Our world in miniature, hobbies

Philip - The Reliant Car Company of Tamworth started making three wheeled vans in about 1934. The company's founder had worked for Raleigh who had manufactured three wheeled vans prior to 1934. Legend has it that the owner of the new company had to think of a named starting with 'R' because he had purchased parts branded 'R' from Raleigh when they stopped production. The first Reliant vans had motorcycle type front forks at the front but a conventional steering wheel in the cab. Later the vans and cars developed into the infamous 'Delboy' van of the 1960's and later into the much rounder Robin and Rialto models which some people called Robin Reliants when it should be the other way round. Reliant production ended about 12 years ago but there are still a fair few about. You could drive them on a motorcycle driving licence so they were popular with former motorcyclists. If you have got an hour to spare have a look at 3-wheelers.com which will tell you everything you ever need to know about three wheel vehicles, and a bit more besides. 'Dartcastings' list a version of the early Reliant van in 4mm scale under their reference L2 and a price of £8.10 (is it made of gold?). Hope this helps. Roger

Hi & thank you for that I will & brill!

Happy sigh, it's looking great Philip. I like the policeman checking out the badly parked van. I saw a lot of bike vans in Italy, they looked a lot of fun.

The Reliant vans bring back happy memories of my time spent working for W. Mead, plumbers of Foleshill Rd. Billy Mead had three of these vehicles, one green ten hundred weight covered van as per picture, and two grey open back five hundred weight vans, which I believe he had specially built. They were all powered by an engine which sat between the seats, and an offset steering wheel The engines were Austin 7 units The older members of the forum must surely remember seeing them in the Foleshill area, the open back ones would be carrying ladders and roofing ladders, and also plumbing materials. Fond memories.

This little Reliant van was at a gathering of Reliants in Tamworth a couple of years ago. It normally resides in the Black Country Living Museum.

Hi all Another "Baby Deltic" has joined the fleet of diesel locomotives, rendering another steam loco to the storehouse. In the scene here, it is held at Bramble Lane signals whilst working the down Bescot to Banbury freight. Having been rendered redundant from its Banbury Bescot freight duty, which it has been allocated to for the last five years, "Super "D" class" 7F is now area pilot at Hall Brooks. It has been overhauled at Derby & has been fitted with train heating, so that it can deputise for any diesel failures. Back in train-spot days, this was a familiar event. You would not believe the sound of cheering from transpotters, when ever a steamer was witnessed towing a failed diesel back to a depot, or even better where the failed diesel was still with its train. The "super" Ds as they were known although strictly they were part of the G & G1 class, were a common site on the Foleshill line. http://www.warwickshirerailways.com/lms/lnwr_3spires1477.htm Only three mainline steam locos are in operation in Hall-Brooks, all allocated to freight duties. Just five years ago, eighteen steam locos ruled the roost at Hall Brooks.

Hi all Just chat. With my eyesight behaving itself a bit better, a bit late I know, but I am turning my attention to some more railway jobs. Most of the signals on our railway are either homemade, Hornby or modified Hornby. They are not the most accurate, compared to say Ratio kit signals, but they are robust. Most that you can see in the pictures have arrived second-hand, where in the past, for a few bob & I could buy an old junk box of signals, where I could modify to suit, with loads leftover. Not now though. The S/H metal arm signals are priced like gold. I want to make a couple of shunt, or call-on signals as they are sometimes known, but it looks as though I will have to make them from scratch. I still have a colour light signal project in hand for the EMU electric service to Curzon St, which I started to look at a couple of years ago. Anyway that is enough dribble from me.

Hi all A couple of signals, the one on the far platform is a modified Hornby on a homemade station bracket, whilst the nearest platform is scratch built, & has a repeater ground signal, mounted on top so that it is visible to the crew on a reversing freight train.

Hi all A couple of pictures, both from Worcester Shrub Hill, where high level ground signals were in use. In the second picture, the ground signal is hung from the station canopy awning. Both pictures are from Flicr.

Hi all A delight for me is that my Pam enjoys relaxing in the railway room with a cuppa, viewing the scene. It is often the small details that bring our railway to life, like the "out of service" signal sign Also, the shunting sign in the shape of an S. Some areas had a O on the signal arm to show that the signal was only giving access as far as the shunt limit.

With Riley Square being in the news recently it reminds me that in the 1960s there was shop there which sold Tri-ang model railways. Can anybody remember the name of the shop or what their main business was?

Hoping this might jog some ones memory as I dont know the name but recall a shop in the early 70s selling a few classic toys , I think the shop you mentioned in Riley Square Bellgreen . Comming from Roseberry Avenue up , 2nd or 3rd shop up on the left hand side, a little further up on the opposite side was the green groucers.

Was it Shepherd's on the corner plot Dutchman? They sold bikes as well.

Thanks both I honestly can't remember the exact location of the shop, only that it was one of the retail units there. Nor can I remember what else it sold.