P. D. Hancock - Craig and Mertonford Railway

[Albyn]

14 hours ago, BernardTPM said:

He's a Hornby Dublo plastic figure from the early 1960s, part of set 052.

Thanks for that folks.  I've often wondered if the figures made by Graham Farish feature on the layout but have never seen a set to be able to compare them.  Perhaps that's where Lord Craig and Andrew McAlistair come from.....  However quite a few small firms in the 1950s produced OO figures I believe.  PDH produced his own on wire frames dipped in wax which seemed unduly complex to me.  I recall modifying figures with plasticine coated in banana oil which dried hard.

I attach hopefully the 1955/6 colour photo which the gentleman couldn't find,

regards,

albyn

[Albyn]

I'll have another try,

Albyn

Malcolm has kindly asked me to add the full caption:

CRAIG circa 1955/6

Harbour Street with the boat building yard is on the left, but Craig Castle has yet to appear on the hill [that happened in 1957].  On the (early) standard gauge is an American Varney 4-6-0  "Casey Jones".   In the narrow gauge platform is "Alistair" with two new looking 'Kemtron' bogie coaches, the original goods brake van, the open wagon converted from a 'Dinky' trailer and, bottom left, you can just see the corner of what was the first coach on the C&MR. On the right is the engine shed with "Agnes" and "Ian" outside, and  "Joan" in the siding with the 'Woolies'.  Peter Allans Processing Plant is behind the engine shed.  Photograph by P D Hancock is copyright and reproduced by kind permission of Edinburgh & Lothians MRC P D Hancock Collection.     

 

Edited May 29, 2020 by Albyn
Neglected to add caption with note on copyright

[F-UnitMad]

5 hours ago, dunwurken said:

In all seriousness there will be a reason as to why PD selected that model but the reasons are now lost in the mists of time.

Possibly simply because he looks capable of standing on his own two feet, instead of being glued to a pavement slab in order to stay upright??  

[BernardTPM]

Lord Craig is the gentleman farmer from the Britains Lilliput World series. The Graham Farish figures by Wests are harder to find information about. I have seen a couple of boxes on sale on ebay, but there's no guarantee what's in the box was there originally.

[dunwurken]

Bernard is correct, the one model of Lord Craig that has been identified is the gentleman farmer from the Britains Lilliput World series but I have seen a similar figure described as a pig farmer and being sold replete with sow and piglets!  Lord Craig's bloodline may not be all he would have you think it is.  [Lord Craig was depicted by other models but I have not been able to identify any of them amongst the 150 or so members of the Craigshire model population.

Lord Craig - Lilliput World by Malcolm MacLeod, on Flickr

 

Lord Craig - Brittains Lilliput World Models by Malcolm MacLeod, on Flickr

 

One other from the second photograph works on the standard gauge NBR/NER line - to the left in the photo below.  The girl with the feed bowl is a Merit figure - see following post by Bernard TPM.     A female p-way worker in 1912!!!!

P-way hut by Malcolm MacLeod, on Flickr

 

I have a partially complete Who's Who for Craigshire.  According to PD the first decent figures to appear actually came via Ireland from the firm called ‘Authenticast’.  These were really ‘HO’ gauge or 3.5mm scale figures but PD describes them as fairly generously proportioned and perfectly useable.  I have still to identify them amongst the 150 or so Craigshire figures that survived the end of their world in 1987.  PD did make use of Graham Farish figures - in his view they produced extremely good station staff and passenger sets.  Though these were slightly over-scale for 4mm scale this was all to the good when used alongside his 4.5mm narrow gauge models.  He adopted the idea of using them in the foreground of the layout and reserving the Authenticast and other figures further back which PD admits was a somewhat vague attempt at perspective modelling.  Among the Graham Farish figures PD found some of real characters and he acquired a number of these figures, for instance, the rather stout gentleman designed for sprawling on a station seat in a relaxed manner with his bowler hat tipped over his eyes and a seated gentleman with one leg crossed while he scanned the pages of a newspaper.   There are at least four models of the rather stout gentleman.  One model has him as Andrew MacAlistair [not to be confused with Alisdair Macandrew the roving cameraman] slumbering on the back of the work car, as Andrew McNab slumbering at Glenmuir and as the slumbering Yard Foreman at the standard gauge engine shed plus other un-named appearances.

Rons Stevensons tram layout Apr 2013 crop by Malcolm MacLeod, on Flickr

 

PD made use of many examples from the American manufacturer Weston Figures.  PD thought their figures were well animated, some even of a semi-humorous nature, but that they sometimes had slightly unnatural proportions but could always be relied onto be full of character and detail [NGA p98].   The local Worthies scene on p68 of the Mar 1975 RM is formed from Weston figures as are some of the MacGregor family [and the washing] in the Dundreich stationmaster’s garden on p70 of the same issue of the RM. 

Weston Campbells Mrs Spumond - Mrs Macgregor at Dundreich by Malcolm MacLeod, on Flickr

 

PD mentions that Hornby Dublo and Tri-ang produced a series of genuinely 4mm scale figures and he wished he had acquired more before they disappeared from the scene as with the inflow of continental HO equipment manufactures began to produce figures theoretically suitable for both HO and OO gauge layouts but to make matters worse he reckoned many of the continental figures were nearer 3mm than 3.5mm scale - see Narrow Gauge Adventure pages 98/9.  His complaint, at the time of writing NGA, was that one of the few sources of genuinely 4mm scale figures was the world of model soldiers.  He found a number of 20mm war game figures that were fairly easily adapted to civilian needs – NGA p99.  An American Civil War figure can be seen at Dundreich in front of the Model T car - quite a diverse range of models in the photo below

The H0 Model T Ford in Oct 2016 by Malcolm MacLeod, on Flickr

 

A description of how PD made his wire and wax models is given in NGA p98/9 and in the RM for Jul 1955 on pages 154/5.  Davie Gilmour is one of those named – ninety three if he is a day – and according to PD he’s a direct crib of John Allen’s ‘rheumaticky old man’ [RM Jul 1955] but girls in swimsuits and a chap swinging a hammer also feature in published photographs.  Against all the odds some have survived.  Davie Gilmour has resided for many years in the thatched cottage [Ballard Bros. Birmingham] opposite Dundreich engine shed.   I'll let you work out how old he is now.

Davie Gilmour by Malcolm MacLeod, on Flickr

 

Malcolm

 

Edited May 29, 2020 by dunwurken
Correction to the origins of the p-way girl.

[BernardTPM]

The girl with the feed bowl by the PW shed looks more like the Merit farmgirl than the Britains one, having her arm tucked over the bucket, rather than having it held lower and vertical. You can see daylight between the arm and body on the older Britains model. All adds to the variety of course.

Edited May 28, 2020 by BernardTPM

[dunwurken]

Yes Bernard you are correct she is a Merit model.  I've amended the original post.  That looks very much like 'Owd Andra' the shephard in the same set of figures.

Malcolm

[Albyn]

Thank you ever so much.  What an interesting topic.  I'd often wondered where the figures came from.  I'm a bit too young for the 1950s stuff and didn't really start modelling figures in layouts till the last 20 years.   I'd always wondered about the origins of Lord Craig and the rotund, seated, sleeping figure.  Pity nobody does one like that today. 

regards,

Albyn  

[BernardTPM]

I've got quite a good collection of 4mm plastic figures, though relatively limited numbers of the older metal figures (though some I've had since my childhood train set). I took this picture a few years back of a selection of 'everyday' type figures (i.e. not in  uniform or obvious working clothes/poses) dating from 1961 to 1980*:

 

 

Top row

1-3    Merit 5125 Commuters (1980)

4       Merit 5128 Ticket Queue (1980)

5,6    Model Land RML70 Pedestrians (1964)

7       Tri-ang R283 Platform figures (1961)

8,9    Hornby Dublo 052 Railway Station Passengers (1963)

10     Subbuteo C104 Trainer, manager & photographers (1962)

 

Middle row

1,2   Merit 5125 Commuters (1980)

3      Merit 5128 Ticket Queue (1980)

4,5   Model Land RML70 Pedestrians (1964)

6      Hornby Dublo 052 Railway Station Passengers (1963)

7      Hornby Dublo 054 Railway Station Personnel (1963)

8      Subbuteo C104 Trainer, manager & photographers (1962)

9      Subbuteo C104 Trainer, manager & photographers (1978)

10-12 Subbuteo C135 VIP Presentation set (1973)

 

Bottom row

1,2    Merit 5128 Ticket Queue (1980)

3,4    Model Land RML70 Pedestrians (1964)

5,6    Hornby Dublo 052 Railway Station Passengers (1963)

7       Hornby Dublo 054 Railway Station Personnel (1963)

8,9    Subbuteo C135 VIP Presentation set (1973)

 

* Date of introduction, how long they were listed varies. I perhaps should do a proper survey of the old figure sets.

[fezza]

Great figures! 

 

I always remember that when I got into model railways as a teenager in the 1980s, all the available figures seemed to be stuck in a time warp of around 1956 (men with suits, caps and bowlers, women with below the knee dresses and elaborate dress hats, boys in shorts).  Not so great if you were trying to model the Midland Main line in 1985!

 

Hancock was hugely influential in getting me into modelling, even though my interests were much more modern/ diesel era.  I still read his book - in fact, I've read it so many times the yellowing pages are falling out.

[Albyn]

Interesting figures!  The Tri-ang Model Land range had some very good figures.  Hadn't realised about Merit or Subbuteo! 

Looking on the web it says that  "In 1954, the famous British toymanufacturer established by William Britains in 1845, released 'Britains Lilliput World', a series of OO/HO scale models of buildings, figures, farm animals and several vehicle models intended to complement Trix Twin model railways. For a while the models appeared under the name of W. Horton Ltd. (a Britains subsidiary)."

Thus pre-1954 Lord Craig figures were not the familiar chap in brown.    

[Albyn]

looking on ebay Weston Campbell also did a rowing boat which may be one in the harbour....

[Albyn]

A few more things identified.  I'm pretty certain that the figure seated on a box (a fisherman?) where the West Water enters a culvert under the railway is an Airfix World War 1 US infrantryman.  I remember it from my childhood.

At Dundreich the goods yard crane looks like the old Dinky toys goods yard crane slightly modified.

On photos of the Kegworth 2013 exhibition two small  wagons can be seen in the back line of the station.  One is I think an Kitmaster/Airfix/Dapol Rocket kit tender  in unlettered grey and the other in red oxide lettered CM is a GEM Festiniog Railway Hearse Van.

regards,

Albyn

PS did the C&M run on 29th Feb as required in its charter?

Edited May 30, 2020 by Albyn
missed a letter out in remember

[dunwurken]

On 29/05/2020 at 15:59, BernardTPM said:

I've got quite a good collection of 4mm plastic figures, though relatively limited numbers of the older metal figures (though some I've had since my childhood train set). I took this picture a few years back of a selection of 'everyday' type figures (i.e. not in  uniform or obvious working clothes/poses) dating from 1961 to 1980*:

 

 

Top row

1-3    Merit 5125 Commuters (1980)

4       Merit 5128 Ticket Queue (1980)

5,6    Model Land RML70 Pedestrians (1964)

7       Tri-ang R283 Platform figures (1961)

8,9    Hornby Dublo 052 Railway Station Passengers (1963)

10     Subbuteo C104 Trainer, manager & photographers (1962)

 

Middle row

1,2   Merit 5125 Commuters (1980)

3      Merit 5128 Ticket Queue (1980)

4,5   Model Land RML70 Pedestrians (1964)

6      Hornby Dublo 052 Railway Station Passengers (1963)

7      Hornby Dublo 054 Railway Station Personnel (1963)

8      Subbuteo C104 Trainer, manager & photographers (1962)

9      Subbuteo C104 Trainer, manager & photographers (1978)

10-12 Subbuteo C135 VIP Presentation set (1973)

 

Bottom row

1,2    Merit 5128 Ticket Queue (1980)

3,4    Model Land RML70 Pedestrians (1964)

5,6    Hornby Dublo 052 Railway Station Passengers (1963)

7       Hornby Dublo 054 Railway Station Personnel (1963)

8,9    Subbuteo C135 VIP Presentation set (1973)

 

* Date of introduction, how long they were listed varies. I perhaps should do a proper survey of the old figure sets.

That's what I like a volunteer.  Go for it Bernard, I can say from bitter experience it is a problem finding which company produced what and when.  As far as Craigshire is concerned I also have to bear in mind a certain gentleman was not above using freebies from his morning cereal packet!

On 29/05/2020 at 16:36, Albyn said:

looking on ebay Weston Campbell also did a rowing boat which may be one in the harbour....

There are a few Campbells and Weston items around Craigshire.   If you scroll down to the Charter Day 2020 photograph of Dundreich station below the Model T is a Campbells model.  This vehicle was missing and for the trip to the 009 Society Convention in 2013 a green car from the ‘spares drawers’ was substituted.    For quite some time I was not able to find an exact match and indeed I suspected the car might have been a plastic one out of a cereal packet or a cheap toy from Woolworths.  As an interim measure I have settled on a white metal kit by Springside Models [Ref No. R.V.51] as the closet example I could find even though the original car is left hand drive whereas the Springside model is right hand drive!  I kept searching for an exact match and whilst at Narrow Gauge North in March 2016 I noticed on the 009 Society second hand sales stand some parts for an HO Model T Ford Truck of American origin.  An internet search revealed the missing Model T to be a Campbell’s Scale Models 1914 Ford Roadster #1131 and an old, unmade, model was acquired from the USA.  It seemed a shame to build a pristine old kit but needs must…….

Campbell1131 by Malcolm MacLeod, on Flickr

Interestingly the loss of this vehicle must have happened around the time of PD’s death.  There is a photograph showing what appears to be the Model T sitting in a display cabinet at his home shortly before the house was cleared.  

 

1 hour ago, Albyn said:

A few more things identified.  I'm pretty certain that the figure seated on a box (a fisherman?) where the West Water enters a culvert under the railway is an Airfix World War 1 US infrantryman.  I remember it from my childhood.

At Dundreich the goods yard crane looks like the old Dinky toys goods yard crane slightly modified.

On photos of the Kegworth 2013 exhibition two small  wagons can be seen in the back line of the station.  One is I think an Kitmaster/Airfix/Dapol Rocket kit tender  in unlettered grey and the other in red oxide lettered CM is a GEM Festiniog Railway Hearse Van.

regards,

Albyn

PS did the C&M run on 29th Feb as required in its charter?

Are you sure about the fisherman Albyn?  Close up photo attached.     

IMG_3362 Fisherman by Malcolm MacLeod, on Flickr

PD at one time had an extensive collection of military figures and no I don't know where they all went!  

I note what you say about the crane.  It and others had a fairly nomadic existence.

The Rocket tender is thought to be the Rosebud / Kitmaster kit possibly bought soon after the kit was introduced in 1959/60.  There is a Benbros Rocket tender in the collection and it was at one time stationed at Glenmuir I think as water tank for the CMR locos.

The other wagon is the FR hearse van.

Trains were run on 29th February 2020 as required by the charter.  A report was published in the May 2020 009 News.

Dundreich, Charter Day 2020 by Malcolm MacLeod, on Flickr

Lord Craig gives instructions to Moira's driver. by Malcolm MacLeod, on Flickr

Dundreich with l to r Hearse Van, Duncan with Morag behind him and then Moira with two Kemtron coaches by Malcolm MacLeod, on Flickr

 

Keep safe

Malcolm

 

[Albyn]

Malcolm, thank you for the photos.  On close inspection the man by the West Water is not the US soldier, but similar.  The Charter Day train festival was most impressive!  Also a great bit of detective work to identify the Ford T!

regards,

Albyn 

[BernardTPM]

The man by West Water is from the Airfix 'Wagon Train' set. I've got at least one figure from the set, but I suspect you'll find more if you look both round the layout and in old photos. Unlike the 'Cowboy' set Airfix also did, they're more 'everyday folk'.

[Albyn]

The quality of photographic reproduction in the 1950s and in "Narrow Gauge Adventure" is very poor by today's standards.  I suppose assembling a book or disc of the early photographs in the collection and researching captions would be a big job and the resulting sales would sadly not justify the large amount of work required.....

regards,

Albyn

Edited May 31, 2020 by Albyn
book title incorrect.

[rockershovel]

1 hour ago, BernardTPM said:

The man by West Water is from the Airfix 'Wagon Train' set. I've got at least one figure from the set, but I suspect you'll find more if you look both round the layout and in old photos. Unlike the 'Cowboy' set Airfix also did, they're more 'everyday folk'.

 

I’m afraid that I am no longer able to see a cowboy with a plate, and keep a straight face...

[dunwurken]

2 hours ago, Albyn said:

The quality of photographic reproduction in the 1950s and in "Narrow Gauge Adventure" is very poor by today's standards.  I suppose assembling a book or disc of the early photographs in the collection and researching captions would be a big job and the resulting sales would sadly not justify the large amount of work required.....

regards,

Albyn

Yes it would be a labour of love to produce a book of the early photographs.  If you wish to view a number of the early photos reproduced to a much higher standard you should read PD's obituary in Narrow Gauge and Industrial Railway Modelling Review No.88 

2 hours ago, BernardTPM said:

The man by West Water is from the Airfix 'Wagon Train' set. I've got at least one figure from the set, but I suspect you'll find more if you look both round the layout and in old photos. Unlike the 'Cowboy' set Airfix also did, they're more 'everyday folk'.

Yep, we have Airfix wagon train survivors in the population box and I have seen a wagon somewhere..........

Malcolm

[dunwurken]

A quick search suggests the wagon train survivors have lost their wagon!   There is a wagon in the collection but it is not the Airfix wagon train vehicle.

 

However here is one the lesser[?] photographs of one of our slumbering gent figures.  This is a photograph that could probably reproduced in colour as I think all the items on display have survived.

 

Malcolm

 

NGA page 100,  Westons figures in foreground by Malcolm MacLeod, on Flickr

 

Sleeping Beauty?? by Malcolm MacLeod, on Flickr

[Albyn]

Thanks for the photos.

Some years back I bought a job lot of figures at a club stand and I think some maybe used by PDH.

Slaters Huminiatures which he mentions using.

Airfix Civilians that were probably used albeit modified.

Airfix Wagon Train Lady?

Merit seated passengers and bike?

 

[Albyn]

A few more Merit I think  farm, public servants and standing passengers.  I think the postman is familiar and several policemen appear so this maybe one of them.  The Airfix passengers would need a bit of modding though to covert them to Edwardian but the men are wearing hats and the ladies would need their dresses lengthening,

regards

Albyn 

[BernardTPM]

1 hour ago, Albyn said:

 

Some Merit and Slater's Huminiatures are effectively the same, though Merit never did them unpainted* and Slater's, when they still did painted sets, used different colours. Some of these figures are also very like older diecast ones. I may explore that area.

The two RH seated men in the bottom row are Subbuteo figures. That's another range I'll try to cover (at least for off-field figures). I have made a start on photographing the Merit figures.

 

* though Modelscene now do.

Edited June 1, 2020 by BernardTPM

[Albyn]

Looking at Narrow Gauge Adventure, 1980 edition, the tubby chap in the remains of an armchair seems to be the shed master - see page 50 and at least one version of "Old Andra" looks very similar to the shepherd figure I posted as Merit (perhaps Slaters?) on page  60.  PDH says the sheep were Slaters.  It seems that like Lord Craig named characters could change figures over time or even be two different people.  Angus McPwat is suggested as probably being one of the figures with a hammer outside the engine shed for instance, page 57. 

regards,

Albyn 

[rockershovel]

3 hours ago, Albyn said:

Looking at Narrow Gauge Adventure, 1980 edition, the tubby chap in the remains of an armchair seems to be the shed master - see page 50 and at least one version of "Old Andra" looks very similar to the shepherd figure I posted as Merit (perhaps Slaters?) on page  60.  PDH says the sheep were Slaters.  It seems that like Lord Craig named characters could change figures over time or even be two different people.  Angus McPwat is suggested as probably being one of the figures with a hammer outside the engine shed for instance, page 57. 

regards,

Albyn 

 

.... presumably on the basis that real people appear in different poses, in different locations at different times?