| >From: HonSec@trps.org.uk (John S.Robinson)
>Newsgroups: uk.railway,misc.transport.rail.misc,alt.railroad
>Subject: Reverend W.V. Awdry dies
>Date: Fri, 21 Mar 1997 12:17:06 GMT
>The death was announced this morning (21/3/1997) of the Reverend
>Wilbert Awdry, creator of the Railway Series, at the age of 85.
>
>Peter Sam will be carrying black ribbon on his headlamp tomorrow on
>the Talyllyn Railway.
>
>John
|
| >From: Sue McNaughton <Sue@wandleys.demon.co.uk>
>Newsgroups: uk.railway,misc.transport.rail.misc,alt.railroad
>Subject: Re: Reverend W.V. Awdry dies
>Date: Mon, 24 Mar 1997 20:18:52 +0000
>In article <333642C0.6AA1@reading.ac.uk>, Bill Foote
><w.d.n.foote@reading.ac.uk> writes
>>Another interesting, but rarely mentioned, aspect of this great
>>gentleman's life is that, in an issue of the Meccano Magazine back in
>>(IIRC) the late 1920s, the readers' suggestions column had an item
>>proposing the introduction of parts that would connect 0 Gauge track to
>>Meccano Strips & Girders from a certain W.Awdry - as ever Meccano Ltd
>>declared the suggestion impracticable and then went ahead with it a few
>>year later!
>>> When Wilbert Awdry retired to Gloucestershire he worked with (amongst
>>> many other clergy) Gilbert Thurlow, the Dean of Gloucester. Gilbert
>>> (also now gone, alas) later retired to Chichester.
>>> Gilbert once told me about a clergy gathering at which Wilbert Awdry
>>> gave a talk. His subject was the Isle of Sodor, its history and
>>> topography. He didn't give undue prominence to its railway system, and
>>> he omitted to mention the names of any locomotives; his delivery was
>>> erudite and grave. By the end of the talk, said Gilbert with great
>>> glee, half his audience were quite convinced the place was real!
>>> Sue
>I can but commend to members of these ngs Brian Sibley's biography of
>the Rev., "The Thomas the Tank Engine Man" (do not be put off by title,
>probably insisted on by publisher). This records a long involvement in
>railway modelling, beginning with 'The Ampfield Model Railway' set up by
>his father and his half-brother (who was later killed in WW1).
>The accounts of his own layouts include such matters as Thomas and the
>mouse, the technical difficulties of modelling a bog, and the problems
>associated with the use of ladybirds which turned out to have been not
>quite as defunct as had been supposed! And if you can get access to
>archive copies of 'Railway Modeller', somewhere in 1961 are his detailed
>instructions on building your own Toby. He said the official drawing
>(of a Y6 tram engine) shows 24 bars on the cowcatcher, but he only
>managed to squeeze in 18. Can anyone out there take up his challenge to
>do better?
>Sue
|