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This has prompted another memory of Conflats parked outside the Triang factory at the very end of the spur . I may have misremembered the Triang Pram stickers on them

Yes I saw the freight once when my car broke down and I had to walk to work . It was a C2X if I recall correctly.

Yes the river Wandle was the midwife to early industry hereabouts so the Wandle and the Surrey Iron Railway were intertwined. There is still a path/alley called Tramway Path in Mitcham which lay alongside S.I.C. The line is now the Croydon Tramlink . There was also a goods only spur ( when I were a lad) from Tooting Junction to Merton Abbey . The erstwhile passenger station became a goods shed depot . Tooting Junction was still called Tooting Junction locally long after the points were lifted . Finally Lord Nelson had a home close to Merton Abbey Mills .

I’m not sure if you are familiar with Merton Abbey Mill , St Enodoc ? It used to be sites of industrial activity - leather tanning , cardboard manufacturing , a bus garage and the like . Then a superstore Sainsburys took over and the Mill area is now a centre for small shops , small firms and a lovely riverside pub . The river Wandle flows past it and was the source of water power in the early Industrial Revolution era . I have this vision of the low melt solder being sold from a craft shop rather than being manufactured in a dark , satanic mill .

I believe that Alan Gibson makes plastic brake blocks . From memory, they are on a circular sprue .

Re the invitation to railway vandals to meet at Wimbledon. It reminds me of the sixties when Mods and Rockers would shout “ Boxhill” to each other as they passed on Lambrettas and Triumphs . An invite to a rumble at a Surrey beauty spot.

Thanks for posting , Frank . I was “treating” my wife to Abingdon and we left in sufficient time but roadworks delayed us so much , we had to abandon . So your posts are some solace to our disappointment. I was particularly interested to see the Mogul and 47xx running . BTW Hungerford was a big factor in going to Abingdon. PS I know how to treat the Sheilas!

I see merit in all the contributions above and it set me to thinking . I appreciate Hornby’s recent carriages but I bought a couple of Hatton’s generic 6 wheel brakes . Why ? Well , recent accurate coaches from Hornby , Bachman , Dapol etc have been superb . What’s more as someone born in 1944 , I can recall them in service . They chime with my memory and ( importantly)are superbly finished . Much better than I could achieve . Why buy the Hatton’s generic coaches . Well , several reasons. First , I like Full brakes and had a hankering for a vintage parcels train . Moreover , they are beyond my memory so I could not pull down a mental file to compare model and prototype. I had a vague idea of what a 6 wheel full brake should look like and they compared favourably with that image . In a word they were PLAUSiBLE . The USP for me was the finish . The GWR coach has opaque , dense colour with defined demarcation and fine lining .The GNR example has a fine representation of teak . So that clinched it for me . Hope this wander down my thought and decision making process helps .

Or is it possible to buy the motor and or gearing as spares and swop ? Another thought is the motor / gearing from the Manor compatible? I used to know a mechanic who could take 4 Mini and 1100 engines and gearboxes and build 3 combinations and still have bits spare .

My late father was in the RAFVR during the war - 72 operations and DFM . He taught me to run away from explosions as a second one might follow . Aged 7 , I had run towards a calor gas explosion in a wooden hut .

And Shackleton ? Bur didn’t the RAF use rocket firing Hunters ?

In the 1970s I worked in tv rental , an industry founded on the unreliability of tv sets and their (relatively) high price . British made tv sets would be assembled and tested once completed . Japanese sets had every component tested and passed before each was assembled into the tv . The result was that Japanese tv sets were reliable… which eventually finished off tv rental .

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice …?

My 3d printed body of a curved frame Bulldog arrived today . Captain Kernow commented that they are in the first rank of 3 d manufacturers and I agree . Ive struggled to add photos but will try again . I think that my example is well detailed and exquisite . I have no interest or connection with the manufacturer except as a contented customer .

I have placed an order for a curved frame Bulldog and will report on quality when received . Sadly it will have to its place in a long 2do queue so I won’t be able to comment on build progress for a while .

That’s credible, Johnster. I would be inclined to a V1 Doodlebug as the miscreant , myself . But then I was born at the height of Doodlebugs falling on London . Ken

Provided your health is good , the secret to enjoying old age is … Fizz! That is : Physical activity Intellectual stimulation Some form of Spirituality

May I ask how you went about purchasing the 3 d body , please ? Thanks .

Didn’t he criticise the coffee at Swindon’s contractor’s catering place ? Along the lines “ Didn’t think you served coffee, just burnt corn “

Nothing wrong with your approach! Didn’t Brunel say something to the effect that his Broad Gauge engines were so elegant that they would grace the finest dining room ? I bought two Accurascale Manors - one is in a glass display case … purely for display but I get pleasure from looking at it . The other is working engine .

So good , I’m joining that FB group to buy one!

Oh joy ! MRJ 301 arrived today and I ripped it open in an ecstasy of fumbling ! At last - How to carry out the conversion to EM - oh frabulous day ! Not so fast - there is a trailer with the main article to follow . Patience is a virtue .

I guess , Miss Prism, that flush riveting required more skill than those that stand proud ? I’m relating this to what little I know about Spitfires . The Mark one was hand built with flush rivets . Come the Battle of Britain , there’s a great need for more aircraft. So the Mark 2 was “ productionlised “ with flush rivets in critical airflow sites and proud in less demanding areas . I love the story that half round peas were glued on to find the demarcation.

I found the airflow around my 1966 Midget drastically changed at 50 mph . Below 50 I could sit in a warm air on winter nights with the hood down. Above 50 the cold air came rushing in . The same was true with rain which would get blown over the windscreen but at a critical speed would be blown into the “cockpit”.

Sometimes the juxtaposition of colours can affect my perception. I’ve repainted white GWR carriage rooves and noticed that the chocolate and cream assume different hues .