At the end of last month I heard through the grapevine of the death of P D Hancock, one of the pioneers of 4mm scale narrow gauge modelling. I've always enjoyed his writing in the Railway Modeller and his book Narrow Gauge Adventure - The Story of the Craig and Mertonford Railway was often borrowed from the library when I used to live in York. In part prompted by the sad news, and in part due to a chance find on my friend Nicks bookstall, I find myself with my very own copy. The last week or two have been spent reading it a bit at a time, and what a joy it's been. Quite apart from the lovely models within, the book works so well because it's so well written. There's nothing forced about the prose, it's a gentle explanation of how the model came about; it's easy to imagine being in the presence of P D Hancock himself as he speaks about his creation. Don't take my word for it, find yourself a copy, you won't be disappointed.
