Ravensburger Railway Heritage Series

No.1 in Ravensburger Heritage Series are two 500-piece jigsaws, packed in the same box, and titled Oakworth and Corfe.  This post, 23 April 2020 features both of these puzzles and No.2 in the series, showing another pair of puzzles, will follow in a later post. The illustrative artwork is by Trevor Mitchell.

Oakworth, left, is one of the stations on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway (K&WVR). The locomotive  approaching the platform with a passenger service is ex War Department (W.D.) class '8F' 2-8-0, No.90733. The locomotive has a fascinating history from 1945, when it was built at Vulcan Foundary in Newton-le-Willows. She was sent to the continent to carry out troop and supplies movements then, following the end of the war, ended up in The Netherlands. She was transferred to the Swedish State Railway in 1953, and later held in store until purchased by the K&WVR in 1972. She arrived in 1973 but was withdrawn from service three years later. Repairs began in 1993 leading to a return to active duties in 2007 when she was re-numberd 90733, thus continuing the B.R. numbering system for the class, 9000 - 90732. She was taken out of service in 2017 and is now under overhaul at Haworth. Oakworth Station looks splendid in Trevor's painting with many passengers of all ages waiting for the train to stop.  A luggage trolley, metal adverts and floral displays add to the nostalgic ambience. 

Corfe station, right, on the Swanage Railway, is ideally placed for visits to the famous castle, seen in the background in Trevor's picture. The steam locomotive 0-6-2T, No.6695, was built in 1928, withdrawn from service in 1964, and moved to Barry Scrapyard in the same year. She was transferred to the Swanage Railway in 1979 but was sold to the '6695 Locomotive Group' in 1995. In 2015 she was under overhaul at the West Somerset Railway but was then transferred to the Swindon & Cricklade Railway in 2019 to continue her overhaul. She is depicted waiting in Corfe Station at the head of a rake of Southern Railway (SR) green coaches. The platforms are busy with passengers and visitors. Adjacent to the steam train is a BR class 108 diesel multiple unit (DMU).

Unfortunately these jigsaws are printed in a very light and non-contrasty style and photographing them is difficult.

A Tale of Two Locomotives

Today's jigsaw, 10 April 2020,  is another 'gem' from the House of Puzzles' portfolio of superb steam train examples. It is a 1000 piece puzzle from the Castleford Collection, titled Bringing Them Home. The jigsaw features the ex Great Western Railway (GWR) 'Hall' class 4-6-0 locomotive  No.4965, Rood Ashton Hall, at Arley Station on the Severn Valley Railway (SVR). 

In a modern 're-enactment' scene, World War II Army personnel, men and women, are greeted by friends and relatives, including children, on arriving 'home'. The SVR is one of several Heritage Railways including such retrospective WWII events in their annual programmes. At these special events volunteers wear period dress and uniforms, and other items of period paraphernalia are added to the platforms; items such as milk churns and luggage for instance. A guard standing by the engine and the station master sat outside his office are each pictured with a mug of tea. The station cat is also included in a scene well captured by artist Ray Cresswell. 

The history of this locomotive is very interesting with mischievous exchanges and transfers going on between two locomotives at Swindon Works c1961/62. Basically the locomotive is a hybrid of No.4983 Albert Hall - the 10th locomotive to leave Barry Scrapyard in 1970 - and No.4965 Rood Ashton Hall.  Read the story on www.preservedbritishsteamlocomotives.com/4965-rood-ashton-hall

The Viaduct

Viaducts are fascinating structures and we are blessed with many examples in the UK, some around 200 years old. Among the more famous are the Ribblehead Viaduct on the Settle-Carlisle Line and the Glenfinnan Viaduct, the UK's first, mass concrete viaduct, on Scotland's West Highland Line. The 82-arch Harringworth Viaduct in England's smallest county, Rutland, is the UK's longest masonry viaduct at 1,166 metres. This post, 17 March 2020 features a jigsaw puzzle of a viaduct painted by Italian artist, Marcello Corti. The puzzle comprises 1000 pieces and is manufactured by Falcon.

Tangmere 'Hurricanes'

This post, 11 February 2020, features a 500-piece jigsaw from Gibsons titled Tangmere Hurricanes. The jigsaw is marketed in a small  gift box - the artwork is by Nicholas Trudgeon.

Before WWII, 601 Auxilliary Squadron, known initially as the 'Millionaires Squadron' (composed almost entirely of super rich gentlemen) was based at RAF Northolt. However, when the war started in 1940, the Squadron was mobilised from RAF Tangmere, near Chichester in West Sussex. Hawker Hurricanes and Supermarine Spitfires were operated by 601 Squadron.  Pilots engaged the Luftwaffe  from their base by the sea, protecting shipping in the English Channel; hefty casualties were incurred. The famous WWII pilot Wing Commander Douglas Bader was stationed at Tangmere in 1941.

The jigsaw description on the gift box is summarised as follows  - Four Mk1 Hurricanes of 601 Squadron, refuelled and rearmed, climb to re-join the battle during the summer of 1940. Below, life goes on as a Southern Railway train pulls out of a local village station........these renowned aircraft served the RAF in all major theatres of the Second World War.

Spot the Difference....

Today's post, 13 December 2019,  features a puzzle from one of my favourite companies - House of Puzzles - based in Invergordon. It is a 1000-piece example from their 'Spot the Difference' range and includes the obligatory (for this blog), steam train. The jigsaw title is Ready to Roll. There are 15 differences between the box and jigsaw pictures. It's difficult switching between screens when you have downloaded the blog pics, but try and find the differences; some are quite obvious.

Several passengers are included in Keith Stapleton's picture. Some are boarding the train on the left, some are just hanging around whilst others are slightly visible in the first carriage of the train about to leave the station. There is plenty of colour throughout. Three children, a dog, luggage trolleys, cases, baskets, guard, porter, engine driver and two trains are prominent, in a 'busy' composition. Summer holidays, is the likely theme. The locomotive heading the train and 'ready to roll', is one of William Stanier's rebuilt 'Royal Scot' class of 4-6-0 wheel configuration.

Although the locomotive appears to be a rebuilt Royal Scot locomotive bearing number 46106 in the jigsaw picture, No.46106 was named Gordon Highlander; but there does not appear to be a name-plate on the engine in the painting. The same locomotive was the only 'Scot' to retain straight BR smoke deflectors.  

Two jigsaws from Gibsons

Today's post, 25 November 2019, comprises two current, pictorial jigsaw puzzles from Gibsons. Both are available from numerous outlets and feature the artwork of two members of the prestigeous Guild of Railway Artists (G.R.A.).

The first (left) is a 1000-piece example titled All Aboard to Keswick; the superb painting is by Stephen Warnes. In a summer setting, Braithwaite Station - close to Bassenthwaite Lake and Derwentwater -   is the focal point as passengers wait for the train for Keswick, a gateway to the Lake District. The locomotive at the head of the train is the 0-6-0 tender engine, No.58396, designed for the L&NWR (London & North Western Railway) by Francis Webb. It belonged to a class of locomotives nicknamed the "Cauliflowers', because of their appearance when viewed from a distance. Braithwaite Station looks immaculate in an early 1950's setting, with adults and excited children watching the train slowly approaching. A luggage trolley and flower beds add to the holiday ambience, supplemented by the background mountains and a semaphore signal.

The second jigsaw, titled Corfe Castle Crossing, is a 500-piece example showing the excellent artwork of Gerald Savine. The Swanage Railway is represented here with the famous Corfe Castle in the background. The same scene, featuring earlier locomotives and trains, has been painted by many artists since the opening of the Wareham-Swanage branch line in 1885. The Swanage Railway Society took over the line in 1972 following closure in the same year. British Railways class '4' 2-6-4 tank engine, No.80078, emerged from Brighton Works in early 1954 and was withdrawn from service in 1964.  It eventually arrived at Barry Scrapyard (1966) and was rescued in 1976 by the Southern Steam Trust, the 84th engine to be rescued from the famous yard. 80078 first steamed on the Swanage Railway in October 1999. A 250-piece, Wentworth wooden jigsaw, showing the same Savine painting, was featured in the post of 1st July 2014.

Artist Bryan de Grineau

Today's post, 26 October 2019, features a 150-piece wooden jigsaw by A .V. N. Jones & Co. Ltd from the 1930's.

The title is "The Royal Scot"  but also on the box lid are the words The Famous Scottish Express of the L.M.S.Railway and SCOT PASSES SCOT. The artwork is by Bryan de Grineau.

Bryan de Grineau (1883-1957) was well known in the early-to-mid twentieth century for his automotive artwork especially for The Motor magazine and later, as a war correspondent for the Illustrated London News. He also painted several railway posters for the LMS in the 1930’s. He was born Charles William Grineau and used several pseudonyms in his lifetime in his quest for artistic fame. Three Hornby Book of Trains’ titles, between 1937 and 1940 used artwork by de Grineau on the front cover - No.6201 Princess Elizabeth (1937-38); No.6005 King George II (1938-39) and No.6231 Duchess of Atholl (1939-40). The paintings are superb and the first example No.6201 Princess Elizabeth has been marketed as a1000-piece jigsaw puzzle by The Works, high street store, (see post of 13 March 2016). The other two de Grineau paintings would also look superb as jigsaw puzzles. Bryan also produced artwork for the Meccano Magazine.

The highly collectible 150-piece, wooden jigsaw from A.V.N.Jones & Co. Ltd, shown above, features 'Royal Scot' class 4-6-0 No 6110, Grenadier Guardsman. The original painting by de Grineau was produced for a 1937 L.M.S. poster titled Scot passes Scot, promoting the famous 'Royal Scot' passenger service between Glasgow, Edinburgh and London Euston. The poster features No.6110 heading the famous train on the West Coast Main Line passing the express of the same name, travelling in the opposite direction.The poster is reproduced below. The de Grineau painting was also used more recently on a Hornby tea mug sold by a well known  High Street store, and in 2019, as the front cover of The Times - Golden Years of Rail Travel, book.

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50-piece Chad Valley Puzzle.

In focus today, 17 September 2019, is a small, early Chad Valley jigsaw comprising 50 pieces. It is cut from "selected" plywood and housed in a very crude cardboard box displaying the words, "Made at the Chad Valley Works Harborne England".

The simple, illustrative artwork shows a GWR Express with a 'King' class 4-6-0  locomotive at the head.  The location appears to be the red cliffs and sea wall around Dawlish. As to the origin of the jigsaw I refer to the excellent "Compendium of British Jigsaw Puzzles of the 20th Century" by Tom Tyler. Included in a long list of Chad Valley jigsaws, is a 1935 set of six, 50-piece puzzles under the heading Famous Trains. I suspect that my example is one of this set. The artist is not named.

A Waddingtons Zodiac puzzle

In today's post, 30 August 2019, I am describing a Waddingtons' cardboard puzzle from around the mid 20th century. One of the biggest names in jigsaw puzzles, Waddingtons, began making jigsaw puzzles in the early 1930's. They had bought in die cutting technology from America, but it took many years of development before top quality jigsaws could be made. The company survived until 1994 when they were taken over by American company Hasbro Inc. The original name lived on however, with Woolworths as the major supplier. 500 and 1000-piece puzzles were packaged in the instantly recognisable red boxes. Woolworths went into administration in 2008 leaving the Waddingtons name in doubt. 

Canon Street station is depicted in the Waddington’s Zodiac 400-piece jigsaw titled Train Departure. A ‘Schools’ class 4-4-0 locomotive, No.30926 Repton, is pictured leaving the station heading a passenger train in British Railways' days (Repton was originally numbered 926 in Southern Railway days). The station dominates the backdrop. A second steam train is also exiting the station on the adjacent line. The illustrative artwork is unsigned but is very similar to Robert Nixon's oil painting titled Canon Street Station (see www.robertnixon.co.uk). In Robert's painting, 'Schools' class 4-4-0, No 900 Eton is  heading out of the station with a passenger train, in the Southern Railway era. Both of the additional trains are also in similar positions in Robert's painting.

The UK's oldest working steam locomotive.

A puzzle aimed at children, but of 500-pieces and tited Steam train in the snow, was sold at Wilko’s stores around Christmas time, 2017. The preserved ex Furness Railway, 0-4-0 locomotive, No. 20, owned by the Furness Railway Trust, is shown heading a clerestory coach passing a winter village scene. Watching on intently are children sat on a nearby gate. The main attractions are the handsome tender locomotive, the driver dressed as Santa, and a group of children building a snowman in the  field, opposite. The famous ‘Indian Red’ livery of the Furness Railway adorns the coach and locomotive; the latter built by Sharp Stewart & Co. of Manchester, in 1863. The artist of this attractive illustrative painting is not named. The loco was running on the Ribble Steam  Railway based at Preston Docks, but is now based at Shildon; it is the country's oldest working steam locomotive.

Because early/mid-19th century locomotives are rare subjects for artists or jigsaw manufacturers, I am delighted that this 1863 example has been featured. For this reason, it should be part of any steam railway jigsaw collection.