Crescent Toys

(London, UK)

Crescent manufactured metal lineside accessories in a variety of scales or gauges, suitable for 00, 0 and larger layouts.

Similar British manufacturers include Benbros, Britains, Budgie, Charbens, Cherilea, Crescent, F G Taylor, John Hill and Company (JoHillCo), Lone Star, Taylor & Barrett, Timpo and probably others.

The range of products produced by these firms is vast, some suited to layouts, some less so. Cowboys and indians, soldiers, civilian figures, farm and zoo figures and animals, various carts and road vehicles, military models, petrol (gas) pumps, street furniture, fences, trees, haystacks, garden, zoo and farm equipment as well as railway personnel and platform equipment.

Crescent Toys was a toy manufacturing company set up in 1922 by Henry Eagles and Arthur Schneider in Islington, north London. They manufactured high quality model soldiers, die cast metal sports cars and Grand Prix racing cars and various hollow cast figures,as well as the well known accessories for model railways such as a footbridge and range of signals in 00, and larger items for 0 and above.

Crescent tug lift (platform trolley)

Crescent set 1545, railway personnel

Crescent figures

Crescent figures, 2 inches tall

Crescent figures, believed to be for the US export market

Crescent Railway Porter, height 60mm, scale 1/32

The crossing below, available with either green or grey base, is usually attributed to either Crescent or Bassett-Lowke, but which is correct? Winteringham for Bassett-Lowke, Crescent for Bassett-Lowke or even Crescent for Crescent perhaps?

Crescent pressed steel level crossing with die cast gates and posts, and wire gate hangers

The station name board signs are known in three colours, blue, red and light green. The signs were supplied with a sheet of black on white perforated names including Glasgow Central, Newcastle, Euston, Manchester, Birmingham, Severn Tunnel Junction and Cardiff. Were there other station names or colours of sign?

Crescent cast station name board, red, Newcastle

Crescent cast station name board, blue, Euston

Crescent cast station name boards, light green Severn Tunnel Junction, blue Glasgow Central and blue Euston
Image credit Vectis Auctions

Crescent cast station name boards, blue Severn Tunnel Junction and Waterloo

Crescent 427 dealer box of red cast station name boards, with perforated station names
Image credit Vectis Auctions

Crescent 1823 Footbridge with remnants of decorative lamps

Crescent Footbridge (1823?) with fewer parts and therefore configuration

Crescent Loading Gauge

Crescent Water Tower, missing top, or lid

Crescent Accessories Set including gradient posts, signals, station signs and overscale figures
Image credit Vectis Auctions

Crescent Accessories Set including gradient posts, signal, station sign and overscale figure

Crescent Lineside Accessories Set including gradient posts, signal, station sign and overscale figure

Crescent semaphore signals may be divided into four broad production series :

Crescent Semaphore Signals
Series	Arms, material	Arms, colour	Base	Ladders	Handles	Quadrant
1a	Die Cast	White, red stripes	Green	Red	Red	Lower
1b	Die Cast	Red, White stripes	Green	Red	Red	Lower
2	Aluminium	red/white, yellow/black	White	Black	Black	Lower
3	Aluminium	red/white, yellow/black	White with screw holes	Black	Black	Upper

Various types of semaphore signal were produced :

One post, one arm
One post, two arms
Two posts, two arms
Two posts, three arms
Three posts, three arms
Four posts, four arms (bridge or gantry signal)

Not all types of signal were made in all four production series.

Crescent Semaphore Signal, one post, one arm, Series 2	Crescent Semaphore Signal, one post, two arms, Series 2
Crescent Semaphore Signal, two posts, two arms, Series 3	Crescent Semaphore Signal, two posts, three arms, Series 1a
Crescent Semaphore Signal, two posts, three arms, Series 3	Crescent Semaphore Signal, three posts, three arms, Series 2