The first thing you need to know is that there were actually two sets issued by W.D. & H.O. Wills that were called “Railway Engines”, ours, and a version issued in May 1936. The easiest ways to tell them apart is that the framelines on the reverse are very different, ours being quite heavy and decorative whilst the later version is light and I shall say streamlined whilst really thinking basic Also the 1930s set has adhesive backs - and sometimes dealers do, very helpfully, call our set "Railway Engines - Non Adhesive".
However in our original Wills reference book, part IV, both sets, rather confusingly, appear one above the other. so be careful when extracting info.
Our set is catalogued in that Wills reference book as :
303. RAILWAY ENGINES. (1924). Fronts printed by letterpress in colour. Backs in grey with descriptive text.
A. Home issue, with I.T.C. Clause. Issued 1924
B. New Zealand Issue. Without I.T.C.Clause. Numbering differs from A and several subjects changed. Issued between 1925-30
Similar series issued by Imperial Tobacco Co. of Canada.
In our World Tobacco Issues Indexes our set has been removed from the New Zealand version and simply described as : “RAILWAY ENGINES. Sm. Nd. (50). See RB.21/200-303.C”. But because of the date it is now also separate from the later version, which appears in the next section along.
That RB.21 is the British American Tobacco booklet, which I have to say I warmed to, though at first I found it truly baffling. In there, our set is catalogued as :
200-303. RAILWAY ENGINES. (1924). The recording in W/303 is summarised and amended below -
A. Wills` Overseas issue. Without I.T.C. Clause
B. I.T.C. of Canada issue. Back in grey (1) with “Wills` Cigarettes” at top blocked over but clearly visible, (2) redrawn, without “Wills` Cigarettes”. Serial 8083. Burdick C.30
C. Wills` Home Issue. With I.T.C. Clause.
The numbering in A-B differs almost entirely from that in C, and four new subjects (No`s 25-28) replace Nos. 27, 29, 31, and 40 in C.
In A., card No.11 shows the engine red . whereas in B. and C. the same engine is black.
So, like me, you are all wondering what the cards are that have been changed. I do know that the home issue cards mentioned above are :
27. Transandine Railway - Combined Rack and Adhesion Locomotive Engine No.40-0-8-0-0-6-0 Tank
29. Belgian State Railway - Engine No.4853-4-6-0-Four-cylinder-compound
31. Danish State Railways - Engine No.955-4-6-0
40. Italian State Railways - Engine No.69001-4-6-2
and
11. L.M. & S. Railway - Midland Section - Engine No.2290-0-10-0 (red) - and this is indeed black in the New Zealand version! Anyone know why?