Liverpool Museums interview with Norman Hatton - March 2001

[Michael Delamar]

One of our old club members worked for a scrap firm in Liverpool called Oldham Brothers. They demolished the Meccano factory on Binns Rd and other Liverpool landmarks such as Exchange station. One of his jobs was to go in and take large lump hammers to machines, tools models etc still on the tables. He recalled saving a small box of locos and taking them to Hattons to sell.

[Pandora]

I soppose you could write that Hattons were the Woodhams yard at Barry for Hornby Binns Road products ,  Hattons warehoused unsold locos  for decades after the closure, eg the CoBo diesel.

If Hattons had not bought in bulk and sold at a slow release rate  then how many models would have been lost to the enthusiast?

I am thinking of the Dublo wagons, some of the unsold factory stocks were believed to have been crushed and bulldozed into the ground.

[rue_d_etropal]

interesting. I had heard he bought a whole shop load from another shop, but had not realised most came from factory. Would be interesting to know the Wrenn side of the story, as much of the production equipment went to them, and then Dapol took over. Many of the Dapol OO wagons originated as Horn by Dublo, and then were joined by some ex Airfix ones, and now new models. It is pretty obvious in some cases where the old name has been scratched out, although some old HD have been simplified(no opening doors).

2000 people in factory sounds a lot, but then that includes Meccano and Dinky. It is also a good way to show how production of models has changed over 60 years.  I would imagind Dapol only employs a fraction of that number now.

 

I used to visit the old shop(the one they owned), before they moved the premises they have only just left. I was working in Liverpool, and would often be coming down Smithdown Road around 5pm when the post office were picking up the daily post, several bags I seem to remember.  It was easy to park in street opposite, then hop across the pedestrian crossing. In fact I used to find it was further to walk to the shop they moved to and less convenient.  The new out of town one is possibly easier to get to by car, but hopeless if you don't have a car. Probably less atmosphere as well, but the one they just left never felt right to me.

Never knew they had sold so much second hand in the past, as friends have commented about the amount they now sell,and how Hattons did not sell it before(proved wrong). Certainly was not much in the 90s when I used to visit shop, but it always felt like a magic cave, although there was often quite a lot of shouting in the background!

[Michael Delamar]

He always used to have Wrenn 8fs for sale, advertised in the Railway modeller.

 

Was also good for breaking up trainsets, so you could buy locos or coaches out of sets individually that wouldnt normally be for sale.

[brushman47544]

Big red engines are always good. And I say that even as an unrepentant lifelong Great Western man.

Nothing wrong with that combination. I'm a big fan of Westerns too!

[Edthefolkie]

Andy, thanks for putting the interview on here - really enjoyed it. I well remember Norman more or less buying up the contents of Binns Road. I suppose the last pieces of 3 rail track have gone now Smithdown Road has been vacated, but you never know!

 

Old school model railway shop supremos, eh? - they all seemed to be slightly eccentric and most favoured Arkwright style dustcoats. Norman Hatton, Bob Denny in Long Eaton, Mike Skidmore in Nottingham, add your own names! I'd say Norman was The Boss, although run close by Colonel Beattie of the Southgate Hobby Shop.

 

Of course, I guess they would become eccentric, given their customers.