6 replies to this topic

[werks prototype]

Edit: 'Rovex' Plastics Ltd, Edit, Quote "the originators of the present Hornby Railways line" (circa 1979), was founded in 1946, by a Mr. A. Venetzian ('Vanetzian'). Apparently, in his earlier days Mr Venetzian ('Vanetzian') raced for Mercedes Benz?

 

Edit, Quote "The founder was a Mr. A. Venetzian, a brilliant, if somewhat temperamental, businessman. In his earlier days he had been a racing driver for Mercedes-Benz and had a distinctive flair in all he set his hand to." Source: The Hornby Book Of Trains, 25 Year Edition.

 

Has anyone heard mention of this before?

Edited by werks prototype, 05 August 2016 - 20:55.

[Vitesse2]

Rovex, rather than Ronvex, I think you'll find. And although there's a connection, they most certainly weren't the originators of Hornby, which built its first model trains in 1920 and was an offshoot of Frank Hornby's Meccano company!

 

 

In 1950, Rovex Plastics Limited, of Richmond, Surrey, produced a range of model trains exclusively for Marks and Spencer using plastic (cellulose acetate) moulded bodies .The price of the train set was £2 17s 6d which was about half the price of anything comparable on the market.

Rovex Plastics Limited was taken over by Lines Bros in 1951 and the range was launched as Tri-ang Railways in 1952. In 1953 the company's name was changed to Rovex Scale Models Limited. In 1954 the company moved to a special purpose-designed factory in Margate.

In 1964 with the takeover of Meccano Ltd, the manufacturers of Hornby trains, by Lines Bros happened. Lines Bros then merged their own Tri-ang Railways and the Meccano Hornby range and it was renamed Tri-ang Hornby.

 

http://www.tri-angra...rg.uk/Rovex.htm

[Vitesse2]

Probate and death records have him as ' Vanetzian, Alexandre otherwise Alexander otherwise Alexander Gregory of 40 Chesterfield House, Chesterfield Gardens, London'. Died April 22nd 1955, aged 53.

 

Funeral service was on April 27th at the Armenian Church, Iverna Gardens, London W8, followed by interment at Hampstead Cemetery, Fortune Green Rd, NW6.

[werks prototype]

Thanks, Vitesse. Searching Rovex instead of Ronvex is already generating a better return.

 

(I've no idea why I added an n)

Edited by werks prototype, 05 August 2016 - 19:55.

[BRG]

He seems to have been keen on smoking, with patents on various lighter technologies. No sign of any Mercedes involvement.

[Vitesse2]

An elusive man, Mr Vanetzian. There's a marriage record for him in London in 1942, but otherwise I'm coming up empty apart for some patents for model railway tracks. Vanetzian is certainly an Armenian name and - circumstantially - Alexandre/Alexander may be related to (son of?) an Armenian caviar exporter who turns up in various sources as either Gregoire or Gregory in the 1920s. Possibly operating from or via France at that time; I did find a 1925 reference to a 'M Vanetzian' (as in Monsieur), who was the son of Gregoire/Gregory, but whether that's your man is impossible to tell. It probably isn't, though; the family caviar company was called Grivan Products (still trading under a different name, but I doubt there's any Vanetzian involvement now) and the British end was run from Soho by Peter Vanetzian, who joined the firm in 1921. Again circumstantially, he might have been Alexandre/Alexander's brother.

 

It would be interesting to know the original source for Mr Vanetzian's supposed Mercedes Benz connections, which gets repeated in quite a few places. Lines Bros publicity? Meccano Magazine? Railway Modeller? Certainly not a works driver, so probably a casual statement like "I once had a Mercedes, which I used to race sometimes" has become "raced for Mercedes Benz".

 

Purely a guess, but my money would be on a bit of minor European rallying or some sort of event in one or more of those 'automobile weeks' in the inter-war period.

[Sharman]

Apropos of absolutely bloody nothing at all I met a man in Auch who said " I had a Bugatti ". All interested I asked "What type?"
" Blue one" he replied.
End of conversation