Two Twelve Year Old Trainspotters and Others on Their Way to Grantham 1962

LenPinder
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Two Twelve Year Old Trainspotters and Others on Their Way to Grantham 1962

Postby LenPinder » Sun May 22, 2016 9:38 am

I'm in the process of constructing a model of a typical steam hauled (L1 tank), non-corridor, Nottingham Vic to Grantham suburban train in the early 60s (nostalgia aint wot it used to be!). The train currently comprises an L1 tank and a LMS Stanier 57' non corridor Brake Third but two more coaches are in the pipeline. However, it is currently devoid of any passengers and, in particular, two twelve year old urchins, trainspotting out of the carriage windows.

Does anybody know of a suitable source of 4mm:foot scale figures of seated passengers and standing boys (early teens)?

There seem to be a lot of gaudy HO figures around. I can repaint them but will they be too small?

Most figures seem to be either adult or small children, any early teens around?

Any help would be appreciated

Len Pinder

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Will L
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Re: Two Twelve Year Old Trainspotters and Others on Their Way to Grantham 1962

Postby Will L » Sun May 22, 2016 9:53 am

LenPinder wrote:...
Does anybody know of a suitable source of 4mm:foot scale figures of seated passengers and standing boys (early teens)?

There seem to be a lot of gaudy HO figures around. I can repaint them but will they be too small?...


But I would have thought the point about young teenagers is that most of them are just a bit smaller than an adult.

Alan Turner
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Re: Two Twelve Year Old Trainspotters and Others on Their Way to Grantham 1962

Postby Alan Turner » Sun May 22, 2016 9:57 am

I would have though Monty's Models might help: http://www.dartcastings.co.uk/montys/MLV16.php

regards

Alan

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Noel
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Re: Two Twelve Year Old Trainspotters and Others on Their Way to Grantham 1962

Postby Noel » Sun May 22, 2016 10:51 am

Alan Turner wrote:I would have though Monty's Models might help: http://www.dartcastings.co.uk/montys/MLV16.php


Teenagers would not commonly have been wearing shorts by the early 1960s, I would have thought; possibly in the previous decade. Shorts were for children, not teenagers, at least as far as I was concerned!
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Noel

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Tim V
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Re: Two Twelve Year Old Trainspotters and Others on Their Way to Grantham 1962

Postby Tim V » Sun May 22, 2016 2:29 pm

The head would be the same size - are you sure enough of the body would be visible to tell if it was a 12 year old or not?

The shoulders are narrower, you could possibly stick a 4mm head on a HO body - or speak to ModelU
Tim V
(Not all railways in Somerset went to Dorset)

LenPinder
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Re: Two Twelve Year Old Trainspotters and Others on Their Way to Grantham 1962

Postby LenPinder » Sun May 22, 2016 7:12 pm

Will L wrote:
LenPinder wrote:...
Does anybody know of a suitable source of 4mm:foot scale figures of seated passengers and standing boys (early teens)?

There seem to be a lot of gaudy HO figures around. I can repaint them but will they be too small?...


But I would have thought the point about young teenagers is that most of them are just a bit smaller than an adult.


If my memory serves me well

a) I was 4' 11 and one half" tall

b) 1962 was just about on the cusp between the Teddy Boys and the swinging sixties.

c) Brothel creepers were about to make way for elastic sided Chelsea boots with Cuban heels,

d) drainpipe trousers were about to be replaced by skin tight jeans shrunk onto skinny legs in the bath and

e) a scroll hairstyle with DA at the back, glued into place by an handful of brylcream, would soon be replaced by long hair.

Ho! and steam was starting to give way to characterless oilcans. At least they weren’t painted blue to start with.

Those were the days my friend.

Does anybody make anything like that?

Len

LenPinder
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Re: Two Twelve Year Old Trainspotters and Others on Their Way to Grantham 1962

Postby LenPinder » Sun May 22, 2016 7:15 pm

Ho

And I forgot to add that I was a grammar school boy then.

Len

Albert Hall
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Re: Two Twelve Year Old Trainspotters and Others on Their Way to Grantham 1962

Postby Albert Hall » Sun May 22, 2016 8:41 pm

When you went spotting did you wear your school blazer with a mop of hair sticking out from under your school cap, or did you change into civvies in the form of a duffle coat with your bits and bobs carried in a duffle bag? I think either of these outfits would date a scene from the 50's or 60's. If you look at photos of railtours from that era you will see what I mean.

ken kirk
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Re: Two Twelve Year Old Trainspotters and Others on Their Way to Grantham 1962

Postby ken kirk » Mon May 23, 2016 9:18 am

Come on Len,
just put a pair of shorts on and see Modelu!

Mark Tatlow
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Re: Two Twelve Year Old Trainspotters and Others on Their Way to Grantham 1962

Postby Mark Tatlow » Mon May 23, 2016 4:59 pm

I did chat to Alan about the possibility of him scanning some children (can you say that on a model railway forum?). There are very few children available as model figures and the world does not exist only in an adult form. In particular, I wanted to model myself on Portchullin..............its not vanity, there is a story!

I think he is up for it, it is just about "time" I think.
Mark Tatlow

LenPinder
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Re: Two Twelve Year Old Trainspotters and Others on Their Way to Grantham 1962

Postby LenPinder » Mon May 23, 2016 6:11 pm

Albert Hall wrote:When you went spotting did you wear your school blazer with a mop of hair sticking out from under your school cap, or did you change into civvies in the form of a duffle coat with your bits and bobs carried in a duffle bag? I think either of these outfits would date a scene from the 50's or 60's. If you look at photos of railtours from that era you will see what I mean.


I would have lost what little street cred I had if I had worn my school blazer after 17:00 on a weekday and any time over the weekend. Likewise a school cap, a duffle coat or a duffle bag. On the estate I was brought up on I probably would not have survived very long in such attire. That was for the rich kids from Bread and Lard Island. No, the best I could manage was a rather tatty black corduroy jacket, skin tight ice blue jeans and an haversack from Wakefield's army surplus stores. Said haversack would contain a doorstep cheese sandwich, a bottle of Tizer, one of those single fruit pies (can't remember the name but I still remember the taste), an Eastern and a Midland Region ABC (couldn't afford a combi at that age) and a notebook and pen. If Tizer wasn't obtainable then Iron-Bru probably was.

If Modelu does make an appearance at NAG I can guarantee that I would not be able to get into those jeans now and I thought Ken was the only member allowed to show his knees on meeting nights!

Len

Albert Hall
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Re: Two Twelve Year Old Trainspotters and Others on Their Way to Grantham 1962

Postby Albert Hall » Mon May 23, 2016 7:20 pm

I always used an army surplus khaki haversack rather than the briefcase carried by the more academic types at my grammar school. It kept both hands free to fend off the school bullies. Tizer was definitely the drink of choice. Of course in those days there was no disposing of an empty plastic bottle. The glass one went back to the shop to be exchanged for a penny deposit. I can't remember who made the round fruit pies but I did enjoy sucking the fruit up through the hole in the centre before eating the soggy pastry. Sandwiches were almost invariably cheese but later moving on to cheese and Marmite. I recently read a couple of volumes of a book called 'Jubilees to Jubblys' which was an account of a trainspotter's experiences in the 1960's. Very entertaining and nostalgic.

LenPinder
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Re: Two Twelve Year Old Trainspotters and Others on Their Way to Grantham 1962

Postby LenPinder » Fri May 27, 2016 7:32 pm

Thanks to all for the suggestions and I enjoyed the brief bit of nostalgia too. Having looked up the Modelu website, stared open mouthed at the quality of the figures on show and handled a couple of Modelu figures of Bevis at the NAG meeting on Thursday night, I think I will wait to see what, if anything, they might come up with over the next few months.

Len

Enigma
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Re: Two Twelve Year Old Trainspotters and Others on Their Way to Grantham 1962

Postby Enigma » Wed Jun 01, 2016 4:52 pm

I think the fruit pies were baked (?!) by Lyons, possibly here in Wakefield or in Barnsley? They were a good source of instant energy :)

My trainspotting bag (in the late 50's) was a gas mask 'sac', again from the Army and Navy stores and my sandwiches were probably banana with a Penguin bar for 'afters'.

I've also had a word with Alan about scanning some 50's gricers complete with gaberdine macs, trilby hats and cameras. I will need quite a few for brake van specials in due course.

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Noel
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Re: Two Twelve Year Old Trainspotters and Others on Their Way to Grantham 1962

Postby Noel » Thu Jun 02, 2016 9:44 am

If you have access to a copy, have a look at p9 and p181 of J S Gilks' The Nostalgia of Steam. The date is 1956, and there is a brake van at each end; the rest are highfits, crowded with standing enthusiasts. Most have no headgear [afraid of it going AWOL in transit, perhaps?], a few have former service berets or flat hats. One trilby is identifiable, the wearer also having a pipe. One schoolboy, apparently in uniform and school cap(!) is visible. There are a number of women included, again bareheaded, apart from one with a headscarf. There are a few raincoats or overcoats visible, and one dufflecoat, but most men are wearing suits or sports jackets. Ties are pretty much universal for the men. Few cameras are visible.

Incidentally, Gilks, who was in a position to know, comments that enthusiast specials using goods stock only appeared where coaching stock was not, or was no longer, allowed.

Wouldn't be allowed today....
Regards
Noel

Albert Hall
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Re: Two Twelve Year Old Trainspotters and Others on Their Way to Grantham 1962

Postby Albert Hall » Thu Jun 02, 2016 6:55 pm

Noel wrote:
Wouldn't be allowed today....


Well it sort of is allowed on the Bristol Harbour Railway using converted Turbots and a Conflat A, albeit fitted out with seats and safety rails. Interesting risk assessment and safety case.

essdee
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Re: Two Twelve Year Old Trainspotters and Others on Their Way to Grantham 1962

Postby essdee » Thu Jun 09, 2016 12:59 pm

Twelve year old would place me in 1966; but I can confirm Paul's suggestion that the 'Individual fruit pie' was indeed from Lyons. I remember them -blackberry and apple especially - fondly; to the extent that a few years back, prompted by recalled camping hols, I spent a sad amount of time googling them.

The accompanying crisps (never mentioned, it seems?) would of course be Smiths then, with the waxed paper twist containing the salt. When did that cease? None of that 'stitched sachet' tosh that came later. Walkers - who they?

The duffel bag was navy blue with white trim.....

Drifts happily off in to deckchair reverie...zzzzzzzzz

And don't forget the hardboiled egg.

shipbadger
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Re: Two Twelve Year Old Trainspotters and Others on Their Way to Grantham 1962

Postby shipbadger » Thu Jun 09, 2016 6:52 pm

Smith's crisps became part of Pepsico who dropped the name in favour of Walker's which they also owned.

Tony Comber

DougN
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Re: Two Twelve Year Old Trainspotters and Others on Their Way to Grantham 1962

Postby DougN » Fri Jun 10, 2016 10:09 am

Don't worry Tony, Smiths are still available here in Australia! They are one of my favourites. :D
Doug
Still not doing enough modelling


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