A TRIBUTE TO PAT JAMES
Pat James was one of the most interesting and talented people I’ve ever met. Pat and I interacted online for several years before we met in early 2019, but he was one of those people who you instantly felt like you’d known for years. We’d talk about trains for hours on end and he was kind enough to be the first guest on the Railway Mania Podcast.
Sadly, Pat passed away on 9th March 2020, well before his time. The modelling world lost one of their brightest and most promising people, a loving husband and father, and a good friend. I wanted to keep a record of his work for all to enjoy. I will miss him greatly.
THE ROTTEN ROW
The ‘big layout’. In a world where Cornwall’s industry flourished into the 20th Century, ‘The Rotten Row’ is set in Hayle, which boasts a large narrow gauge network (taken over by the GWR at the grouping) as well as a quayside scene and the large, gloomy foundry of Harvey & Co.
BANN KILLIGAN COLLIERY
A layout set in 1960s Northern Ireland, Bann Killigan was to feature both 009 and 00n3 trains, all running on ‘dead rail’, battery powered and radio controlled.
THE LOST DAYS OF IRONSTONE
The BRM/RMWeb ‘cakebox challenge’ was the task of making a railway themed diorama that would fit into a cake box. Pat built this one for the ‘industrial’ round. A scene of decay and dilapidation, this was a OOn3 (4mm scale, 12mm track representing 3 foot gauge in real life). A forlorn Peckett stands cold on a siding, its working days over.
MOSELEY HERITAGE MUSEUM
Pat constructed not one, but two entries for the ‘industrial’-themed cakebox challenge. This was his second, a diorama in O9 (7mm scale, 9mm gauge) depicting early days at an industrial heritage site.
CORNISH FOUNDRY
The first RMWeb/BRM ‘Cakebox Challenge’ had an open brief, this was Pat’s entry which gained him an honourable mention and a write-up in British Railway Modelling!
LOCOMOTIVES
Pat was a tinkerer, when he wasn’t building something new he was pulling old models apart to rebuild them afresh. Here are just a few of his many projects
ILLUSTRATION
A true artist and incredibly creative person, Pat was prolific in sketching ideas and concepts of new locomotives, layout ideas, possible ‘what ifs’ from existing designs. Here are just a few examples of his work.