claughton1345

It's probable that Watford became a centre of the pre-WW1 model railway simply because it was where Henry Greenly lived. Butcher & Co were near Watford Junction, Henry Greenly living just one station away near to what is now Watford North station on the St Albans branch line. Carson on the other hand was based in Cricklewood which one thinks of as being near the Midland Railway, albeit the main lines are quite close together as they converge on London. Carson seems to have made a decent quantity of models going by the number that survive. Stewart-Turner was based in Henley on Thames; the Greenlys often visited the Stewart Turner's socially at week ends, which probably accounts for the Carette water tower being based upon the GWR example at that station. Whereas Carson & Co made nothing smaller than Gauge 1, Butcher & Co catalogued its models down to Gauge 0. Given the very few survivors, I get the feeling that Butcher was, at least regarding their locomotives, producing one off models to specific order. I have a Butcher 0 Gauge LNWR 4-6-2t which is made to an incredible standard for those days, having rivet and bolt detail around the smoke box, lubricator pipes and even the superheater damper lever. Butcher also catalogued the GCR 4-6-2t - such large locos being necessary because the smallest of the available boiler motors fills the body (and cab!) completely. In my case, the motor and reverser still work, though the weakness of the pre-WW1 permanent magnet in the reverser means that it does not reverse until about 6 Volts have been applied, resulting in the loco starting off in the same direction as it was previously running, despite the polarity having been reversed with the intention of reversing the loco. The motor itself has a wound field, so it runs as well as ever, just like contemporary wound field Bing locos, there being no issue of fading permanent magnets to worry about. This loco must have been made for one of Greenly's wealthy acquaintances at the Model Railway Club, High class Gauge 0 was very much a minority interest prior to WW1, those with the money tending to live in spacious houses with, at least, a redundant Billiard Room allowing Gauge 1 or above to be accommodated indoors. From memory, the Butcher 0 Gauge LNWR 4-6-2t cost Gns. 12 which was not a trivial sum at the time, perhaps being equivalent to £2-3000 today, the price of batch-built brass 0 Gauge locos made in the far-east.