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Pathe film of 3/4" scale model trams


pete_mcfarlane

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I had an ancient copy of Mr Jackson-Stevens' book on building large scale model trams (purchased ex-library for 10p) as a kid. It has the not-so-snappy title of Scale Model Electric Tramways and how to model them (which implies you're making a model of a model tramway....).

 

Anyway, I discovered this film on Youtube of his tramway in action.

 

Slightly jerky action as well, considering how large the models are (and how rude the author is about the jerky running of 4mm scale trams in the book). But it's nice to see them in action after reading the book so many years ago - the photos of his tramway in the book always intrigued me. 

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This one came up as a suggestion when watching the above on YT.

 

Shocking. No jacket, shirt sleeves rolled up and casually referred to by the diminutive of his Christian name. The only saving grace is that he is, at least, wearing a tie.

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The ones in the film used to appear at exhibitions locally (I grew up in Crowborough), and 35+ years ago, I occasionally used to work with another chap on BR, whose name I forget, who was very much into large scale model trams, producing absolute beauties, museum-quality things, which appeared on the exhibition circuit in London and South East.

 

True to type, while all his peers wore a scruffy boiler-suit over teeshirt and jeans while at work, he wore immaculate "bib & brace, plus jacket" all freshly laundered every day, white shirt, and tie. Hair in "national service" cut, combed to precision.

 

I was junior engineer overseeing a job which involved fitting complex runs of lidded cable trays at multiple sites, and all the other guys ordered out of stores pre-made bends etc, to reduce time and permit extensive tea-drinking and card-playing. The chap concerned cut every single part from straight stock-run material, forming perfect bends, seams a hairline wide, over painting cut edges to avoid rusting etc, drank no tea and played no cards.

 

He was so much a craftsman that he couldn't do a job any other way!

 

I hope his trams are still whirring away.

 

Kevin

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