The Wrightscale signal kit

We look forward to seeing friends old and new at the Garden Railway Show in Peterborough on April 6^th.

Thanks to our new white-metal caster - Sarum Castings - we should have some signal kits in stock. Every enthusiast’s line should have a few of these semaphore signals, lending character and authenticity. Such signals have always had line-side appeal but they are genuinely important aspects of railway working.

Every branch-line needs one! Wrightscale 16mm Mckenzie and Holland home signal

As railways spread, ‘line of sight working’ became obsolete and dangerous. Yes! we all know and love that scene in ‘The Railway Children’ where Jenny Agutter and the others wave red flannel petticoats to stop a train, but, alas, Jenny Agutter isn’t always available! To warn and control traffic, semaphore signals were introduced in the early 1840s. The message each signal sent could be seen both by day and night; the message sent by the signal arm was automatically reinforced by its companion, the signal light. Highly visual and practical, they were soon adopted everywhere. Mckenzie and Holland introduced the version shown in the 1880s. Many lingered on branch-lines for years.

Each semaphore signal arm consists of a blade, usually painted red on the business side to render it more conspicuous and striped to provide contrast. The second vital component is a 'spectacle' holding coloured lenses. A quick look at the drawing below shows why it was called a spectacle! For a simple Home signal, the spectacle colours would be red and green. In early days, when the lamp was lit by oil, emitting a warm yellow hue, the lens in the spectacle would be blue; if a green lens was used, the overall effect would be too yellow, therefore confusing. Depending on the position of the arm, the appropriate coloured lens covers the lamp indicating red for stop, yellow for caution, green for clear.

Signal blade and two-colour spectacle on Wrightscale 16mm signal kit

 On modern railways, the semaphore signal has largely been replaced by electric or by radio signalling in the driver’s cab. Thus the picturesque semaphore is rarely seen these days..

In my experience of railways in the Sixties, control was never provided elecrically. Passing tokens were used on the Deeside Line which ran up to Ballater, Aberdeenshire. Apart from the short trip between Aberdeen Joint Station and Ferryhill, the railway was a simple branch-line with passing loops. Passengers would try and sit on the side of ‘The Sputnik’ with a view of the station. If we were lucky, we’d draw up alongside the Sputnik’s waiting twin (actually a diesel-driven Craven two-car unit) and see the token passing from one to the other. Ah! Happy days, ruined by Dr Beeching! The line closed in early 1966. The Sputnik, a.k.a. battery railcar, still exists at Crathes, on a short length of the original Deeside Line which has been reopened as a tourist railway.

For Malcolm, the fondest memory is of semaphore signals, such as the one used on the Festiniog Railway. Almost the first model he made was a Home Signal. He chose a Mckenzie and Holland prototype – many were found in the LNER region, strong in his home town, and also the ‘classic’ signal on the Festiniog Line. These Mckenzie and Holland are ‘lower quadrant’ signals – the business is done between the nine o’clock and six o’clock positions. Bernard Wright and J.H. Wright (no relation) produced a series of articles in Model Railways magazine 1988, which were helpful.

Lamp and ladder on 16mm Wrightscale signal kit

16mm is an unforgiving scale. Metal should be represented by metal, wood by wood and so on, so all the kits require components in white metal, wood, wire, gel in at least two colours and so on. The signals can be electrified so even more components can be needed. The lenses (supplied) are made of red or green gel; a modern LED or grain-of-wheat bulb doesn’t have the yellowish hue of the original oil lamp.

The shoe at the base and the lower end of the connecting rod; Wrightscale 16mm signal kit

As well as signal blade and spectacle, the vital components are post, ladder and rail, lamp, balance and bearing plate. On railways such as the old Southern, signal posts could be improvised from old lengths of rail. Mckenzie and Holland preferred wood. This was crowned with a finial, not just for aesthetic reasons but also to protect the top of the post from the elements. The post was slipped into a metal shoe to help protect the wood from the damp ground. The balance and bearing plate ensure a smooth arc of movement. The ladder and crow’s nest made it possible for the lamp to be serviced. Brackets reinforced load-bearing parts. The rod made it possible to control the signal…. You knew all this anyway!

The view of the signal as it recedes into the distance. Made from a 16mm Wrightscale kit

Malcolm did produce a bracket signal and offer a number of options – long and short finials, spectacles ancient and modern and so on. Unfortunately, as any supplier knows, the customer will always ask for a short finial when there is only a long finial in stock or new-style spectacles when the only ones available are old-style. We’ll have to let you know what our caster can come up with in time for the Show.

Wren and friends

Thank you to all our customers who buy a Wren, or, come to think of it, other 16mm models on the market.

16mm model Kerr Stuart Wren 0-4-0 built by Malcolm Wright

Do not listen (too much) to puritanical folk who look with disgust at homes and workshops with overflowing shelves. They regard books and 16mm models as mess. Their advice goes this way: ‘If you haven’t read it, why keep it? If you have read it, why keep it? Throw it away! ’

Much the same would apply to models and layouts. Miniature locomotives are particularly disliked by those obsessed by tidiness. ‘If it spends its life on a shelf, throw it out. If it is well-worn and dirty, throw it out!’ It is true that an enthusiast’s house is rarely a tidy house.

But is this a bad thing? Control-freakery tips over into madness. Mild obsession speaks of a sad failure to come to terms with a relentless and insecure existence.

Wrens in progress. The Wrightscale workshop is a place of much activity.

One of life’s great pleasures is meaningful clutter. We are curious creatures, and a happy person is one who can have several interests. Such a one loves to come back to half-forgotten favourites, to enjoy that little spark of rediscovery. Clutter tells a personal story. There is no substitute for the object to which happy memories already belong or which mark the place where we are going next.

A locomotive is a three dimensional symbol of something we used to know or would like to know. Yes, the Wren is a summary of a vanished way of life. At one time, before tracked vehicles, the Wren could move across a remote landscape on flimsy rails. Before heavy-duty internal combustion, the only way to move mountains was one tipper wagon at a time.

A model wagon could be a token of a railway we intend to create, big with promise of landscaping and time-tabling. Its presence brings subliminal joy and momentrs of expectation.

The envelope of things can send out important messages. It can make or break relationships. In the popular book ‘The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society’ a promising romance ends abruptly. The guy who throws out his fiancée’s dog-eared books, genuinely thinking that his sporting trophies are preferable, simply has to GO. In like manner, in our society where we have the privilege of possessions, possessions help to shape us and signal our character to others.

More is more. 16mm model 'Wrens' under construction in the Wrightscale workshop

In contrast, the perfectly tidy house is best for Instagram or for furnished accommodation. The only items permitted in such an establishment (apart from two sets of clothing) are those possessions which can justify their existence in a snappy sound-bite. If the obsessive goes visiting, he/she will find much to offend. To the question ‘Does this spark joy?’ the answer might well be ‘Yes, but you won’t stick around long enough to hear why. You would risk learning too much about me’ In short if this acquaintance can’t stand the clutter, is the relationship worth pursuing? If an acquaintance can’t see the clutter for the mess, can she/he really get to like me?

Reducing mess is important, naturally, or ere long, the doors and windows of existence would disappear.

By happy accident, we came upon the prototype Dolbadarn 0-4-0 Quarry Hunslet in her native habitat of north Wales. Photo MD Wright

A completely tidy house could also be the sign of a tourist, a more human type than the obsessive, but one who is in danger of missing out. A tourist takes a guided tour through life. No stop is without purpose. Every route is taken as efficiently as possible. No time is wasted in this regimented ‘free’ time. If such a person were to be a modeller, virtual tours of computer-generated railways would be the hobby of choice.

The obsessive type does have possessions, but only strictly ordered ones. There might be nothing in the house but Great Western Railway locomotives, wagons and scenery. The topics covered by the books on the shelves would be likewise limited. Or the offer may be restricted to every model turned out by a particular manufacturer. Visiting friends may wonder what insecurity is signalled by these strict limits to a person's interests.

16mm model of 0-4-0 Quarry Hunslet, inspired by the meeting with the real thing. Model built by MD Wright

The sweet spot, when it comes to possessions, is the attitude of the flaneur. In dictionaries for children and students, this useful French word is usually translated as dawdler or idler. The synonym is given as paresseux – lazy.

The grown-up French take a more relaxed view. Every town used to have its café des flaneurs. This does not mean that service is slow and the catering sloppy. It meant that clients come for jolly parties, friends come for a ‘catch-up’ and others just for a spot of people-watching. These are not travels to a particular end. This is just enjoying the journey.

The flaneur has been better described than I can by NN Taleb – who gave us the ideas of ‘black swan’ and ‘anti-fragile.’ The flaneur realises that we don’t know exactly where we are going nor can we articulate in detail the script we are born to act out. The flaneur should have a plan but is humble, and rational, enough to keep modifying it. The flaneur realises that others, too, change their plans if they are sensible. The flaneur keeps options open and respects that in others.

Fun with a trusted mate. Photo of restored prototype WD Baldwin 4-6-0 courtesy of Jim Hawkesworth

The flaneur might seem an opportunistic beast but the true flaneur is intuitive. Intuition – the knowledge we don’t know we know (sorry Mr Rumsfeld) – is actually rather moral. Playing fair with fair folk is the best of life investments. The flaneur is wise enough to know who to invest in.

The flaneur is more likely to be found outdoors. I’m not sentimental about nature. Nature can be cruel, unpredictable, rough and destructive. The ability to cope with nature requires a blend of resilience, humour, ingenuity, empathy and solidarity.

16mm model of a WD Baldwin 4-6-0 built by Wrightscale. It is travelling over a bridge which has to be constantly remade because of the weather. Photo MD Wright

There is something fine about a group of ‘16 millers’ or the members of the Scottish Model Engineering Trust, SMET, spending an afternoon together. One group gathers around a garden railway. The others get together on a purpose-built line on a hill above Methven.

One sign that this is a group of flaneurs sharing a happy occasion is the presence of ‘plus-ones’ The group is mixed. The ‘plus-ones’ will have their own little ‘catch-up’. Another good sign is trust. It is a few years since someone tried to use the 16mm society members’ list for Multi-Level-Marketing. The reaction showed that this behaviour could not be tolerated. The other good sign is the presence of a repair shop. When something breaks, it is mended. Fellow enthusiasts offer help rather than starting a blame game.

16mm Wrightscale WD bogie wagon kit using a D-wagon body provided by a fellow manufacturer. We try to cooperate and complement other manufacturers. Photo MD Wright

You will see that Wrightscale and all who sail in her belong to the class of flaneurs. The first sign is our guaranteed lifetime support for our products. We undertake repairs, whether the locomotive was recently purchased or not. We trust our supporters to treat our locomotives and kits with respect. Often we don’t charge for the repair; often the customer insists on paying!  

The Wrightscale catalogue has never been completely tidy. Yes, the rolling stock on offer reflects the history of World War One trench transport. The Péchot  system was developed for the French Army. From it sprang the highly significant French artillerie 88 and German feldbahn , introduced 1888 to 1900. Wrightscale 16mm Péchot wagons and crane reflect part of this story. The British War Department Light Railways were introduced during the War itself. But, we admit, our offer, WD bogie and bolster kits, does not reflect the whole WD story. Colleagues developed 16mm scale WD wagons, so we did not tread on their toes.

This atmospheric shot of a prototype WD wagon was taken at Amberley Quarry. We came, we saw, we created. Photo by MD Wright

The locomotives represent a history of interest. We fixed on our first model locomotive, the 0-4-0 Wren because one was operating on the 2’ gauge railway at Leighton Buzzard. We visited Wales and Malcolm created the Hunslet Quarry locomotive.

We worked backwards to the WD wagons as so often they appeared on preserved railways. Working backwards from WD, we arrived at Péchot, a fascinating story behind wonderful prototypes.

Then we worked forwards. War surplus WD wagons and the WD Baldwin 4-6-0 were used at Ashover and the Lynton and Barnstaple Light Railway. Before he knew it, Malcolm was designing the Bagnall Excelsior.  The byways of 2’ narrow gauge led to the Kerr Stuart Tattoo and Corris version. We have brought out slate wagons. We have been to India, in spirit at least, and returned with the Maharajah’s coach, as it ran on the Gwalior Light Railway.

16mm model of the Maharaja's private coach, Gwalior Light Railway, India. The prototype was adapted for shade and coolness. Created by MD Wright

Long may the wanderings continue.