Jump to content
 

Railway & Modelling Obituaries

Bob Essery


Portchullin Tatty
 Share

Recommended Posts

Very sad news. My thoughts are with his family.

 

Bob was an inspirational figure, both to those who knew him and to all of those who have benefited from his research down the years.

 

RIP Bob.

 

Davey

 

  • Like 1
  • Agree 7
  • Friendly/supportive 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

This is sad news. Bob was a really nice person to know and we always had a bit of a chat at Warley NEC shows.. about the only time in the year we ever saw each other. Always very helpful and we must thank him and David Jenkinson (plus a lot of othe helpers) for hanging on to important items from teh past which would have ended in a skip.

 

Baz

  • Agree 8
  • Friendly/supportive 8
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

We (Walton and Anfield, predessors to the WFRM) had the priviledge of being awarded "Best LMS" (for Stockton Heath) by Bob many years ago, at Derby I think, much frivolity followed in the pub later.

 

A nice guy who will be missed by many.

  • Friendly/supportive 9
Link to post
Share on other sites

Such sad news.

 

Bob was a marvellous author to work with, and he just let me get on and take the pictures he needed to illustrate his wonderful writing for the publications he and I (to a much lesser-extent) were responsible for, whether that be for Warners or for magazine articles. 

 

From the first time I visited his (then) home in Solihull, many years ago, he issued me with a 'Lineside Photographic Permit' for Dewsbury. 

 

Though over-used in some areas of the media today, the term 'great man' applied entirely to Bob Essery. The hobby is unlikely to ever see a fellow of his stature again.

 

Rest in peace my friend. 

  • Like 6
  • Agree 3
  • Friendly/supportive 7
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

I can't say that I knew Bob well but we had chatted at a couple of shows. He once spent a while watching one of my layouts, before I knew who he was. He approved of the operating, with the way we were passing trains in a loop on a single track line getting a particular mention.

 

After he had moved on, one of my other operators told me who he was and said that if he had enjoyed the operating, we must have been doing something right as he knew how it should be done.

 

There can't be many of us who are not aware of Bob and the huge amount of prototype information that he made available for us to help us build better model railways. Then he showed how to put that knowledge to good use himself with his own modelling. That sort of knowledge and experience is simply irreplaceable.

 

The great model railway club in the sky just got another rather special member.

  • Like 7
  • Agree 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

The loss of Bob Essery brings an era to a close. I have many of his books and articles, which I still reread every so often and spot something new.

I can imagine right now, Bob, Geoff Holt and David Jenkinson watching some 7mm scale trains running whilst enjoying a glass of wine and looking down on our attempts to emulate them.


Paul

  • Like 2
  • Agree 5
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

I was trying to think why I knew his name - I don't have an LMS or constituent interest - but I realised he wrote the book I own about operating a model railway to mimic the real railway.

 

It's a very good book, clearly written by someone with a wealth of knowledge behind them. I have no doubt all the other works he has done either by himself or as a collaboration are a fitting legacy.

  • Like 2
  • Agree 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium
2 hours ago, Flying Fox 34F said:

I can imagine right now, Bob, Geoff Holt and David Jenkinson watching some 7mm scale trains running whilst enjoying a glass of wine.........

 

I'm one of those very fortunate people who has been with all three of those gentlemen doing exactly that at Geoff's house when he and I both lived in Boston. There are some memories that are precious and indelible.

 

Dave

  • Friendly/supportive 11
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

I first came across the name from Railway Modeller in the 1960s. I never knowingly met Bob but as others have said his influence has reached many of us. A towering figure in the fields of railway history and modelling. Rest well Bob and thank you.

  • Like 3
Link to post
Share on other sites

Sad news indeed. My first recollection of Bob (though I didn't know it at the time) was of him appearing at the beginning of a sequence to fill out the loco allocation board alongside Garsdale Rd at the MRC Central Hall show around 1970/71. Both the layout and its trains made a huge impact on this impressionable young lad, I spent hours glued to the barrier and had to be almost dragged away when it was time to go home. I was fortunate to meet and chat with Bob several times in subsequent years and like most I have many of his books. RIP.

  • Like 2
  • Agree 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

Such sad news and the railway community will be a much lesser place for his passing.

 

Like many on here, I have many of his books and it’s the ones he wrote on realistic operation that I return to regularly, and the knowledge and wisdom he shared has greatly enhanced my pleasure when operating.

 

My sincere condolences to Bob’s family and friends. The world has lost another Giant of the Railway community. 
 

Brian

  • Like 1
  • Agree 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

It wasn't always the MR/LMS/LMR that Bob wrote about. Not long ago I was reading some Railway Modellers from 1962 and there was a series of articles on Portreath a GWR branch line in EM! - well at least the gauge was good.

He wrote, not surprisingly, on how the branch may have operated (admitting he knew little about the GWR).

It was part of a plan, for his newly formed club (West Herts), where the initial idea was to get each members existing layout completed.

 

The controversy came over what colour to paint the station buildings, so Bob already being a researcher, wrote to some mysterious place related to a bear, to ask them! They duly wrote back with some notes on the colours used, so the model got painted in those colours. That started a series of letters to the editor, stating that this was wrong. But, Bob being Bob, didn't capitulate and repaint as per his superiors, instead he found more information confirming the colours that he'd used.

 

I never did find out the end of this story, because that's where my run of old RM's ran out!

I guess when I subscribe to the digital version of RM and back issues, I'll find out!

 

But by 1963 January, Bob was on much safer ground, writing about building 4mm scale wagon, mostly of LMS prototypes.

 

At least Bob Essery didn't get distracted like Roye England!

 

I never met Bob, but like everyone, I have quite a number of books, magazines and articles written by him.

 

Edit to add.

 

Apparently the article on Portreath was the first article of Bob's that appeared. 1962 February.

Edited by kevinlms
More info
  • Like 4
Link to post
Share on other sites

I've spent countless hours with my head buried in one of Bob's many works on the LMS and his books outnumber those of any other author (railway or non-railway) in my library.

 

His enormous contribution to those of us who model the LMS cannot be overstated. Essery & Jenkinson for the locos and Jenkinson & Essery for the coaches are our 'go-to' references.

 

Thanks Bob. RIP.

  • Like 2
  • Agree 5
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
  • RMweb Premium

If anyone wishes to view Bob Essery's funeral on Wednesday December 15th at 4.15 pm, it will be available on:

 

https://wesleymedia.co.uk/webcast-view

Login/Order ID: 667952

Password: qhgnxtpc

 

The recording should be available for seven days afterwards.

 

In the event of problems logging in, telephone 01536 314890

 

Dave

Edited by Dave Hunt
  • Thanks 6
Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...