Chuffing Annie - Printable Version +- Blue Plastic Tracks (https://www.blueplastictracks.org) +-- Forum: Blue Plastic Tracks (https://www.blueplastictracks.org/forum-36.html) +--- Forum: Trackmaster Thomas and Friends (https://www.blueplastictracks.org/forum-5.html) +--- Thread: Chuffing Annie (/thread-803.html)

Chuffing Annie - flindersuk - 02-24-2015 Hi, I've just bought of eBay a Trackmasters Thomas with a "Chuffing Annie", bought purely out of curiosity as I couldn't find anything like it when I Googled it. Basically it looks like a normal Annie carriage, however when pulled along the track it makes a very odd/poor chuffing noise... Upon inspection it is a very archaic mechanism inside. The rear wheels have rubber tyres on, as the engines do for grip with the same cog on the axel too, this axel then feeds a small bar with a full cog (feeding from the axel) on one side and on the other side a part toothed cog. This part toothed cog as it turns rubs on a long spring which is attached to either side of the carriage, giving the impression of a chugging sound. I wasn't sure if this was a genuine product but I can't see any thing to suggest it isn't. Has anyone seen any of these type of carriages before? Joe RE: Chuffing Annie - sunhuntin - 02-24-2015 hi joe, ive got several of these annies, about 3 or 4. its the only one which doesnt automatically end up in the parts box. lol. i dont know exactly when or how these were sold, whether it was used as a gimmick on packaging etc. curious to know. i think you will find, when she arrives and you can have a good look, that she is a tomy release, as mine are. the mechanism is the same as that used in the magnetic tomy range on the "chug along express". this was, at a guess, an early 90s release, and i think the annies would have been released around the same time. RE: Chuffing Annie - MuddyPoppins - 02-24-2015 I have a few of these as well and have noticed that some are louder and better sounding than others.. RE: Chuffing Annie - sunhuntin - 02-24-2015 muddy, i think that will depend on how stretched the spring is. not sure if they can be replaced easily with a newer one or not. RE: Chuffing Annie - flindersuk - 02-24-2015 Aaah so its not only mine that sounds naff! I'll try to re-tension the spring somehow and see if that helps :-) As sunhuntin says, be interesting to find out how these were sold.