Jump to content
 

dunwurken

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    261

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Posts posted by dunwurken

    Craig and Mertonford post-Narrow Gauge Adventure?

    in Narrow Gauge Modelling

    Posted

    21 hours ago, pH said:

    I remember the garden railway on the front lawn of one of the houses in one version of the layout.

    Page 284, RM December 1954, 'Quintublo'.  This was a small circle of model railway in the garden of Peter Allan’s works manager.  It was entitled ‘Quintublo’ and was a small German made clockwork toy PD picked up one Christmas for 5/6d.  PD reckoned its scale was approx. one half millimetre to the foot hence Quintublo.  It consists of a clockwork motor mounted inside an enclosed box. The clockwork motor through two pulley wheels and an elastic band with tags which engage with pins projecting down from the locomotive and its two coaches.  The track on which the train runs consists of a continuous slot matching up with the elastic band underneath.   It still exists in the grounds of Craig Castle in a most awkward spot for getting a photograph.   The P D Hancock Collection has the key, the clockwork motor still works however the elastic band must have perished over the years and the train is non-operational unless finger power is used.

    Malcolm

    53531585749_31f55ee93e_z.jpg

    1954.The garden railway with a train in the tunnel mouth can just be seen above 'Alistair' and the open wagon. by Malcolm MacLeod, on Flickr

    53531586664_f8091d9471_z.jpg

    Quintublo now in grounds of Craig Castle by Malcolm MacLeod, on Flickr

     

     

    • Like 3
    • Thanks 1

    Craig and Mertonford post-Narrow Gauge Adventure?

    in Narrow Gauge Modelling

    Posted · Edited by dunwurken

    On 14/02/2024 at 20:29, John Besley said:

    Just for my own collection I remember a cartoon he drew of his weedkiller train depicting a Scotsman tipping a barrell of weedkiller out over the track from the back of a wagon bouncing along the track... I have no idea which magazine it was in but remember it clearly from my youth..

     

    Love to see that one again

    Do you mean this: -

    53531656255_24f2546206_z.jpg.                     RM 1953 March - CMR Weedkiller Train by Malcolm MacLeod, on Flickr

    • Agree 1

    Craig and Mertonford post-Narrow Gauge Adventure?

    in Narrow Gauge Modelling

    Posted · Edited by dunwurken

    On 10/02/2024 at 15:41, Lacathedrale said:

    Re-reading the Narrow Gauge Adventure, what happened between that book and the final deconstruction in 1987? I understand that Mr. Hancock left his Edinburgh tenement flat to live with his mother in a bungalow, had an embryonic 7mm version and a garden railway and then moved into a care home before departing from us - but presumably there was something between the book's publication in 1975 and the end?

    Firstly apologies for the delay in replying.

     

    To start by way a little scene setting.   The first edition of Narrow Gauge Adventure was published in 1975 and repeats much of what had appeared in the RM articles.  However two points of caution.  I suspect much of NGA was written late 1960's/early 1970's and sometimes the RM articles and book can differ in detail.   The build history of the layout falls basically into three parts:

    1: 1950's and the turning back of the clock to 1912 with the layout undergoing almost continual alteration and extension.   

    2: Following the "voice of doom" and the demolition of version 1 of Craigshire version 2 appeared circa 1960/1 and

    3: Early 1970's (some doubt as to exactly when) version 3 appeared and with only minor alteration existed until the final dismantling in 1987 when to accommodate his ailing mother PD moved from an upper floor tenement flat to a nearby bungalow.   However his mother died either shortly before or after the move.  I understand PD himself retired at about this time he himself being dogged by ill health (nevertheless he lived until 2011!)

    The 1975 edition of NGA covers Craigshire versions 1 and 2 only.  The 1980 edition is the 1975 book with an extra chapter added covering version 3 of the layout.  PD was always fiddling away however what photographic and physical evidence there is suggests no major work was undertaken post 1979 and indeed some jobs such as easing the curve at Craig CMR station to enable 'Alistair' to access the full length of the platform were never completed.

    Lacathedrale  if you pm me with your home e-mail address I can provide you with the additional chapter.  Another item I can provide you with is an index to the published articles which we think covers all the published articles from 1948 onwards and will help you track down the articles describing the third version of the layout starting with 'A Warehouse at Craig' in the December 1974 RM through to 'A Farewell to Craigshire' in February 1993.  Again if you do not have copies of the relevant RMs to hand then I should be able to provide copies or you can go onto the RM website if you have an RM subscription.

     

    All the colour photographs published in the RM [except April 1954] are of the 3rd version of the layout and all were taken in 1979.  Unless anyone knows different Craig Castle and Dundreich are the only two large chunks of Craigshire which still exist and I would only be repeating what is on the E&LMRC website and printed in the 'Whatever Happened to Craigshire' article in the April 2015 RM if I was to go on to describe post 1987 happenings.

    By the way 2024 is the 75th anniversary of the Craig and Mertonford Railway [Charter granted 6 July 1949) and the locos 'Moira' and 'Duncan' have now permanently joined the E&LMRC P D Hancock Collection bringing the total number of C&MR locos in the Collection to seven.

     

    Malcolm

    http://elmrc.org.uk/p-d-hancock/

    http://elmrc.org.uk/the-p-d-hancock-collection/

    http://elmrc.org.uk/dundreich/

     

     

    • Like 2
    • Round of applause 2
    • Friendly/supportive 1

    Retro / impressionistic modelling - a new modelling philosophy?

    in Modelling musings & miscellany

    Posted

    On 21/12/2023 at 15:13, Pacific231G said:

    The Madder Valley was indeed extremely well designed for operation.  We run it about four times a year and though, to keep things moving for the public, we don't operate it to its full potential which would require a lor more shunting, it can still hold my interest for a full day (preferably operating Maddeport) There aren't many layouts I've operated that I could say that of.  It's interesting how many later layouts were closely based on it including Derek Naylor's  Aire Valley and Giles Barnabe's 00n3 layout. Curiously though, while Ahern wrote extensively about every aspect of the railway, including its control systems and two-rail electrification scheme, he never did write about its operation. Like many home layouts, I suspect it wasn't actualy operated all that often though running an occasional train up and down the valley would have been entirely possible and enjoyable on his own. I do rather wonder if that was also true of the West Midland Railway. The WMR was clearly designed for intensive operation with a set of standard routes, as described in "West Midland, a railway in miniature", but did Edward Beal actually have regular operating sessions with a group of people as Peter Denny, Frank Dyer and John Allen did? 

     

    The MVR wasn't the first model railway to include a world beyond the railway corridor. Aldo Cosomati's 3.5mm scale Alheeba State Railway (MRN Dec 1933 & Jan 1934)  also did this and though nothing like as well developed as the MVR ten years later, it was one of John Ahern's main inspirations. John Ahern's layout was though the first to fully develop the idea of a railway within a believable world and I would love to be able to actually visit Madderport and Gammon Magna and to have tea in the Monraker's Inn. I would say that the balance between creating a believabl world in miniature and including a very operationally sound model railway in that world has rarely been achieved as well.

    Very succinctly put. 

     

    About 10 years ago I thought there was going to be an increase in interest in historical model railways as Borchester, Buckingham, Craig and Mertonford etc. appeared to be re-emerging from the shadows however the 're-birth seems to have been short lived though happily all three layouts have secure homes.  I have heard that the Manchester Club for their 100th anniversary in 2025 propose devoting part of their annual exhibition to the history of railway modelling.   Hopefully this might inspire more retro and historical modelling.

     

    Malcolm

    • Like 5
    • Interesting/Thought-provoking 2

    Hanson's Card Parts

    in Collectable/Vintage

    Posted

    P D Hancock made use of some of these embossed card coach sides.

     

    The first Craig and Mertonford coach was built using Great North of Scotland coach side - see copy extract below

    53393679605_ff10565379_z.jpgExtract from C&MR Coaches research by Malcolm MacLeod, on Flickr

     

    Amongst the various spares that were inherited by the Edinburgh & Lothians MRC's PDH Collection were a number of coach sides and instructions for three coaches

     53392331777_2fb5d44b10_z.jpgIMG_3479 by Malcolm MacLeod, on Flickr

    53393554719_d9e7bc0cd2_z.jpgIMG_3486 by Malcolm MacLeod, on Flickr

    53393683270_58a01c5b1b_z.jpgIMG_3485 by Malcolm MacLeod, on Flickr

    53392317682_ffb14ec56b_z.jpgIMG_3483 by Malcolm MacLeod, on Flickr

     

    Regretably none of the Hanson coach[es] have survived and I have no additional information on Hanson's range.

     

    Malcolm

    • Like 2

    Longdrem & The Pinkhill Branch

    in Layout topics

    Posted

    Great photos as usual Eric.

     

    After a few years break I am at last getting to grips with a number of long outstanding projects, a K4, appropriately MacLeod of Macleod and I also have a GEM Glen kit.  Can I ask what chassis you used on your locos?

     

    Trust you are keeping well.

    Kind regards

    Malcolm

     

     

    Dave Alexander K4 Kit

    in Wanted

    Posted

    3 hours ago, Red Devil said:

    Aren't the Bachmann K3 wheels undersized anyway? I may be wrong but seem to remember reading that somewhere.

    So they might be 'close enough' for some.

    Would they be undersized to a scale 5'2" ?

    Malcolm

    Dave Alexander K4 Kit

    in Wanted

    Posted

    Apologies, got my L1 classes mixed up.  I was mistakenly thinking of the SECR / Southern L1 class rather then the LNER L1 🙄

     

    You may well be correct Mark.  As I said earlier I had one of these kits in the 'to build' drawer and only now getting round to making a start on building it.  It was only the availability of the Hornby K1 chassis that got me wondering if I might be able to save myself the trouble of building the kit chassis by substituting a r-t-r chassis.     

     

    Thanks to all for your input.

     

    Malcolm

    Dave Alexander K4 Kit

    in Wanted

    Posted

    12 hours ago, gr.king said:

    Wrong slidebars, crossheads etc on the K1 chassis though.  I used a Bachmann K3 chassis, with the right sort of outside motion, re-wheeled with Hornby L1 wheels, when I produced a K4 by carefully combining a modified B17 boiler with the rest of a K3. The spares that I needed were relatively cheap to buy in the days when East Kent Models were still "big" in the spares business.

    I note what you say regarding slidebars, crossheads etc however the DA kit comes with a brass etched chassis and valve gear.   Why the Hornby L1 wheels?   The K4 had 5' 2" drivers, the K3 had 5 ' 8" drivers and if my memory serves me correctly the L1 had 6 ' 8" drivers.

    Regards

    Malcolm

     

    Dave Alexander K4 Kit

    in Wanted

    Posted

    Have had one of these kits in the 'to build' drawer and now getting round to making a start on building it.  When the kit was produced there was little option but to build the chassis which came with the kit but the availability of the Hornby K1 chassis has got me wondering if I might be able to save myself the trouble of building the kit chassis by substituting the Hornby chassis.   Anyone already gone down that road?

    Malcolm

    P. D. Hancock - Craig and Mertonford Railway

    in Narrow Gauge Modelling

    Posted

    Thank you @jon attwood for the info on Authenticast.  I picked up your posts on Bernard TPM's "Plastic 00 Figures 1950-80 1950-60's" in the Collectable/Vintage area indeed it was discussion between Bernard and myself concerning the ancestry of the Craigshire population which led to Bernard starting the topic which he hoped would help others who, like myself, were having difficulty identifying the many different model figures available in the past.

     

    Your contribution has filled another of the voids.  Thank you.

     

    Malcolm

    • Like 2
    • Agree 1
×
×
  • Create New...