petethemole

I doubt it's Double Diamond; their later ashtrays just had DD in red. Is there a maker's name on the base? If it's Wade you might be able to track it down.

I used to model AFVs and had many of the reference works on camouflage and markings available in the 70s and 80s, all now sold with my unmade kit stock. I don't remember any reference to white dots on the ambush scheme. However, a close look at your first photo shows that there are tonal differences between the dots on 105. There are dots that match the dark yellow areas, and others that are noticeably lighter in tone, and could be interpreted as white.

If the van train was heading for Weymouth, or the RN base at Portland, I could justify buying a Brighton Atlantic. Or Rule 1 applies.. I've fancied getting one since they came out.

I foresee a massive reduction in the number of pubs owned by pubcos, the companies that bought up most of the big breweries' tied estates. Many of these have been struggling for years due to a combination of high rents, high initial costs for leases, the usual requirement for lessees to pay for repairs, and the tied supply arrangements where most or all stocks are supplied through one company nominated by the pubco at higher than general wholesale prices. The pubcos are in effect property companies that will look to make the most they can out of each asset, so I reckon a lot of their pubs will be closed for redevelopment. The remaining brewery tied estates won't be safe either; Greene King have announced the closure of one near here, which was quite busy (as opposed to "heaving" when it was a Marstons' Southern estate pub).

Longish job titles translated into German can be fun. One of my colleagues was for some time Director of excavations at Lower High Street, which for fun we rendered as OberNiederHochstrassesausgrabungsfuhrer.

Mornin' awl; it's shaping up to be another warm day. This morning I need to move some stuff in the conservatory and outside, so a sparky can fit an exterior socket. Mrs mole has acquired an inflatable spa/hot tub. The pain due to her disability is alleviated by swimming and aquatic exercise, which of course she hasn't been able to do, as the pools are shut and seem set to remain closed for a while, so she is going to use this instead. It's big enough to float lengthwise and do tethered swimming. Marmite, I've always liked it but didn't have it often until recently but am now using frequently. I shouldn't, but I've found that a reduced salt intake leads to nocturnal leg cramps. Peanut butter has to be Whole Earth Crunchy, although recently the palm oil content seems to have increased; it didn't pool on the top before. I will try Aldi's own brand as an alternative if it has no palm oil. Marmalade by preference would be a thick cut Seville type, but these days I'm limited to Tesco's No Added Sugar, which is a fine cut. Time to get on with stuff, after a quick ramble round the rest of RMweb. Stay elfy Pete

The attached hose with what looks like a petrol pump nozzle, together with adjacent tyre tracks, suggest it was a diesel fuel supply for works lorries.

Evenin' awl and Happy Birthday to Sherry. Regarding influential albums, here are 10 of those that made a big impression on me from age 16 in 1964 up to the early 70s and helped form my tastes in music. Back Country Blues, Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry Freewheeling, Bob Dylan Steam Whistle Ballads, Ewan McColl Saucerful of Secrets, Pink Floyd Da Capo, Love Bluesbreakers, John Mayall with Eric Clapton Mad Shadows, Mott the Hoople Who's Next, The Who Wheatstraw Suite, The Dillards Sandy, Sandy Denny On a different day I might list some others, such as Astral Weeks by Van Morrison, Happy Trails by Quicksilver Messenger Service, Yeti by Amon Duul II, Unhalfbricking by Fairport (or their first album), The Young Tradition..... Stay elfy, Pete

Happy Birthday Rick.

Signal box diagrams are available on line for Weymouth Junction and Weymouth Station boxes, here: https://www.s-r-s.org.uk/html/cdsrps.htm. Click on the links for low-res versions. They are not to scale but clarify what was a quite complex layout.

Beat me to it. I used this site which is a goldmine for IDing cars from films. https://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_346534-Henry-J-1953.html

Cromwells did fit, as did the successor model, Comet, which was slightly wider and overlapped the sides of a Warflat while still in gauge.

The Norfolk Museums Service may be interested in a sample of the bricks; they sound like what we called for convenience "Tudor bricks" although they were produced over a longer period.

A useful view of some wagon interiors.