Jim Varney

Probably one of the best known characters around the south of England fairs and steam show circuits, Jim Varney has been for many years an enthusiastic visitor to these shows with his faithful dog by his side.

He recalls that as a child he always had a fascination for buses, and at aged 8 he would take particular note of the different shapes in London. Not for him the bus numbers pursuit, but toy buses became a regular favourite to indulge his love of transport.

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Probably one of the best known characters around the south of England fairs and steam show circuits, Jim Varney has been for many years an enthusiastic visitor to these shows with his faithful dog by his side.

He recalls that as a child he always had a fascination for buses, and at aged 8 he would take particular note of the different shapes in London. Not for him the bus numbers pursuit, but toy buses became a regular favourite to indulge his love of transport.

Jim was a pipe fitter and welder by trade, but got browned off with the work, and one day found himself attending the old Windsor swapmeet at a local school. He then began chatting to his local shopkeepers who allowed him to check out their storerooms, where he was able to buy quantities which he then used as stock for trading at the fairs.

As toy fairs began to take off, he recalls in 1972 attending the Gloucester swapmeet run then by Mike Rooum, and meeting Adrian Swain, a collector of toys who also was a white metal caster. After some discussion, Adrian offered to make a master for him for no charge as long as he agreed to use him as his caster of the kit.

Adrian Swain was the originator of ABS models. Jim settled on the Shillibeers horse-drawn bus as one of his favourites, and went to the London Transport museum at Clapham and took numerous photos and measurements, and despatched these to Adrian. 200 castings were made, and the Shillibeers was launched in 1973. But regrettably this No1 in the Transport Replicas range did not sell well (like a feather falling from the moon – JV!) Jim’s next most vivid childhood memory was an STL double decker running through Godstone in Surrey, so this became the next made, numbered 4 due to renumbering of others.

Jim recalls that Prince Marshall, once an employee of Ian Allan Publishing and a long time writer and publisher of bus related material, was the first to bring open top tourist buses to any European city. He found a derelict Thomas Tilling STL, and gained finances to fund its restoration, prior to it being introduced to the streets of London. Marshall talked Jim into making a model of his STL.

Marshall persuaded London Transport to grant him rights to the number 100 tourist bus route on a 3 year contract, and also put ex-Midland Red D9 buses converted to open top on tourist routes. However, once the 3 years were up, his profile took a knock as he was allocated much less lucrative routes. Jim sees Marshall as an eccentric visionary who paved the way, but did not have a good head for business when dealing with the big boys. They soon ousted him, and put their own buses on the streets. You only have to look at cities all over the country and the world for that matter, and you will see open toppers everywhere.

Jim continued to trade at local toy fairs, using the proceeds to assist in financing his white metal series, and used a number of casters including John Day. Colin Flannery was his model maker for handbuilt models.

After 2-3 years Jim diversified into cars as well. However, after a short period he sold that range on to Bryan Garfield Jones, who launched them in his Motorkits range.

Jim’s Ford Model “A” van had already been marketed in the livery of the Old Motor magazine when the Ford Motor Company heard of his work, and called him in to their factory. An amicable agreement was reached securing Ford’s authorisation of his model, whilst confirming that Jim would use their factory colours.

The Pennine Chain tram car range included an E3 London Transport tram produced in a limited run of 50 only, the last items to be cast and made by T.R. Ltd. ‘0’ gauge RT models came along in a batch of 50 as well, fully built, one off models for the Open University. Also, London Transport Advertising asked for 50 Routemasters to be made in two sets of the special Routemaster Shillibeer Omibuses and Paris buses in kit form to the same gauge.

The BBC approached Jim to produce a set of Shillibeers horse drawn buses in a limited run of 50 only, in which there would be 2 each of 25 different advertisers. This was to promote the Open University. To commission transfers for this job would have been financial ruin, so Jim sought out a model painter of railway locomotives living in Gloucestershire, who hand-painted each one.  A single set was for advertising purposes, and the other was for a prestigious meeting of managing directors of companies in the Guildhall, London, where each example would be placed in front of each MD!

Jim’s distribution of his kits included attendance at toy fairs, mail order, and advertising in Collectors Gazette and Exchange & Mart.  He also attended many bus rallies and similar outdoor events. ‘00’ gauge was served not only by buses, but also by a small range of cars similar to the larger 1:43 range, and these now, in the 21^st century appear on eBay regularly at a premium.

From this solid business base Jim diversified into copies, having found a rare Dinky 22 series tractor, which was minus a wheel. Not content with creating replicas of both parts, he improved on the model by fabricating a radiator grille, and a baseplate. He gained permission from Dinky toys to sell this model.

This was the birth of a new range – CopyCat models. 14 more models entered service for Jim in this range, all copies of existing toys from Crescent, Dinky Toys and Morestone ranges. These were charming toys, being both copies and developments of the original. However, by 1980, recession was biting, and Jim was paying 21% for his bank loans to keep the business going. This would not last, and he obtained support from a family member to clear his debts, sold the CopyCat range to Colin Penn, and chose to take another direction in his life. Touring with a caravan meant freedom from business pressures, and he now looks back with pride on his career creating a range of models for the model railway enthusiast.

It is now clear that Jim was one of the pioneers in widening out the availability of model buses for bus and model railway enthusiasts, and thus paving the way for the arrival of the diecast manufacturers who, with the advent of Chinese production, were able to develop further the bus field.

Subject ID: 82827

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