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Model Forum / General / Railroads / June 2004Older Metropolitan line model
Sometime during 1937 or 1938, my grandfather and my uncle paid a visit, bringing a model train that they had borrowed. It was a 2-car model of the wooden slam-door electric train that ran on the Metropolitan line at that time (we were in Rayners Lane). If I remember correctly, it was larger than the Hornby trains, so it might have been 1-gauge. The control box had an ordinary household lamp mounted on it, and the lamp glowed when the train ran. I'd been warned not to touch the track, as it was "dangerous". Being 3 or 4 years old, I took this literally, but in later years I assumed that I'd been warned off to prevent my interfering with the borrowed train. Later still, it occurred to me that perhaps the control box used the lamp as a voltage-dropping resistor, to avoid using a transformer (remember, at that time many houses had a DC electricity supply). When the power was switched on, the train ran forwards: when it was stopped and restarted, it ran the other way. To run forwards again, my uncle had to open the roof of the driving car and fiddle with comething inside. That's as far as my memory takes me. Does anyone else remember this type of model? Dewi Williams Ottawa, Canada Dewi, >If I remember correctly, it was larger than the Hornby trains, so it might >have been 1-gauge. The control box had an ordinary household lamp mounted [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >resistor, to avoid using a transformer (remember, at that time many houses >had a DC electricity supply). It was dangerous since the lamp was used as a dropper resistor - normally called a barreter (sp?). The problem with dropper resistors is/was that the voltage dropped depended on the load applied - a low resistance load like a model locomotive motor would drop the voltage to a reasonable working level. But when there was no load on the track - i.e. the loco had been lifted off - then the rails would be at the voltage of the mains. If a child's hand made contact with the rail, then you got as near as dammit a mains shock. Jim. > Dewi, > [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > Jim. Ran my first home-made Chritmas tree light like that, had to replace the lamps when the patter of tiny vomit appeared on the carpet. I'm surprised to learn that London areas were still using DC in the late thirties, Birmingham made the change in the twenties. Switching the power on and off to switch the rectifier and so the direction of travel used to be a popular technique, so you may have been on AC. Never saw the point of it myself. Ken. > > Dewi, > > [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > > > Jim. A barretter is a special sort of dropping resistor: its resistance rises sharply as the current rises. Dewi > Ran my first home-made Chritmas tree light like that, had to replace the > lamps when the patter of tiny vomit appeared on the carpet. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Ken. A friend, in the South Harrow area, was still on 220V DC in the late forties. A cousin visited from the US, bearing a 110V slide projector AND an auto-transformer. Luckily he checked the power supply before plugging in. He eventually dropped the voltage by rigging his spare projector bulb, in a tin can, in series with the projector itself. Another friend had NO electricity at all at that time, also in South Harrow. They used gas lights. But my post was to ask about the model: was it all a dream? Was such a model for sale in that era? Dewi Williams Ottawa, Canada >Another friend had NO electricity at all at that time, also in South Harrow. >They used gas lights. The piano teacher I went to in the late 1950s had no electricity, only gas. That was in Brockley, SE4, south-east London.  SignatureJohn Sullivan OO in the garden http://www.yddraiggoch.demon.co.uk/railway/railway.html My next project: Extend the layout back up the other side of the garden. >>Another friend had NO electricity at all at that time, also in South >>Harrow. They used gas lights. > > The piano teacher I went to in the late 1950s had no electricity, > only gas. That was in Brockley, SE4, south-east London. Some British Rail stations were lit by gas into the 1970s. The one I remember was Bingley, on the Airedale line. SignatureMartin S. I'm new to this thread but has anyone mentioned Kidbrooke on the SR Bexleyheath line? This was lit by gas well into the sixties and I was told that this was due to a 99 year contract made between the SECR and the Gas Board. Not one of their better decisions I would have thought. >>>Another friend had NO electricity at all at that time, also in South >>>Harrow. They used gas lights. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >Some British Rail stations were lit by gas into the 1970s. The one I >remember was Bingley, on the Airedale line. > >Another friend had NO electricity at all at that time, also in South Harrow. > >They used gas lights. > > The piano teacher I went to in the late 1950s had no electricity, only > gas. That was in Brockley, SE4, south-east London. Having worked in Brockley I can say with a certain degree of authority that it's still the same today. Only the reason nowadays is that if anyone was foolish enough to buy lightbulbs their neighbours would break in and nick them. SignatureAll the best, Chris Wilson That's cwilson at britwar with a dot uk and dot co on the end. (Reply address is blackholed) http://www.britwar.co.uk - British Wargames http://www.the-dormouse.org - The Dormouse Line Model Railway >>Another friend had NO electricity at all at that time, also in South Harrow. >>They used gas lights. > > The piano teacher I went to in the late 1950s had no electricity, only > gas. That was in Brockley, SE4, south-east London. I wasn't suggesting everyone had electricity; most of my relatives depended on gas, and rechargeable cells for their wirelesses into the fifties. What surprised me was that town and city authorities were tied to DC generators, other than for traction of course. > But my post was to ask about the model: was it all a dream? Was > such a model for sale in that era? > > Dewi Williams > Ottawa, Canada I've just remembered that Bassett Lowke marketed an imported motor which had a lever which cancelled the normal (?) switching of the direction everytime the loco was brought to a halt. The lever had to be operated each time one wanted to carry on in the same direction. It's featured in MRN April 1925. That fits your memory of lifting the cab roof. It came in small O gauge, large O gauge, and for gauges 1 and 2. Second point is that B-L marketed a Metropolitan Electric loco but I'm not sure what gauge. Try google-ing Bassett Lowke to find someone steeped in their history. Ken. >I've just remembered that Bassett Lowke marketed an imported motor which >had a lever which cancelled the normal (?) switching of the direction [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >is that B-L marketed a Metropolitan Electric loco but I'm not sure what >gauge. Try google-ing Bassett Lowke to find someone steeped in their history. Hornby also sold a Metropolitan O gauge loco, from 1925, in various forms including 'high voltage', clockwork, 20v AC, 6v DC and 4v DC. The high voltage version was supplied with a controller which incorporated a mains voltage light bulb. SignatureGraeme Eldred |
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