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Ratio CCW Kings Cross Precision wooden models


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Was CCW Charles Cramer, Watford?

I remember visiting the shop on the Bridal Path next to Watford Junction, my mum bought me a catalogue which I still have. Have an inkling they were somewhere else before. The details were on another old thread some time ago

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Early Biggs Switchgear stamped aluminium coaches had wooden roofs. They took more preparation for paint than they were worth. Plastic roofs followed (they looked like Triang to me) and finally pressed aluminium. I don't know why wood surfaced after the war as suitable for coach sides, when it patently wasn't. Mills Bros had shown the way pre-war with their bakelite coach bodies. I started building coaches from Slaters Plastikard as soon as it hit our local model shop in the early 1960's. The first 'Methfix' transfers folowed soon after as did Precision Paints railway colours. They all took railway modelling forward by giant strides and they are still very important to the hobby to this day.

 

I enjoy hearing about the early days of model railways, great pity there is not a resource which can be tapped for information. With BSL (and I guess the others) the glazing materials were unstable, so not just the wooden roofs, pity the plastic roofs are not available, though ali is more robust

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I have one in Blood and Custard livery.  The shell is brass and the finish is very good, similar profile to Exley and Westdale.  The roof is plain (no ventilators pressed in though) and a semi gloss grey.  The big issue for me is that the windows on mine (and the box label) are just large open ones without the top light ventilators.  I cannot remember the ends and floor though and mine is packed away now.

 

Garry

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Thanks for that link.

 

Of particular interest to me is the Jamieson list. l'm astonished at the number that were available. l have about eight from 'almost complete' to 'still in the box'!

 

 

Snap

 

I do have a small collection of Jamieson/Eames locos, initially bought some kits from W&H in the 80's as they were selling them off, just the LMS 4-6-0's since then bought the odd one now and then off eBay. Reading the article about the Eames hand cut range does answer some questions I had about the range/ranges. The only list I could find of the Jamieson kits is from the W&H catalogue and never seen any lists from Eames,

 

I think picked up am early Jamieson catalogue but its packed up in the loft, though from memory its quite limited, would be nice if someone could enlarge our knowlage on this subject

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From a Bradshaw Model Products (of Brighton IIRC) catalogue from the 50s.

 

l could only dream as a boy of such things!

 

It's full of such delights as Kirdon, Nucro, Pocher and Rivarossi.

 

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I didn't realise the range was so wide. 

 

Back then (late fifties), I always wanted the CCW outside frame SIPHON G*, but never had the spare cash. The basic (body) kit was expensive enough (not listed above, but it was the same price as the inside frame version), but then there was the fittings kit which was much the same sort of price on top of that.

 

I did acquire (can't remember where and how) half of a CCW 2BIL which did duty as an autocoach - another want. I seem to recall that it was a bit too long for Dublo curves and less than successful and an N2 doesn't really look the part as motive power either. I didn't think all that much of the Gaiety pannier which was all that was remotely suitable R-T-R. The K's 14xx was beyond my means (and skills to make her to run on Dublo 3 rail). (There was a Dublo layout in one of the magazines, that had one, so it must have been possible

 

I'll have to try to resurrect the wreck of a Ratio GWR goods brake van I have... (it came as part of a job lot).

 

* These were quite common at Temple Meads. My other want was a gas cylinder wagon (the type with multiple transverse cylinders in two layers). I built a model of the latter (of which the less said the better - it was soon replaced with the Wills kit. Not exactly what I wanted but beggars...) and the SIPHON arrived courtesy of Airfix a couple of decades later. 

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Thanks for these pages, very interesting.  Wouldn't it be nice to be able to get the range of wagon and coach fittings shown today?  And Romford Track parts?  Any idea what the combined 'sleeper and chair' were made of?  I get the feeling when looking through old mags and catalogues of the period that several companies were attempting to sell reasonably good track components but the majority never made it.  Hamblings listed 'plastic' sleepers but looking a bit deeper they are said to be 'plastic impreganted fibre'.

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I liked the note on the first page or the Bradshaw catalogue trusting customers to remit the extra tax. I can't see anyone doing that today! Doing so would have cost a few pence extra - 2½d for the postage (or had it gone up to 3d by then?) plus a similar sum for a postal order or cheque (IIRC the P.O. cost 3d and the stamp duty on the cheque was 2d).

 

I remembered the Peco wagons as costing 7/6d (late fifties). I suppose the difference was the tax increase.

 

Waffle warning!  Purchase tax was quite complicated with different rates for various items (basically varying from zero on essentials to a lot on 'luxuries' (like model railways)*. It was calculated on the wholesale price (typically half the retail price which was fixed by the manufacturer**) so despite high rates like 35% the end result was similar to today's V.A.T. at 20%.

At the risk of straying into politics, this could be one advantage of leaving the EU. We will be able to scrap this iniquitous tax, which is, of course, charged on every transaction, rather than just the final sale (and on services etc., which were exempt previously), it being an imposition of the then Common Market. Initially 10%, it was reduced to 8% because revenues were too high! (However, I am not holding my breath. It is notable this argument was not used by the leave campaign...).

 

* I remember a cartoon from the early seventies with an annoyed Hi-Fi dealer. Next door a dubious individual was flogging valve amplifiers as 'space heaters'. (IIRC the relevant tax rates at the time were 35% and 20% - possibility even zero for the heater as an essential?)

 

** Resale (retail?) Price Maintenance - abolished in the early seventies due to pressure from the likes of Tesco.

Edited by Il Grifone
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Thanks for these pages, very interesting.  Wouldn't it be nice to be able to get the range of wagon and coach fittings shown today?  And Romford Track parts?  Any idea what the combined 'sleeper and chair' were made of?  I get the feeling when looking through old mags and catalogues of the period that several companies were attempting to sell reasonably good track components but the majority never made it.  Hamblings listed 'plastic' sleepers but looking a bit deeper they are said to be 'plastic impreganted fibre'.

 

 

I have a collection of old track building parts, mainly Peco with brass fasteners which pushed through holes. I do have some plastic sleepers with chairs moulded on in 00 gauge, never tried threading rail through then also the chairs seem to favour one side 

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From a Bradshaw Model Products (of Brighton IIRC) catalogue from the 50s.

 

l could only dream as a boy of such things!

 

It's full of such delights as Kirdon, Nucro, Pocher and Rivarossi.

 

attachicon.gifimg346.jpg

 

attachicon.gifimg347.jpg

 

attachicon.gifimg348.jpg

 

attachicon.gifimg349.jpg

 

Celestrory roof?? 

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I have one of the CCW GWR clerestory carriages. It has a wooden roof of rather overscale thickness. Unfortunately it's buried away at the moment and the only photos I have of it are extremely poor.

 

I've just noticed the fearsome gradient in the layout plan in the Bradshaw catalogue. Even if split between the two tracks, it involves something like 1 in 20. Still it does give an excuse for very short trains....

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