Bruce Murray - Burntisland's Exhibition Manager (amongst other things)

[CDGfife]

Bruce Murray was a railway modeller all his life.  He joined Edinburgh and Lothians MRC in the seventies as a young man, where he became noted for his model buildings.  He was an architect by profession and modelled buildings for a number of the club’s layouts.  The Glendevon layout still in circulation has his “Murray’s Ales” brewery at Carrick Knowe Halt on the extension and we’re pretty sure several of the buildings at Glendevon were his work too, but he was far too modest to tell us.  His first love was UK 7mm but he also developed interests in narrow gauge modelling and American HO.  His active involvement with E&L stopped with a move to Fife but he was always glad to catch up with familiar faces at exhibitions.

 

During his time at E&L, Bruce became friendly with Don Rowland, Derek Whale and Des Norman and through these friendships he was introduced to finescale modelling in EM and P4 and became involved with Richard Chown’s various layouts including Castle Rackrent.  As well as helping Richard on numerous exhibition trips both here and abroad, he became a regular at the monthly evenings operating Castle Rackrent in Richard’s basement, followed by cake and a chinwag round the Aga.  When Richard sadly passed away, he was part of the small team who dismantled and dealt with his effects, where his presence was invaluable, with wise advice and a methodical approach.  With Ian Jack he delivered Richard’s Fangfoss layout to its new home at the Norwegian Railway Museum in Hamar, the story of which appeared in Scalefour News 212 including the pursuit of mis-translated “six German skirts” in the duty-free on the ship crossing to Denmark.

 

No-one is quite sure exactly when Bruce joined the East of Scotland 4mm Group, but we’re certain that he did!  It’s typical of him that he assimilated himself into our friendship with little fuss and became part of the norm.  He was involved in the construction of Burntisland 1883, providing various contributions to the phases of construction.  He was responsible for the beautiful Solveig, the schooner that sits in Burntisland’s West Dock by the coal hoist.  It’s a model that shows skills well outside the norm for a railway modeller and he was justifiably very proud of it.  He kept turning up with less straightforward modelling for Burntisland, from well-researched drawings for a locomotive, to cattle wagons, and a lighthouse.  Building on Allan Goodwillie’s work, he was largely responsible for the depiction of the real Burntisland on the backscene which has elicited many favourable comments from the more artistic viewers of the layout.  Lately he provided most of the working drawings and several buildings for the Engine Works extension, typically picking up the odd structures that no-one else volunteered for.

 

His contribution to the East Group included a long stint as Honorary Secretary where his thoughtful and efficient organisation was applied to everything from regular meetings and committee herding to how we packed the van.  Typically, the latter included CAD drawings (for various van types) and an accompanying set of lists that all work perfectly, when we follow them.  Part of his time as Hon Sec coincided with my Chairmanship of the Group and I have found his ability to analyse rationally and then calmly talk through situations most helpful.  He also found time to be our Exhibition Manager and our Nominated Member of the Association of Model Railway Societies in Scotland.  Our Group’s life will be more complicated and much the poorer for his passing.

 

Apart from the above contributions in the hobby, everyone I’ve spoken to about him has remembered his warm and generous friendship, dry wit, work ethic and ability to pick up a relationship after a gap and make it seem as if there had been no gap at all.  I’m not the only one who is of the opinion that it was an honour to be his friend.

 

Whilst somewhat confined in his last months, he kept abreast of developments in the hobby and was able to make progress on cattle wagons for Burntisland and my Cadhay layout.  They will run in his honour.

 

Bruce Murray passed away early on Saturday 27th Feb aged 67 and leaves his wife Bethan and sisters Anne and Eileen and their respective families.  Our sympathies go to them and we are thankful for the friendship and memories in the company of a good man gone too soon.

 

Chris Gough

Chairman, East of Scotland 4mm Group - March 2021

[26power]

Very sorry to hear of the passing of Bruce.  Especially at such a relatively young age.
 

I’m a bit younger than Bruce and joined the E&LMRC in, I suppose, the late 70s and worked on Glendevon, particularly the extensions.  One of these was the separate extension scene with “Murray’s Ales” and “Carrick Knowe Halt”.  I’m pretty sure I made the “Murray’s Ales” sign (partly because it has a maroon backing) and I suppose the name must have been a nod to Bruce as the builder.
 

A lot of that work was done with Colin Bain and we named the halt “Carrick Knowe” as Colin lived in that area and I was living nearby.  Unfortunately I don’t remember now a lot about how, as a club, we decided what to do or why such decisions were made.  Perhaps we just got on with it.  I do remember that the cobbles in the yard of the brewery were split lentils stuck down individually!   And that I tried to include a brick repair to the stone over bridge at the halt, I think based on a prototype picture in one of the books available at the time.

 

Unfortunately I don’t recall who built the buildings on the original Glendevon, it might have been built before I joined.  I would guess that Bruce might have built the station building or the goods shed as part of the original layout.  I’m pretty certain that Colin Bain built the cottages on the scenic extension from the station, based on drawings I found, I think, in the National records office (name maybe wrong) and I remember I built the NB sheep creep and NB platelayers hut from drawings in Model Railways for that section.

 

Apologies for going off on reminisces about Glendevon etc.  My condolences to Bruce’s family and his friends in the model railway world.

[MalcolmJC]

I would just like to add a few words as a tribute to my long time friend Bruce Murray.  He was far too young for us to be loosing him.

 

I first met Bruce in the mid 70's at the Edinburgh and Lothians MRC and we formed a life long friendship.  I drifted away from model railways in the early 1980's when work and family commitments took hold, but we always kept in touch; (I also I have many happy memories of everyone at the E & L MRC.  I learned a great deal there about life, acquiring plenty of practical skills and making friendships.  I hope the club find some new club rooms when things get back to normal).

 

I found Bruce a very interesting person, with a broad knowledge of the world, with plenty of opinions, great practical skills and a wonderful dry sense of humour.  We had many holidays together in the late 70s and 80s with different groups of friends, and these holidays included skiing, a never to be forgotten train venture to Italy, canal holidays and railway visits.

 

I last met Bruce in January 2019 when Burntisland was on display at Alexandra Palace, indeed a few of the old E & L stalwarts met up there that day.  Burntisland is a tremendously impressive layout (which I hope to see again some time) and I am sure that Bruce made a significant contribution to its development.  I certainly had the full run down one evening from Bruce over a beer and curry on the best way to pack the van with his CAD drawings!

 

I know that Bruce and Bethan made a tremendous couple and he will be much missed by Bethan and the extended family.  We will all have our memories.

 

Malcolm Crawford March 2021