We were sorry to learn of the death of Mr Dowd, another
great character of the 16mm scale world. Among many people who remember him
with affection – Peter was a generous host and prolific writer - we pass on our
condolences to his family. His Ruby Mine garden railway layout was known to
many and I mention it below.
Thank you to all friends of Wrightscale – those who have
liked our products and who share our interest in historic 2’ and 60cm gauge
railways. I’d like to wonder aloud, ‘Why do we share this passion?’ and then
wonder where this shared passion has taken us all over the years.
So, firstly, here is a little about our interest. As you perhaps
know, the story of 2’ gauge goes back to the early Festiniog, then crosses the
Channel to France.
From 1874, Paul Decauville was experimenting with narrow gauge portable
railways – and took an interest in developments in Wales.
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| The Welsh slate quarries were where many of the ideas behind military narrow gauge were first conceived. This layout features a Wrightscale Hunslet 0-4-0. Photo MD Wright |
An officer in the French Artillery, Prosper Péchot, combined
the Decauville and Welsh ideas and added a sprinkling of genius. He came up
with portable railways which combined the impossible. As they say ‘If it’s
difficult we do it. The impossible takes a little longer’ The Péchot system
which he devised could be laid in a matter of days yet convey serious tonnages
at surprising speed. A laden locomotive could travel at 12 k.p.h. at a time
when horse and cart could only manage walking pace. Even better, it did not
need feeding and resting.
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| The Péchot wagon could carry 10 tonnes of freight on track that would have been at home on a Welsh quarry. Thanks to its bogies and innovatiove suspension,, it could manage tight bends. Wrightscale model |
A measure of the merit of an idea is how long it takes to
copy. The Germans rapidly took up his ideas and developed their own Feldbahn
system, a splendid amalgam of industrial espionage and original thinking. Furthermore,
they invested heavily, which, until 1914, the French were reluctant to do.
Other countries were obliged to follow suit. By 1916, the British had ordered
1000 miles of 60cm gauge track, a truly British mixture of metric and Imperial
measurements.
After 1918, these vast networks, totalling six to seven
thousand kilometres, were gradually dismantled and stock sold off. Many examples
survived through the 20th century, but gradually, the vast network
of 60cm gauge that existed in 1918 was forgotten by all but a few enthusiasts.
Gradually the part that 60 cm railways played has become
recognised and relics have become treasures. Amazingly, the French Army hung on
to some of the Péchot system until the late 1990s. These survivors have
recently found a place in preserved railways and excited much interest. After
years in the wilderness, the prototype is gathering enthusiasts.
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| Examples such as this Péchot wagon are begionning to be seen on preserved railways. Although well over 100 years old, it is in comparatively good condition. Taken at Apedale by MD Wright |
Models reflecting bygone days are also beginning to attract
interest. While of course there will always be a place for freelance models, there
is a joy and challenge to creating a creating a prototype, or partly
prototypical, railway.
The layouts that give the most pleasure, ie attract people
back again and again, are the probable impossible. So perhaps not a dead-scale
model of York Station, but one which could have existed even though it didn't.
We come back to Peter Dowd, mentioned above. He wanted more
than just a freelance layout round which he and friends could run their
locomotives. He created for it a story, a 2’ gauge Burmese ruby mine that never
was, but should have been. Ancient Burma
(now Myanmar)
was the source of this ‘Lord of the Stones.’ The ruby is a form of corundum, as
is the sapphire. Because of the way that ruby crystals form, corundum with a
trace of chromium, large deep-crimson specimens are rare, consequently very
valuable. The finest of all rubies, certainly up to the mid-twentieth century,
came from northern Burma,
hence the story created by Peter Dowd.
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| Tattoo emerging from the jungle? Wrightscale model photographed by David Provan |
The working of this fictitious ruby mine generated a volume
of spoil which had to be removed from the workings. A Kerr Stuart Tattoo,
developed in the early 20th century could do the job. This was a locomotive
which combined a neat wheelbase with considerable power and endurance, unlikely
to fail on a slope with a train of spoil-wagons behind it … The management of
the 1/19th scale mine therefore ordered a Wrightscale Tattoo.
In a similar way, Malcolm’s own layout has a story. It is a
quarry railway set on a forested hillside in the Britain of the late Twenties. Much
of the stock, such as the WD wagons, is War Surplus. Other wagons are
home-made. Even the bridge has a history, built from a dismantled military viaduct.
Somewhere off-scene, the system has a link to standard gauge; locomotives from
elsewhere, some to a freelance design, appear on visits.
The greatest pleasure of railway modelling is an educated imagination
- combined with art and ingenuity.
How do Wrightscale products add to this pleasure?
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| The Wren is a dainty locomotive. Wrightscale16mm model. |
These days, it is possible to buy locomotives which aspire
to be Wrightscale. If you want a
rapid-prototyped Quarry Hunslet, it can be had, in all its resin and plastic
glory. If you want a Wren in 7/8 “ scale, there is one available. If you want
an unashamed rip-off, there is the WD Baldwin 4-6-0 reverse-engineered from one
of our models. The castings are exquisite – so they should be – but they have a
tiresome habit of not holding together properly. The rip-off artists forgot (or
couldn’t be bothered anyway) that when a casting is taken from a casting, it
shrinks a little.
As there are imitations and similar models out here, is
there any joy for our customers who have paid a little more for the genuine
article?
The first advantage in buying Wrightscale is that the
imitators have bestowed on your original the sincerest form of flattery. They
recognised that its design is a powerful blend of art and practical ability.
Making a working steam model is far more than shrinking an original, any more
than a healthy baby is a miniature adult.
With a ive steam engine, some working parts cannot be shrunk as much as
others. Some colours have to be modified. Yet the overall impression, whether
model or prototype, has to remain the same. Only an artist can supply the mix
of art and science needed to create a model which is also a working steam
locomotive. Interestingly, electric locos are more amenable to being shrunken
versions of the prototype – all steam parts are just dummies. Yet a certain
charm can be lost.
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| You could run an overscale Wren on your track. You could have a resin and electric loco. Or you could have the genuine article. Wrightscale 16mm scale Wren and Tattoo |
Secondly, you won’t lose money – far from it. You can pay
quite a lot for a ‘me-too’ locomotive, as much as the Wrightscale you bought.
The over scale Kerr Stuart Wren is advertised in the latest Sixteen Millimetre Today at
£1650 or so, and these prices rise every year. Genuine Wrightscale products don’t lose
value. You are in fact buying from a Studio – as recognised by Federal U.S.
Law. As with any work of art, second hand prices steadily increase. You are
getting a signature as well as a product. Thank you all for your confidence.
The third advantage you enjoy is very subtle. You have
joined us on our journey, from the first excitement of viewing a prototype to
having it run on your layout. Like us, you have experienced a piece of history.
Every prototype has character and there are reasons: history, geography,
economics and personalities which explain why it ended up the way it did.
So, for example, the unique Péchot wagon owes its existence,
not just to the French will to win the next war in Germany, but also to the remarkable
personality of Prosper Péchot.
The Kerr Stuart Tattoo 0-4-2 has its own story. It offered
more power and endurance than its little sister the Wren. At the same time, the
Tattoo and Wren share many family characteristics. The Wrightscale Tattoo has
about 50% more running time than the Wren yet because of its 0-4-2 wheel-base,
it could still be used on lightly engineered track. The prototype could tackle
tight bends; the model will tackle curves down to 3’ radius. Whereas the
typical Wren was used to pull skips, the Corris Railway Tattoo (no 4) was designed
to assure a public service. As a contractor’s cab, it reached places that the
Wren couldn’t. Customers consider all the characteristics carefully before
making their choice – just as the management of the prototype railways would
have done!
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| Is this a Works Photo or a 16mm Wrightscale Tattoo? You decide |
Obviously, there is a place for freelance, semi-prototypical
and museum quality models. The Garden Gauge community welcome them all.
