What's in a Name? Exploring the origins of the British toy steam locomotive

Oddy, Nicholas

What's in a Name? Exploring the origins of the British toy steam locomotive

Output Details

Oddy, Nicholas (2024) What's in a Name? Exploring the origins of the British toy steam locomotive. The Train Collector (71). ISSN 2516-0605
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9313:56392
9313:59387

[A][B][+][-]

9313:56392

What's in a Name? Exploring the origins of the British toy steam locomotive

Accepted Version Download (9MB)

9313:59387

Published Version Download (21MB)

Further Details

Creators/Authors:

Oddy, Nicholas

Abstract:

The class of brass-built, spirit fired, toy locomotives commonly called 'dribblers' are likely the first ever commercially made model railway products in the world. Until now, it has been generally taken that the first were the products of significant London instrument makers in the 1840s and 1850s. This article sets out to prove that this is mistaken. Using close object analysis coupled with trade directories and census records, it demonstrated that, regardless of the names they bear, they were all the product of a single individual, seemingly working without any significant competition between c1845 and the early 1860s.

Official URL:

https://traincollector.co.uk/

Uncontrolled Keywords:

Model railways, revisionist history, 1850s, Model Dockyard, brass locomotives, dribbler, London, instrument maker.

School/Academic Area:

School of Design > Design History and Theory

Dates:

Date

Date Type

10 January 2024

Accepted

24 June 2024

Published

Status:

Published

Copyright and Open Access Information:

This is not to be published until June 2024.

Output Type:

Article

Output ID:

9313

Date Deposited:

14 Mar 2024 11:32

Last Modified:

16 Mar 2025 12:12

Deposited By:

Nicholas Oddy

Staff Profiles

Nicholas Oddy

Head of Department of Design History and Theory

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