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Control Unit

1930s (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This signal box was made by Bassett-Lowke in the 1930s and given to a young boy, Dennis Moye. He was evacuated from London in 1939, so the control box was put into the attic. By the time he returned from evacuation, he was too old for the toys so they remained in storage. The control box would be used to control the engines as they go round the tracks.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Painted metal
Brief description
6V DC toy train control unit made in England by Bassett Lowke in the 1930s
Physical description
Beige metal control box with two wires attached to it, one red and one black, with plastic covering. There are metal pins to hold the wires in place and a large knob to twist to generate power. There is significant wear to the paint on the metal on all sides, and the base of the box.
Dimensions
  • Excluding pins height: 8cm
  • Base ( the base is square) width: 8.6cm
Object history
This control box was sold to the Museum by Dennis Moye. It was given to Dennis in the 1930s as either a Christmas or Birthday present, probably bought at Gamages toy shop, Holborn. It had limited use before Dennis was evacuated from London in 1939, at which point the toy was boxed at put into the attic. On his return to London, Dennis had outgrown his trains, so they remained in storage.
Summary
This signal box was made by Bassett-Lowke in the 1930s and given to a young boy, Dennis Moye. He was evacuated from London in 1939, so the control box was put into the attic. By the time he returned from evacuation, he was too old for the toys so they remained in storage. The control box would be used to control the engines as they go round the tracks.
Collection
Accession number
B.249-2012

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Record createdMay 21, 2012
Record URL
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