Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Steam Trains and Jigsaw Puzzles
    Steam Trains and Jigsaw Puzzles
    Steam Trains and Jigsaw Puzzles
    Ebook141 pages1 hour

    Steam Trains and Jigsaw Puzzles

    By David Platt

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Steam Trains and Jigsaw Puzzles strikes most people as an intriguing title. The origin is simple,however my trainspotting youth has been synchronized with a later interest in jigsaw puzzles. The result is expensive I have a collection of over 250 jigsaws depicting British steam railways. The conclusion is impossible there are over 500 steam railway jigsaw puzzles to collect and they are being supplemented annually.



    The Liverpool & Manchester Railway marked the arrival of the true passenger railway service in 1830 and presented jigsaw manufacturers with another subject on which to focus. Prior to this date the jigsaw experience, started by John Spilsbury in c1760, was restricted to subjects such as religion, geography, history, monarchs, the alphabet and art.



    Many characteristics combine to form the basis of nostalgic images buried indelibly in the minds of people who travelled in the steam railway age. Manufacturers have not been slow to tap into this nostalgia and produce jigsaws aimed at stirring those memories and inviting people to reflect on past experiences, good, bad or indifferent.



    Chad Valley, Victory, Good Companion,Falcon, Waddingtons and Arrow are just a few manufacturers who produced steam railway jigsaws in the past. Most of these companies are now a distant memory while others are in foreign ownership. Equally famous names such as Wentworth, Ravensburger (Germany), House of Puzzles, Gibsons, JR Puzzles and King Puzzles (Holland) continue the manufacturing tradition. Output is generally superb thanks to the efforts of fine railway artists such as Terence Cuneo, George Heiron, T. E. North, Don Breckon, John Austin, Barry Freeman and Malcolm Root.



    The book is aimed at anyone with an interest in jigsaw puzzles and at those enthusiasts and aficionados who refuse to allow those evocative memories of the Golden Age of Steam to die.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAuthorHouse UK
    Release dateJul 18, 2007
    ISBN9781481786447
    Steam Trains and Jigsaw Puzzles

    Read more from David Platt

    Related to Steam Trains and Jigsaw Puzzles

    Related ebooks

    Art For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Space Oddity

      Jan 24, 2024

      Space Oddity
      3 min read

    • Article

      Remarkable Rabbits

      Jan 1, 2023

      Remarkable Rabbits
      2 min read

    • Article

      Ice, Ice Baby

      Jan 1, 2021

      Ice, Ice Baby
      1 min read

    • Article

      The Fascinating World Of FISH LARVAE

      Nov 4, 2021

      Did you know that most fish have a larval phase after hatching from the egg, just like frogs have a tadpole phase? The metamorphosis (changes) that fish undergo during the process of becoming an adult fish is far less dramatic than the metamorphosis

      7 min read

    • Article

      Per Gynt

      Oct 6, 2021

      Per Gynt
      3 min read

    • Article

      Kids’ Books Of The Year 2021

      Dec 13, 2021

      By Alexis Deacon Illustrated by Viviane Schwarz (Walker Books, £12.99) Well, this is an intriguing little book. Introducing children as young as three to the philosophical ideas of Plato, Descartes, Freud and Lacan is an audacious ambition, to say th

      7 min read

    • Article

      NEW BOOKS As Reviewed By Tony Wright

      Apr 22, 2021

      This is the first of Lightwood Press’ books I’ve reviewed, and a very impressive whole package it is, too. We’re taken on an all-colour pictorial journey in three sections – Fenny Compton to Warwick, Budbrook to Solihull and finally Solihull to Birmi

      7 min read

    • Article

      Reviews

      Feb 4, 2019

      THIS is a very unusual volume, not being a standalone work but comprising appendices and additional material relating to the author’s previous Talyllyn & Corris Steam Locomotives  books, Volume 1 Pre-preservation and Manufacturers (2014) and Volume 2

      4 min read

    • Article

      Reviews

      Apr 18, 2023

      Published by Amberley Publishing www.amberley-books.comISBN: 9781398108882Price: £15.99 AS electricity became more widely used to power and light Britain’s towns and cities, so a number of municipal boroughs built their own power stations. In the ear

      4 min read

    • Article

      NEW BOOKS As Reviewed By Tony Wright

      Dec 2, 2021

      NEW BOOKS As Reviewed By Tony Wright
      4 min read

    • Article

      Call Attention

      Aug 20, 2021

      From the time that I joined Ian Allan Ltd as a school leaver in 1963, I have worked with railway photographs. Whether it’s a modelling magazine or one about fullsize railways, every article needs to be illustrated. In the 1960s our photographic resou

      4 min read

    • Article

      Reviews

      Jan 15, 2019

      Reviews
      8 min read

    • Article

      New Books

      Sep 9, 2021

      This is an incredible book. The story of its being written and published is also incredible in a way. Anyone who has an interest in Southern locomotives will have the works, published by the RCTS, of Donald Bradley. I have, and I’ve referred to them

      3 min read

    • Article

      Editorial

      Jan 19, 2023

      In a guest editorial this month JOHN SCHOLES, compiler of the detailed captions for our industrial railways photograph features, shares some philosophical thoughts. ‘History is bunk’ is an oft misquoted section of a 1916 lengthy interview with Henry

      3 min read

    • Article

      Comment

      May 21, 2021

      The Yorkshire Dales are soon to echo to the sound of a High Speed Train carrying eager daytrippers as the ‘Staycation Express’ -and as NRM Associate Curator Bob Gwynne suggests on pp64-65, this year at least, more people than for generations are like

      2 min read

    • Article

      Penny Plain, comment tuppence Coloured

      Nov 17, 2023

      I’ve just finished writing a feature on the Leek & Manifold Valley Light Railway for a future issue of Steam World. In parallel with the writing of such a feature, I do the photographic research. It is vital to find suitable illustrations, of course,

      2 min read

    • Article

      Bessie’s Bulletin

      Feb 14, 2023

      Freightliner shunt driver Bessie Matthews appreciates No. 66587 and the colour it brings to her night shift. IT’S no secret that I am obsessed with Southampton Maritime and the stories that come from within. I’ve been fully passed out as a shunt

      5 min read

    • Article

      Catsfield

      Oct 7, 2021

      Catsfield
      5 min read

    • Article

      NEW BOOKS As Reviewed By Tony Wright

      May 19, 2022

      I admit to never having heard of the railway described in this book, despite its being over 60 years old in its creation. I’m told it appeared in a few issues of the MRJ, but those escaped my gaze. As such, it’s a pity it isn’t more widely-known, but

      7 min read

    • Article

      Portraits Of Another World

      Jul 30, 2023

      Portraits Of Another World
      5 min read

    • Article

      Eyes Right

      Jan 6, 2021

      By Charles M. Falco and Ultan Guilfoyle Published by Phaidon. (UK) 320 pages hard cover. ISBN: 978 1 83866 163 2 RRP: $79.95 Price: Special Exhibition offer $62.95 from QAGOMA Store https://qagoma.store/collections/themotorcycle/products/the-motorcyc

      4 min read

    • Article

      Christmas Past, Cricket and New Blood

      Jan 14, 2020

      As these thoughts are being typed, it is a fortnight before Christmas Day. Traditionally, many youngsters were introduced to railways with a train set as a Christmas present. Often, the present was really for dad, but the credit was always placed wit

      3 min read

    • Article

      Comment

      Jul 16, 2019

      There are times when it is very easy to see how far our hobby has progressed over the past few decades. When I ‘found’ the Australian model railway scene I was enchanted by a single branch line, a line that seems to have also been appreciated by many

      3 min read

    • Article

      NEW BOOKS As Reviewed By Tony Wright

      Dec 30, 2021

      Two from Pen and Sword this month – I’ve never encountered such a prolific publisher. As well as this and the one on South Wales reviewed, there are volumes on The Chester and Holyhead Railway, Railway Request Stops, The Snowdon Mountain Railway, Mid

      7 min read

    • Article

      NEW BOOKS As Reviewed By Tony Wright

      Jul 14, 2022

      As usual, there are several new books from Pen and Sword this month (there is no more prolific a publisher), including a wonderful volume on world bridges, a study of York as a railway centre, Railways in The Black Country and the one I’m reviewing t

      6 min read

    • Article

      Express Mailbag

      Jul 12, 2022

      Train drivers are invited to support a survey into their use of Driver Advisory Systems (DAS). The views of those who use DAS in Britain, including drivers and driver-competent managers, are sought for a university Masters research project which is p

      7 min read

    • Article

      What's The Attraction?

      Feb 16, 2024

      What's The Attraction?
      3 min read

    • Article

      Platform

      Oct 22, 2019

      Platform
      6 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Steam Trains and Jigsaw Puzzles

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Steam Trains and Jigsaw Puzzles - David Platt

      AuthorHouse™ UK Ltd.

      1663 Liberty Drive

      Bloomington, IN 47403 USA

      www.authorhouse.co.uk

      Phone: 0800.197.4150

      © 2007, 2013 David Platt. All rights reserved.

      No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

      Published by AuthorHouse 08/22/2013

      ISBN: 978-1-4259-9794-6 (sc)

      ISBN: 978-1-4817-8644-7 (e)

      Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

      6238.png

      To my dear wife Angela. Although disabled by a stroke she has been a constant source of inspiration throughout my endeavours.

      Dedication%20page.tif

      Contents

      Introduction

      A Summary of Jigsaw Puzzle History

      Jigsaw Puzzle Manufacturers and Characteristics

      Thematic Collecting

      Railway Artists

      Classification

      Steam Locomotives and Trains

      Steam In Context

      Railway Features

      Railway People

      Famous Locomotives and Headboards

      The Internet Influence

      Bibliography

      Key to Photographic Plates

      Introduction

      Railways, and steam locomotives in particular, have fascinated me for as long as I can remember. As a young teenager in the early 1960’s I engaged in one of the popular pursuits of the time and travelled many miles on British Railways in search of those elusive numbers and names. Trainspotting it was called but I don’t admit to it readily nowadays for fear of being labelled an ‘anorak’. Dormant memories of my Ian Allan Combined, the hustle and bustle of Birmingham Snow Hill, those magnificent Stanier ‘Pacifics’ hurtling through Wigan North Western and my ‘smoked’ ham and grime sandwiches are revived every time I piece together a jigsaw of a steam railway. Without leaving the comfort of my own home I can admire the mechanical genius of engineers like Charles Collett and Sir Nigel Gresley and great railways such as the Caledonian, the London and South Western, and the Great Northern. I can gaze, in awe, at the sheer scale and grandeur of Paddington Station, Ribblehead Viaduct and the Forth Bridge or the resurrection of rusting relics from Barry Scrapyard and their return to useful service on our preserved railways. Yes, the railway network that criss-crossed Great Britain like a giant spider’s web and considerably influenced the rural and urban landscapes of the country made an impact faithfully reflected in jigsaw puzzles. Completed puzzles also remind me of the black & white photographs I took with my trustworthy Halina compact camera in and around the stations at Shrewsbury, Wolverhampton Low Level and Birmingham Snow Hill. The passing of the 1960’s left impressions that even Dr Beeching couldn’t erase. Nostalgia…. What a wonderfully human idiosyncrasy.

      After studying thousands of jigsaw puzzles listed on the Internet auction room ebay in 2005-2006 it was obvious from the numbers involved that examples depicting steam railways were both numerous and popular. There are many like-minded people collecting jigsaws depicting steam railways. Some valuable, older and less common puzzles also comprise a small part of the railway memorabilia or ‘Railwayana’ scene. Encouraged by these facts and by the steadily increasing number of jigsaws depicting steam railways still being manufactured today, I thought it was about time that someone wrote a few words about the title subject. Why not me?

      This book is primarily aimed at collectors of steam railway jigsaw puzzles, serious or otherwise. It is also aimed at those without any passionate affinity for railways who just like to reminisce about times spent on steam hauled trains and assemble the odd jigsaw or two. Railway aficionados may also be interested in the book as I believe that there is much common ground between all ‘steam railway people’ whatever their focus. Furthermore, it is meant to encourage people to use the Internet and other sources of railway information and research the subject of the jigsaw being assembled before them.

      There have been many manufacturers and retailers associated with jigsaw puzzle history. Suppliers of subject matter included artists, illustrators, graphic designers, cartographers and photographers. A certain Mr Spilsbury started the whole jigsaw experience in the mid 18th century. He simply pasted a map onto a piece of wooden board and cut it into pieces for children to re-assemble later as part of a geography lesson. However, due mainly to high costs, access by the masses to jigsaw puzzles was restricted until the early part of the twentieth century.

      Jigsaw puzzles and steam railways successfully coincided in the 1920’s when the board of the Great Western Railway (GWR) Company introduced a range of promotional jigsaw puzzles made by the Chad Valley Company that unashamedly exploited the relationship between railway and passengers. The jigsaws were sold cheaply or given away free of charge. They were an effective and popular way of showing off all aspects of steam railway travel associated with the GWR. At the same time the popularity of jigsaw puzzles had never been higher and a million of the puzzles had been distributed by the end of the following decade.

      In the early to mid twentieth century the popularity of steam railways with the general public led to an influx of superb artists who focused on the subject. T. E. North, Leslie Carr, the F Moore syndicate and their contemporaries were in great demand and jigsaw companies were not slow to replicate paintings by these artists. Subsequently, other artists, George Heiron and Terence Cuneo for example produced superb paintings that were also reproduced in the same way. Barry Freeman, Don Breckon, John Austin and Malcolm Root continued the tradition of fine artists creating quality work for the jigsaw trade with many others joining them and continuing to do so. These artists all have or had one thing in common - a deep-seated appreciation and affection for steam railways.

      Some people think that the visual, mental and tactile examinations associated with compiling a jigsaw puzzle are a waste of time; after all what do you do with it when you have finished? You break it up into its many (1000, say) component parts and put them away in a box, possibly not to see the light of day again for a long time. Obviously I am not from this school of thought. As a younger man I remember producing photographs from negatives, watching the images appear as if by magic in the developer. My emotions ran high at times when the print was eagerly anticipated, perhaps for an exhibition. Building a jigsaw puzzle of a steam train from ‘scratch’ affords me the same emotions, though they are more controlled as they accumulate over a longer period of time. And of course, I do have a picture of the finished product for reference, rather than a memory. The transformation of hundreds of pieces - meaningless individually - into a magnificent steam railway scene is exceptionally satisfying.

      As a very keen photographer who only just caught a few snapshots during the death throes of steam on the GWR or ‘God’s Wonderful Railway’ I must admit that I dream of being transported back in time to the days of the broad gauge of Daniel Gooch and Isambard Kingdom Brunel armed with my present day digital photographic equipment. I would have jigsaws made to my personal specifications from my best shots of those magnificent Gooch locomotives Fire Fly and Iron Duke speeding along ‘Brunel’s Billiard Table’ between London and Bristol. And what about the distinctive locomotives of other early railways adorned in liveries such as ‘Caley Blue’, ‘Victoria Brown’ and William Stroudley’s ‘Improved Engine Green’ - wouldn’t they look wonderful too? Unfortunately my continued search of ebay has not unearthed a second-hand Tardis yet. But I can dream can’t I?

      Finally, please enjoy the book. If you are a steam train enthusiast or have pleasant memories of that ‘golden age’ why not purchase a steam railway jigsaw puzzle and enjoy the thrill of piecing it together if you have not already done so. Research the subject of the puzzle for greater satisfaction. The experience may remain with you and you may become a collector, like me. I have nearly 300 steam railway thematic jigsaw puzzles in my collection although my inventory stretches to nearly double this number. I have a long way to go to completion, but I will enjoy the challenge.

      A Summary of Jigsaw Puzzle History

      The history of jigsaw puzzles, or dissected puzzles as they were originally called, is covered in great detail in other publications and is summarized only in this book. Following excellent research by Linda Hannas (published 1968, 1972 and 1981) and later, Tom Tyler (1997) for example, it is now generally accepted that mapmakers were the originators of dissected puzzles in the mid 18th century. In particular, the London engraver and mapmaker John Spilsbury is acknowledged as the inventor, c1760, after pasting a hand-coloured map on to a piece of thin hardwood and simply cutting round the borders of each country with a marquetry saw. He is also recognised as the first commercial manufacturer of dissected maps. In the next few years he made dissected maps of the world, the four known continents and the British Isles. From this time and for the next twenty years or so puzzles were purely teaching tools for children, especially for geography, but they were very expensive. As a result puzzles were made for wealthy clients only, upper class English parents in particular. Few other people were privy to the joys of dissectology. This approach to education progressed to include other subjects such as religion, history (particularly Monarchs) and alphabet-based puzzles and lasted until around 1820. By this time jigsaws had become firmly established in British recreational life. Adult puzzles began to appear but prices remained beyond

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1