Legendary Trains of the 1930s (Train Running Day)

Poster for the March 2012 Train Running Day event

• Saturday 24th March 2012 - morning and afternoon shows, with layouts running approximately ~10:30am-1pm, and ~2pm-4:30pm, with a one-hour break. Timings are approximate.

Normal Museum admission prices apply

Description

" A rare chance to see the fabulous vintage Gauge 0 railway layout in action, including the Brighton Belle, Flying Scotsman, Orient Express, and many others.

The excitement of these large-scale trains is made even more dramatic by the surrounding panorama of wonderful buildings, stations and bridges. Look carefully, and you will see little groups of waiting passengers ... a mother and child with pram and a nanny, a golfer, all sorts of businessmen and station staff ... Yes, it's the 1930s! Luggage barrows, all types of platform machines, milk churns, hoardings, bookstalls and of course the old-fashioned signals and illuminated lamp standards. To add to the sense of theatre, on the raised level is a real period traffic-jam of old open-back London buses, limousines, vans, cars, and lovely 1930s taxis, all from the Tri-Ang Minic range.

The beautiful vintage trains are generally made from tinplate in the colours of the famous railway companies, London Midland and Scottish (LMS), London North Eastern (LNER), Great Western (GWR), Southern (SR) and many others, even some French lines. The well-known makers of Hornby, Bassett-Lowke, Exley, Märklin, Bing, Mills, Leeds Models and others are responsible for the greater part of locomotives, passenger coaches, Pullman cars and goods wagons.

Ah ... and when you see that long goods train of 20 or more tinplate goods wagons trundle slowly by, just remember that they all date back before 1914 – made by Carette in Germany in British style exclusively for Bassett-Lowke of Northampton. "