A primitive Class 121

I’ve said before that my interest in the Pressed Steel railcars began back in the 1960s. Browsing my files (all my photographs and drawings are kept in boxes and plastic crates) for background to review Dapol’s Class 122, I came across a photograph of my first Class 121 model. It had Plastikard sides and ends, a Kitmaster roof and motor bogie, and K’s bogie sideframes. The latter were the only components available for a DMU, without scratch-building. What proved to be even more interesting is the drawing which I worked from. It was probably drawn while I was still at school, and it certainly used everything that I had learned in technical drawing class with Mr Osborne. He used to call me ‘Tramlines Leigh’ as I frequently drew double lines when my ruler slipped, and he knew of my railway interest. I’ve now no idea if I obtained any proper dimensions, or if so, how I did it. The railcar used to stand at the terminus for a while, so I might well have run a ruler over some basic details. My second attempt at modelling a Class 121 was an MTK kit, but that’s another story! Maybe it can be told sometime soon.

Left: The school pencil drawing that I worked from. The partial inking-in was done years later. BOTH: CHRIS LEIGH COLLECTION

Above: My first W55021 model was almost completely scratch-built when I was a teenager.