Mystery LBSC loco

[spurley]

Hi Chaps

It's me again asking another one about engine designs!

I was given a copy of the Brian Hollingsworth book about LBSC and his locomotives for Christmas and have read it cover to cover! There are two main reasons for this other than an admiration for the man; one is that I am building a Tich and have a Mona to do next and the second is that when I was a good bit younger I visited his house to help collect some model engines for an exhibition. This would have been about 1974 or '75 and I went along with another member of the Croydon Model Railway Society, although of course Curly was not there in person, having died in 1967. The engines concerned were: Caterpillar, Ayesha, Tich and an unidentified 0-6-0 tank which I think was called 'Smokey' or something like that. The last one is the one I cannot understand now, as there is no mention of this engine or anything even vaguely like it in the Hollingsworth book. It was a 2 1/2" gauge spirit fired 0-6-0T inside cylinder side tank painted maroon with a brass name plate (which I cannot now read in my memory!). My friend who was the one 'in charge' of the models has recently sent me some pictures of them and, with his permission, I can send a copy to anyone who feels they might be able to identify the engine. I would also be very interested to know where it is now.

Looking forward to solving this Xmas mystery!!

Cheers

Brian

[alanstepney]

Brian Hollingsworth's book is superb and I have never heard of any designs he has missed.

He did rebuild many other loco's often for friends, and it might be one of them.

Why not post the photo in the approprate section here and see if anyone recognises it

[the_viffer]

I have to say that I felt Brian Hollingsworth's book is one of the most disappointing I have read in a long time.

To start off with we are told of Hollingsworth's care in writing. He may have been careful but his proof reader wasn't. I find the typographical and grammatical errors so great as to make the book almost unreadable and certainly to detract strongly from the story.

LBSC must certainly have been a most interesting man but I gained no real insight into him from reading the book. Why was he so vehement about criticism for example? Maybe nobody knows but you'd not find out from reading the book. I get the impression that Hollingsworth knew more about say LBSC's parents and early life than he lets on about in the book which is a shame. The man has been dead nearly 40 years now (admittedly that was not the case when the book was written) and after that time the information stops being voyuerism in my opinion. We all have our faults, except for my wife of course: she told me that so it must be true, and personally I find it much easier to empathise with a character who like me has weaknesses and skeletons. The weakness and skeletons may be different from mine but they help put the figure in context and may well be the catalyst for greatness.

So if you want a list of LBSC 's locos read the book. If you want to understand the man don't bother.

[spurley]

I tried, and failed, to post a picture. I do not yet have any web space to allow me to post!

If anyone thinks they may be able to help me, please email and I will forward a picture of the engine.

Cheers

Brian

[alanstepney]

Tim,
I think that the main problem is that so much of LBSC's life was kept private by his own intentions.
Perhaps due to his sexuality, he was, apparently, a very private person and very few people knew him.

That must have made it hard to do anything resembling a biography, but personally, I reckon that book is the best that we will ever see.


Brian,
send the photo to me, [e-mail]

[the_viffer]

I take your point Alan.

I find his inclination or otherwise to dress up in women's clothes not especially interesting. Personally it wouldn't suit me: I find it hard enough to get in my own but if other people want to then that is fine by me so long as they don't scare the servants or the horses.

I rather think first that his parentage gives some clues about why he felt it important to dress up and also to becoming involved in model engineering and second that Hollingsworth knew more than he let on. Now both LBSC and Hollingsworth are dead and we will never be able to form a view. I find that a real shame as we've lost forever an insight into someone immensely important to our hobby.

I've a good deal of time for LBSC on a historical basis. I think his designs are now mostly badly outdated compared with what the likes of Chris Rayward and Doug Hewson are now proposing. LBSC however is crucial to the realisation that it is possible to build a powerful 1" scale loco that is fairly true to prototype. In my view Martin Evans is purely derivative of that (and I know that Evans as ever was utterly charming to an as ever utterly dismissive LBSC) and Chris Rayward et al are building on what he has done but without the sheer audacity of LBSC we'd not have small passenger carrying locos.

However your point doesn't detract in my view from the deficiencies of the book and I can't recommend anyone to buy it.

I can recommend that people read LBSC's own words and music to appreciate, warts and all, his ideas and to form a view with the merit of 20/20 hindsight of those which are valid and those which are not.