Colin Parks has passed away.

[Darius43]

Very sorry to hear of Colin’s passing.

 

His modelling was truly inspirational.

 

Darius

[griffgriff]

1 hour ago, leopardml2341 said:

A very sad time Indeed.

 

Just off to find the Issue of RM which featured Newhaven Harbour and rekindle my memories of what Colin expertly created.

 

If there is such a thing as '3rd rail heaven'; I'm sure he'll be there.

In much the same way I’ve been rereading his various threads. The 4 CIG topic in particular demonstrated Colin’s unwillingness to compromise on prototype fidelity and it’s a ‘must read’ for anyone who has designs on EMU or coach scratch building using plastic sheet. I can only imagine how his next layout (which would probably have been built to P4 standards) would have looked like.

 

 

Griff

[kipford]

So sad to hear this news. Newhaven Harbour was a great inspiration when I was building Brighton East. R I P Colin.

[acg5324]

So sad to hear this news. A great modeller.

[Fenway Park]

Very sad news, condolences to his friends and family. 

 

The Newhaven topic contained exquisite modelling and was an inspiration.

 

Sadly missed.

 

[SouthernBlue80s]

A very talented man

Rest in Peace

 

[Barry O]

Sad news indeed

 

Baz

[karabuni]

Thank you to all those who have added their kind words.
Colin's family knew that ultimately he would lose his battle, but we did not expect his end to be yet, or so sudden.
I spoke to him at length, about a week before he died, and he talked of coming over to see us in the summer. We talked also of modelling - I think he had a new layout in mind, but had only built an S4 test track.

His funeral is being held tomorrow, in the west Wales village of Llanddewi Brefi*, where he had lived for around 30 years.

 

* Yes, the name "used" in the Little Britain "Only gay in the village" sketches. Before taking up modelling again, Colin played guitar in bands for many years, and the last one had T-shirts printed with "The only band in the village". This is Colin, on the right, Ysbryd on YouTube 1982 in a Welsh language band.

 

Barry Parks.

[Darwinian]

Only just noticed this Sad indeed and condolences to his family and friends. Although the period he modelled held little appeal to me I found his accounts of EMU scratch building fascinating. He had a knack of making me feel that I could do it too if I tried. A great legacy of skill described for us all.

[Kirby Uncoupler]

This is a tragedy. To lose such a talented modeller in the prime of life, just think of all the masterpieces he might have made in the years to come?

It must have been two or three years ago, when Colin emailed me, to advise of his illness, I remember googling the details at the time, the prognosis

 was very poor. He had to put up with some gruesome chemotherapy, and other medical procedures, but he remained upbeat and positive.

     I first met Colin in the 1970s, when I used to work at the King's Cross model shop, he and Barry  used to deliver their Cambrian wagon kits in bulk, since we were their distributors. This involved driving up from far-flung West Wales (Tregaron), in a green or grey three-wheel Robin Reliant van (think Del Boy), the vehicle rammed full with plastic wagon kits. In later years Colin and his family lived in Llanddewi Brefi, made famous in recent years by the "Little Britain" comedy series, Colin used to report that fans of the show, kept pinching the village road signs!

      I think anyone who ever met him in person, or just contacted him via this forum, soon realized that he was a very nice chap, He would never talk down to a fellow modeller, or try and score points, his method was to offer gentle advice and encouragement

                                           Rest in peace Colin.

                                                                                                      Brian Kirby.

 

[karabuni]

On 03/03/2019 at 17:46, griffgriff said:

In much the same way I’ve been rereading his various threads. The 4 CIG topic in particular demonstrated Colin’s unwillingness to compromise on prototype fidelity and it’s a ‘must read’ for anyone who has designs on EMU or coach scratch building using plastic sheet. I can only imagine how his next layout (which would probably have been built to P4 standards) would have looked like.

 

 

Griff

We looked at the layout in Colin's workshop yesterday, which he described as a "test track". It is, indeed, to S4 standards.

Seems to be rather more than a test, though as most of it is ballasted, and has outlines of the platform and signal box marked. Colin's friend, Mark, who lives nearby (in Welsh miles, though) , thinks that it was to be another version of "Newhaven Harbour". This isn't immediately apparent from the track layout, however.

 

Barry.

[karabuni]

20 hours ago, Kirby Uncoupler said:

This is a tragedy. To lose such a talented modeller in the prime of life, just think of all the masterpieces he might have made in the years to come?

It must have been two or three years ago, when Colin emailed me, to advise of his illness, I remember googling the details at the time, the prognosis

 was very poor. He had to put up with some gruesome chemotherapy, and other medical procedures, but he remained upbeat and positive.

     I first met Colin in the 1970s, when I used to work at the King's Cross model shop, he and Barry  used to deliver their Cambrian wagon kits in bulk, since we were their distributors. This involved driving up from far-flung West Wales (Tregaron), in a green or grey three-wheel Robin Reliant van (think Del Boy), the vehicle rammed full with plastic wagon kits. In later years Colin and his family lived in Llanddewi Brefi, made famous in recent years by the "Little Britain" comedy series, Colin used to report that fans of the show, kept pinching the village road signs!

      I think anyone who ever met him in person, or just contacted him via this forum, soon realized that he was a very nice chap, He would never talk down to a fellow modeller, or try and score points, his method was to offer gentle advice and encouragement

                                           Rest in peace Colin.

                                                                                                      Brian Kirby.

 

You have a long memory! Delivering in the Reliant Robin (It was green), was from about 1976 - until January 1983. As it was a five hour (and more) drive each way, we also took it in turns to bring kits in two suitcases, down on the train from Aberystwyth to Euston. The day return was cheaper than the petrol, and more relaxing, with one or two exceptions.

Kings Cross might have continued, perhaps not at the same location, but it, like W & H Models, passed to a son who didn't seem that interested in carrying it on, once offered money by developers. At least they didn't owe us money at the end, unlike W & H.

 

Barry.

[karabuni]

Slight correction: Colin's "Newhaven Harbour" layout wasn't actually Railway of the month, in the May 2011 Railway Modeller, as I posted previously.

 

Colin's funeral was held in Llanddewi Brefi last Thursday (14th March). It was well attended, with probably about 50 people present in the church, and afterwards on the walk behind the hearse to the cemetery.

 

Barry.

[truffy]

I never had the pleasure of meeting Colin IRL, but he was hugely generous with his help here, and his skill was awe-inspiring...if not a little intimidating (in the nicest possible way).

I knew that he was not well, but didn't realise how sick he really was.

RIP, Colin Parks.

[KeithHC]

I have just found this sad news. I like many others had contact with Colin myself through Rmweb. He was more than happy to answer my questions on several occasions.  Colin's threads have given me a lot of inspiration to model EMU's especially as I was born and brought up by the Brighton Line.

 

Keith

[Tigermoth]

Just seen this, how sad, a real loss.

Edited December 21, 2020 by Tigermoth

[SteveyDee68]

Have just finished reading through 30 pages of the inspirational "Newhaven Harbour" thread only to discover on the last page that it's creator had passed, and over a year ago. The shock is quite palpable, having become accustomed to Colin's "voice" through his posts, so rather belatedly I would very much like to add my condolences for his loss.

 

I know I shall be referencing his layout as inspiration for my own, eventual layout.

 

Steve Sandiford