THE STRATHSPEY IN 4MM

I think it is fair to say that the weather this year has affected our visitor numbers, although we are still getting a wide variety of people from different parts of the world.

The weather may also be to blame for some strange effects we have experienced with the model layout. As written many times before, this 00-gauge representation of Boat Station and associated aspects was built in the early 1960s before the railway was closed and the rails removed. The baseboard is a type of soft board that was very popular in those days. It is very light, easily worked on, and generally useful. However, the underneath was never sealed and is over sixty years old. We noticed that some locos were hesitating at certain points, and we found that the baseboard had distorted in places, creating dips in the tracks. Most of our locos have been generously donated, and some are quite old. The pick-up arrangements on these are often very simple and are only on two points, leading to a lifting-off effect on the dips. Later models quite often have pick-ups on all wheels and these are generally reliable.

We have now had the Heljan Park Royal Rail Bus repaired, and it runs very well. We have a Caley Single in LMS maroon and a couple of rakes of much nicer 57-foot and Mark One coaches. Both Hornby and Bachmann make coaches to a very high standard now, albeit at eye-watering retail prices, so we are very grateful for these donated items. Our Thomas fleet continues to expand, mostly purchased from eBay when they crop up at reasonable prices.

The replacement front part of the layout continues, and we have added some details found during the research. One of these details is the turntable, which we have managed to squeeze into an almost correct position just aft of the engine shed. This required a certain amount of license and a bit of juggling to make room. When complete, there will be three power sources, and it will be possible to carry out shunting operations in the yard. This brings the prospect of competitive shunting puzzles to the audience’s attention.

As for the Museum itself, articles and relics continue to turn up, including a flyer dated 1957 for the Observation Car (in its pre-modification streamlined guise) that Sue Stanworth found in a donated book, cost 3/6d! (17.5 pence). At this time, it was used between Glasgow and Oban.

Our Museum is primarily a Historical Project, so it is relevant to draw your attention to two useful books recently published by local authors:
The Steam Railway Western Scotland, by our resident expert, Graham Maxtone, Bob Avery and Dave Davidson. ISBN 978-1-913251-64-2 and Three Generations on Scotland’s Railways. A book by Ken McKee (AKA Kennedy Collection Curator), ISBN 978-0-9928247-3-0

'This is the story of grandfather, father, and son, who worked on the railway during much of the twentieth century and records the changes in the Railway over those years. It is a social history of life at that time, which spanned two world wars. It describes how each person worked their leisure pursuits and the changes they had to make to their careers. These were not people at the top of the ladder but important railway servants. Starting their railway careers at Bonnybridge, they moved about around Scotland, from Central Scotland to the West Highlands, to the Borders, and back to Central Scotland.’

Published by: Caledonian Railway Association and North British Railway Study Group. Paperback £10.00. 

- David Childs.