Micromodels

A Forum on the 1940' and 50's UK Railway Micromodels
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Kevin Wilson-Smith

Micromodels

Post by Kevin Wilson-Smith »

Does anyone remember Micromodels?

Micromodel in a s were first produced in the 1940s and 50s in the UK, and were an attempt to provide models for hobbyists during an era where raw materials, because of the Second World War, were short.

As a result Micromodels were printed on small cards, or roughly 2 x 3 inches, and several cards were then enclosed in a paper wrapper. The models are, as the name implies, fairly small – a tank engine from sample is only around an inch long.

To describe them, one advertising campaign referred to a workshop in a cigar box. This literally was the case, as the model in progress, as well as tools and glue, could actually be kept in a cigar box for carting into an air raid shelter, or in later years while travelling.

Given that these models have artwork that is hand drawn, the detail is really good.

The range Micromodels produced was very wide, and ranged from ships, through architectural models (the area that I am really interested in), aircraft, industrial machinery and a whole range of other topics, to railway subjects!

This of course is the subject of this post!

The railway subjects produced are extensive, and I think total the most individual subjects out of the whole Micromodels range.

In terms of model topics they range from mainline steam engines through to tank engines, over the whole era from Stephenson’s rocket up to the modern engines of the early 1950s. As well as these, there is a selection of coaching and rolling stock, as well as some miscellaneous items such as a breakdown crane. As well as this, there are also a selection of buildings, as well as printed templates for railway tracks.

Printed on a thin card, these models provide a challenging build! No special tools are required, although the instructions to suggest the manufacture of miniature scalpels via the heating and tempering of steel knitting needles! This is an exercise I have not attempted, as I suspect it will end up in burns and frustration!

As a Micromodels enthusiast I will try and share some of the railway topics with you, as I access the various models, and in a couple of cases try and build a few!
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