Dunkum Dunnies

 

Time for a little research. I bought this book over a decade ago from a small bookstore near the beach in Adelaide. Can you think of anything more Australian that isn't a cliche? 

All I really learn, is that "dunnies" come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Corrugated iron seems to be a popular feature, but then it is across the country. I worry that it would get a little bit toastie in a toilet made of wiggly tin in the outback sun, but I guess you get used to it if this is the only option!

The authors certainly found plenty of variety!

According to Google's AI overview: 

"Dinkum Dunnies is a classic Australian non-fiction book by Douglass Baglin (photographer) and Barbara Mullins (writer/collaborator) that explores and documents the history, culture, and unique character of traditional outdoor toilets (dunnies) across Australia through beautiful photography and text. Published around 1980, it's a nostalgic look at rural life, featuring stunning pictures of flora, fauna, and the outhouses themselves, making it a beloved collector's item for Australian history and photography enthusiasts."

Not bad, but the first edition came out in 1971, and the fifth (which I have) appeared in 1974. A popular book! 

Book Review: Between the lines. My Life at Hornby by Simon Kohler

OK, this is an interesting one to review. Obviously, I know Simon, and have done for many years. When he left Hornby for the second time, I nagged him to write this book. I'm interested in the history of model railways, and no one has been at the centre of things for a longer period, than Simon. With that in mind, as soon as it came out, I paid my £34.99 for a copy. 

TLDR: It's a good read, and if you are like me, very interesting. 

The book traces Simon's working career from his earliest days at The Model Shop, in Northampton, through H&M and then the many, many years at Hornby. Over this period, the hobby changes quite dramatically. 

However, the single overriding question I think most people will take out of this is: How is Hornby still in business?  

Simon charts the various changes behind the scenes, both in management, and more importantly, in attitude to the hobby. We have the firm focusing its efforts away from their core activities of model railways and slot racing, to toys, and souvenir items, almost at random, and certainly with little understanding of the market at times.  

Now, this is one person's view, and it's only natural that if you write a book like this, you portray yourself as the hero, and to be fair, there are many times when Simon admits he made mistakes, or simply didn't speak up to try and stop others making them. That said, I've known him a long while, and also some of the other personalities involved, and it's, as far as I can tell, a pretty fair account. 

One of the most interesting areas is the move of manufacturing to China. We tend to think that this was purely based on keeping costs down, but it was heavily driven by a desire to produce models with high-levels of accuracy and detail. We couldn't do this in the UK, often as much due to attitude as ability. This ties in with Jason Shron, of Rapido Trains comments when considering moving manufacturing to Canada. Only the Chinese have the ability to produce the quality that modellers now demand. 

There are certainly plenty of interesting stories along the way. One of them saw me present Simon with a 3DS system to talk about at the NEC. This was classic Hornby management devising something that is a bit rubbish - and thinking it would be a major part of the company's output. At the time, they felt threatened by computer games, but the result didn't set the world alight. 

At 336 pages, this is a pretty big read, and it took me quite a while to go through. As I say, I found it interesting and enlightening. Some of the activities that caused Simon to leave for the first time are well-remembered by those of us trying to keep a lid on ranting modellers determined that Hornby was evil. Finding out exactly who was to blame wasn't a surprise...

If I have a complaint, it's that the later stages of Simon's career, mainly the second stint at the firm, feel a little rushed. I could have happily read another 30 pages to allow the story to breathe a little. Of course, there is the TT:120 book covering this, so that will have extracted a chunk of story. I wonder if it's too close at the moment, and while people mentioned in earlier parts of the text are long gone, those from the recent past are still around, so discretion plays a part. 

Whatever, as I'd hoped this does cover a lot of ground. If you want to know how the model railway business has evolved, that alone makes this worth a read. I could also see it being interesting to those interested in business generally. Hornby has never been afraid to try things, and some simply sink without trace. 

Which brings me to the biggest issue. Having read this, I know some of the items that didn't sell - and now I want to add them to my collection, along with the 3DS. A velodrome to start with, and then a Hornby livery HST. The last one was a surprise to me. Just proving that all the experience in the world doesn't mean you get all your guesses right! 

Book Review: Squirrels nuts and flying rivets by Brian Trevis

This book was lodged on top of the children's section of Buckingham Railway Museum's mahoosive second-hand shop, probably because of the image on the front. I picked it up out of curiosity, and quickly realised that it wasn't a heavy engineering publication, but not for kids either. 

The text follows the revival of a Foden C-type steam lorry, by Richard Vincent, as told by his friend, Brian Trevis. 

Revival seems an odd word. Basically, Richard bought a tatty boiler, and scratchbuilt a Foden steam lorry around it. Quite how much of the original survives is open to debate I think. OK, some of the bits are original, from other wagons, but this is (to me) a new build. And a really good one. 

At 90 pages, it's not a long read, but the text flows well, and you can race over those technical details, or terms you don't understand, just enjoying the antics of Richard and his mates. The project is taken from inception, to completion, with several trips out with the lorry. 

I was gobsmacked that anyone, let alone an individual, can do this sort of thing.  The amount of work required, whilst also running a business, is incredible. The knowledge required, astounding. OK, he recruits several helpers along the way, but even so, this is am amazing achievement. 

For proper engineers, this is far too light a read. Someone like me, with a passing interest, can peer through the window, at a world we can't imagine being part of. And that is a great success. It's quite funny too. 

Squirrels nuts and flying rivets on Amazon 

 

Book Review: Hornby TT:120. One size fits all by Simon Kohler

 

Launching a new model railway scale in the UK is a rare event. The last time I remember it happening was for T gauge. So, the appearance of TT:120 as a RTR scale is certainly worth a look. 

I should mention that I have a bit of background knowledge. I've known, and even occasionally worked with Simon, for many years. The idea he wanted to bring back TT was no surprise. I prodded him a few times in the years before it actually happened, to see if I could get a reaction, and he'd never admit anything. But we knew it was coming. 

The book covers a lot of the details behind the attempts to get the scale off the ground, and the trials and tribulations once the project had been given the green light by management. Some of these I learned about subsequently, others were new to me. Hardly surprising, this was a top-secret project. 

 With the benefit of hindsight, we can see that the launch was a success. TT:120 has attracted a mostly new audience of social media-savvy people. People who make a lot of noise! In this respect, the parts of the book covering Simon having to be schooled in modern advertising by Montanna are quite fun. I remember him telling me many years ago that "likes" didn't pay the bills!

Towards the end, there is mention of problems people had with the track. Apparently, when handed a new piece, Simon automatically twists it to release any tensions built up in the moulding process - a new idea to me, and to everyone else it seems, as this became a real issue for the company. This is the downside of the social media world, people rush to claim hardship, because bad news sells, and generates plenty of hits on their channel. 

The book is an easy read - Take it to a sunlounger and you'll finish it in a single session, and enjoy it. There is a lot of background here, and to my knowledge, very little edited out. I suspect that a couple of bits may have been toned down slightly, but that's to be expected. I bet there were occasions in meetings where the language wouldn't have been suitable for a family audience!

Well worth a read if you can get your paws on a copy. I'm told the first run has sold out, so we better hope for a second.  

7mm Narrow Gauge Association book haul

 

It's no good. I can't resist a second-hand stall. At the 7mm NG event, I was good enough not to aquire more projects, but the book box called to me. Well, it's for a good cause. 

Anyway, I skip the big fat hardbacks generally. Either I've already got a copy, or can't justify getting rid of something already in the library to free up space. More to the point, you see the big books all the time. Little pamphlets though - they tend to come and go, never to be seen again. 

And these were cheap, mostly 50p each. Bargain!

A quick list: 

Shire Album 167 - Steamboats. A nice potted history of the steamboat, with some interesting pictures including a few Puffers. Lots of river launches, a type of boat I always think looks so elegant. My dad built one years ago, and in the stash, are bits for at least one more. 

The Groudle Glen Railway, Its history and restoration. From 1993 I think, I already have a copy somewhere, and it has been superseeded by the much fuller, hardback history, but a spare copy is always handy. 

Amberley Chalk Pits Museum guide and stock list. A first edition from 1987 no less - and it's got a picture of "Polar Bear" on the front cover, so of course I was going to buy it. While the text shows its typewriter origins, the photos inside are nicely reproduced, and cover just my sort of prototypes. 

Climax Patent Geared Locomotive reproduction catalogue "L". Interesting stuff with lots of geared loco pictures, including versions with an all-over cab I've not seen before. 

Vale of Rheidol Railway guide. I don't know why, but I keep aquiring VoR stuff. Anything with big narrow gauge steam locos in matt BR blue appeals to me. It's many years since I visited, time to go back I think. 

On the Trail of the Titfield Thunderbot by Simon Castens. This pamphlet, published in 2000, has long been replaced by the authors superb hardback book on the subject, but there are some interesting pictures, and it's a far more potted history, and very handy. I'm not saying I have a project in my head, but if I did, this would be what I'd take to shows. 

The Wainwright P Tanks by Klaus Marx. I've just bought a P Class, and have a couple of kit built versions as well, and this book has some interesting photos. Even if I ignore the locos, the backgrounds are facinating. The only questions, is do I have this already? 

Glyn Valley Goods 16mm scale drawings by Vernard Rockett. Another that I might have somewhere, but as it's a superb collection of drawings, I wasn't going to take the risk. 

Train Shed Cyclopedia No.9. War and Standard Locomotives and cars (1919). This one isn't for me, I'll be passing it on to my make Chris "Overlord" Mead as he's into this wartime stuff. Probably a bit early for him, but I know he'll enjoy it, or know someone who will. Chock full of plans and photos, so a useful resource. 

Transport Age 20. Published in 1962, this is an internal publication from the days when railways looked to the future with optimism. Full of stuff most people don't care about, such as an article on the telephone and teleprinter services the railwasy used, and transit for the Woolworth empire in the UK. Lovely picture on the cover too. 

Is this all rubbish? Is it just me who can't resist the leaflet boxes?

Book review: The Ian Allan book of Model Railways

 

Picture the scene. It's 1960. Sitting around the Christmas tree, Ian opens his present from Bill, Maureen and Hugh to find an inscribed copy of Ian Allan's Model Railway book. Apparently, there has long been a need for a book about the subject that can be understood by younger enthusiasts, and according the author, this is it. 

It's an odd book. The text is light and breezy, but there are technical details to be found. Sometimes it gets very prescriptive - the third of a page warning against the use of hardboard for baseboards is very stern. 

Providing an overview is complicated by this being the era where two and three rail were vying for domiance. Many of the models from one manufacturer were incompatible with those from others. We still have to briefly discuss methods of propulsion, because some will want to use clockwork. 

After a while things settle down, and we look at locations for storing a layout, and have some interesting takes on baseboard construction. Of necessity, this is all a bit brief, although I like the idea of building the model in effectivly an upturned tray. 

Scenery takes up a good number of pages, but you have to pay attention as it's a whistle-stop tour. When it comes to buildings, Builtezee are mentions, as well as Airfix (not forgetting to put the windows inside the model, and add sills to the outside) and some new guys called Superquick. The author is very impressed by these, althoug he seems very impressed with lots of things. 

Wiring only gets three pages, including one full of sketchy diagrams, which seems a bit odd as I can see that this new-fangled two rail stuff would be confusing to many people. It's especially odd, and narrow guage modelling qualifies for five pages!

The other odd thing is that the book doesn't really finish. The text just stops at the end of the NG chapter. No conclusion or wrap-up as you'd expect today. 

I'm not sure how much his present would have helped Ian, but it would certainly have fired some enthusiasm in him, for nothing else then to buy Model RailwayConstructor, thanks to the numerous adverts on the pages!

Monorails in Magazines 1918-1971 by Paul Langan

Monorails have been a technology that is coming soon for at least a century. 

Paul Langan has retyped 20 articles from old science magazines extoling the virtues of the latest monorail type scheme. Each includes the cover for the relevant magazine, as well as many of the photos and diagrams that accompany the text. 

Prett much every single scheme failed to take off. The exception is the Chicago World's Fair "Sky Ride" which existed for the duration of the fair, but is arguably a transporter bridge. Certainly not a monorail, as the cars moved along a set of wires. 

The promotors of each scheme were very gun-ho, with tracts of countryside being opened up in Canada, and pretty much all major US cities due to have their traffic problems solved. I'd be interested in a more detailed book that tells the fuller story of the rise, and fall of each. What happened? (I really should sit down and read Adrian S Gardeners books which probably provide this)

There are regular mentions of the Wuppertal system, and Binnie Railplane, both of which actually existed, even in the latter was only 130 yards long, not something many articles care to mention. 

Illustrations uniformly show something from a Flash Gordon film, with many truly amazing craft to be found zipping along in the future. There are some clever ideas too - one system has the cars running on a incredibly thin film of water for frictionless travel. 

Overall, this is a tale of misplaced optimism from a world where the future was going to be amazing. It's such a shame that none of it was ever realised.

Monorails in magazines on Amazon. 

The Facts of Life - According to British Rail

 

Come on - it cost a pound. How could I resist? 

Measuring 13 by 9.5cm, this little booklet is a Health & Safety guide from the Accident Prevention Service of BR in 1968. Inside there are sections on Manhandling, Tools of the Trade, Machinery, Electrical Apparatus, High Pressure Gases and Liquids, Ladders, Walkways, Scaffolding and Roof Surfaces. 

Illusrations are cartoons alongside the text. The Getting about section shows our hero leaping across the tracks in front of an advancing CoBo loco, omitting to point out it had probably broken down...

In its 30 pages, there's a lot of information, highlighting just how dangerous an environment the railway can be. You need to keep your wits about you at all times, and not just assume this 'elf and safety stuff is for other people.

Industrial Narrow Gauge Stock and Trackwork by Sydney A Leleux

 

This is defintely not a mainstream subject, but it's right up my street. None of the well-reproduced photos is what you would call "beautiful" but they are chock full of visual interest for the narrow gauge enthusiast. 

Chapters are: 

• Skips
• Tippers
• Hoppers
• Tippler and tubs
• Opens
• Flats
• Tanks
• Air compressors
• Transporters
• Special wagons
• Coaches
• Track (general)
• Points
• Turntables
• Crossings
• Emptying methods
• Derailments

Each chapter is composed of photos with long captions, two per A5 page. There are also some vintage adverts for equipment. Most images are black & white, but a few are colour. Paper quality for the 68 pages is excellent so the images aren't muddy.

If there is one thing to be learned from studying the photos, it's that there's no such thing as standard rolling stock, and pretty much any design a modeller can imagine will have a prototype somewhere out there!

I can understand why this is an unusual subjest - enthusiasts like to take photos of locomotives, and hardly any appear on these pages. When you are using film, the temptation is to stick to the exciting stuff, and so the rolling stock isn't captured, but we all need far more wagons than locos (yes we do!) so we ought to have more photos of the latter. 

I picked my copy up second-hand, and Plateway Press don't list it as a current publication sadly, but it's worth keeping your eyes open for.

 

150 Years of Manx Railways by Barry Edwards and Richard Kirkman

 

I so nearly entitled this post, "The best Isle of Man book in the world, ever." The only reason I didn't is for Google's benefit. 

But, it's true. My father and I own a lot of books covering Mona's Isle. Mainly railways, but a few on other island realted topics. So many, that there are a few examples of duplicates because we have different editions. Even, most of the oddball pamphlets are on the shelf. We are that nerdy about it all. 

When a new book comes out, we'll buy it unseen. Spotting this one on Facebook (I think), I expected nothing more than a book of pretty photos. This would have been fine, but that's not what landed. 

Starting with the basics: A4. Hardback. 192 glossy pages. Both monochrome and colour photos. 

The thing that marks this book out as different, is the scope. Inside you don't just find the existing railway and tramway systems, the authors have gone to the trouble of researching those that long ago vanished into history, and one that didn't happen at all. 

So, we have The Knockaloe Branch, Port Erin Breakwater Railway, Corrins Hill Tramway, Glenfaba Brickworks Railway, Cunningham Camp Escalator, Poortown Quarry Tramway and many others. All in 26 different lines. Some warrant a single page, others a lot more. To be honest, many are little known and there are very few photos available. 

The IoM is well covered by literature, but apart from a single listing in the Manx Steam Railway News, I have never seen such a comprehensive selection. There are railways in here I didn't know about, and some that I will one day seek out on a visit to the island. In terms of potential modelling subjects, there's plenty of options on offer, all of which won't be touched by the RTR boys!

Opening with an overview of the islands transport systems, which includes some very well-drawn maps, we quickly move on to each in turn, starting with the steam railway. Photos seems to span the years well, obviously there are plenty of modern shots because these will have been taken digitally, and are easy to source and use. Lots of other though, and all are well-reproduced, perhaps with a touch too much HDR, but not enough to worry. 

At the back there is a stock list covering all lines as well as possible. Early lines are tricky as records aren't that great, but I'd be hard pushed to argue with the authors efforts. 

If you like the Isle of Man, or just love unusual transport sytems, this needs to be on your bookshelf. 

The Dumpy Book of Railways of the World

 

Needing something to rest a camera on during a photo shoot at a show, I grabbed this for a quid. It looked interesting, and at 130mm by 105mm and 20mm thick, it was perfect for the job in hand. Don't be fooled, those lovely photos you see in magazines are sometimes the result of all sort of jiggery pokery to get the camera in position. 

I'd assumed this was a book aimed at kids. It's certainly looks like it. Open the cover however, and it's a lot more than that. 

It's actually a mine of information. Fancy an explanation of super-elevation? Page 22. 

Cab layout of a steam locomotive? Page 34

Loading gauge diagram for Queensland Railways? Page 31, next to a set of Indian loading gauges. 

There's a lot of history in here too, along with some nice line drawings of all sort of rolling stock and locomotives. The cover promised "over 750 illustrations" and I see no reason to doubt them. 

The test includes chapters on "The Problems of Electrification", two chapters on gas turbine locos, passenger and freight rolling stock, a very detailed explanation of the inner workings of a steam loco complete with diagrams of the safety valve and mechanical lubricator. 

All, good, solid stuff. Publish this today in a larger format, and adult enthisiasts would lap it up. It just seems odd that this quality of info is put into a little book, apparenlty aimed at kids. Sadly, nowhere on the 286 pages is there a date of publication, but I'd assume it comes from the days when kids wore their school uniform all the time including caps!

GWR Towns, Villages etc.

 

The trouble with being interested in things, is that you often find yourself aquiring objects that no-one else wants. Handily, this keeps the costs down, but I do own a lot of "stuff". 

Spotting this book on a second-hand stall, where you could just drop of dontation in the box, I was the only person to pick it up. Odd really, as most of the rest of the books were those generic titles that appear in every charity shop and under the tree from well meaning relatives keen to buy the enthusiast something. 

It is a list, from 1939, or every town and village in Great Western Railway territory. Alongside, it tells the clerk which station goods should be sent to, and how they should be conveyed to their final destination. 

Click on the image to enlarge. 

Possibly the most useful information in here is the distance for each town from the station. Some of the methods of conveyance are fun too. When sending goods to Overton, they should go to Marlborough station, and then finish their journey via the Birstol Tramways & Carriage Co. Ltd. 

I'm not sure what possible use this information can be to me as a modeller, but I feared this book would end up in the bin if no-one else wanted it, and for something that has survived 83 years, that would be a great shame. 

For the moment, it can sit on the shelf. Unless a reader can think of a good reason they should own it. Postage wouldn't be cheap, it's a heafty tomb, but I'd be happy to find it a better home.

Book Review: Backroom Boys - The Secret Return of the British Boffin

Britian has always produced people who can develop things and do science. We're not so hot at turning this stuff into money, but not always as bad as portrayed. 

Francis Spufford has tracked down the brains behind several major achievements - The Black Arrow space programme, Concorde, the computer game Elite, mobile phone networks, the human genome project and Beagle 2 - and documented the stores behind these. 

This isn't a technical book. With the exception of the mobile phone stuff, I easily followed the project descriptions, and even when things do get technical, the text carries you along so well that there's no need to worry that you will get bogged down. 

What we do get is a lot of the politics (small P) behind some of the project such as how the space programme got off the ground - just, or Concorde didn't get cancelled. Or how public finance stopped the human geneome being taken over by a private company for profit.

I loved the history behind Elite, a game I coveted until a ZX Spectrum version appeared. It's a time I lived through and was fascinated by at the time. Those days when one, or in this case two, people did everything in the development. A few years, later the World WIde Web came along, with a similar ethos in those early days. Now, every job gets chopped up and delivered by experts, and I miss those wonderful days when you could have a finger in every pie. 

Most of all, this is a celebration of the people behind the science and engineering. Everything is based on first hand interviews, so it reads as fresh and interesting, not just regurgitated stuff from other books. We find ourselves in worlds where boffins were working at the cutting edge, producing innovative solutions, often with very little money. 

This is not a new book - far from it, the final chapter on Beagle 2 finishes with the failure of the mission in 2003. I found a copy online and paid a pittance for it. If you like this blog, I'm confident that you'll enjoy this book, so go get yourself a copy. 

Railway Enthusiasts Diary 1979

I own a lot of railway books. Far too many if I'm honest, and every so often I weed them out by donating some to the local model railway club. Or a charity shop if it's one of those books every rail nut has given to them by well-meaning relatives. 

That doesn't stop me looking at more books though. My preference is the odd titles that almost certainly appeared once and didn't set the world alight. That's where the nuggets of gold are found. 

Just such a chunck of shiny stuff is Railway Enthusiasts Diary 1979 published by Hudsons Transport Department, although inside it claims to be OPC. Compilation is by DR Kennedy.

Nicely bound in dark green with gold blocked title and loco illustration, it's a fund of information. 

According to the info inside, this copy was origionally owned by Gordon Patston of Bromsgrove. He's even recorded his national insurance number and blood type as well as a next of kin. 

We open with details of pre-grouping railway company liveries - described as this is all black and white. Next, named trains of Britain. 

For the keen enthusiast, details of speeds and timing should you be watching the mileposts with stopwatch in hand. You'll be following the gazetteer of places to visit around the country no doubt or looking for one of the BR motive power depots and stabling points, all of which are listed with their depot codes. 

For the modeller, a list of OO gauge locomotive kits available from most model shops in Britain. No mention of RTR items. but there is a list of wheel sizes and their 4mm equivelents. 

Finally, a list of the preserved steam engines running on BR, and the routes operated. 

At last the diary section, and this is the best bit of all. Plenty of space to write appointments, or shed tours in Mr Patston's case, and every single day includes a historical railway event. For example, on 12th April, the atmospheric system on the Dublin to Kingstown railway was abandoned. 

What a terrific resource! 

Was this the only edition, or are there more to collect? How come I've never seen this before? Has anyone else got a copy?

Book Review: Birmingham Buses - Route by Route 1925-1975

This is the book that made me abandon my bus stop. A book, chock full of high quality photographs showing Brummie buses in action all over the city, much of the time during my lifetime, or at least not much before it. 

Lets start with the basics: A4 size, hardback, 175 heavyweight, glossy pages. 

Price is £25 and it's one of those books you handle and know where the money has been spent. It feels quality.  

Rather then focus on the machinery, author Malcolm Kelley takes us on a tour of Birmingham by bus route. This is a cleaver idea as many people reminiscing about buses remember a specific route they took every day and the sights they saw along the way. 

I remember helping out on the Rapido stand at Wythall bus museum and while the quality of the model bus was important, the route number was the clincher. If it was the one you travelled on, then that made a big difference. 

I'm fascinated by the views of bits of Birmingham that I know, but have changed a lot over the years. Often, I can recognise the basic buildings, but the details such as the signage are completely different today. A good example are those shots showing buses by the town hall - a pedestrianised area as long as I can remember, and one only now admitting trams to the street. The city has changed. 

All the suburban shots are interesting too. We have a world where not owning a car was common, and two car families were rare. Streets are traffic-free and showing the care lavished on the homes and gardens. In many pictures, there is evidence of late 60s development with clean lines and concrete - stuff that didn't age well, but at the time spoke of a new optimism. 

I'm sure there will be people picking captions apart, but not me. I'm not even really looking at the buses, I bought this for street scene inspiration for Selly Oak, and as such, it's proved invaluable. 

If you like buses, or love Birmingham, a worthwhile addition to your bookshelf.

Buy Birmingham Buses - Route by Route 1925-1975 from Amazon (Affiliate link)

Book Review: The Hornby Book of Trains - The First one Hundred Years

Dropping in to my local model shop last week to buy some fencing for a project, I was surprised with a heavy cardboard package. It seems that one of the anniversary items I ordered many months ago had arrived. Not the diecast VW van, but Pat Hammond's book covering the history of this famous company.

If you want someone to write a history of model railways, Pat is your man. No-one has as an encyclopedic knowledge of the subject, not access to the treasure trove of photos that this sort of project requires. Much of this will be from his time writing Ramsay's Guide as well as several other books on the topic. 

I have several of those, but this is the best. Pat takes us through the company history from the first days right up to 2020. Most years have a chapter allocated to them, although for obvious reasons 1940-45 are lumped together. 

There are highlights of years and decades at the ends of the chapters so you can spot all the most important models from the time. 

Photos, and there are lots of them in this 448 page tome weighing in as 1.2kg, are in colour and well reproduced. As well as models there is advertising from the appropriate period too - it's interesting to see how things develop over the years. As much as a history of the company, this is a history of model railways, from crude tinplate to the latest hi-fi plastic stock from China.

If there is a problem with this book, it's not long enough to do parts of the story justice. Had it been, we would be looking at a multi volume set that only the hard-core collecting nerd would buy. From a personal point of view, the omission of both the Battlespace Turbo car and Giraffe car is a shame, but there is a lot of other Battlespace. 

These are tiny points however. For a very modest £25, you get a cracking hardback book. Even if you just look at the photos, it's well worth the money.

Buy The Hornby Book of Trains - The First one Hundred Years from Amazon (Affiliate link)

Book Review: Phone Kiosks of the Isle of Man

Let's not beat around the bush - there are few books more calculated to get me to hit the "Buy now" button that one that combines my twin interests of the Isle of Man, and telephone kiosks. 

I might be a niche market, but it's a very comfortable niche. 

The book tours Mona's Isle with a selection of captioned photos of various kiosks and their surrounding scenery. 

The author has looked beyond the classic K6 box and includes some of the modern(ish) KX1000 range. With these being very much under threat, it's only fair that they get a look in before they are also only a memory on our streets - after all, when was the last time you saw a Mercury kiosk?  

Most excitingly for 'phone box nerds, the island is home to three K8 boxes!

I'll admit, this book looks a lot like my photo collection. At least two scrapbooks full of similar photos exist on my shelves, and countless files on my computer. The thing is, photographing a 'phone box is a great way to learn composition. It's a standard item, so the skill is making each one look its best. Great fun!

For me, this is a great way to look around the Island's lesser know spots. Some I'm familiar with. Others less so but I'll look up if and when we can travel again. 

Production is very good. Photos are well reproduced in colour. The captions are long enough - after all, there's not that much you can say each time!

It's nice to see many boxes being repurposed as defibrillator holders or mini libraries. Our streetscape would be poorer without them. 

I bought my copy from the Lexicon Bookshop in Douglas.

Book Review: Unconsidered Trifles by Geoff Kent

Long term blog readers who remember my "Warehouse Wednesday" series of prototype photos that ran here for a few years, will know that I'm a fan of photographing interesting structures with a view to building models of them. 

It seems that I'm not alone - Geoff Kent does the same thing, and has published a book through Wild Swan with many, many fascinating photos. 

Living in a more rural part of the world than me, his are probably more useful for the majority of modellers with all sorts of old huts, signs, fences, memorials and bridges featured. 

Even if you don't plan to model any of this stuff, the A4, 64 page book can be treated as a coffee table publication and enjoyed by anyone interested in looking out of the car window as they travel, spotting interesting things. There's plenty to reminisce about if you are old enough and much useful information on aged street furniture if you aren't. 

All the photos are reproduced large enough to be useful and apart from one, in full colour too. 

Railway nerds will probably whinge there aren't enough shots of signal boxes and stuff - but these are available in lots of books, what Geoff has presented us with is all the other stuff you need for an attractive scene that isn't on your bookshelf in a compact and easy to flick through form. 

At £14.95 (from Titfield Thunderbolt) there's a lot of inspiration in these pages, making it well worth the money in my opinion.

Book Review: The Crowsnest Chronicles by Roy C Link

I've followed Roy C Link and his Crowsnest Tramway for many years. As a fan of interesting, small space layouts, especially those in larger gauges, it's very much my sort of thing. While I only have a tiny percentage of his modelling skill, Roy's work has always been something I've aspired to copy.

Anyway, when I spotted he has brought the Crowsnest story together in a single volume, I eagerly sent my £9.95 off and a few days later received a package.

Even at a glance you know this is amazing value for money. The format looks a lot like a Wild Swan book. Same high quality paper for 96 pages and all the 174 photos are well reproduced. We even have plans for the locos, rolling stock and buildings.

The story starts with the first layout in 1973 and runs right up to the present day. I don't know whether you say someone is single-minded or bloody-minded to build basically the same model four times, but each iteration is a step on from the last, although some of use would be happy with the first attempt.

Much of the book is taken up with the final 16mm version and the construction is covered in great detail. There are many take-away ideas for materials for me. I've always fancied building something large scale and very detailed, so the ideas on scenic treatments, when flock powder and even static grass aren't quite up to the job, has given me something to think about.

While an odd-ball title, I know this book will find plenty of fans for whom there is pleasure in looking at high-quality modelling and enjoying the excellent workmanship. I'm no fanboi, and there will be a few of those, but I am a modeller and like to look at other people's modelling, especially when they explain how they do it. And yes, I would love to own a pantograph milling machine...

As an aside, there is a helpful explanation of how I finally saw Crowsnest, in Canada. It seems that two versions of the model have been sold to a collector out there. Good news for me as I finally had the chance to view the layout in the flesh - even if I had had to travel a long way to do it!

The Crowsnest Chronicles is available here.

Book Review: Edd China Grease Junkie

If you are a fan of the TV show Wheeler Dealers, you'll probably have enjoyed all the car-fixing spanner action performed by Edd China. Last year, he was unceremoniously replaced on the show and suddenly found himself with time on his hands - part of the reason this book has appeared.

In an audience-pleasing manner, leaving the show is covered at the start. Let's face it, that's one of the reasons many people will have bought it. But then it turns into an autobiography taking the young China through school days and into the world of making weird vehicles.

I'm always interested in people who make things so I enjoyed this a lot, especially as the earliest tinkering involved old Volkswagens and a very amenable mother who put up with some serious junkyards in the front garden. Unsurprisingly, the neighbours weren't quite so keen!

China's fame came largely from one project - a motorised sofa. This found a life as a promotional item and from there grew a dream job building oddball vehicles and other effects. From there he became involved with TV and film, the rest is history. 

Probably my biggest surprise was just how much TV he had done before Wheeler Dealers. Watching repeats of the very first series, you can see how much it developed compared to the later shows. Obviously, the budget increased, but the quality and slickness of the filming improved and Edd's presentation skills came on too.

Despite this, he claims to be uncomfortable in front of crowds, getting past this by thinking that they are looking at the project he's demonstrating rather than him. In the early days, that might have been the case, but not so now! I readily identify with being happy to talk about what I've made rather than me however, although I don't have a problem with public speaking.

If you are looking for a lot of behind the scenes gossip from Wheeler Dealers, you'll be disappointed. We hear about some of the cars, some of the problems with the spannering, but very little of the personalities involved. The early days are a bit vague and I couldn't work out if he and co-host Mike Brewer actually like each other. The bonhomie on-screen came across well, but there isn't much mention of him in the book. Maybe there was a restriction from the American lawyers for the company that now makes the show. Maybe Edd doesn't wash dirty linen in public. Maybe I'm seeing something that isn't there.

The book is an enjoyable read, I finished it in a couple of days. If you think what you see on telly is as easy as it looks, you'll get a bit of a wake-up. If you need a bit of inspiration to follow a dream and understand that it is possible to end up doing work you enjoy, but nothing that a school careers expert would have ever heard of, this is it.