Craig and Mertonford

ray_whiley

Active member
Recently, in another thread, kotangagirl suggested PD Hancock's Craig and Mertonford as worthy of modelling as a Trainz model railway.

Browsing through my collection of Railway Modellers yesterday, I came across the issue dated April 1954 with PD Hancock's first description of his layout.

His baseboard consisted of two old blackout frames supported on a miscellanous collection of tea chests and packing cases. At the end of a year's efforts he had a few lengths of 00 gauge track over which nothing woukd run without derailing, several wagons which looked like matchboxes on wheels, and one locomotive which needed prodding firmly with a finger every time one wanted it to start or change direction. (His descriptions.)

Such was the start of one of the all-time classic layouts.

Annie (kotangagirl) I hope this is of interest.
Ray

Incidentally, this was the first RM with a colour cover - a shot of Craig. Some years later I had to remind Cyril Freezer of this when he claimed that the then current issue was the first with a coloured cover.
 
It most certainly is of interest Ray. Whenever I get disheartened over not being able to get something to work when I'm building a layout I can now bring PD Hancock's April 1954 article to mind.

Craigshire is still occupying a corner of my mind and I muse about it from time to time. The early pre-tram layout is the one that I'm considering at present.
 
There was no tramway in 1954 - and no Mertonford. From PD Hancock's comments, it's lucky thee was even any Craig!

Ray
 
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