A Maltese 'Crab'... does anyone know anything about this?

[Firecrest]

Here's an odd one... on a recent holiday to Valletta, I happened to pass a Lufthansa travel agency (Bianchi's) in St Christopher Street and among the models of Airbus A319's and the like was a lovely (5 1/2" gauge?) 'Crab' nestling in its own window. Yes, a 'Crab'. Not 'Scotsman' or Mallard or something more commercially eye-catching, but a truly lovely model of my favourite kind of steam engine.

 

It's quite beautiful, but utterly out of place there in an ultra modern travel agency... does anyone know a back story? I did try to visit the shop but most of the time it was shut, and when it wasn't I was off doing other things alas.

 

There's a poor picture below - parking in Valletta is always at a premium and the space right outside the travel agency was always full so you could never get a good shot. But you get the idea...

 

Anyway... all replies welcomed!

 

ta,

 

Chris

[Nearholmer]

One of the guys who occasionally posts on the Classic 0 Gauge forum is based in Valletta. He collects Bassett Lowke’s finest and top-notch Exley coaches, and has a display layout round his office - it’s more a furniture-grade shelf than a conventional layout, all very posh. I wonder if this is his business.

Edited March 13, 2023 by Nearholmer

[TinTracks]

https://www.facebook.com/MaltaModelRailways/

 

Hi Chris. Just found this fbook group re Malta Model Railways. They may know something.

 Cheers, Rich

 

 

[sir douglas]

im in a malta railway group (not model) and lookign at some recent exhibition photos, there seems to be a  healthy model engineering community on the island

Edited March 13, 2023 by sir douglas

[rogerzilla]

I remember one of George S. Patton's colourful quips which went roughly, "The average Maltese has never seen a railway, forest or river, and he is happy with that."

[Firecrest]

Well, in an unexpected turn up for the books, the mystery of what the 'Crab' is doing in Malta is revealed - and it's rather interesting. As mentioned I emailed the shop trying to get some light and wasn't really expecting a reply. Until the below came in from the owner Michael Bianchi, who's late father Vivian Bianchi started the business. The salient parts of the email are pasted below, along with better images taken by Michael from inside. A genuinely fascinating nugget... Enjoy

 

Chris

 

"As a child his father had given him a Lionel train set and my father continued to build on this and ended up with a huge collection consisting of thousands of locomotives and carriages and “ furniture .” He had this railway set displayed and working in a special large room he had built in his home and in his later years his passion was to also repair and restore locomotives and carriages that he would buy at various auctions worldwide but mostly in the UK at specialised auctions which he would visit ( Rugby- Reading -London etc). Sadly when my father passed away in December 2012 the train set was dismantled, an inventory made and boxed and is now in storage.

 

The ”Crab” Locomotive No; 42837 you saw displayed at our office was a Christmas gift I gave my father. Strangely enough it was bought by me from a silversmith in Mayfair, hardly the place that one would think of! The silversmith is well known - https://www.pashantiques.com/our-story - and apparently the story of provenance goes back to ownership by a member of the Bamford family ( JCB fame)  who has a large collection of these large Locomotives and was disposing of some through Pash. I remember my father’s surprise when I told him where I bought this Locomotive from and immediately his comment was “ you must have paid a bomb for it, Mayfair Silversmith’s are not where you buy model trains from ! “  Father always liked a bargain!

 

I hope the above will be of interest and that your readers will enjoy whatever you decide to write. I know that my father would have been very happy to have his name associated with model trains and highlighted through an article in Steam Railway magazine, which by the way he also use to read."

 

[Helmdon]

Pretty obvious which Bamford that came from 

Edited March 17, 2023 by Helmdon