We must hope that there soon are coming more comments with photos that may answer these questions. It's hard to wait for an answer.

Kind regards,

Jan Oldenhuis 6-7-2017

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Jan Oldenhuis
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To find a factory error of this model is not so easy, but I succeeded. 5-12-2017 was an auction at Vectis. A Dinky Toys 504 Foden Tanker Mobilgas with reversed Mobilgas transfers was auctioned and I won it. I bid online and was outbid four times. Ultimately the price was hammered at GBP 200. I find that a reasonable price for this very special model. Maybe I only once in my life get the chance to buy such a special model. I had to wait 3 weeks for delivery. In the meantime, I started thinking about the way this model could be assembled and how that error could be made, but first I tell you how I did find this model.

My 504 Foden Tanker Mobilgas with reversed transfers. Photo Vectis of my auction example.

After contributions and discussions above about reversed Mobilgas transfers I started looking for a 504 Mobilgas tanker with reversed transfers as I had announced in comment #13 and I found it on Vectis. It is surprising the same tanker as was mentioned and illustrated in my own comment # 9 above and was auctioned at Vectis on 6-12-2016, but was not sold. This lot must have been in storage for a year. Before the auction I had asked Vectis by email whether there was also a Mobilgas transfer on the rear side of the tank and that was confirmed to me. With this knowledge I dared to bid, but I took a risk to bid on the basis of one photo.

After unpacking and examining the model and his box, including checking out the tin locating tabs under the chassis and compared with my own example, I was excited and concluded that his total appearance presents itself as a 100% original factory made error and no homework. There is no question of any manipulation. By the way, you have to understand that it is impossible to manipulate the transfers for instance by loosening the tank and turning it 180 degrees on the chassis, because the gantry with side ladder then comes to the wrong (right) side of the tank, so manipulation at that way is impossible.

I think that this one is a unique example with not only reversed transfers on both sides of the tank, but also a Mobil gas Horse transfer on the front and rear side of the tank. I never saw a picture of such a model with also a transfer on both end sides of the tank. That’s why I feel it as a golden catch. I show pictures of the tanker at the end in full size so you can judge this by yourself. It is its 1st issue with red filler caps and its 1st type blue box with orange/white label. It has some minor damage but is still in a very good condition to show it in my display case together with my other DT tankers.

My DT 504 Foden Tanker Mobilgas with reversed transfers right side with front.

My DT 504 Foden Tanker Mobilgas with reversed transfers left side with rear.

My DT 504  Foden Tanker Mobilgas with reversed transfers - top side with innerside lid box with Quality Control Stamp.

My DT 504 Foden Tanker Mobilgas with reversed transfers base.

Now I own this model, I find it interesting, after 64 years, to research this error of applied reversed transfers on this model and search for the stage of assembly when the mistake could be made. Because I don’t know the order of assembly, I have to speculate about that and try to find out the way they did it.

First of all in this question is important to know that the Mobilgas transfers, according the attached Meccano drawing Job No. 12821B (with permission of David Busfield and  Jacques Dujardin), must always be applied with the horse facing to the front of the tank and one horse decal on the rear side of the tank with a horse facing to the left. The tank is oval-shaped and the front and rear side are equal. The gantry with side ladder must always be mounted on the left side of the tank.

Meccano drawing 504 Foden Tanker Mobilgas with transfers, by courtesy of David Busfield.

My 504 Foden Tanker Mobilgas with reversed transfers left side.

Meccano drawing DT 504 Tanker Mobilgas with correct transfers on both sides of the tank.

My 504 Foden Tanker Mobilgas with reversed transfers right side.

Meccano drawing with correct Mobilgas transfer on rear side of the tank.

My 504 Foden Tanker Mobilgas with reversed transfers, but correct Mobilgas horse transfer on rear side of the tank.

My DT 504 Foden Tanker Mobilgas with reversed transfers. Note the Mobilgas Horse transfer on the very narrow front side of the tank.

1) Through this example of factory error we all can see and conclude that it is impossible to apply the waterslide Mobilgas transfer on the front side of the tank when it is already mounted on the chassis. The tank is too close to the cab to do so in a perfect way. So the Mobilgas transfers must be applied on the tank before mounting the tank on the chassis. This makes it more complicated to apply the transfers in the right direction. Because the ladies of the assembly line had to apply the transfers on the separate tank, they had no view on the cab of the truck to determine the front and rear side of the tank and had to look for another point of recognition to determine the place and direction of the transfer.

So the next steps are therefore more difficult to find out: “How did they do it?”

2)The question is then: were the transfers applied before or after placement of the gantry with side ladder? I think for it, because the transfer of the horse on the left side of the tank is so close to the gantry and side ladder that it is difficult to apply it perfectly. But how did they then know the front or rear side of the tank without the presence of the gantry with ladder on the left side of the tank and without a view on the cabin? Only the presence of the prepared holes for fixing the gantry with side ladder on the left side of the tank were in this case a point of recognition for the ladies to determine the place and direction of the transfer. Personally, I think that in this stage of assembly the error were made, but it would be very nice if an old employee of Meccano Liverpool could tell how they did it and could confirm my thoughts.

3) If the transfers were applied after placement of the gantry with side ladder on the left side, they could easily determine the front and rear side of the tank looking to the place of the gantry with side ladder, always on the left side of the tank.

4) There is theoretically still another possibility: the transfers were first of all applied on the painted bare tank without the prepared holes for the gantry with side ladder, after which the gantry with side ladder were mounted on the left side of the tank according the correct place and direction of the transfers. But how to fix the gantry with side ladder on a painted tank with transfers without damage when there are no prepared holes present to place it?

You see that there are several options and maybe you only think, why all this effort to research this, because there is a very simple short explanation for it, namely: They only made a mistake! That’s all. But I don't find that satisfying because I find it interesting to find out how the tank with its transfers, gantry with side ladder and filler caps are been manufactured and put together to discover how they could made this mistake. I find it interesting to research such things.

Back to the Binns Road factory. After discovery this error in the factory, it were “carefully corrected”,  simple by still placing a Mobilgas horse transfer on the rear side of the tank. Then it passed the Quality Control or was taken home by an employee and leaved the factory as a very special and hard to find model of which I am now the very lucky and proud owner.

Comments about all this are of course very welcome.

Greetings and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all members and don’t hesitate to react.

Jan Oldenhuis, 22-12-2017

janwerner's picture
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That is a nice piece of research and arguing, Jan. With you we have an expert Dinky Toys detective on board! And of course congratulations with this (re)discovery and final catch of this factory flaw. Remarkable that it was put up for re-auction one year later and that there was bidding enough now (or the reserve was lowered or dropped?). This kind of flaw can of course rather easily happen when the item to be decorated is fully symmetrical (except for the tiny holes for the catwalk, to be mounted after the transfers were applied, indeed hard to realize when the catwalk were present before that already). 

Besides, as Graham Bridges writes in Classic Toys (Vol1/1, August/September 1994. page 6) the tanker body was not made by Meccano but by a subcontractor in London. The proprietor, Tom Atkins, was an ex-Meccano employee. The tanker section as a whole, complete with pipeholders and catwalk was assembled by the Meccano factory, after spraying. The filler caps on top were a Meccano product.

As one hardly sees tankerbodies which lost their fore- and/or end caps, or the catwalk unit, I wonder how these were fixed so firmly, without being able to bend lugs or whatever inside. No doubt some of the more technical DTCA members have an answer to this. 

Finally, discussing the Mobilgas Tanker here, I think it's appropriate to show the pictures below, featuring the Mobilgas Tanker. It is the result of the editors of NAMAC's bi-monthly Auto in Miniatuur asking me to supply them with a nice photo for the cover of the December issue - this issue including a Dinky article of mine. And so I did. The idea was to present a trio of various classes of Dinky Toys. So, besides the huge eight-wheel tanker, I chose the Studebaker Land Cruiser as a saloon and the Aveling Barford Diesel Roller as a work horse for this presentation. It's always nice to see one's creation on the front cover of a magazine. Kind regards, Jan W

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Jan

There is nothing to add to your excellent article. I knew about some Mobilgas tankers having one transfer the wrong way around but yours has two plus the logo at the front of the tank. It is certainly unique.

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Jan, the ends of the tanks are soldered into place, presumably by the London-based contractors. Catwalks have tabs, but to ease installation, they are all bent over in the same direction i.e. towards the left side. This involves bending to a shallower angle than would be needed towards the right side, therefore lessening the chance of breaking the tabs. The completed tank can only be fitted to the chassis in the correct manner (catwalk and ladder to left side) because of the uneven spacing of the fold-over mounting tabs. It is impossible to fit the tank the wrong way round without alteration. To find a tank with transfers on both ends must be very rare indeed!

 - Kevin.

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Indeed Kevin. I had not yet seen that. Indeed, if you see the picture of the bottom of the Tanker, you see clear that the tabs on both sides are uneven distance from each other. So indeed the tank can only be mounted in one way. Kevin, thank you very much for this very valuable comment. This way, more and more details become clear.

Jan Oldenhuis, 22-12-2017

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janwerner
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Thanks, Kevin, your explanation regarding the practical tank unit assembly is exactly what I was hoping for. Kind regards, Jan W

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Jan Oldenhuis
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To visualize something from a separate tank, I add photographs of a separate tank from Editons Atlas that I found on Ebay. As you see is the tank open on the underside, so inside can be something fixed when needed before mounting on the chassis. I think that the real Dinky ones are the same.

Jan Oldenhuis 22-12-2017

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Clear enough, Jan! Now I vaguely remember having seen that one come along. Not being interested in Atlas so much I must have 'filtered that one out'. But, whatever one thinks of Atlas, it's an admirable job to make such a faithful replica of all production details. Kind regards, Jan W

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As a result of the 504 Foden 14-Ton Tanker, from 1948-1964 different versions of this tanker have been made, all of which have their own drawings, but in the end the various fixed components of the tank are all the same.

504: Foden 14-Ton Tanker 1st type cab

504/941: Foden 14-Ton Tanker "Mobilgas" 2nd type cab

942: Foden Tanker Regent 2nd type cab

943: Leyland Octopus Tanker "Esso"

Following Kevin's comment in # 19 about soldering the ends of the tank I attache the Meccano drawing Job No. 7876 of Jan Werners comment in topic 943, in which this is clearly stated. In this very valuable drawing are also practical all the Jobs with numbers of the different components/parts of the tanker to be found. So there are more drawings to be found that can provide clarification.

That's why I add the Meccano drawings Job 12823, 12824, 12825 and 12826 from the DTCA archive to make it as complete as possible.

Jan Oldenhuis, 27-12-2017.

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Of course, you're quite correct, Jan. Thank you very much for this reminder! Kind regards, Jan W

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DTCA MemberNetherlands

It was a short time of issue for the Dinky Toys 504 - 941 Foden tanker Mobilgas. From May 1953 to June 1955 when it was replaced by the Dinky Toys 942 Foden tanker Regent.

In MM of March 1955 the 941 was upgraded from Dinky Toys to Dinky Supertoys, but actually meaningless and without any consequences. In the time of renumbering the 941 got 2 new Dinky Toys boxes: first the dual numbered box 941- 504 and then at last a single numbered 941 box. Despite the upgrade in March 1955 it never got a Dinky Supertoys box because of the short remaining time of issue until June 1955. A very strange end to the 941 issue.

Due to the upgrade of the 941 to Dinky Supertoys, one might logically expect that his successor 942 Foden tanker Regent would immediately receive a Dinky Supertoys box when it was issued in June 1955, but it became, incomprehensible still a Dinky Toys box. Only lateron it got a Dinky Supertoys box. It should be noted that the 504-941 was issued till 1955 and no more in 1956. The 941 is not listed in any 1956 catalogue or price list.

Kind regards, Jan Oldenhuis

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I have just spent some time looking at the beauties on this page and here are a few thoughts.

There is an incomplete list of the 50 000 references in the Encyclopaedia.(on the home page clic on "boxes" go down this page until you find the tradeboxes, the link to the 50 000 list is there) the numbers were probably assigned in chronological order for the early reference numbers (two digits and a letter) until in 1953 some time after the number 50517 which applies to the 514 Guy van Spratt's. Then the last three digits were those of the ref. number of the model

The last item to have been given a 50 000 number is the set of three packing cases ref. 792 in december 1961.

50 001 is for the B.E.V. electric truck and the last number known is 50 923 for the Big Bedford van Heinz in December 1955.

 

I have looked at several pictures of the 941 striped box but only one shows the end with the double numbering. Was there such a box with 941 only on the end ?

 

 

These flaws of the inverted transfer is interesting but I beleive that the reasons are very simple :

1 ) The transfers came in sets of three, right, left and rear. By pure mistake a girl on the assembly line stuck a transfer on the wrong side. She would then apply the other transfer to the other side and both transfers would be misplaced.

2 ) A girl on the line wrecked  a transfer, she would have used a transfer from the next lot of three and this might be the right or the wrong one giving 1) a tanker with one wrong transfer or 2 ) a tanker with two wrong transfers and the next tanker to be made might have been an other flaw.

3 ) About Jan's tanker with the pegasus behind the cab, the girl may have been disturbed and she applied the three transfers by mistake to an inverted tank, to save scraping the tank an other transfer has been applied to the right end of this tank. Remember that the poor girls had the awfull joj of doing the same boring things for days on end and they also thought about the bonus. I know that in some factories in England if bits had to be rejected the worker had to pay for them.

 

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Jacques. Many thanks for your solution for the reversed Mobilgas transfers. It's very interesting and funny to read your solution.

I do not clearly understand your question about the end of the 941 box:

There were two blue -white striped Dinky Toys boxes at the end of production, ofcourse in the following order: 1) dual numbered 941-504 box with number 941 at the long side of the box; dual number 941-504 at one end and single number 941 at the other end of the box. 2) single number 941 box with number 941 on the long side of the box and single number 941 on both ends of the box. I post a few more pictures.

Kind regards, Jan Oldenhuis

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Hello Jan,

Never mind if you did not understand my question, you have answered it. I wanted to know if there is a single numbered white box with blue stripes. So there is and it must be quite rare because the period of production was very short, just a few months.

                               

Could you please make a photo similar to this one with or preferably without the trucks ? I will then remove this photo because the dual numbered box is not otiginal.

All the best.

Jacques

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Jacques, unfortunately I do not have these examples in my possession. In my story about the (useless) reclassification of the 941 to Dinky Supertoys I went looking for a 941 Dinky Supertoys box that I have never found. I only came across these Dinky Toys boxes that I used as an example in my story to prove this. I just found one more photo of a 941 504 box that is more frontal.

Kind regards, Jan O

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Dear Jan O,

In your post #9 far above you ask why the box reference is not 50 504 but 50 506. The simple answer is that 50 504 is the box for the plain Foden Tanker, this reference could not be used for the Mobilgas box which is different and the next number available was used.

In his post # 17, Jan W  asked how the man holes are attached to the tank. A close up photo of the inside of your Atlas tank would certainly give the answer.

All the best.

Jacques

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