Famous Trains by Cecil J. Allen (Meccano Library No.1)
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A small red hardback book, "Famous Trains" by Cecil J. Allen (Meccano Library No.1) with 58 illustrations, published by Meccano Ltd. in 1928 , printed by The Ballantyne Press (copy held in the Museum archives).
Contents
"Famous Trains" kicks off in good spirit with The Flying Scotsman, followed by The Cornish Riviera Express and The Royal Scot, but has the handicap of having been published in 1928, so its list of thirteen famous trains couldn't include The Silver Jubilee or Coronation Scot ... and although it doesn't specify British famous trains, the list doesn't include any "foreign" train services, so instead of a contemporary description of the Riviera Blue Train, or the Orient Express, we're treated to descriptions of "The Birkenhead Diner" and the "Fishguard Boat Express" ... which one could argue are really not in the same league. Even in 1928, anyone buying the book and expecting it to be a full listing of really famous trains was liable to be disappointed.
This might go some way to explaining why, although the book is confidently marked on its cover as "Meccano Library / No. 1", an internet search throws up no indication of the existence of any subsequent "Meccano Library No.2" volume.
