Bassett-Lowke was a toy company, based in Northampton, England founded by Wenman Joseph Bassett-Lowke
(1877 – 1953) in 1898 or 1899 that specialized in model railways, model boats and ships, and construction
sets. During its history, Bassett-Lowke offered trains in all gauges up to 15" and in all modes of power
(clockwork, steam, and electric). They were also well known for their ship models, some of which graced
the board rooms of the largest steamship companies of the time.
W. J. Bassett-Lowke was the son of a boiler-maker and a governess. He left school at thirteen.
He spent eighteen-months in an architect’s office, before joining his father in the family boiler making
business. He took up the hobby of making model stationary steam engines. Realizing the impossibility for
the ordinary enthusiast of purchasing small parts, which he had made in his father’s workshops, he soon
began a small mail-order business. His father’s bookkeeper, H. F. R. Franklin, joined him in the project.
Bassett-Lowke initially started as a mail-order catalogue business and primarily remained so,
although it sometimes designed and even manufactured some of its own items.
Bassett-Lowke was inspired by his visit to the Paris Exhibition in 1900, where he made contact with
German manufacturers, from whom he bought model trains painted in British livery. Soon he began
manufacture in Northampton. The company began making ‘waterline’ ship models in 1908. This type of
model, showing only the parts above the waterline, were used in wartime as training aids for the Navy
and Air Force. Yachts were also made to sail on boating lakes. Large shipping companies
commissioned models of their luxury liners to display in their offices. Miniature railways were
made for wealthy individuals and for exhibitions and resorts. The skilled model maker E. W.
Twining formed Twining Models Ltd., which produced the highest quality architectural models with
Bassett-Lowke Ltd.
Bassett-Lowke was primarily a sales organization, contracting out the manufacture of models and parts
to other manufacturers, such as Twining Models, and Wintringham's also of Northampton. They did, however,
keep the manufacture of shipmodels for display purposes in-house.
Bassett-Lowke produced trains in a variety of sizes, from 15-inch gauge live steam models to Gauge 2,
Gauge 1, and '0' gauge.
Their first 15-inch gauge steam locomotive, test run on the Eaton Hall Railway in 1905 was
Little Giant. Unlike other engines on the line it was a replica of main-line locos, being built for a
new public miniature railway at Blackpool. It was a quarter scale 4-4-2 Atlantic tender engine,
though not an exact copy of any particular prototype. This engine still exists in private ownership.
In 1908 Bassett-Lowke opened his first London shop at 257 High Holborn, moving to number 112 in 1910.
His company made great use of trade shows, not only displaying their own goods, but often supplying
companies with models, too. Many 15” gauge railways were installed to carry visitors around exhibitions.
Usually the displays were of smaller gauge models and large tabletop systems. However, mail order
remained an important part of the business.
In Bassett-Lowke’s earlier days, the company commissioned a lot of its products from other manufacturers.
One of the primary suppliers of 2-1/2"-gauge locomotives prior to 1913 was Carson & Co. (James Carson).
In 1913, Bassett-Lowke acquired all of Carson’s tooling and continued to make at least some of the Carson
range for some time afterwards.
In 1914, Bassett-Lowke produced only the second Pacific 4-6-2 (of any size) to be built in Britain
(the first was GWR 111 The Great Bear). This was the John Anthony, built for a private miniature
railway at Staughton Manor. It was never delivered, but after storage at Eaton Hall during World War I,
it was sold to the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway and renamed Colossus. It was scrapped in 1927.
Previously the Ravenglass and Eskdale had purchased another Bassett Lowke Atlantic, the Sans Pareil.
In the 1914-18 war Bassett-Lowke Ltd. made the gauges which tested the standard parts of guns.
In the 1920s, Bassett-Lowke introduced 'OO' gauge products as well. The company would also provide
a complete custom-build railway service for those with necessary funds; one such layout survives in
modified format at Bekonscot Model Village in England.
During the 1939-45 war a great variety of work was done by Basset-Lowke to support the war effort.
A method of training for aircraft recognition using mirrors was devised. They produced training models
of the sectional Inglis and later Bailey bridges. Perhaps the most important construction of this
nature was the model of the floating Mulberry harbour, which was used to land troops in Normandy in 1944.
Bassett-Lowke's decline starting in the late 1950s can be blamed on at least two factors: Sometimes
people would browse the firm's free catalogue and then buy similar or nearly identical items elsewhere
at a lower price, but also consumer interest in technical toys in general began to decline in the
late 1950s and even more so in the 1960s. Bassett-Lowke's fall was mirrored by two of its U.S.
counterparts, the A. C. Gilbert Company and Lionel Corporation.
After W.J.’s death in 1953 the company continued to make high-quality ship and industrial models.
However, the 1960s were also to bring their problems, and in 1964 the company ceased its retail sales
and sold its shops, including the famous one at High Holborn in London, to Beatties. The original
Bassett-Lowke went out of business in 1965. The Bassett-Lowke
and Franklin families sold their shares in 1967.
In 1966 the company was acquired by Messrs Riley and Derry, and in the late 1980s by Nigel Turner,
a Northampton businessman.
In 1993 the name was revived for a while with short-run white metal models. These included a Burrell
Type Traction Engine, Clayton Undertype Steam Wagon, Burrell Type Steam Roller, and London 'B' Type bus.
The brand name was acquired by Corgi in 1996, which has now linked that company with live steam amd electric 'O'
gauge locomotives. Manufacturing has been moved from Northhampton and is now based in Leicester England.
Corgi re-launched the railway locomotive products in 1999 at which time the original company would have
been 100 years old. Bassett-Lowke produces a range of 'O' gauge locomotives that are individually made
from sheet metal using soldered constrution and reflect those made in a bygone era. The company's
intentions are to produce a limited number of each livery style and move onto the next item in a plan.
The company states that "Those involved in the production of Bassett-Lowke trains have a passion and knowledge of
trains and their aim is to produce a good value and quality product". These products are made with wheel
standards that will allow reliable running on most comercially available 'O' gauge track systems.
The recommended smallest radius being 36". All currently manufactured locos are electric motor powered
and fitted with a smoke generator which means that with a few drops of smoke oil down the chimney the
loco will produce what looks like steam from the smokestack. All locos are switchable between 2 and 3 rail
operation.
Because of the premium nature of Bassett-Lowke's toys, they tended to be well preserved, and many examples
of older product survive today. They are highly collectible.
Key competitors to Bassett-Lowke were Hornby and Exley.
Basset-Lowke website
Bassett-Lowke Collector's Society website
