Edward Exley & Edward Exley Ltd. (Exley)

Edward Exley founded the company that bore his name in the early 1920's, but the limited company was formed as late as the early 1950's. The manufacturing company, run by Edward himself, was based in Bradford throughout its existence, and Exley Ltd, run by Vivien Boyd-Carpenter was purely a sales organisation, initially at Worksop and latterly at Baslow. Both companies continue today, in the ownership of Society member Quentin Lucas and his wife Tricia.

Although most well known for coaches, locos in Gauges 0 & 1 were Edward's real love. Many were (hand) built until the late 1940's, when the loco building part of the business was sold to James Stanley Beeson. Coach manufacture continued until the early 1960's when a disastrous fire destroyed the factory.

Like many others at that time Exley supplied Bassett-Lowke with coaches which the latter sold as their own manufacture, one of the earliest references found being in the Bassett-Lowke catalogue dated November 1934, under the heading "New Series of Scale Model Coaches". This association continued until the closure of the Exley factory in 1962.

Examples of Exley coaches are illustrated below:
1930's "Exley for Bassett-Lowke" LMS First Class Dining Car



Late 1950's Exley Caledonian Railway Corridor 3rd Class Coach