I had planned that Thursday was to be a full day in the workshop and I hoped to virtually complete the J10 detailing and perhaps give it some shunting work on one or both of the S4 layouts prior to setting up the paint shop.

However, having completed the tender to loco drag link and wishing to test the running of the full unit, I was to discover that the tested and proven chassis had become a non-runner. This was at the start of the after-lunch session and from that moment every thing went down hill such that by about 14-40 hours I decided to call it a day. Between then and evening meal time I enjoyed a nice long read (a Wycliffe!) and a bit of railway DVD watching - most relaxing and not in the least demanding of swear words!

After our meal, a telephone call gave the sad news that one of my heroes, Sid Stubbs, had passed away that afternoon. I now wonder if Sid's death time relates to my desertion of skill time earlier in the day.

Over many years (30/40 or so) Sid has guided my muddled efforts and so quick was my progress under his (and others who have already left us) guidance, I knew that if I could live to be about 130 then I would be as good a modeller as Sid. Wishful thinking of course, because since I passed 70 my skills have deteriorated almost as quickly as Sid had helped them improve.

I am comforted by my recent thoughts that the CSB method of chassis springing has no notable advantage over the method Sid developed in the late 1940s and which is so much simpler to build, set up and offers much simpler maintenance problems than CSB, the praises of which are related by so many modellers. My thoughts push me toward wondering how many have actually built and successfully run a CSB fitted machine! This J10 is going to have to be a star performer of the highest order if I am to build another CSB chassis.

So Sid, rest in piece my friend Very deepest thanks for all your help to me the individual but, on behalf of the hobby in general, thanks too for all the development work you and your friends did in the aftermath of the second world war, work which proved that finescale modelling with true to gauge track and truly scale wheels was a possibility beyond the wildest dreams of pre-war modellers; the present day so called finescale modeller fraternity owe you dearly.

To those of you who are perhaps uninterested in my loss of a fine friend and mentor and who had hoped to read about a J10 or an EM layout, please accept my apologies; I’ll get back on subject in a week or so.

Dave