Linton Camp Model Railway Club, Television, & Films.

This was, I think, a visit by a member of Leeds Education Department. A lot of effort had gone into presenting the facilities, and showcasing the achievements made by the children, and of course the staff, so the visit certainly must have been made by VIP's.
Mr. Robson started the Model Railway Club. (As the school was residential, we had to be kept occupied at all times, and there were many such "clubs" formed, that were led by teachers mainly). Picture shows Alan Thomas, Peter Hartingdon (me), and David Scriven. The railway was my effort. The model houses were produced during art class I think.
Mr. Robson took us on a trip to Leeds one time to see the Leeds Model Railway club exhibition. We were driven by cheesy in the Austin J2 mini bus. The exhibition was in the Corn Exchange in the centre of Leeds. I remember seeing an 'O' gauge layout with a Deltic engine, including, I am sure, sound! This was 30 years before digital, so how they did it, I do not know. The trains were part of a 'set' my mum and brother Paul bought for me one Christmas. The cost at the time was an arm and a leg for someone living on the National Assistance Board. When I left Linton the railway stayed, I went to work on a farm in Shelf, and really had nowhere to put it, and besides, I kanda lost interest in trains. I 'flirted' with the hobby over the next 50 years, and now have a Digital layout. I remember Jess Robson, saying of her husband ’s hobby, ''Bloody trains, all over the place''!
David Scriven in the picture, went on to have a full working life associated with railways, and was a main line signal man based in Halifax, until his early retirement, and he is also a busy working member of the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, a preserved ex BR branch line running five miles from Keighley to Haworth and then on to Oxenhope. I too am a member, but do not volunteer, dont seem to have the time!. The building housing the railway was the art/science room; this was converted from the old Dorm 2.
At one time I had a pet hamster housed in a cage here. The cage was made in woodwrok class. The thing escaped, and was never seen again, which pleased me as it would bite. Also in this block was a full pottery workshop, with wheel, and firing oven. Lots of messy fun with that! I notice on some photographs that in later years a television was housed in here. We I am sure, did not have a fixed TV located anywhere. I do recall that when Doctor Who started, the first series with William Hartnell, I and another chap carried a TV into class one, in the far class block, I think the tele belonged to a member of staff. Watching tele was not something we did regularly.
Our main visual entertainment were the film shows held in the assembly hall. These were full commercial films, productions with the likes of John Mills, and the Ealing Comedy''s. Showing on Friday evening after tea, with a full repeat performance on the Sunday night. When I became head boy I was put in charge of the projector, this obviously was not a toy, but a full size professional piece of kit, although I remember the film being large and wide, I do not though recall what the standard was. At the later end of my time, I would pick the films from a catalogue, with help from my mate, Keith Mead. Our choice was vetted of course, we could not pick the likes of ''Nudes Of 1964''!
The building seen through the window in the picture above was the boy’s ablutions, toilets, showers etc.