roythebus

In the 1970s there was an almost daily stock move of DMUs from Bletchley TMD to Aylesbury. It used to run at about 0430 or some other ungodly time. I tried to catch it once when I lived in Northampton and worked as a guard at Rickmansworth. That was the day it didn't run. I was late for work!!

I only saw blue or blue/grey units when I worked to Reading from Waterloo.

One evening I was going to Reading, thinking to myself, what about if a DMMU failed, how would it be assisted with my EMU....I got stopped at the signal controlling the junction and was told that the DMMU in front of me had failed! Spooky or what?

I had to sit there while the next DMMU came along half an hour later to push the failed unit to Reading. so that answered my question!

Just a quick question, what class were the DMUs used on that line in the 1980's, 3 car sets, 63' coaches, also does anyone make a model of them?

I remember having built an MTK kit of one which ran on the original New Annington layout, and would like to get another for my collection. 

John Senior of MOPOK did live in Glossop; I remember visiting him there once.

I also have some ABS suburban coach side and underframe and end castings kicking around if anyone wants them. Brian is correct as their construction method. I too could never get the printed sides to stick on, so never built the rest of them!

The only model shop I remember in Great Portland Street was the Trix showroom in the mid 1960's, when their new range of plastic models came out. that showroom later moved to Knightsbridge Green. At that time, victors model shop was in the back of Victors record shop in Chapel Market, a haven for ska music fans.

Umm, I was more annoyed with the poor reproduction of several of the drawings, which had line break up. I knew how much effort and care went into producing them. I have never really understood why there was so much criticism of the one photograph being upside down.

 

Paul Bartlett

Another that springs to mind from the 1970s was the 00 something Northampton to Leicester "parliamentary" train which was usually a BSK and a 45. It only ever ran one way, a bit like the much-discussed Wandsworth Road-Ealing Broadway service of late.

Mike sheppard of KX made the patterns for my GS/Scooter and Bluebird kits; the GS patterns were superb. He also done patterns for Sutherland and Westward kits. Adrian Swain done the casting for me. The Scooter patterns cost £25, quite a lot in those days, considering the full-size GS cost me £100!! Adrian later amended the Scooter patterns to add details that Mike omitted.

I suspect David Morris got out of the model retail hobby at about the right time. I remember talking to him in the shop in the late 1970's, that was when the hobby was reaching rock-bottom. It was only really the investment from Lima producing their Deltic that seemed to bring some sort of revival to the hobby.

Remember too the premises of The Model Railway Club were just a stone's throw up Pentonville Road from the model shop, and club members would gather at the shop between going from work to the club on Thursdays, usually going via Renzo's Restaurant which was a couple of doors away from the shop. The MRC survives, even if everything else hasn't.

Ah, George allen, I remember selling them bus kits when I moved to Northampton in 1973. They done a nice etched Siphon G and a few other bits, I think this was a development from the Mopok range.

Mopok stood for Modern Prototype Kits OO.

I have signed copies of the first 2 AG Thomas books; the MRC library has signed copies of all 3.

ISTR David Morris went lorry driving for a change!

I beleive part of the problems with W&H was the Maerklin dealership they acquired. they opened a wholesale place in Hastings in the early 1990's; I went there once to buy a Hamo Royal Train in about 1993. Possibly the rent for the New Cavndish Street premises became too expensive for a model railway shop.

Back to Kings Cross, when I worked there it was the Model Railway Accessory Supply Co. Ltd. I suspect that went broke as it always seemed short of capital to buy enough stock. It may have been that KX Models was a separate company started by the Morris family. I remember whne people used to come in and ask for K's kits, AG Thomas would tell them that "you can't get K's kits, they're making plastic bingo cards you know". And "when I was in Iceland..." with a tale about his wartime exploits in the navy!

AG Thomas done a series of books about private owner wagons which should be a useful reference for anyone interested in pre-nationalisation PO wagons. I have some signed copies. Would that make them any more valuable??

Alan Brackenborough had his own small range of bus kits, cast metal ends with printed sides. For their day they were very good and had in effect flush glazed windows.

Tony Dyer was also an accomlished musician. Correct, he did run Mopok befor he started Kemilway. When I produced my Met Railway 0-6-2T kit, Tony was to make an etched chassis to go with it, but never got round to it, so the kit never sold very many.

Jones Bros did indeed open a second shop just a few doors along from their model shop. ISTR that catered more for the DIY side of things. They were famous for their TT rail which was just right for fine scale f/b 00 rail! They used to have a display cabinet tucked round the back which had such delights as a Kirdon 100001 in there, all beyond my pocket.

Hobby Supplies moved from Chiswick to Chiswick High road, near the bus works.

Mike Sheppard was the loco builder at Yourk Way as I said earlier!

The 2 shops in Chiswick were Jones Bros of Turnham Green Terrace; hobby Supplies used to be opposite Chiswick BR station but moved to near Jones Bros in chiswick high Road; there was a slo a gauge O shop along King Street towards Stamford Brook, but I don't remember ever going in there.

Another model shop still going is Patricks Toys in Fulham, been going since just after WW2. I worked there when I was at school and full time for a while! It's more of a toy shop that sells models, but still appears to be doing well.

Yes Brian Kirby worked there long after I left there, probably mid 1980's.

While I was there I managed to sell a collection of Hornby O gauge that someone gave me, that produced funds to help buy my first bus!

The first train I worked as a secondman at Rugby was a class 83 and one SR utility 4 wheel van! Not strictly a passenger train, but parcels to Crewe, with a crew of 3 and 3300hp it must have been quite an economical journey!

Worked through. IIRC they went to Rugby to fuel.

No-one seems to have noted the history of this famous shop which used to be at 14 York Way, opposite the station.

From what I remember, it was opened by Keith Dann and others in about 1966 when Keith moved his OOScale models business from Biggleswade to there. Keith used to work in the shop, along with an ebullient ex naval man, A.G.Thomas, who used to tell tales about his days in Iceland in the war.

AGThomas, known as Tommy, used to run a the Model Arcade in Exeter at some time, and for a while worked in City models in Bishopsgate.

Keith Dann was tragically killed in a car crash and after that the business was taken over by the model Railway Supply Co. Lt., known as MRAS. The shareholders of that were Peter Beeston, AMS Pickering, AG Thomas and Viscount Garnock. I started work in the shop in early 1968. Upstairs was the workshop, where simon Kelly would build coaches; Mike Sheppard and Geoff Packham built locos to order.

In the basement was the "production line" where whoever was available would make track components using a huge fly press which would make the Kings Cross track components from brass strip. This would punch out the chairs in the first and second stages, while the resulting ladder strip would be used as either signal ladder or further punches as fishplates. On the middle floor was a room where Simon would pack their pre-glued ballast.

The famous wooden coach kits were produced on the same flypress as the track, and were stamped out of wood, which was then laminated and formed to shape on a band sander. It was all very labour intensive.

There was also the etched brass nameplate range; these were etched by a firm in Biggleswade and sent to the shop for spraying. Mr Pickering would then take them home to inspect them, all a bit daft really as they would de-form as the modeller cut them to shape and the paint would fall off!

The shop was under-funded and had difficulty getting sufficient stock. I left their employ in about September 1968 and went elsewhere. the shop was eventually taken over by EAMES of Reading.

The models made by Mike and Geoff were superb; Mike made a very nice Austin Seven from brass in about 1:25 scale for a client. He later went on to produce the first patterns for my range of GS Models Bus kits and Sutherland Models buses.

Painting of locos was usually contracted to Alan Brackenborough who lived somewhere in the Cotswolds, and he done a superb job. Of course he used the kings Cross dry print transfers; he also done the artwork for those transfers.

I don't know what happened to the staff from there. I know AG Thomas died many years ago, but not before he'd written several books on private owner wagons. I last saw Geoff Packham at a wedding in about 1975, and I believe Mike sheppard went to carry on model building in Scotland. Viscount Garnock, whom I never met, went on to buy the Gret Marquess.

A couple of fascinating facts was that the York Way curve passed under the back of the shop. The shop next door was used by "ladies of ill repute"!!

Thumpers couldn't haul Siphons or any other vac braked stock as they only have air brakes!

I once worked a class 33 from Clapham Junction to West Ruislip, then to Marylebone and return, with a train of exhibition stock which had come up from Salisbury, circa 1986.

Trawling through the archives for a photograph I found this thread

 

http://www.rmweb.co....php?f=7&t=11242

 

Plenty of faces, young and old, obligatory shorts and dodgy pullovers.........oh, and some steamy things!

 

1964 seemed to be a time when we were allowed and expected to look after ourselves a little more than today, in the 3rd photo down from the top, a nipper stands between the running lines talking up to the footplate. I enjoyed these the first time round and thought they could do with another airing.

 

Doug

A good friend of mine was 2nd Leiutenant there in the mid to late 60s until the place closed. No doubt he'd have some tales to tell...

I was lucky enough to have worked on the Deltics in service as a secondman at KX from 1976 till 78. Look on the protoype discussions forum for the thread marked "fastest Deltics" to see one of my record-breaking runs actually timed by someone I thought I would never hear from again!

114mph for some considerable distance! Not bad eh?

I don't think the KESR's District Railwa y 4-wheel coach will be back in service for that event as it seems to have reverted to "chicken shed" status in the carriage works!

Some good shots there showing just how $h city the wagon fleet was! A challenge for the weathering brigade?

Note you said he tucked into YOUR cornish pasties....

Note the abundance of hi-viz in those days...

I remember talking to Cyril Freezer many years ago about the original Minories plan and asked him why the loco spur requires an additional shunt move. At Moorgate widened lines the arriving loco, when released by the train departing, had a simple move along the platform into the loco spur, then back out onto the train.

On Minories, the released loco had to go beyond the point, set back into the loco spur, then when the next train had arrive, out onto the running line and set back into the station.

Cyril's reply was to make the operation of the model more interesting!

Digressing a bit, Cyril was most impressed with my Tidmouth Junction plan, 10' x4', with double track main line, double track terminus, independent branch line, goods yard, loco yard with turntable, and a hidden loops to.. OK, it was one of the first Thomas layouts, but to work it properly, especially the terminus, took some careful thought.

Tom Cunnington of the MRC has built Minories in EM which has been at Ally Pally at least once.

Like the secondman at Kings Cross who applied for a driving vacancy, his fourth preference was surprising as he lived on the Seven Sisters Road, a couple of miles from KX. He thought he'd got a job round the corner, but then found himself travelling saarf o' the river to somewhere near Epsom Downs ....

He got made up to driver at Tottenham Corner so he thought. :scratchhead: Tattenham Corner. :locomotive: