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What the papers said
excerpts from the railway press from the 1840s
to the 1990s
The purpose of this section of the IRS web site is to provide a glimpse of what the British railway press was saying about various issues in the past. Every month there will be a different selection of excerpts from the railway press from the 1990s to as far back as the 1840s, taken from the collections in the National Railway Museum Library here in York. Sometimes we will group the excerpts according to particular themes, but there will also be space for a more random selection of some interesting, entertaining, or just plain bizarre corners of the railway news of the past. We hope that you will find it interesting and illuminating. It's one way of finding out what has changed, and what has not, over the past century and a half of the railway press. Previous editions are now accessible through the archive page.
Next update: 1 November 2001.
October
2001
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The miniature scene:
from the pages of Model Railway News, 1925-1950
This feature is not only concerned with the full-size
railway and its periodicals; railway modelling has had a lively press of its
own in Britain since the 1920s. The first magazine solely devoted to railway
modelling was Model Railway News, which appeared in 1925, and this month
we take a look at a selection of items from its pages over its first
quarter-century.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
1945: A Model Railway News editorial asserts the importance of studying the hobby in its widest sense
1950: A Model Railway News article looks at past achievements and future prospects in railway modelling
The following General Order is hereby issued from the Superintendent's office of the Model Railway News:- 'The Editor desires to thank very sincerely all ranks of the model railway world for their messages of approval of No. 1. The good wishes contained in many letters are much appreciated and are most cordially reciprocated.'
* * *
We should like to issue another General Order to read something like this:- 'All model railways are to be inspected by their owners forthwith, and all work necessary to put them into up-to-date condition, and good running order is to be executed without delay.' There must be many model railways up and down the country which have suffered from the effects of time, or which for various reasons have been allowed to fall into disuse and possibly into bad repair. Now is the time to get busy and put them into good going order again. With some it will only be a matter of dusting, a little repainting, and perhaps some minor repairs. In other cases, a re-laying of the track, and perhaps a complete re-planning of the system is desirable. Engines and rolling-stock generally, need bringing up to date; there is new signalling to be done, and the long-thought-of bridge or tunnel to be built. So now, model railwaymen, get busy, and make your system into one of which you can be proud.
* * *
Many model railwaymen have doubtless become interested in wireless, and, in the course of their investigations of the properties of aerials, valves, and crystals, have become expert electricians. Why not electrify that clockwork model railway? The problems of loco-running and train control, of signalling, and of lighting, on an electrical model railway are very fascinating, and the advantages of control from a fixed point are very great. The model railway of the future will be the electrical railway. Steam and clockwork will always have their adherents, but the great expansion of the model railway hobby will come through the enormous interest which arises from electrical operation.
* * *
Keep your eye on OO gauge developments. There are signs that this small gauge is going to be very popular, and with several trade firms giving it their close attention, some interesting productions will be forthcoming in the near future. We think that OO gauge is going to bring a new class of model railway enthusiast into being, viz., those who have hitherto been precluded from having a complete railway for want of space, and those service men and others who have from time to time to move their quarters, and, therefore, need a system which is reasonably portable.
* * *
Have any of our readers yet experimented in model railway control by wireless? Major Raymond Phillips gave demonstrations at the 1923 Model Engineer exhibition to show that it can be done.
A correspondent sends us the following observations on what the wife thinks of her husband's model railway hobby. He does not indicate whether it is merely what he thinks she thinks, or whether she wrote it herself and dared him to send it to the Model Railway News. Anyway, here it is:-
'Many a woman looks upon her husband's hobby with a certain amount of suspicion, and when that poor, deluded creature commences to exhibit signs of mental deterioration by an attack of "Model Railwayitis" she is not only worried about but sorry for him. In the first place, it is so childish of him; fancy playing with a lot of toy trains and pretending to be a signalman or a shunter! Why, little Willie, who is only two years old, can do that and doesn't take up as much room.
'That wretched toy railway occupies the only spare room in the house which could be used so much more advantageously to store a lot of useless lumber in, and, although it is not needed for ordinary use, there is no reason why he should monopolize it. Sometimes the deluded creature, if he isn't an obstinate brute, gets talked out of his mania and switches off to become a wireless fiend. This, of course, is much more sensible from the feminine point of view, as she can sit and listen in to all sorts of things, good, bad, and mostly indifferent. But - when the wireless set is definitely finished what becomes of the poor hubby's hobby? There is nothing more to be made. He can't profitably construct more than one set for the household use, therefore he is at a loose end and quite possibly seeks recreation from home.
'Now, in going in for a model railway a man follows his natural inclination to make something. Some men have a mechanical instinct born in them; others have practically [90>] none, but no man will admit openly that he cannot "make" things if he tries. A model railway may be finished, but it is never complete. A system which has been worked out most carefully and elaborately is suddenly discovered to be lacking in a necessary shunting bay that would clear the terminus more quickly and facilitate the running of trains out and in. Up comes that section of the line and the work is forthwith carried out. This occupies every spare evening for some considerable time, and the mere wrecking of all his hard work gives him infinite pleasure as he contemplates how vast the improvement will be.
'Now, think of the advantages of your husband's hobby. It keeps him at home, expands his mind, improves his knowledge of mechanics and makes him a really useful thing to have about the house, because he is always handy and can do any running repairs without incurring the expense of getting a workman in every time a small job comes along.'
I have been a reader of the Model Railway News since No. 1, also of its two predecessors, 'Models, Railways and Locomotives' and 'Everyday Science.' All three have been published to serve the interests of Model Railway enthusiasts, but in all of them, there has appeared and constantly appears a jarring note, viz., the adverse criticism by a reader of another's model. I am writing this in the hope that it may introduce a more tolerant spirit into the Magazine and once and for all banish this rift in the lute.
Types of Locomotives
The hobby of model railways embraces so many phases. First, in my humble opinion, comes the locomotive, which has many phases. The locomotive can be steam in all its various gauges and each has its particular fascination for the enthusiast. Models are reproduced both by amateurs and professionals even from the pot-boilered 'O' gauge - even 'OO' gauge - to the 15" models as used on the Hythe and Dymchurch Railway. Each has its adherents, but why should the 2½" gauge enthusiast who successfully builds a model which will haul himself sneer at the one who has built an 'O' gauge pot-boilered one? Both have built their respective engines for their own pleasure and amusement. If a criticism is to be made of either one or the other, let it be constructive and not destructive. The pot-boilered 'O' gauger may not have either the skill or the knowledge of the 2½" [290>] gauger. The 2½" gauger, on the other hand, may have had the means of acquiring the knowledge or skill which the other has lacked. One could go on quoting reasons galore and not hit the right one.
Which track?
Then, again, there is the great bone of contention, what kind of track to use. I think everyone is agreed that small scale permanent way is undoubtedly the best track possible. How often has one seen really nasty remarks levelled at the enthusiast who has laid his railway with tinplate track? The reasons why some enthusiasts use it must be legion. They may be financial; to make the railway portable, the desire to get traffic running at the earliest possible moment, or the track itself not mattering so much as possibly some other phase of the hobby interesting the enthusiast more. Taking the question of finance, it is, after all, only within the last two years that the steel permanent way, put on the market by the manufacturers, has come anywhere near the price of tinplate rail. But that would not affect those models already equipped with tinplate track. Some models that have been laid with tinplate track are excellent and, in some cases, one cannot but admire the ingenuity displayed to disguise it and make it look more like the real article. I can just imagine the pleasure it has given, when some dodge has been used and proved successful.
Motive power
Then, again, we come to the question of motive power. Pages have been written for and against the propulsion of a steam-outlined locomotive by electricity. There, again, the enthusiast probably has his own reason, and no doubt a good one, for his ideas. For the small-sized super-detail locomotive enthusiast, it is undoubtedly the one and only method. With electric motors suitably constructed, goods engines can be made to pull heavy trains at a slow speed, expresses can be run at high speed, and both engines can be made to do all sorts of movements without the operator moving from his control centre. This, again, is another fascinating phase of the hobby. Personally I admire the skill that has achieved this successfully. But why do some condemn this? The criticism levelled is, if it is an electrically propelled model railway, why not use model locos which are copies of existing electric locomotives? If the super detail model railway engineer is a G.W.R. or L.M.S. admirer, how can he? Personally, if I went in for an electric model railway, I should plump for models such as are used in Switzerland, with overhead current feed and all, but that would be no reason for my condemning the super-detail steam outline model.
Super-detail Models
The President of the Model Railway Club, Mr. G. P. Keen, is a great enthusiast of the super-detail steam outline electric model. His engines must be legion. I, personally, cannot fathom exactly where his chief interest in model railways begins or ends. But one thing is certain, he has demonstrated the possibilities of detail in 'O' gauge, and at every exhibition I always am delighted to see his models. But what a target to be shot at! I, who am a steam '1' gauge enthusiast, could write miles of stinging criticism on his branch of the hobby, yet I would not, for the simple reason his practical demonstration of detail in 'O' gauge shows us all that if he can reproduce detail in 'O' gauge it must be possible and easier in '1' gauge. Therefore we all owe him much, although we may not see eye to eye with him in other respects.
The Merits of Clockwork
How often is the clockwork model engine condemned? The enthusiast may be miles from anywhere, where he cannot have electricity except perhaps batteries. There may be junior members of his family for whom undoubtedly the clockwork model is best and safest. Then again, the enthusiast may not be so keen on the running of trains as, say, perhaps the signalling or the scenery, or replicas of other apparatus used on railways. Some of the scenic enthusiasts are really artists in the correct sense of the word. If I had a very large shed available for my model railway, I might try my hand at it, but I would still persist in steam models for my trains. Frankly, I do not think I should have the skill for the scenic part of it, but even if I had, I certainly would not sneer at the man who runs a clockwork train through his wonderful model country.
Model Signalling
Then, again, there is the model signalling fan. At the last Model Railway Club Exhibition there were some marvellous model signals. To such an enthusiast, the railway itself may be only a necessary adjunct. That's no reason for belittling his model. Far from it. His signals will spur on others to try and remodel theirs, especially if he gives us the benefit of all the dodges he uses in reproducing his.
Model Railway Operation
The we come to the phase of trying to reproduce the evolution of actual railway practice. The adherent may only construct a station and sidings. At first glance, one might say it is not a model railway at all. Frankly, I should tire of it very soon, yet to watch one of these railways being operated, seeing the automatic coupling and uncoupling of the vehicles and the assembling of a train is most [292>] interesting, and one can generally pick up a gadget for one's own railway. Personally, it is of no interest to me at all, yet one cannot get away from the fact that the 'OO' gauge model has great possibilities. One could actually reproduce an exact replica of some portion of a railway in quite a small space. Further, if the space is available, a perfectly wonderful layout could be made.
Passenger Hauling
Then the 2½" gauger, who has a length of very often crude track in his garden, and some cars on which his own and some friends can ride, thinks his is the one and only way of really enjoying a model railway. I'm afraid I would tire of that very quickly. I might say it's not a model railway at all and the engine is a freak production. To the owner of a 2½" gauge engine the railway is the engine. In 2½" gauge it is possible to fit nearly all the gadgets of the prototype, viz., injectors, vacuum brakes, steam pumps, etc., etc. One cannot but admire the skill and patience that has been the means of producing the finished article. [...]
Be Conservative in Your Criticism
I therefore appeal to all readers before they put pen to paper to think twice. Let their criticism, if any, be constructive rather than condemn anything, let them show how a fault that strikes them can be simply and easily remedied. Do not say anything which might be hurtful about another's model, however crude and rough, etc., it may be. Remember, it has given pleasure to the constructor, who may, in time, be able to improve it in many ways.
All readers have, after all, a great common interest, and that is the very interesting mode of transport, 'The Railway Train."
In several reports on recent exhibitions, the newspapers have often given their remarks some such heading as the above. We feel this is, altogether, an unfortunate idea to disseminate among the general public who do not, as a rule, understand the real purport of our hobby; and, in protesting against the suggestion that model railway enthusiasts 'play' with - or at - trains, we would like to remark that the unfortunate use of the word 'Play' conveys a childish outlook which, as everyone interested in model railways knows, is entirely absent from the minds of enthusiasts. One of the reports we have read, goes so far as to describe a collection of models as 'over-developed nursery toys'! We appeal to all Club officers, who conduct any Press representatives round an exhibition, to do their utmost to prevent such ideas as these appearing in public newspapers. We suggest that, to-day, the Model Railway hobby is not only the basis of what is rapidly becoming a thriving industry - and, therefore, has done its bit towards relieving the terrible industrial depression which prevailed until quite recent times - but it is a highly intelligent recreation and pastime, of greater social value than many others we could name, and it is utterly devoid of any suspicion of childishness. These facts should be firmly impressed upon the minds of all newspaper representatives, in an effort to prevent our hobby being held up to worthless and unnecessary ridicule.
Each successive issue of the 'MRN' leaves me with the depressing conviction that all is ceasing to be well with our most engrossing hobby - that of constructing and operating scenic model railways. I feel there is a distinct possibility that our hobby is following that broad and easy path that so many other hobbies have followed - the path that leads to extinction!
One appreciates, of course, that the admission of such an unorthodox or radical viewpoint will raise a great many mental protests among readers of this journal (it may, however, find an unexpected number of supporters), but the author hopes that those who are caused to feel strongly by this article will hasten, with our Editor's kind permission, to correct the fallacies and remove the pessimism of one who takes a very deep and abiding interest in railways of all kinds - from the 5ft. 3in. mastodons to the 'OO' diminutives.
And now, into the fray! What are the fundamentals in general model or small-scale engineering, of which our particular hobby of designing, constructing and operating scenic model railways forms a well-defined branch? I suggest that they are derivatives of one of mankind's most fundamental instincts, the urge to create, and that in the main they might perhaps be particularised thus - a love of craftsmanship for its own sake, skill in the use of tools, and an inborn experimental outlook and love of the miniature per se. So long as model engineering can attract that type of enthusiast who possesses, or is keen to develop, these qualities, so long will it continue to develop and expand. When it ceases to do so, we can probably write 'finis.'
Progressive Branches
The main branches of model engineering today are concerned with aeroplanes, ships and railways. As regards the former, the situation appears to be very satisfactory. New designs, both of the model and of its motive power, appear with bewildering speed. Internal combustion engines are now successful in small sizes that would have been considered impossible a few years ago, and a considerable amount of small-scale aerodynamic theory and data has apparently been accumulated in the past decade. Much the same is true of ships. New hull designs and new ideas in the engine-room department are quite a commonplace, while everybody knows (the aero people best of all) what remarkable improvements have been effected in internal com-[p. 211>]bustion engines by that devoted band of speed boat enthusiasts about whom one may read in the 'Model Engineer'. Such remarkable progress can mean one thing only - that quite a number of very keen, clever and able people have been spending a great deal of time and thought on their respective branches of the main hobby. Even to read about them and their work leaves a lasting impression of aliveness, and one cannot but be happy in the conclusion that all is indeed well in the hands of such dynamic people.
And how do the railways compare with the two branches just discussed? For the efforts of the 'live-steam' loco fraternity I have nothing but admiration. The high-pressure steam loco in gauges 'O' to 3½" has probably progressed more in the last 15 years than in the previous 30 ... One can be certain that the real thing in miniature is safe in the hands of its present adherents.
The Scenic Model
I come now to the subject of this article - the scenic model railway. Memory is a notoriously fickle jade, but if mine is not at fault I have no hesitation in saying that some of the systems I saw prior to and after the war were fully the equals of anything I see described now, some 20 years afterwards. Have we therefore been standing still, while almost every other branch of model-making has been accelerating its rate of progress? It seems to me that we have, more or less, and I will attempt to analyse the contributory causes in the succeeding paragraphs.
The scenic model railway is a synthesis of three chief factors - trackwork and lineside accessories, rolling stock, and motive power. I am the first to admit that the work of our more skilled members in respect of the first two of these factors is almost above reproach, and that even twenty years ago no radical improvements in these aspects seemed possible. One has seen slight advances in the matter of finer track standards, signalling, and so on, but there have been no fundamental improvements, nor do many seem possible. The best workers seem to have reached the top, or pretty near it, and the rest can aspire to that standard with relative ease, except in those cases where lack of money inhibits development.
Where do we stand with respect to the motive power on our lines? Well, with neglible exceptions, we use electricity, clockwork, or steam - and probably in that numerical order. In the case of electricity we have seen improvements in direct current motors - better magnets and brush-gear, and more efficient gearing and transmission. We now have A.C. motors, some of which are capable of 'distant' control. We have 'controlled clockwork' units, while the latest low-pressure externally fired steam locos are a vast improvement on their predecessors. On the surface, therefore, it would seem that I can have no just cause for complaint, in the face of those examples of progress and activity. My point, however, is this - simply that all the advances and improvements I have mentioned originated in the trade; they are the result of experimental work performed by commercial firms and not by we amateurs. In other branches of model engineering our best amateurs are ahead of the trade; they show the way for the latter to follow, but we as a class are content to let the trade do the really important and progressive work for us, and to lavishly accept their standardised products. I am not decrying commercial models; the products of our better firms represent rather an amazing value for money, but I am decrying the apparent lack of the experimental attitude of mind among scenic model railwayites as a class, for I fear the result will be slow death to us.
Stagnation
How many of us ... have done anything save buy a finished chassis and parts, a ready-made blueprint, and have then been extremely proud because we were able to solder up a locomotive that ran! The whole thing has become too easy, repetitive and standardised; we are developing a herd-psychology, resting content merely to copy each other, and chiefly because - could it be that the ease of construction and operation of electric and clockwork locomotives has led us into our present complacent position?
In thus posing these questions, I am aware that many of us possess neither workshop facilities nor technical skill (though both could usually be acquired were there a will); that a number of us derive our chief pleasure from the operation rather than the construction of model railways, and so on, but my point still remains - that at least a fair proportion of us should strive to emulate the progressive sections in other branches of model engineering. Progress in any human activity usually depends upon an active, experiment-minded minority, but we do not appear at present to possess this minority. Concurrently - there can be no standing still - for inertia destroys and we must progress or finish!
Dear Sir,- As a reader of 'Models, Railways and Locomotives' since 1909, and 'M.R.N.' from its commencement, I would like to ... say a word to champion the only real power for a model railway - steam.
[Your] writers are very anxious that model railways should be true to the original and progress; why then fit an electric motor into what is supposed to be a 'steam' engine? Use these for modelling such as the Southern Electric Railway or street trams by all means; but if you are going to build a correct, true to type model of a steam loco, then let it be driven by steam, otherwise the realism is no more complete than if no power was fitted at all.
We all look at model railroading from different angles, and if the hobby is to progress we must live and let live, but there is surely no more need to exclude steam from the model railway movement than clockwork or electric. [...] [p.82>]
There can be no doubt that the building of a small-scale ('O' or '1' gauge) steam model requires a much greater degree of skill than the assembling of an electric motor and a 'steam body' on its top; and, for this reason alone the electric train is the popular model; how many builders of electric trains could lay out and build a satisfactory Walschaerts or Baker valve gear in gauge 'O'? I venture to say not many; so it follows that the steam driven model is the quality product and is in the minority, but it has, without any doubt, progressed with time. I have owned and built models from 1¼ in. to 9½in. gauge and am now building a 1¾in. gauge Pacific and a 9½in. gauge Atlantic (American) but I gave up clockwork and electric models over 25 years ago, as to me a model railway without the 'beat' of the steam engine or roar of a blower would be as incomplete as an electric railway without a third rail ... 'Steam' may not appear very often in the pages of the 'M.R.N.' but it certainly is not dead by a very long way in the model railway world.
Yours faithfully, W. L. JENNINGS.
Barry.
We sometimes receive complaints from readers who assert that when we publish descriptions and illustrations of model trees, houses, canals, locks and the like, we are over-stepping the true scope of The Model Railway News, since such items are not of any 'railway' interest. We venture to refute this idea by pointing out that such features, and many others besides, are very definitely of 'railway' interest, and most, if not all, should find a place on any model railway worthy of the name. More and more enthusiasts are beginning to realise that a model railway without its scenic features is scarcely a model railway in the true sense; its range of interest is too limited and too specialised to give it the right 'atmosphere.' Even if the owner's sole purpose is to operate traffic as nearly as possible in the manner it is operated on the full-size railways, that traffic must go somewhere, and have a real need behind the various schedules, or the whole effect is ruined.
It might be argued that the average enthusiast has no time to spend on 'unnecessary' adornments for his layout; to a certain extent, that may be true, but the scenic features we have mentioned above are really necessary, as anyone who has ever studied railway scenery can easily see for himself. However, as an indication of the truth of this, we have only to notice that the model building is becoming a regular item in trade catalogues; and we will go further, by calling attention to the fact that there is more than a likelihood of an increase in the number of firms whose sole business will be to produce and provide models of all kins of buildings and structures.
But we need not stop there. A great railway organisation includes in its constitution more individual professions and specialised trades than any other business we can think of. And, as soon as conditions permit, the list will be added to be the extension and further development of railway aviation. This must, of course, involve the establishment and maintenance of aerodromes, aeroplanes and all rest of the paraphernalia and staff required in an aviation business; which means that the future model railway of any size will scarcely be complete without its aerodrome. We know of some which have had this feature for years; and they have been illustrated in our pages.
We welcome criticism; in fact, we thrive on it. But criticism which is made without due consideration of all the aspects involved is a waste of time. Our readers may rest assured that, no matter what their own individual interests may be, we are always obliged to study our hobby in the widest possible sense, and that we do not allocate space in our pages to any subject unless we are certain that it is likely to be of interest to somebody, or that it is a means of broadening the scope of our hobby generally. A particular issue of The Model Railway News may seem to contain an undue share of space allotted to a subject that may not appear to be of purely 'railway' interest; this is due to circumstances beyond our control. But we suggest that if, at the end of the year, the twelve issues are studied as a whole, the matter is seen in its proper perspective. As the full-size railways develop and expand, so will our policy follow suit in order that the greatest of all hobbies shall not lag behind.
Twenty-five years have elapsed since the first copy of the Model Railway News appeared, being the first serious attempt made to provide the model railway fraternity with a regular national journal devoted to their needs; thus the present time seems appropriate for a short review of the progress which has been made during the intervening quarter of a century.
Without a doubt the greatest single event has been the introduction and development of 'OO' bringing, as it has done, possibilities of owning a small-scale railway to thousands of keen modellers. Other milestones worthy of recognition are the increased use of two-rail operation, automatic uncouplers, fine scale standards, a widely extended range of information in the form of literature, and the present large number of clubs and associations concerned with the hobby.
Before considering some of the things which we may expect to see during the next 25 years I should like to make a few comments on the matters I have mentioned above.
Incredible though it may seem, there are still a few diehards who do not comprehend 'OO' models, but view them as a necessary evil - in my view every scale has its advantages (and disadvantages), the choice being purely a personal matter to be decided by personal requirements. However, I do feel that many 'OO' fans today are chasing the wrong hare in trying to make a scaled down edition of a 7mm. model; not that it is impossible, but what has one got at the end of it? Merely a 'gem' which loses its lustre when viewed at 3ft. range. 'OO' models are intended to operate as part of a railway system, which could not be contrived in a larger scale; in practice, how many of them really do operate? In my view, the essentials of a first-class 'OO' model are:-
1. Perfect operation.
2. Correct external outlines.
3. Good finish.
We usually find that 'OO' models:-
1. Do not operate perfectly.
2. Have incorrect external outlines.
3. Have plenty of detail and a poor finish.
I leave it to readers to judge whether my suggestions constitute a retrograde step.
As a practical 'OO' modeller I would also like to offer the following suggestions for success in 'OO':-
(a) Not less than 25V for two-rail operation;
(b) equalising of bogies and four-wheel underframes and the restriction of springing locomotives.
Two-rail has now come to stay (so far as 'OO' is concerned); how much is due to the general adoption of two-rail by the Americans for their smaller models and how much is due to the few pioneers in this country, who persistently maintained, in the face of all opposition, that the system was not 'complicated,' cannot be determined. Never mind, we have two-rail an accepted fact, which is what matters.
Automatic couplers had a tremendous vogue in the '30s, but seem to have been somewhat neglected of late. There is no doubt that for demonstrations before the public at exhibitions they are very desirable, as the average spectator does not readily swallow the explanation that 'the real thing is coupled by hand.'
Fine scale standards are still comparatively new, thus there has not yet been sufficient time for much general, constructive work to have been done.
Twenty-five years ago the recruit to our ranks learned the hard way - trial and error; today there is a considerable library from which the newcomer is able to draw much useful information before an actual start is made, with consequent saving in expenditure of time and money. In those days, also, the clubs and associations which catered for our hobby could be counted on one hand; there is no doubt that the growth of railway modelling and the improvement in technique that have occurred are due in large part to the expansion of the club movement. It is still safe to say today that any modeller who is not a club member is working under a handicap and missing a lot of fun.
So much for a very brief review of the past; much has been done during these last 25 years, but what of the next 25? Have we arrived at a period of stagnation and slow progress? I venture to think not.
I expect to see an increasing amount of attention devoted to the 'prototype' layout; we have prototype wagon models, prototype coach models, so why not prototype layout models? Several enthusiasts are now working on these lines...
A 'scale' layout provides an incentive for 'scale' train operating, the next logical step being the installation of miniature block instruments. I know that this has been done, with much satisfaction to all concerned, but it is the exception and not the rule. I hope I shall not be misunderstood when I mention that there are model railways in existence which work splendidly and look almost real and yet are little better than toys; a knob is turned, a train is run, and that is the end of it. Even, in the case of [p. 9>] the simplest layout, the use of bells, with or without the block instruments, puts the emphasis on 'railway' instead of on 'model.' I think the general absence of such operating methods is often the basic reason for an enthusiast scrapping his line, soon after completion, in favour of a new one, because, having made it, he doesn't know what to do with it.
Another trend, which I think will develop, will be the increasing growth of what I term railway engineering; small machine tools, including lathes, are no longer the rarer possessions of past times, although when people see my workshop they often say, 'Why don't you make a steam engine?' inferring by this that such machinery as I possess is wasted in 7mm. modelling. I am not a member of that school which suggests that full size practice should be copied as slavishly as possible, but I do contend that small models should be mechanically sound, and the best way of attaining this end is through the installation of good tools and equipment. If one is to spend the rest of one's life in modelmaking (and the keen man rarely loses interest), the capital cost of good equipment spread over a period of years adds up to a very low annual outlay; in many cases it is heavily offset by the money saved which would otherwise be paid out for finished items.
I also expect to see a great increase in the percentage of fine scale modelling, particularly in gauge 'O.' By fine scale, I do not mean 'super detail' (what a ghastly term!), but the finer standards in track and wheel dimensions. Many modellers confuse fine scale with fine detail and seem to imagine that one cannot run with 29mm. between wheels unless every rivet is on the engine; this myth will disappear in time as did the two-rail 'difficulties' in the wiring of track. In the same way, the idea that fine scale standards are only for experts will eventually die a natural death; unfortunately, newcomers, naturally, do not appreciate the finer points in models for some time, during which a start has probably been made in 'coarse' scale, so that the changeover to fine scale then becomes a question of starting all over again, a course which may well deter the most enthusiastic among us.
The stud system of electrification has recently become popular and I shall be surprised if it does not eventually supersede the third-rail system, while the method of wiring, known as 'Cab Control' in America, has so many advantages that it is likely to be widely adopted over here. Were the commercial commodity, known as 'dry ice' in the U.S.A., available to us, no doubt experiments on the lines of those recently made known by the Model Railroader in connection with the propulsion of 'O' gauge locomotives would be continued over here, as there would seem to be great possibilities for realistic operating by such methods.
Since the war experiments have been carried out with auto-uncouplers worked by magnetic means, using both permanent and energised magnets; this type of uncoupler appears to offer the greatest scope for progress in the future.
These possible lines of development and progress which I have mentioned are only a few of my own personal ideas and, no doubt, all sorts of other matters of interest will receive attention from keen modellers. The point, however, is that we must progress if the hobby is to be kept alive; once the urge to 'do something that hasn't been done before' dies, we merely become a collection of copyists and the hobby dies likewise. So it behoves every modeller, however humble, to try his hardest to do something new or something better; thus we shall all benefit. Remember, when you meet an 'expert' (so called) even this great man knew nothing at the start, and even he still makes mistakes and learns to profit by them.
Compiled by Dr Ralph Harrington, Institute of Railway Studies, York.
Updated 1 October 2001