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BBC TV Blue Peter Childrens Program (1970s) .

DonnyRailMan

By DonnyRailMan,
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Hroth

Hroth

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"Rich and thick" trumpet's the tag on the container, (insert joke of your own making here).

 

 

Yes - I saw that and restrained myself!

 

Shows how poorly that slogan stuck - I associate "rich and thick" with " a milk chocolate brick" for an comestible that was evidently the snack of choice for lorry drivers!

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brushman47544

brushman47544

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There is a small sized photo of Simon Groome operating the layout somewhere on the web, but I didn't make a note of the site unfortunately.

 

 

attachicon.gifsg.jpg

 

That doesn't look like the layout operated by Chris Trace. I remember it being a lot more complicated with more trains able to run round at once.

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Porcy Mane

Porcy Mane

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That doesn't look like the layout operated by Chris Trace. I remember it being a lot more complicated with more trains able to run round at once.

 

I reckon that may be the Mrs Bar Factor Coming into play?

 

P

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Hroth

Hroth

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And Curly Wurlies too......

 

Don't even mention Wagon Wheels .......

We call them castors now!

 

Evidently, in Canada Curly Wurlies were initially marketed as "Wig Wags".  I don't think people were paying attention.

"Can I nibble your......."

No. Lets not go there.

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34theletterbetweenB&D

34theletterbetweenB&D

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That doesn't look like the layout operated by Chris Trace. I remember it being a lot more complicated with more trains able to run round at once.

 When I first carelessly posted in this thread, no attention was paid to the '1970's' in the title. My memories of a Blue Peter Layout relate to the 1960s with Trace and Noakes. Peter Purves was the last 'new' presenter I was aware of, mostly because I usually did my homework in winter in the front room which also housed the TV being watched by younger sibs. (It's great training for concentration doing stoichiometric diagrams, while some presenter from lala land is singing a counting game on the box, with enthusiastic viewer participation in the room.)

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Hroth

Hroth

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I wish Valerie had sat like Christopher in this clip back in the day!!!!!!!

Still with his adolescent thoughts from the '60's.

Peter C.

I'm afraid this is the best you're going to get

 

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/06/21/article-1028228-01AC08E500000578-479_468x570.jpg

 

Readies several buckets of cold water to steady the nerves of various gentlemen of a certain age.....

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Hroth

Hroth

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When I visited Beamish, I missed the Elephant, but I had a ride behind Locomotion No 1.

 

I wonder if any model railway manufacturer would have a go at a set of working "Pockerly" locomotives.  Whilst The Elephant and Puffing Billy were one-offs, there were a number of Locomotion type locos on the S&D so more than one wouldn't look out of place on a layout...

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Pacific231G

Pacific231G

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In one show, they taught you how to make an oil deport using 4 toilet tubes, a corn flake box, pipe cleaners and some double sided sticky tape. I actually made this, though long since passed into the dustbin.

That sounds like the government's energy policy!!

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luckymucklebackit

luckymucklebackit

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Blue Peter as sent up by the Pythons.......

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNfGyIW7aHM

 

Alan: Hello.

 

Noel: Hello.

 

Alan: Well, last week we showed you how to become a gynaecologist. And this week on 'How to do it' we're going to show you how to play the flute, how to split an atom, how to construct a box girder bridge, how to irrigate the Sahara Desert and make vast new areas of land cultivatable, but first, here's Jackie to tell you all how to rid the world of all known diseases.

 

Jackie: Hello, Alan.

 

Alan: Hello, Jackie.

 

Jackie: Well, first of all become a doctor and discover a marvelous cure for something, and then, when the medical profession really starts to take notice of you, you can jolly well tell them what to do and make sure they get everything right so there'll never be any diseases ever again.

 

Alan: Thanks, Jackie. Great idea. How to play the flute. (picking up a flute) Well here we are. You blow there and you move your fingers up and down here.

 

Noel: Great, great, Alan. Well, next week we'll be showing you how black and white people can live together in peace and harmony, and Alan will be over in Moscow showing us how to reconcile the Russians and the Chinese. So, until next week, cheerio.

 

Alan: Bye.

 

Jackie: Bye.

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Pacific231G

Pacific231G

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Posted (edited)

That doesn't look like the layout operated by Chris Trace. I remember it being a lot more complicated with more trains able to run round at once.

 

I found this at http://www.apt-p.com/HornbyAPT.htm

post-6882-0-88444200-1471278931.jpg

and although the layout looks very small in this shot I think that may be deceptive as we're looking at the end rather than the side of the layout.

 

From what I can make out from the photo it does appear to be the same layout as in this plan though it's obviously not to scale and the curves are relatively much wider compared to the lengths of straight.

post-6882-0-68794200-1471278930.jpg

I'd estimate its total size as at least 8 feet long- possibly more like ten- by about six feet but if you put an object this size in a large TV studio and shoot it from well back it will look small.OTOH a good choice of close up shots would have make it look enormous. The balance for the production would have been a layout that was large enough to look interesting and give reasonable shots of trains running without being so large as to appear out of reach of the young viewers.

 

When I was a young viewer I did write to Christopher Trace (so  in reality the BP production team but I was too young to know that ) to ask for a copy of the plan.They wrote a very polite letter back in his name but regretted they couldn't supply a plan which I'd guess meant the production didn't actually have one. It would have been built  as a solid piece of scenery (probably with help from members of the BBC MRC)  and simply wheeled into the studio when needed. The Studio Director would only have needed the overall size and a rough track plan to work out the moves the trains would make but no more detail than that. 

Edited by Pacific231G
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Porcy Mane

Porcy Mane

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Posted

Does this involve Marianne Faithfull?

 

The innocence of youth. Much like Blue Peter.

 

Did anybody ever hear the story of John and Peter fighting over the attentions of Valerie on one of those summer expeditions?

 

Watching the last minute or so of this episode John made it clear who got her attentions. Poor Johnny (Noakes that is)

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PatB

PatB

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I found this at http://www.apt-p.com/HornbyAPT.htm

attachicon.gifblue peter layout small.jpg

and although the layout looks very small in this shot I think that may be deceptive as we're looking at the end rather than the side of the layout.

 

From what I can make out from the photo it does appear to be the same layout as in this plan though it's obviously not to scale and the curves are relatively much wider compared to the lengths of straight.

attachicon.gifblue peter model railway sketch plan.jpg

I'd estimate its total size as at least 8 feet long- possibly more like ten- by about six feet but if you put an object this size in a large TV studio and shoot it from well back it will look small.OTOH a good choice of close up shots would have make it look enormous. The balance for the production would have been a layout that was large enough to look interesting and give reasonable shots of trains running without being so large as to appear out of reach of the young viewers.

 

When I was young I did write to Christopher Trace (so  in reality the BP production team but I was too young to know that ) to ask for a copy of the plan.They wrote a very polite letter back in his name but regretted they couldn't supply a plan which I'd guess meant the production didn't actually have one. It would have been built  as a solid piece of scenery (probably with help from members of the BBC MRC)  and simply wheeled into the studio when needed. The Studio Director would only have needed the overall size and a rough track plan but no more detail than that. 

 

That's the plan that I remember from the article in the annual. Takes me back a bit :).

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Pacific231G

Pacific231G

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Posted (edited)

I remember an episode of blue peter where simon groom ( I think that was his name ) found the locomotive of the same name in the loco yard at Doncaster Depot and if I remember right that began the process of the locos restoration and subsequent return to service carrying the LNER apple green livery and the number 532 on the cabside.

 

I found the difference amazing seeing her in such a forlorn mess to when she was finished and the first fire lit in her boiler and finally hauling trains again is a credit to those who did the work she needed to return to the rails.

It would be interesting to know how far plans for restoration had reached when the loco was "found" and was this before or after Geoff Drury bought it in 1968. It occurs to me that there may have been several examples of the same class available but choosing Blue Peter and having a relationship with the programme would be useful to both; the programme would get plenty of material for interesting items following the career of "their" loco - magazine p[rogrammes like Blue Peter do require a lot of items- while the TV exposure would be of obvious value in its preservation. 

Edited by Pacific231G
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