BBC Timeshift - The Model Railway Story

[Merfyn Jones]

Good to see a thread on RMWeb about the medea, without a negative comment.  Well done the BBC.

Merf.

[westerner]

Thoroughly enjoyed it as did the wife. We both thought it gave a vey sympathetic view of our hobby. Well done the beeb.

[iak]

Excellent programme.

Thank-you BBC for an intelligent, well made bit of TV.

Our hobby continues to come in from the cold.

i

[dibber25]

Surprised not to see you, Chris, on there.

Interesting history lesson, didn't know much about Bassett Lowke.

 

I knew nothing about it until I picked up a trailer at work today. I'm told it was shot a while back so I'm thinking it may have been while I was out of the country last May. Anyway, now I'm a part-timer things can happen in the office when I'm not there. I am, however, puzzled about where Ben was, with the jinxed BoB plates on the wall. Perhaps at Pete Waterman's place. Anyway, they made an excellent job of it - can't think of anything I'd have added. Good to see some stuff about Bassett-Lowke, too. His Rennie Mackintosh house in Northampton is open to the public. I really must get across there sometime as its so close by. Good to see the ladies so enthusiastic, too, especially Julie-Marie whom I last met at (I think) Doncaster Works open weekend. She and my late wife spent most of the weekend sitting in front of Olton Hall chatting, so it must be quite a few years since.

I did note it was credited to BBC Bristol at the end. All the best railway programmes I've seen have been Bristol productions. I recall an excellent one on the WC&P.

CHRIS LEIGH

[t-b-g]

Was the Mike Sharman footage from something called "It's a small world" or something similar from the 1970s?

 

There was a lot more BBC footage taken at that sort of period, including a some of Buckingham, which I think appeared in the same series (possibly even the same program) as Mike Sharman.

 

For some people the world did end in 1968 and if the program had put over the view that the railways were just as exciting and interesting after that date, then the idea that youngsters have less interest in real railways and so the hobby goes to being more of an adult "nostalgia" hobby (which I think was a perfectly valid one) loses some validity.

 

Even so, there was some film of very nicely modelled modern urban "grot".

 

What it didn't mention are the great number of people who model things they never knew in real life, whose modelling is not based on recreating memories of their own past.

 

I would have been interested to hear what some of the professors and historians make of that.

 

Well done BBC 4. If we have somebody at the Beeb, who is able to take such a sensible view of the hobby, I wonder if there is a chance we may get to see more of their archives in the future?

[steam-driven boy]

Hi,

Yup, excellent example of the usual timeshift approach to balancing information and remaining viewer friendly - I feel it's pretty much always a good sign when it seems to have ended far too quickly.

I did note it was credited to BBC Bristol at the end. All the best railway programmes I've seen have been Bristol productions. I recall an excellent one on the WC&P.

CHRIS LEIGH

The wildlife programme preceeding it was also a Bristol production, it started with a quite enthusiastic sounding narrator telling us:

"Our planet is the greatest living puzzle in the Universe".

It would be nice to know how the writer could be so certain on that score  

 

Regards, Gerry.

[daveridd]

The Mike Sharman clip was from "Small World" brodcast in 1980 and does feature the Buckingham branch in the second half of the film. I have the programme on VHS and have transferred it to DVD,

 

Regarding Bob Symes some pf his programmes are avai;able from Spruce Studios.

http://www.sprucestudios.com/page17.html

 

Dave Riddles

[t-b-g]

The Mike Sharman clip was from "Small World" brodcast in 1980 and does feature the Buckingham branch in the second half of the film. I have the programme on VHS and have transferred it to DVD,

 

Regarding Bob Symes some pf his programmes are avai;able from Spruce Studios.

http://www.sprucestudios.com/page17.html

 

Dave Riddles

 

Dave,

 

Thanks for confirming that my memory still works a bit sometimes!

 

Tony

[Enterprisingwestern]

Nice to see the 5 fingered Hornby Dublo father put in an appearance too.

 

Mike.

[Xerces Fobe2]

I can echo the comments above, at last a positive TV Programme about our hobby - nice one Beeb

 

XF

[RJS1977]

I'd estimate late '70s/early '80s, based on the size of his glasses!

 

Where is Bob Symes nowadays?

 

Bob Symes is still very much with us (or at least was a year or so ago) as President of the Astolat club in Guildford - he normally presents awards at their show (but obviously not this year as it was cancelled). I believe he has now given up his garden railway owing to a move to a smaller residence, but still appears to keep a keen interest in the hobby. 

[Revolution Ben]

Hello all,

 

I watched it repeated in the early hours.   Very good indeed I thought, with some really well researched archive footage and it even included one of my favourite pieces of TV music ever - the theme from The Persuaders!

 

cheers

 

Ben A.

[Gordon A]

i thought that it was a well presented explanation of our hobby.

It was a shame that 3mm,2mm, Z and T gauge did not get a mention in relation to the reducing of scales.

 

Gordon A

Bristol

['CHARD]

 

As usual, the world stops after 1968...

 

Igor

 

6th January '69, to be precise.

 

[cnw6847]

I thought it was interesting, enjoyable and a sensible look at the hobby.

I think they could have spent a few more minutes looking into the hobby as it is today with the modern technology thats been brought in, DCC & sound etc.

Would have given a bit of comparison to video games etc.

 

Well done the BBC though.

[PaulRhB]

Not bad at all for what they fitted in an hour. The early B Lowke history was very interesting and an excellent example of setting the context. Someone certainly did some digging to pick out the layouts featured and I can't think of a better way of putting scratchbuilding across as an art form than Maggie and Gordon did, the 17 years it took was almost a passing comment. To be honest I'd like to have seen them given time and budget to do a two to three part history of model trains and explore the later evolution and the continental models early influence more. Always good when it leaves you wanting more but not feeling they missed too much out.

[DJM Dave]

I must admit to being a little dissapointed inthe show.

 

I think they spent too much time pre 1967, and didnt concentrate any real attention on post 1967 (apart from the HST 30 seconds video of course and some 30 seconds on a modern image layout at the end).

 

I feel they missed a trick and could have had parts on how computer control and DCC have taken the hobby towards to younglings (Nintendo boys and girls), how models have come on considerably since 1967, and how modern image (as this was primarily a steam orientated show) is now very popular, how sound (i know Pete had sound in his but it wasnt mentioned) has raised the bar even further in terms of realism.

They also missed the ressurgence on Model railways in the last 20 years with 5 players in OO now, Model Railway Exhibitions, the cottage industries and prices (Railroad and top specs).

 

In these alone i felt that it was more a nostalgia tour, rather than a true show on Model Railways (not toys) of the past and present.

 

cheers

Dave

[iL Dottore]

I watched it last night, or tried to, but as it was at 22:00 Basel time, I did fall asleep for part of the show (but thank goodness I have it recorded). Overall, I though it a positive programme (and apart from one snide review in one British paper, the TV critics [that I could find] were quite positive). It would have been nice to have had a few more "celebrity" modellers (Rod? Roger? Jools? Come on Lads 'fess up!) to help "big up" model railways.

 

What I did miss, though, was a reference to 21st century railway modelling (as stated by Dapol Dave) as well as to Pendon (unless I dozed through that bit) - which (arguably) has pretty much set the standard for railway modelling.

 

The Bassett-Lowke stuff was fascinating, but was covered too extensively for the length of a programme dedicated to model railways in general.

 

But despite these minor quibbles, unarguably the most positive popular media take on our hobby for a long, long time.

 

iD

[edcayton]

Did anyone else catch the wonderful clip of an A3 and three A4's in "line abreast"? I had never seen it before and have replayed it a couple of times. It does look as though the right hand A4 is pulling a freight train.

Does anyone know more about this clip please?

 

Ed

[t-b-g]

I think it just makes you realise how wide a spectrum the hobby covers. There was no way that they could have crammed much more into an hour and to have covered anything else would have meant leaving something else out.

 

I thought that by concentrating on the history of the commercial side of railways, they probably put in stuff that was familiar to non enthusiasts, who will know the names Hornby and Meccano but for whom the names Rice, Sharman and Gravett mean little. So I think it was a wise move to give the wider audience something they could relate to, with a bit of "proper" modelling thrown in.

 

We all have our own interests and we would all like to see some of our own areas of interest covered well on telly but I wouldn't let the lack of any EM or Great Central detract from my enjoyment of the program.

 

Some of the prototype footage used was interesting too! Claughtons and suchlike, lovely!

 

I just hope that the program creates enough interest that somebody at the Beeb may think about a short series, allowing that more in depth look. Perhaps one program on modelling in different periods (Mike Sharman to the present day), another in different scales (15" down to T), a third on different methods of making the trains go (clockwork and steam to digital and battery powered wireless - a lever frame to a fully computer controled system). Another could cover the range of the hobby from the out and out collector to the dedicated scratchbuilder. Perhaps another could cover the history of the model railway media, including the world of exhibitions.

 

I reckon there would be enough material to do a good hour on each.

 

Just my rambling thoughts.......

[Phil Parker]

I would suggest that if we want more of this sort of thing, some positive e-mails to the BBC would be a good idea.

 

Nothing demanding specifics, no nerdy nit picking (that really will put them off), just a general "What an excellent programme on BBC4 last night, worth the licence fee etc.etc.". There is the Points of View message board here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/mbpointsofview for a start but we could hammer every e-mail address. Try here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/feedback/

 

Also, if your paper has a TV comments column, get an e-mail of in the that direction. A bit of e-mail campaigning and we might see more of this on telly. I know when the L&WMRS was filmed as part of a holiday programme last year, the producer took hours of footage and used about 5 mins. I bet there is a lot of archive that could be cheaply stuck together.

 

Phil

[Horsetan]

One thing I belatedly realised was how some of the old Hornby stuff really did "wiggle" along the track.....

[MichaelW]

I feel they missed a trick and could have had parts on how computer control and DCC have taken the hobby towards to younglings (Nintendo boys and girls), how models have come on considerably since 1967, and how modern image (as this was primarily a steam orientated show) is now very popular, how sound (i know Pete had sound in his but it wasnt mentioned) has raised the bar even further in terms of realism.

They also missed the ressurgence on Model railways in the last 20 years with 5 players in OO now, Model Railway Exhibitions, the cottage industries and prices (Railroad and top specs).

 

Ah, but then they wouldn't be able to bring out the slightly dodgy sequel - "The joy of (train) sets: The next generation".

 

Hmmm... Coat....

[PaulRhB]

Yes a series would be good if it was of this approach, Bob Symes did it first, the Garden Railway on satellite was ok, (Mark Found was a bit OTT at first) and James May proved there is a market by doing two programmes on model trains.

There's also a sky community programme on trainspotting that looked like it was going to be dire but the 'lad' who tried it out came out admitting it was interesting despite his early asides. I know the chap featured in that and it's amazing the effort and shoestring budget they deal with as he put them up sleeping on his floor.

I wouldn't write to points of view as that's a cringeworthy spectacle in itself but its worth dropping a line to the Beeb congratulating the programme makers to encourage them to accept more like this.

I just looked at my recorder and we have more programmes off bbc4 than bbc1 now that the dancing thing has been deleted

[Tony Davis]

Really enjoyed this programme, the presentation was excellent, no intrusive personality presenters, no smirky digs at "eccentrics" or "anoraks", it seemed to treat the hobby with the same degree of seriousness that it would treat the history of any other subject. I learned a lot about the history of the hobby and will definitely be visiting Derngate as the house looks fascinating. As mentioned previously it went all too quickly and really deserves a series of it's own.

 

More please