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Photos of Wigan
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Wigan Album

Haigh Hall

17 Comments

W&DMES, 1991
W&DMES, 1991
Photo: Daz
Views: 3,209
Item #: 25564
Shot of a steam engine taken at the Wigan & District Model Engineering Society, Haigh Hall. Date about Sept/Oct 1991.

Comment by: Pw on 17th September 2014 at 14:59

I remember when I was an apprentice at British Rail we had an instructor called Norman Lowe who to make model steam trains and I think he used to run them at haigh Hall.He was a pattern maker an used to make patterns for various bits of his loco sand we would take them into the various foundries to have them cast.He was a very skilled craftsman.

Comment by: Brian B on 17th September 2014 at 18:29

Pw Sadly Norman passed away a few years ago, very much missed by his friends at WDMES.

Comment by: Jude on 17th September 2014 at 18:52

Daz, do you believe this gentlemen has a mindset of model steam engines? I don,t. This is someone , sadly, hanging onto a world that no longer exists

Comment by: JimH on 17th September 2014 at 19:51

Think you missing the point here Jude,,wether this model be a replica steam loco or ship,yacht,motor vehicle,airplane or whatever the fact is these are built to precise scale dimensions,to tight tolerances by enthusiasts who are also very skilled and patient people

Comment by: Pw on 17th September 2014 at 19:56

Mr Lowe,that is what we had to call him in the training school was a very nice person and he set standards that set me up for life.He would give me the rough castings and let me clean and machine them up.Maybe some of my efforts went into his steam trains but I very much doubt it.

Comment by: Ken R on 18th September 2014 at 01:34

Pw, where were you for your apprenticeship?? I was at Horwich Loco, from 1948 to 1954 great times, and we had some good instructors.

Comment by: Geoff Crank on 18th September 2014 at 13:04

Norman Lowe was a very good friend and colleague of Wigan Model Engineering Society. The Locomotive in the photo was Norman's Horwich "Crab" which I bought from Norman's widow Joyce after is death.I no longer own it. The chap driving it is Tom Taylor who is no longer with us. Norman was a Master Craftsman. He inspired me to build my own engines and what he didn't know about Steam Locomotives was not worth knowing

Comment by: Pw on 18th September 2014 at 18:13

KenR,I too worked at Horwich works from 1965 to 1972 and enjoy every minute.I still have tools I made in the training school. Geoff I remember Norman explaining to us how steam locos worked and showing us original drawings of locos he used to scale down to make his models.Happy days

Comment by: Keith Beckett on 18th September 2014 at 18:19

Hi Geoff
Were you a tool room apprentice at the Vulcan ?

Comment by: derek gibson (gibo) on 18th September 2014 at 22:20

sorry to hear Norman Lowe as past away,R.I.P. I started my apprenticeship at Horwich training school in September 1964.Even though i was an apprentice from springs branch. Norman would have us casting parts for model steam engines he would spend hours learning us different techniques. true gent.

Comment by: Jude on 19th September 2014 at 17:36

JimH, Sorry Jim, don,t think I am. I am in absolute agreement with regards the precise and absolute skills involved. All the aspects you mention are hugely important to those involved. Maybe I,ll leave it at my own belief , my own observation , that this skilled gent, did , in his own personal mindset, as in the photo to wished to stay /retain a world he once knew. I don,t wish to argue with you Jim or anyone, just my own observation ,

Comment by: Pw on 20th September 2014 at 20:21

Jude ,this is just a photo of a man enjoying his hobby.How do you know about his"mindset"?Go away

Comment by: Jude on 22nd September 2014 at 16:43

PW. No I won,t go away. This is my. opinion in an open forum,. If you. disagree fine, but I made my comments and stand by my comments. You say he is just enjoying his hobby, how do you know you are right and I am wrong. Don,t deride me because I saw it differently to you.

Comment by: Geoff crank on 22nd September 2014 at 21:56

Yes Keith I was apprenticed at Vulcan and well remember you and the fun we had with the chaps in the Tool Room. Happy days indeed and so long ago it seems like yesterday. I wonder how many are still around today?

Comment by: Fiona Taylor on 22nd February 2016 at 21:18

My father, Tom Taylor in the picture I think. He passed away in 1998, but loved all things steam to the end

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