Oxford Diecast RM083

Golden Shred - 1:76 Scale

Manufacturer catalogue image - please note that pre-release images may be CAD renders or CGI images rather than photographs

Prototype Eras
Era 5 (1956 to 1966) British Railways Late Crest
Era 6 (1967 to 1972) British Rail Blue (Pre-TOPS)
Era 7 (1972 to 1982) British Rail Blue (TOPS)
Era 8 (1983 to 1994) British Rail Sectorisation
Era 9 (1995 to 2004) Initial Privatisation
Era 10 (2005 to 2015) Rebuilding of the Railways

Manufacturer description

James Robertson's working life began in a thread mill, but because of the recession in the industry, he decided to cut his losses and took up an apprenticeship with a local grocer. The talent that was to make James his fortune, quickly surfaced and just three years later he made the brave decision to go it alone. Little did James know, on that day in 1859 as he stood outside his shop at 86 Causide Street in Paisley Scotland, what fate had in store for him. Despite being shrewd in business, James was a kind, charitable man and one day he took pity on a struggling salesman and agreed to buy a barrel of bitter oranges from him. James had known only too well that the oranges would not sell well, but what he did not realise was that his act of kindness would change his whole life. Rather than see the offending oranges go to waste his wife hit upon the idea of making them into marmalade to be sold in the shop. Marion's clear tangy 'Golden Shred' marmalade was an instant success. James was not slow to realise the full business potential that his wife had uncovered and set about perfecting her original recipe. It was then that the secret of the delicious Robertson's flavour was revealed. Somehow James had found a way to remove the bitterness of the orange whilst still retaining what he called "the highly tonic value of the fruit".

Catalogue listing

Oxford Diecast Golden Shred – 1:76 Scale is a die‑cast model produced by Oxford Diecast. The model carries the manufacturer part number RM083 and is painted in the historic British Rail Blue livery that predates the TOPS computer system. It is designed to a 1:76 (OO gauge) scale, suitable for use in model railway layouts.

The model represents a wagon that once carried Robertson’s Golden Shred marmalade, a product whose origins trace back to 1 January 1859 in Paisley, Scotland. James Robertson, originally a thread‑mill apprentice, took over a grocery shop at 86 Causide Street. After purchasing a surplus of bitter oranges, his wife Marion developed a marmalade recipe that removed the bitterness while preserving the fruit’s tonic qualities. The resulting “Golden Shred” marmalade proved commercially successful and became a recognisable British brand.

This die‑cast model therefore combines an accurate representation of a pre‑TOPS British Rail vehicle with a nod to the historic Robertson’s marmalade business, reflecting both railway and commercial heritage.