I might have been messing around with garden railways since the 1980s, but not properly messing around. Not like those time-served members of the large-scale modelling community. They can bandy around old product names in a way I can't - I wasn't there.
For a start, I did garden railways because they were cheap. I could mess around with plastic wheels, bits of wood and card, and the results were fun, if not particually good. I wasn't a member of the 16mm Asscocation, no cash for that. This was an era (for me) when one of those lovely cheap Slatford Models kits was a big Christmas present rather then something my minimal pocket-money could streatch to.
Anyway, I need to improve my education, and spotting this attractive catalogue on eBay, I snapped it up. At the time, Brandbright were pretty much a one-stop-shop for garden railway stuff.
We kick off with steam locos - Roundhouse (several pages), Maxwell Hemmens, Finescale, Pearse, Wrightscale, Mike Chaney, Merlin, Steamlines, Shawe Steam Services. Then battery powered diesels - Friog, Writescale, Brandbright and on to two-rail - Greenland Models, RSSB, Bachmann, Brandbright railcar kits. All desirable, and there are several I'll be looking out for on the second-hand market.
Rolling stock - many pages. And components. So many things you can buy to decorate your model. I'm sure this is where the chimney and dome for Ben came from. In fact, the MDC signs are looking familair too. Did I have a copy of this many years ago, and have forgotten?
Of course, pretty much everything in this catalogue is still availabe. In fact there is far more support to modellers now. OK, some of the steam locos are now "vintage", and only seen on the heritage stand at shows, but the pictures are pretty.
Oh, and there's a suplement, with even more good things.
I've always fancied a Cricket, ever since I saw one running in a YouTube video. Do you think if I sent them a cheque, I could pretent my order got lost in the post?
Like a lot of old catalogues, this one is a wonderful, nostaligic read. No photos, only attrative line drawings, and a lot of them, for illustration, it's of its era, and that's the best thing.
What's your favourite catalogue for browsing?
4 comments:
My favourite catalogues have always been the Saltford Models ones. I still have all of mine, and still flick through them. I like the range, the illustrations, the way the catalogue is home produced and a bit of nostalgia for a time when modelling was just that, if you wanted a narrow gauge loco in 009 or a 16mm diesel then you built it.
I only have one Satlford catalogue - but would love to add to the collection. Lovely illustrations that sum up quirky narrow gauge.
The W&H catalogue was my 'go to' railway modelling bible back in the 1970's. I still have a shufty through it for old times sake now and again, still wishing I had a bottomless purse for all those wonderful whitemetal loco and wagon kits!
I to love and use my old W&H catalogues for reference for when I come back from toy fairs with goodies so can 1 find out what ever I have bought ! 2 find out what it is supposed to be. 3 who. Made it and what the catalogue No is so when I put it in to my little book I carry to the shows so I don’t buy to many, by which I mean like Keyser GWR bogie siphons which the GWR had only six, and I have six finished and one unbuilt kit because it was to cheep to resist so it doesn’t always work,
Graham
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