Dave Walker RIP

[David Holman]

Just been talking to Gordon Gravett who tells me that Dave Walker died recently. Only met him once, at the St Albans show a few years back, but he was a very talented modeller who had a spell doing Irish broad gauge in the period when it was Richard Chown, Tony Miles and not many others. He subsequently moved on to other railways, but feel sure there will be folk here who will know of his work and fill in some details.

[Mayner]

Sad news  Killaney Dave Walkers 7mm Irish layout was featured in the Nov 1985 Railway Modeller and actually got to set it in the flesh at the Chatham show after I moved to the UK a couple of years later, but was too shy to speak to the operator.

The article and photos speak for themselves about Dave Walkers standard of modelling.

 There is strong evidence of Richard Chowan influence with WLWR locos and stock, but also of Paul Greene's Kilbrandon with GSWR architecture 

[David Holman]

Thanks John. Kicking myself now, because was at all the Chatham Shows in the Dockyard, right from the start, yet have no memory of this fabulous layout. 

 Trawl the archives folks, it would be great to learn more of this master builder and his work. A reminder too of Brian Monaghan's fantastic photography.

[murphaph]

Beautiful work. RIP Dave.

[Galteemore]

Thanks John. I agree about the Castle Rackrent echoes. What a treat those WLWR locos look.

[Mayner]

I have a photos somewhere of a green J15 on the loco shed section from the Chatham Show, but don't appear to have taken other photos. I did not realise that Dave was from Leeds possibly some GSWR cross-fertilisation with Paul Green who then owned Studio Scale Models and produced a 7mm version of the TMD J15.

As far as I recall the station building was based on Tullow, the loco shed Foynes, goods shed Gort and the signal cabin typical of those on the WLWR west of Limerick.

The majority of the locos and stock with the possible exceptions of the J15 and Midland Tank are likely to have been scratchbuilt, I particularly like the lightweight 19th century p.w. with gravel ballast, light rail, widely spaced sleepers and interlaced sleepers at points.

[mphoey]

rip to a fellow modeller hopefully his layout and stock gets enjoyed by someone in time

[Broadstone]

I had heard at the weekend that Dave had died  - he was a brilliant modeller and lovely bloke who lived here in West Yorkshire and was well liked across the hobby. He was a very clever and resourceful modeller with a wide range of engineering, modelling and artistic skills. He built many layouts, mainly in 7mm and countless engines and stock as a professional model maker never short of work.

He was very fortunate in his partner Liz who as well as being a lovely person is no mean modeller herself. My heart goes out to her.

I first met Dave at the Chatham Show in about 1985 mentioned by John above! I drove there specially from North West London where we then lived, precisely because of Killaney. I had actually scratch-built a GSWR 2 plank wagon and took it to show him - it sat on a siding for the day because it had 3-link couplings instead of the Jacksons that Dave used. We exchanged contact details and when I moved to Leeds with work in 1988 I caught up with him. My 7mm J15 that I put a picture of on IRM a few weeks back was actually lined by Dave. A bit later he went back to the Highland Railway and later the Cromford and High Peak, again in 7mm. More recently he was working in Gauge 1 and I visited him and Liz at their home a couple of Summers ago when they had a Gauge 1 Live steam open day on the track that ran round their garden. Special memories. Him and Liz always had a demonstration stand at the York Show, way up on the top floor and I always looked forward to a chat with them both. 

Thinking back, it was Dave that introduced me to Richard Chown, probably in about 1988. Between them they worked hard to convert me to 7mm but we were living in first a flat and then a wee house with a young family and the S Scale bug had bit - I felt I could get more in within the space I had. But it appears that Dave and Richard played the long game..............

Dave led a very good and satisfying life, albeit one cut short. He was a very good painter and mechanic. He was a great guitarist and I saw him play in pubs on 2 occasions, both wild and memorable. In the hobby he was restless and brilliant, highly innovative and not constrained by established thought and ways of doing things. He will be greatly missed.