I'm not a box keeper. In fact, I'm all for throwing the boxes model railway arrive in, away as fast as possible. Use the stuff. Run your trains. Then if they must be put away, a proper stock box is a much more efficient use of space. And don't give me that stuff about the boxes making them easier to re-sell, if that's the plan, you can't weather them, or add a crew to the footplate.
Something appealed about this though. Maybe it's the way the box is designed to display the contents, presumably when in the model shop. The crane is pretty complete, just missing a hook, and it works.
Made of metal, I wonder what sort of factory Wardie ran. I imagine lines of men in overalls putting these things together on long benches. I doubt there was much in the way of mechanisation, or production line working - but I could be wrong.
I'll admit, I know little of Wardie's history, but there is an excellent page of catalogue scans in the Binns Road Website. It certainly looks like an interesting range to collect - far harder then old Dublo or Tri-ang, but providing that satisfaction of finding more obscure items in good condition. Start with ebay, and then resort to digging around second-hand stalls and old model shops.
Bonus. With the crane came a buffer stop and fog hut.
