Tony McLellan

Designer

Something Missing?

So often we have found that white metal model makers have been family based, and this one spans 3 generations.

Originally running a grocery shop in Maidenhead, it all really started with humble beginnings in a hardware shop in Langley Green, near Crawley, Sussex. Tony and his wife Pam had been considering other lines to stock, and had tried handicrafts, but the interest was not great. Pam’s father was an enthusiastic railway modeller, and Tony began to be fascinated by this hobby too.

Subject ID: 81187

So often we have found that white metal model makers have been family based, and this one spans 3 generations.

It didn’t take long before Tony had established Langley Models in the back room of the hardware store, and was stocking a full range of plastic kits, Tri-ang, Hornby and Fleischman model railway equipment, and radio control models.

As the demand for model railway models and accessories increased, particularly in ‘N’ gauge, customers began asking for signals. Tony made a set of signals out of brass, and soon realised that this was a long winded way of producing a quantity of signals. Another helpful customer told him of a friend Tony, who had worked for Corocraft, the founders of Schwaroski crystal, casting jewellery. This company was also based in Crawley, and Tony Mclellan believes it had been the first to use a bob weight centrifugal casting machine in the UK. He made the mould from the brass signal, the customer took the mould to his friend and production began.

Meanwhile Pam had been watching BBC Nationwide covering a local business feature, which she felt was boring, and so she wrote inviting them to visit their premises at Langley Green. A film crew arrived and were with them all day. As a result word got around, and customers came from far and wide both for kits, and with ideas. As the castings were returned from the caster, Tony and Pam were packing them and despatching from the rear of the hardware shop. As an engineer by trade, Tony found it was not difficult to experiment with brass patterns, and began to develop their range with lorry kits. He contemplated making rolling stock, and locos, but concluded that with experts such as Bob Wills in the market, the gap was for scenic and lineside accessories.

He first continued with ‘N’ gauge, but then branched into ‘00’. As the business grew, it became necessary to employ the services of some freelance pattern makers, and these included Ian Harrah, in Brixton, who had previously made 15mm figures, but was able to make horses, vehicles, and fairground rides, all areas Langley Miniature Models was moving into. Tony was keen to produce simple one piece cabs for his lorry kits, as other makers were still working with slab sided construction.

With Langley Miniature Models outgrowing the hardware shop, and their enthusiasm for the business leaning in that direction, the shop in Langley Green was sold in 1977, and Tony and family moved to a house with a garage, where the model construction could continue. The family were seeking a level of self sufficiency through their white metal business, and Tony stated he would give it 2 years!

Three years later, such was the success of Langley Miniature Models that they began to think of bigger premises. When walking along Three Bridges Road one day in Crawley, Pam spotted a grocery shop for sale. Without further ado, they bought it, and offered their son Ian a minor partnership in the business. They soon set about removing the Victorian kitchen at the rear, and extending the premises to create a workshop, storeroom and packing area. Acquisition of both a casting machine and vulcanising press enabled then to carry out the whole casting process for many of their kits entirely in house. Contract work for similar other businesses such as Scalelink is also part of their everyday work.

The same premises remain Langley’s base to this day, and are also home to their dog Tess and a sprightly green hen parrot named Oswald which enjoys temporary refuge in the many boxes around the storage area, in addition to its cage.

Soon after this move, Tony’s mother Noreen joined the team, as the range of models was up to 130 different lorry kits, and around 12 different boats, featuring river, inland waterway and harbour craft. Ian had begun making the patterns for new models, according to new ideas from customers, or just something different that they wished to make. Fairground models, buildings, cranes and dockside accessories, figures, and many more in both ‘N’, ‘00’ and ‘0’ gauges all feature in their comprehensive catalogues. Tony finds that different models vary in their popularity, with most lorry kits being made at 100 a time, whilst an autocoach in brass sold 4,500 examples.

Around 1990, Tony’s son Ian had been studying for an engineering degree, and was working in the shop on Saturday mornings. Since the separation of Tony and Pam, Ian has joined the business as a full partner with Tony, thus ensuring the continuation of the business. Tony also feels that whilst the Chinese diecast makers such as Oxford Diecast, Classix and Base Toys appeal to the enthusiast who prefers to simply place a model on the layout, his ranges meet the needs of the dedicated modeller who wishes to sculpt and create a model unique to his or her model railway scene. Tony and Ian both visit around 20 – 25 model railway shows each year, all over England, using an 18’ x 6’ display stand featuring their models in built form.

Subject ID: 81187

Less

Subject ID: 81187