Claughton
Due to my own ignorance of the subject, I am slightly over awed at just how sophisticated these control systems were. I know there are books on this maker or that but are there any that deal with this technology as a sort of history?
bruce
So far as I know nothing has covered the subject of clockwork as a seperate subject.
The best one can do for Bassett-Lowke would be to find the original instructions for their control system.
Hornby are much better served in so far, as everything is in the Graebe book, and I know their control system leaflet has been reprinted also.
I do not know if a similar control system was ever produced in Germany, the USA or anywhere else, for that matter. But, it seems as if any sort of sophistication in model railroads automatically came with electric power in America (this might well be wrong!).
By the way, what did people who lived away from the electricity supply, of whom there must have been many, do for decent model railroads in America? I ask this because in the UK, there was still up to the mid-1930s, a large number of homes that did not have electricity, but were reasonably solvent - and it must have been this sector of the market to whom the complicated clockwork control systems were aimed. Once electricity was universal, only infants played with clockwork in any form.
I have myself set out a simple layout and a small Hornby loco for a child and produced the key - he had no idea what to do with it which fact I found astonishing, though educational.
The only book dedicated to clockwork trains - at least that I'm aware of - is "Model Railway Clockwork Mechanisms" by Ernest F. Carter. However, I haven't yet been able to get my hands on a copy, so I can't attest to the content, although I've read good things about.
I really don't have a definite answer about what Americans did for model railroads before they had electricity, but I'm not afraid to offer my opinions and conjecture! It is interesting that my Grandparents (and therefore, my Dad) didn't have electricity until the early 1950's. Shortly after they got connected to the grid, my Dad received an electric train for Christmas. I strongly suspect that there were very few adult model railroaders who didn't have electricity. Many children received one of the numerous windup trainsets, but I imagine a very small percentage continued to pursue it into their adult years. Those who did either lived in the big cities and had commercial electric power, or perhaps they used storage batteries that would be charged via "Winchargers" or Delco light plants. I know that these devices weren't uncommon in our part of the country, although model railroaders were non-existent around here as far as I know. Before commercial electricity came to my Grandparent's house, my Grandfather had a Wincharger and storage batteries that powered a couple of light bulbs in the house. However, they were only used when they had visitors, otherwise they used oil lamps! Perhaps an even smaller percentage of model railroaders used live steam - a form a propulsion that seems to have been much more popular than clockwork in the states. I don't have any first hand research except for old "Model Railroader" magazines (which didn't start until 1934); and it seems to me (a very unscientific study) that electric was by far the most popular power source.
As I said, that is all conjecture on my part, and I would be interested to hear from others on how things were in the early days of model railroading in the US.
I finally got around to making a video of the Walker-Fenn and Walker-Riemsdyk running side by side. I also threw in some video of them running with my modified Ives - one of the slower conventional clockwork locomotives I have - and another of the W-R and a Marx Commodore Vanderbilt. Hope you enjoy it:
James. Thats a terrific video and I enjoyed it immensely and it was a very different experience to see clockworks not running at 200 MPH..I really like your track work. How did you manage the additional ties?
Bruce
But, by weakening the spring in the govenor of ordinary locos, it should be possible to slow those down too. The thing is that speeding them up again cannot be done from the trackside.
I've done some tinkering on Marx windups and the Ives (only because it needed heavy repairs) to make them run slower. Although they can be slowed down somewhat by adjusting the spring and adding a heavier weight, I think it would take more drastic measures to make them run as slowly as the W-F and W-R locomotives. Of course, like you said, they still don't have the advantage of being to easily adjust the speed. It is a nice feature of the controlled clockwork locomotives, in addition to the slow speeds.
Bruce, I cut those ties out of pine with my table saw, painted them with cheap flat black spray paint and glued them in place under the track. I still need to cut a few more to finish the back part of the middle loop. I'm going to leave the inside figure 8 as it is, since it is all original Marx 2 rail clockwork track (well, with one original Lionel clockwork switch). The track with the additional ties is 3 rail with the middle rail removed, O42 Lionel for the outside mainline and O34 Marx for the middle loop.
Electroliner or Windupguy
I was at an English tinplate meeting on Saturday and met a dealer I have known for many years with his boxes of clockwork mechanisms, keys &c.
But the thing that made me think of you guys is that he has a 6-coupled Bassett-Lowke controlled-clockwork mechanism (complete with wheels) for sale, and spare control rodding for more, perhaps six others.
If either of you would like the chance to get in touch please email me at pwjbishopATgmailDOTcom. I have the dealer's email details waiting.
This would be the third and final variety of high-class controlled clockwork mechanisms which were a feature of the British market c1930-c1960. The Bassett-Lowke mechs come in a variety of wheelbases according to the body into which they were intended to be fitted, but we can sort that out later if you like.
Claughton, thanks for keeping us in mind! I sent an email, I am certainly interested in that B-L motor. I don't know if I can build a shell worthy of it, though. 
