The Forum for Gauge 3 Model Trains

Market Place => Seen for Sale on Ebay, etc. => Topic started by: MikeWilliams on Apr 26 2018 23:09

Title: Australian 2-D-2
Post by: MikeWilliams on Apr 26 2018 23:09
Doubtless a beautiful model, bt a lot of money for a static display engine.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AEI-Western-Australian-Railway-WAGR-2-DO-2-XA-CLASS-LOCO-NILIGARA-BUILDERS-MODEL/371220446503?hash=item566e767d27:g:~tEAAOSwyZ5UmEcz
Title: Re: Australian 2-D-2
Post by: Doddy on Apr 28 2018 07:34
Quote from: MikeWilliams on Apr 26 2018 23:09
Doubtless a beautiful model, but a lot of money for a static display engine. The site of 11 Monkgate, York appears to have been razed and now has a modern job centre erected there.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AEI-Western-Australian-Railway-WAGR-2-DO-2-XA-CLASS-LOCO-NILIGARA-BUILDERS-MODEL/371220446503?hash=item566e767d27:g:~tEAAOSwyZ5UmEcz (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AEI-Western-Australian-Railway-WAGR-2-DO-2-XA-CLASS-LOCO-NILIGARA-BUILDERS-MODEL/371220446503?hash=item566e767d27:g:~tEAAOSwyZ5UmEcz)

A model which graced the boardroom of AEI built to museum quality by H. Clarkson of York. Not knowing of this builder I did some basic research and found these two articles.

http://modeleng.proboards.com/thread/5536

H. (HARRY) CLARKSON

Harry Clarkson started his professional life as an amateur in 1925, making and entering models in early Model Engineer Exhibitions and contributing to the magazine.  He then served and suffered injuries in the Second World War which forced him to give up his work as a Crushing Mill fitter and take up the more sedentary occupation of model engineering when he founded his firm in York in 1945, issuing his first catalogue in 1947. 

Clarkson quickly became established as a leading builder of model railway locomotives of all gauges.  In 1950 Clarkson was joined by his son, Herbert, and the firm became H. Clarkson & Son.  In 1951 the business was appointed technical advisor to the Festival of Britain and built nearly all the locomotive models shown at the South Bank exhibition, thereby firmly establishing the reputation of the business. 

The main expansion post 1951 was in the field of industrial modelling, where the firm had a good reputation and enjoyed considerable commercial success.  In the industrial modelling business Clarkson had an addiction to turbines and built many working models for Rolls Royce. 

Commissions also came from many museums including the NRM in York and Smithsonian in the USA. Clarkson's was a well-equipped enterprise with its own in-plant foundry (opened in 1962) as well as the usual machine shop and fabrication areas.  Such was their reputation that the company was often engaged in difficult, small run engineering work for many larger local firms.

Nevertheless both father and son were steam enthusiasts and the range of drawings and castings increased steadily over the years although this work never represented more than about a quarter of the company's activity.   

In early-mid 1966 Clarkson acquired from Bill Jackson, his late father's (H.P. Jackson's) drawings and patterns. The Clarkson catalogue of ~1967 (dated by the catalogue referring to the construction of River Mite, see below) included twelve designs in 3½ inch gauge (including 6 of Jackson's) and two designs in 5 inch and their final? catalogue of 1978/79 included 16 designs in 3½ inch gauge and 11 in 5 inch.  Clarkson's had an enviable reputation for high quality, authentically scaled and detailed models in their day, but really only for construction by experienced and skilled model engineers as their drawings tended to be a little vague from the critical measurement point of view.

Clarkson's attitude to model engineers was simply that they should be engineers first and modellers second. Clarkson had the view that a designer should not tell the model engineer exactly what to do rather let him use his skill whereas LBSC told the modeller what to do to produce a running representation rather than a true scale model. 

Clarkson's were the main model engineering contractors to BR and made a number of models for display at mainline stations such as Kings Cross.  Also, on the introduction of the diesel locomotives, they produced ¼ scale working Deltic engines for the fitters to train on. 

In 1966, Clarkson's built a 15 inch gauge 2-8-2 for the famous Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway in the Lakes District. The name River Mite was revived from an earlier R&ER locomotive. The locomotive was based on the eight-coupled steam driven tender from an earlier locomotive, River Esk, and included a new boiler from the Bedford firm of Gower.  River Mite's journey from York to Ravenglass at the beginning of December 1966 was a spectacular piece of publicity, for she came all the way on a vehicle towed by a steam traction engine.

At their height the firm had some 20 employees, but after Harry retired in 1978 the firm experienced financial difficulties with production ceasing in 1983 and Herbert Clarkson sold the firm in 1984? to a company called Elliott's Bricks Ltd of Huddersfield.  One of Clarkson's employees, Adam Harris went on to set up Camden Steam Services.  Harris kept the relationship with Clarkson's going by supplying the plans etc for the Jackson and Clarkson designs. 

The Managing Director of Elliott's, Mr B. Elliott, was a steam enthusiast and owned a number of 10¼ inch gauge locomotives.   He tried running the company as a viable concern but closed the company down fairly soon after its acquisition. Elliott's Bricks is also no longer trading.  Sadly the drawings and patterns for many of the Clarkson engines, whilst possibly still in existence, have not been commercially available for many years, thus Clarkson drawings are rare in their own right these days.  Harry Clarkson died on 26th April 1985.


https://www.camdenmin.co.uk/blogs/news/16496148-herbert-clarkson

Herbert Clarkson (https://www.camdenmin.co.uk/blogs/news/16496148-herbert-clarkson)  I was saddened to learn a couple of days ago of the very sudden death of Herbert Clarkson - the 'Son' in H. Clarkson & Son of Layerthorpe, York.


Herbert was my partner in Camden during the late 1970s, and I was his in Clarksons at the same time; we eventually went our separate ways, but had remained good friends since. Indeed we had been planning a book on the extraordinary history of Clarksons, which I will now unfortunately have to complete on my own.

As well as being a thoroughly nice man and friend, Herbert was a superb model engineer, whether designing and building steam models or the very complex industrial models which were the firm's bread & butter.
The model engineering world has lost one of its greats.

The designs of H. Clarkson & Son/Clarksons of York are being gradually re-introduced by Blackgates Engineering. (http://www.blackgates.co.uk/)


Written by Adam Harris

Camden Miniature Steam Services
December 31, 2014

Catalogue: http://www.binnsroad.co.uk/railways/clarkson/brochure1.html


Drawings:

"Yes Blackgates have acquired the Clarkson of York designs.  They have sent me the list below of the drawings now available. Castings are another matter" regards Martyn (Aug 29, 2013)

CLARKSONS OF YORK

Locomotives

B/1 CLASS SPRINGBOK 3.1/2"G
B/2 CLASS ROYAL SOVEREIGN 3.1/2"G
A/3 CLASS GRESLEY PACIFIC 3.1/2"G
A/4 CLASS GRESLEY PACIFIC 3.1/2"G
GRESLEY V-2 GREEN ARROW CLASS 3.1/2"G
CLASS L/1 3.1/2"G
PATRICK STIRLING 8' SINGLE 3.1/2"G
LOCH CLASS 3.1/2"G
THE JONES GOODS 3.1/2"G
MAUNSELL CLASS V SCHOOLS CLASS 3.1/2"G
KING ARTHUR CLASS 3.1/2"G
PRINCESS CLASS 3.1/2"G
DUCHESS CLASS 3.1/2"G
KING CLASS 3/4" SCALE
N.E.RY. ATLANTIC CLASS V-09 3.1/2"G
N.E.RY. 4-6-0 EXPRESS PASSENGER LOCOMOTIVE - CLASS S/1 3.1/2"G

A/3 CLASS GRESLEY PACIFIC 5"G
D/49 SHIRE CLASS 5"G
AUSTERITY 2-10-0 5"G
IVATT LARGE BOILERED ATLANTIC 5"G
IVATT SMALL BOILERED ATLANTIC 5"G
K/1 CLASS 5"G
CLASS L/1 5"G
DUCHESS CLASS 5"G
CLASS P/8 5"G
PATRICK STIRLING 8' SINGLE 5"G
NORTH LONDON RAILWAY 0-6-0T 5"G

TENNANT 1463 CLASS 7.1/4"G

Stationary Engines

SINGLE CYLINDER ENGINE (VERTICAL)
SINGLE CYLINDER ENGINE
COMPOUND ENGINE
SINGLE CYLINDER ENGINE (HORIZONTAL)
SINGLE CYLINDER ENGINE (VERTICAL) WITH REVERSING GEAR
INVERTED ENGINE
VERTICAL TWIN (SIMPLE) ENGINE
VERTICAL COMPOUND ENGINE
BEAM ENGINE
STEEPLE ENGINE

Other

3" TILTING VICE & 4" TILTING & SWIVEL JAWED VICE
SENSITIVE DRILLING MACHINE
COMPOUND MILLING TABLE
Title: Re: Australian 2-D-2
Post by: IanT on Apr 28 2018 08:41
It looks a nice enough model Mike - although at a rather silly price (as usual with these things).

I was puzzled by the use of 1/2" scale in modern image but I'm not sure whether WAGR used a standard gauge or not.

Regards,

IanT
Title: Re: Australian 2-D-2
Post by: Doddy on Apr 28 2018 09:56
Quote from: IanT on Apr 28 2018 08:41
It looks a nice enough model Mike - although at a rather silly price (as usual with these things).

I was puzzled by the use of 1/2" scale in modern image but I'm not sure whether WAGR used a standard gauge or not.

Regards,

IanT

3' 6" gauge apparently Ian
Title: Re: Australian 2-D-2
Post by: MikeWilliams on Apr 28 2018 10:26
Well spotted. So probably not 2.5in gauge and therfore has no place on this forum. Sorry!