Another drive through the mountains

A year ago, I hired a car and drove my mother home from Sydney, because the plane was booked out. We had a good trip and were able to go to a bookshop in the mountains, so this year we decided to drive again.

However, this year we made the trip on December 30th, rather than in January, and the highway was so busy (and had long stretches of roadworks leaving only one lane each way), that at times we were doing only 10 km an hour, bumper to bumper with all the other cars. Some no doubt were returning from or going on holidays, as we were; others were Sydney-siders spending the day in the mountains.

Apart from the traffic, the trip is really too long for Mum now, as her strength and stamina have decreased a lot in the last year. So I don't think we'll do it again - maybe I'll hire a car to travel up to see her instead, or to get back to Sydney after visiting her, as there's a lot to see in the mountains.

This time, I wanted to visit Leuralla Toy and Railway Museum in Leura. It has beautiful large gardens (which we didn't attempt), and imposing stone steps up to the entrance (which we managed) - and a wonderful collection of Lenci dolls, model trains, tintoys, and many other toys. Here are some things that caught my eye.

All the comforts needed for your railway trip:





Some relaxing places to visit:








Interesting people:



and impressive buildings:


More Lotts Bricks! a different set from the one I have - it looks like these were not intended to be painted.


This tall tower looks like it's made from a wooden construction set, but I'm not sure.

As well, there is a vintage, homemade dolls house. It is also called Leuralla, and was part of the exhibition of Dolls Houses in Australia 1870-1950 ten years ago. It's the main reason I wanted to visit the museum, but it's not possible to see it close up, as it sits in the children's bedroom by the window:




There's so much to see at Leuralla, I'd love to go back one day.

As we drove on over the mountains, we passed Trains, Planes and Automobiles. I had been to their shop in Annandale when I stayed with my sister last year, and I'd hoped to get to the Mount Victoria shop on this trip. We left Leura much later than I'd expected, because of the heavy traffic, so I thought that the shop would be closed. However, their Open sign was still out, so I pulled over and went in. Here's what I found:


A tiny caravan, with stars and moons on the roof! It's marked only with the number 2, on the inside of both the roof and the cabin, so I don't know who made it. It's quite light metal - aluminium, or an alloy of some kind? - and is missing the yoke for the horse. I love the colours and the design - and as the roof lifts off, I could furnish it, for a very tiny person - it's only 2 inches long!

In Keystoneville

In Keystoneville, in Keystone Square, there are four houses.


The Jacksons step out of the house at the same time as Mr Weisman.


"Good morning," they say. "How are you today?"

On the other side of the square, Miss Marks and Mr Rimmer have also appeared.



"Good morning," says Miss Marks. "You're as regular as clockwork, Mr Rimmer!"

"Good morning, Miss Marks. You're an early bird today!"

Off they all go, to the centre of Keystoneville.


Mr Rimmer works at the Keystone Garage.


Mr Weisman needs to buy a new chamois leather for his car.



Mr Jackson is the pharmacist, and Mrs Jackson works at the bakery.


I wonder what Miss Marks is buying at the hardware store?


All is quiet at the fire station, and the cinema doesn't open until the evening.



Oh dear, it looks like someone else is at work too!


Better call the Keystone cops!

These model buildings are probably made by Keystone - Keystone made toy garages and dolls houses similar to these. The two-storey houses here are about 2" high, and the garage is 1 1/4" high. They are made of solid blocks of wood, with the cardboard and paper litho wrapped around them. The little figures are by Preiser in 1:160 scale (N scale, in model railway terms).

UPDATE: Jennifer McKendry shows the box which these came in, labelled Keystone Wood Block Village. So yes, definitely Keystone! (Scroll down her 1940s page past the real houses and past Rich to get to Keystone.) And Callsmall has a complete boxed set, with labelled slots for each building, plus trees, walls and squares of grass to sit the houses on!

Around the corner ...

from my sister's new granny flat in the Sydney suburb of Annandale are lots of interesting places. Down the lane and right is Revolver, a cafe in a former corner store (photos from my sister's landlord's blog Me fail? I fly!):



Up the lane, right, and up the hill, are the Witches' Houses (including The Abbey, Oybin, Greba, Hockindon, Kenilworth and others):




And then, up the lane, right, and down the hill, is Trains Planes and Automobiles' Sydney store. Very luckily, I was in Sydney on the two days a week that it's open, so I was able to go in and browse. This is a lovely little shop, full of old wooden glass-fronted cases which display the said trains, cars and planes.

In one of the cases I found this lovely wooden station:



- a model representing Manchester station, which has a label identifying the maker as 'Scale HUGAR Model Buildings, HUGAR MODELS LTD. Epsom, Surrey.'

I hadn't heard of Hugar before, but found some information on the web: Hugar models were made by Hugh Gardner (apparently in his garden shed); Hugar was also known for his Britain’s farm and military items. The authors of the website which mentioned the Hugar farms planned a booklet on Hugar Models, and had found links between Hugar and other model railway makers including Basset Lowke.

(I have some Basset Lowke scale model posters - I intended to use some as pictures in the kids' bedroom of the Triang 52, but my attempt to frame them wasn't successful. I'll try again.)



I love the art deco style of this Hugar station. I also love how all the signs advertising tobacco have the possessive apostrophe s after Wills - they all read Wills's, with a small, superscript 's. I'm not sure yet how I will use it, as it's in the model railway scale OO (1:76). The platform is 2 feet long, and the entrance way onto the station is 2 1/8" high. Perhaps I will give it to some dolls house children to play with as a toy, or not worry too much about the scale and use it as a station with small dolls - or somehow put it in the distance so it looks the right scale!