Hi,
I saw an advertisement by a company called Walters & Holtzapffel for a BR class 08 diesel in January 1956 Railway Modeller.
Has anyone ever heard of this company, and did they produce this model? Was it in kit or RTR form? Perhaps they were just a retailer?
Thanks, Steve.
Steve,
Probably better known by their initials - W&H - they are now gone, unfortunately. At one time they were probably the biggest distributor of model railway items in the UK and a lot of retail shops used to use them as their trade supplier, and the W&H catalogue was a pretty useful bit of reading matter if you wanted anything.
I knew their earlier shop just off Baker Street which was a veritable treasure trove of items, but they moved to very swish premises in New Cavendish Street in the 60s and the new shop had nothing of the fascination of their old shop, and also had some assistants who didn't know all that much about model railways.
I suspect that they succumbed due to the changes in the model railway retail trade in the latter part of last century, where a lot of the local retail traders, whom they supplied, closed down, and the retailing of the output of the growing cottage industry business bypassed them.
Jim.
Cheers, Steve.
From memory the 08 shunter was a diecast body and outside frames in one unit from Hamblings.
Steve wrote:
snip
Hi Damian,
I think the Kirdon 08 is in fact a Class 11 from the running number displayed (previously 12033-138, previously LMS 7120-31. 1945 DE 350hp).
The LMS 10000 I know about.
All I know about the Kirdon 040 diesel shunter is that I saw an advert in Railway Modeller Aug 1957, page viii, with no picture though. Now you have said it was an NBL that narrows it down to: a) D2700-7, prev 11700-7, 1953, DH, 200hp, now made in kit form by Judith Edge b) D2708-80, prev 11708-19, 1957, DH 225hp.
I still don't know the class of the DMU Kirdon made. I had that it was a LMR Derby 2-car in 1957, but not sure of the class. At that time the Derby DMUs around were class 114 (1956), 116 (1957), and Lightweight (1954). Are you sure it was a "Lightweight"? (The Lightweight was/is also made by Airfix, Anbrico, DC Kits, Exley, MTK.)
Are you sure it was an 08 that Stuart-Reidpath made, and not another similar class (eg 09, 10, 11, 12, 12000-2, 12003-32, 15000-3, 15004, 15100, 15101-6,
15107, 15201-3)? Some of these had previous LMS/LNER/GWR numbers too. Can you remember what the running number is on your friend's model? Then I'll be able to add it to my list against the correct class...If only we had pictures of the above models for instant identification... Does anyone have a photo of the Kirdon 040 & 060 diesel chunters, the Kirdon DMU, or the Stuart-Reidpath diesel shunter?
Many thanks, Steve.
----- Original Message ----- From: "Damian" To: Sent: Sunday, January 04, 2004 1:13 AM Subject: Class 08 - Walters & Holtzapffel
Hi Dick,
I spotted an ad by Hamblings for the 060 diesel shunter but from the picture the running number made it a class 11 not 08, but they are the same really. However I think Hamblings was a retail outlet too, like W&H, so the model could have been the Stuart-Reidpath or Kirdon one I guess...
Rgds, Steve
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In article , Steve writes
The company was Walkers & Holtzapffel. They were separate companies until April 1931 when they amalgamated. They are best known for the "Walker-Fenn" controlled clockwork mechanism which was an importamt breakthrough in clockwork motor drive. I have a large collection of their catalogues which go back before the amalgamation.
Pat
As Walkers and Holpzappel they were pioneers in the hobby.
They were later known as W&H, and ran a tiny shop on New Cavendish Street, which runs parallel to and North of Oxford Street.
I used to walk there from Baker Street station. Donkeys years ago.
They had a wonderful catalog, and were the central source for practically all the kits and bits you would ever need.
They were also the distributors for most of the small manufacturers, to the model shops.
When they went bankrupt it led to a lot of local shops going under too, because they supplied them on credit and the receiver called in all the debts to them. It caused major chaos in the hobby.
If you've ever come accross Walthers in the US, who supply all the hobby shops here, you will have some idea of W&H's place in the hobby.
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