Banjo case reveals intricately crafted nuggets of miniature railway history

However upon opening it one is presented with a model train-set so intricate and tiny it is bound to bring rail enthusiasts flocking to see it.

The Warehouse at York’s National Railway Museum houses a range of model rail gems such as this OOO scale layout from the 1950s, so small it was transported inside a banjo case.

The James Peel Richards collection, which is also on display in the Warehouse, consists of 610 London and North Western Railway models made to scale, a major legacy left by a man who spent the majority of his life crafting these intricately produced miniatures.

Now the museum is launching a hunt to find the nation’s favourite rail-related toy to add to its collection in time for February half-term, whether it’s Thomas the Tank Engine or engines from the Hornby collections.

Yesterday, John McGoldrick, curator of museum collections at the museum, put on his white gloves and dusted down a model train set from the museum’s collection that fits into a banjo case to demonstrate an ingenious toy built for the tracks.

The train set has been lovingly crafted, featuring tiny buildings, that can all be neatly packed away and transported from place to place in its unusual carrying case.

Mr McGoldrick said: “Railway toys have played a huge part in the childhoods of many and we felt the time was right to add the nation’s favourite toy item into the collection.

“We are looking forward to receiving suggestions and to eventually getting the favourite into the national collection.”

The National Railway Museum in York is hosting a Big Fun with Little Trains event this February half-term. To coincide with this the museum is trying to find the nation’s favourite railway-related toy and is asking the great British public for its help.

The museum is looking for nominations for the character, toy or model that children and adults have loved playing with, both past and present.

The winning item will be entered, pride of place, in the already vast collection.

Whether it’s Thomas the Tank Engine, Wilson or Brewster from Chuggington, Paddington the world’s favourite travelling bear, Brio wooden tracks, Meccano train tracks or Hornby collections, curators are asking people to come forward with their suggestions.

Nominations can be made on the museum’s website by visiting: www.nrm.org.uk/halfterm. The winner will be announced at Easter.

James Peel Richards’ 
dedication to model-building led him to construct 610 model railway vehicles during his lifetime.