JAMES MAY'S TOY STORIES - CLASSIC COLLECTIBLE TOYS

I recently had the pleasure of watching James May's Toy Stories. It's a fantastic journey through the various classic toys of our past.

It is an inspiration, and a credit to James, to see how the local communities come together to participate in his challenges. Young and old, male and female, experienced and novices. All want to be a part of it. And all want to see it through to the very end.

• Episode 1 - AIRFIX - James constructs a full-size (scale 1:1) model Spitfire. Making full-sized pieces from fibreglass comes with its own set of challenges.



• Episode 2 - PLASTICINE - Follow the Paradise In Plasticine entry into the 2009 Chelsea Flower Show. The Officials have never seen anything like it, and don't quite know what to make of it. James hopes to win a prize none-the-less.



• Episode 3 - MECCANO - Follow the design and construction of a 23m (75ft) bridge in Liverpool. With the help of Architecture students and design & engineering consultants, this is a challenge like no other.



• Episode 4 - SCALEXTRIC - A 4.4 km (2.75 mile) track along the old Brooklands Motor Racing Circuit. 400 volunteers help with this record-breaking challenge - a race between the residents of Brooklands and the "Scalextric Professionals".



• Episode 5 - LEGO - A full-sized house, built using 3.3 million lego bricks. This challenge is not only to constuct a life-sized house, but also for James to spend the night in the house.



• Episode 6 - HORNBY - James' model train layout sees a Hornby train set make its way along a 10 mile (16 km) stretch of track from Barnstaple to Bideford. The disused train site provides many obstacles to the modern model train track layout - roads, fences, water and vandals.
  Five trains set out from Barnstaple - James' own Flying Scotsman model, a passenger steam train, a passenger diesel train, a goods diesel train, and the prototype of Hornby's Hitachi Class 395 "Javelin" model. Only one of these trains makes it to Bideford.

JAMES MAY'S TOY STORIES

• BOOK - The Nile (au bookstore), Amazon UK, Amazon USA
• DVD - Fetch DVD (au), Amazon UK, Amazon USA

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MODEL TRAIN HELP

I like to share sites as I come across them. Model Train Help is an instantly downloadable e-book worth $79.95(US), but currently on sale at $39.97(US), and includes free bonuses.

Model Train Help includes hundreds of model railroad tips, model railroading secrets, and clever tips to save you time, money and frustration with your model train layout.

If you are into model trains, this would be a valuable resource whether you are a beginner or already started. Grab your copy of Model Train Help today while it is still on sale at $39.97(US), including free bonuses!

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CASTLEDARE MINIATURE RAILWAY ~ ASBESTOS MESOTHELIOMA

Castledare Miniature Railway
Castledare Miniature Railway is a fond memory from my childhood. The joy of riding around in an open cart pulled along by a miniature steam train. The train travels along a 5km track along the Canning River. It is a memory I'll not forget.

The Railway is located in Wilson, a southern suburb of Perth, Western Australia, on the grounds of Castledare Boys Home, an orphanage run by Christian Brothers. It was a purpose built institution for the treatment and training of intellectually handicapped children, underprivileged boys, and English migrant children, in many ways ahead of its time. It is the only known school developed according to the new ideals for treatment of the intellectually handicapped in the late 1920s in Western Australia.

Castledare is a site of early settlement in the Canning district, and the homestead Niana represents the growing wealth of the district at the turn of the century.

Castledare Boys Home closed down in 1984, but the original Niana homestead remains in place, and the later development into a children's home remains clear. The miniature railway continues to run today.

But sadly, in the 1960s and 1970s, the swamp around the area was filled using asbestos tailings from the James Hardie factory at the invitation of the Christian Brothers. The base for the track was also laid using asbestos, as were some of the old paths.

James Hardie has been embroiled in Asbestosis and Mesothelioma cases from previous employees for a number of years. But now there is a case involving a visitor to the Castledare Boys Home in the 1970s.

Child's play sparks fears of a new breed of asbestos victims - The West Australian, August 2009.
Young asbestos victim a 'tragic case' - The West Australian, April 2010.

Modern asbestos laws would not allow this to happen today. It is a shame that such a fantastic memory is now tainted. My heart goes out to the victim, to Castledare, and to the people who grew up and worked at the home.

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MTRAINS CO UK

I don't collect trains, but I have very fond memories as a child playing with my father's train set. He took great pride in his impressive train terrain, with tracks running this way and that, through tunnels, past barns and farmyard animals, stopping at the platform. I remember learning to drive the train. Moving the transformer handle slowly so the train could pull gently away from the platform. Learning to slow down to take the bend, and gently hooking onto a new carriage. It was a masterful art, one that I am very pleased my father shared with me.
Here's a little train site I came across - www.mtrains.co.uk.

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THE HORNBY DUBLO COLLECTION

I found this great blog page over the weekend. If you're a Hornby Dublo enthusiast, take a look at this page.
The Hornby Dublo Collection - Ramblings from a Derailed Enthusiast.

There's some great photos and some great thoughts. It's not just about trains. There's other things too. It's an interesting page. I hope you think so too.