Paul H Vigor Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 Hi guys, I have another mystery loco for you. It appears to be a Darjeeling Himalayan Railway B-class loco built as a standard gauge (16.5mm gauge) model. It appears to have some age - build materials include card, some plastic and a surprising amount of wood. It gives the impression of a model based upon John Ahern's Madder Valley Railway DHR B-Class loco? It is, and always was unmotorised (I assume, in service, motive power was provided by another piece of rolling stock?). I suspect it is a survivor from a larger layout featuring similar handbuilt stock? As to build date, I would hazard a guess at the early 1960s? Does anyone recognise it or can shed any light? TIA Paul. 5 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 Thats not Madder valley material, is it? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul H Vigor Posted March 6, 2022 Author Share Posted March 6, 2022 15 minutes ago, Nearholmer said: Thats not Madder valley material, is it? Must say, I did wonder. I can't lay my hands on my Ahern loco building book to check what materials he recommended using. It's either Madder Valley, or it's a model by A.N. Other, inspired by Ahern? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul H Vigor Posted March 6, 2022 Author Share Posted March 6, 2022 39 minutes ago, Nearholmer said: Thats not Madder valley material, is it? I wondered if John Ahern had built locos for other people? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul H Vigor Posted March 6, 2022 Author Share Posted March 6, 2022 (edited) 1 hour ago, Nearholmer said: Thats not Madder valley material, is it? It's a well thought out model, built by someone who knew what they were doing. Although it's unpowered, it's got some impressive motion (functional on one side, needs some attention on the other). Turned, wooden chimney. Has glazed spectacles, and a lovely, tiny, handmade fireman's shovel in the bunker. Just a thought: the 4mm scale driver and fireman on the footplate appear slightly underscale for the loco? Possibly an early example of 5.5mm scale on 16.5mm gauge? Edited March 6, 2022 by Paul H Vigor 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Hodgson Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 The Darjeeling Himalaya doesnt abbreviate to BR, and I don't think BR is British Railways or even the Barry Railway. It's a rather charming little model. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul H Vigor Posted March 7, 2022 Author Share Posted March 7, 2022 5 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said: The Darjeeling Himalaya doesnt abbreviate to BR, and I don't think BR is British Railways or even the Barry Railway. It's a rather charming little model. A fictional locomotive for a fictional railway. I suspect it was contemporary with Ahern's Madder Valley, question is: was anything published in the railway press at the time? I would love to discover who owned/built this loco. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul H Vigor Posted December 19, 2022 Author Share Posted December 19, 2022 On 06/03/2022 at 12:28, Paul H Vigor said: Hi guys, I have another mystery loco for you. It appears to be a Darjeeling Himalayan Railway B-class loco built as a standard gauge (16.5mm gauge) model. It appears to have some age - build materials include card, some plastic and a surprising amount of wood. It gives the impression of a model based upon John Ahern's Madder Valley Railway DHR B-Class loco? It is, and always was unmotorised (I assume, in service, motive power was provided by another piece of rolling stock?). I suspect it is a survivor from a larger layout featuring similar handbuilt stock? As to build date, I would hazard a guess at the early 1960s? Does anyone recognise it or can shed any light? TIA Paul. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted December 19, 2022 Share Posted December 19, 2022 What an interesting item and a tribute to making the most out of materials to hand 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cypherman Posted December 19, 2022 Share Posted December 19, 2022 It is a charming little model and deserves to be put right. Perhaps now, with much smaller motors available, you might be able to motorize it. Or perhaps use a dummy motorized coal truck to push/pull it. What ever it needs saving. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul H Vigor Posted December 19, 2022 Author Share Posted December 19, 2022 53 minutes ago, cypherman said: It is a charming little model and deserves to be put right. Perhaps now, with much smaller motors available, you might be able to motorize it. Or perhaps use a dummy motorized coal truck to push/pull it. What ever it needs saving. If the motion can be freed up, I think I would go for a powered 'tender' option? It's missing a smokebox-mounted headlamp, but given the historic fabric of the loco, any restorations would have to be reversable. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul H Vigor Posted December 19, 2022 Author Share Posted December 19, 2022 (edited) 8 hours ago, hayfield said: What an interesting item and a tribute to making the most out of materials to hand It's almost John Ahern before Ahern started working in metals? I'm still not sure what, if any, scale its modelled to - the driver is a 4mm figure who looks a little short? Edited December 19, 2022 by Paul H Vigor to add information 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
locomad2 Posted December 19, 2022 Share Posted December 19, 2022 Value gear looks very familiar as I've a few sets complete or in bits purchased at toy fairs ( in scrap boxes etc) No idea whose they are, I've box of bits containing pins, bars, side links etc and been using them on small 0-4-0 tank locos. In some of the boxes & old tobacco tins etc I have found complete sets, and broken sets plus unfinished sets. Seems to be a lot of spares about recently north west England found box of loco tyres, wheels axles, plain bearing, loco frames, side screws for frames, pins, white metal buffers, valves, chimneys, motor parts, bushes etc 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnson044 Posted January 5, 2023 Share Posted January 5, 2023 There is also something reminiscent of Craigshire about this lovely little loco. Yes - it's very definitely a conservation project and, as you say, any restorations deffo need to be reversible. A wonderful find! 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunwurken Posted January 6, 2023 Share Posted January 6, 2023 I looked at it and thought the same but I am not aware of any reference to a loco such as this. Malcolm Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted January 6, 2023 Share Posted January 6, 2023 46 minutes ago, dunwurken said: I looked at it and thought the same but I am not aware of any reference to a loco such as this. Malcolm To me it looks like an Indian loco and am I correct it may have been a subject in either a book or an article in a Model Railway magazine in the mid 20th century. To me it seems to use items readily available at a time of austerity Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunwurken Posted January 6, 2023 Share Posted January 6, 2023 To clarify when referring to myself not being aware of any reference to a loco such as this I should have added "in the articles and book on Craigshire and the C&MR by P D Hancock". You may be correct there may well have been an article by someone else. It does vaguely look familiar. Malcolm Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted January 7, 2023 Share Posted January 7, 2023 I did have this book and I am certain a similar loco appears inside, though it could have easily been one of the several mags available in the mid 20th century Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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