Book Review: Narrow Gauge Railways in Mid-Wales by JIC Boyd

 

Many years ago, young Phil borrowed this book, Narrow Gauge Railways in Mid-Wales, repeatedly from my local library. I've never actually read it, but that wasn't the point. Inside were plans. Lots of plans. For locomotives, carriages and wagons. 

At the time, I dreamed that I'd use these plans to make models. I didn't dream of just owning them, I was going to build them myself. 

Of course, I never did. On my garden line, the main feature was cost, or at least lack of it. I built very basic wagons that didn't look that much like those in the book. Probably the nearest I got was building a set of wagons from Saltford Models kits, and they aren't much like those on "proper" narrow-gauge railways.  

This didn't matter; those plans inspired me to have a go. I've always collected drawings and now have several boxfiles of the things. All dreams to be realised one day. 

Someone is doubtless wondering why if I love plans so much, they aren't a bigger feature in modern magazines.  The first, is simple. No mag can afford to pay what drawing a plan up should cost. Look at each of these. Measuring up a wagon and then creating a drawing is a couple of days work. A couple of days which should be paid at a skilled rate. There are over two weeks in the photo above. 

The other reason is a bit sadder - I might look at these and dream of building a model, most people look at them and dream of buying RTR. Nothing wrong with that, but the only person who needs a plan is the one sat in front of a computer full of CAD. I did once ask someone if he'd be out with the tin snips if we published a plan for a Duchess, "Oh yes", he said. I was not convinced. Nowadays, a plan would be pored over, but only so people could find errors, real or imaginary, and pronounce on them online. 

Anyway, back to the book. I've occasionally looked at copies, but the other day, one popped up on Instagram being sold by Oxfam. The price was good, as is the cause. A couple of days later it was in my hand. 

Perhaps I'll get around to reading it now!