Jol Wilkinson

This sort of traffic was only carried in countries without the loading gauge restrictions we have in the UK. Elephants could be carried in vans but giraffes had to be trained to sit down in well wagons and duck when instructed. Alligators, crocodiles, sharks, etc. were carried in tank wagons and therefore not visible, which is probably why there isn't a wish list thread for a RTR model of them being transported. They were usually dropped in head first from a crane inside a goods shed, so as not to create an uproar from the League for the Protection of Nasty Animals.

It's probably indicative of the small supplier's usual dilemma. Balancing production, developing new products, "marketing" and dealing with sales. Sometimes they have to scrimp on some activities which we have come to expect as "industry standard" based on the performance of the major multi national companies such as Amazon.

One benefit of modelling the LNWR. A copy of Jack Nelson's LNWR Portrayed, Bill Finch's Portfolio on building a 5" gauge Jumbo and Talbot's LNWR Engines contains nearly of what you would need to know. The one area that is a bit thin is info on tender details. I am disposing of the books from the estate of late friend which includes Russel's GWR Locomotives books, but I don't think they would be of much use from what has been said earlier.

Don't any of the GWR loco books cover the sort of information being discussed?

Ken, a good point. Unfortunately though there is a increasing tendency for people to dramatise whatever happens to them. The concept of the stiff upper lip has been replaced by the violently trembling lower one, preferably shared on social media. That's not to deny that the mother and child had a very frightening experience and that this potentially very dangerous scenario should't have happened. Jol

Agree entirely. We live in a society that increasingly believes "it's someone else's responsibility".

Probably based upon their commercial and financial philosophies, rather than any ethical stand point.

Most solvents will do the job of removing unwanted adhesive, petrol (smelly), IPA, white spirit, cigarette lighter fluid (my preferred choice as it comes in convenient dispensers). etc. Even butanone, MekPak and similar but only safe on metal surfaces. Usual safety warnings apply.

John, when I have looked on ebay, Aliexpress and other sites, they seem to crop up quite frequently. Nigel Lawton lists some small 6v motors on his website. As you say though, finding suitable ones (size, shaft diameter, etc.) can be the problem. Jol

Depends on how hard you have been looking. There is a Mitsumi 12v motor that has been been suggested as an alternative. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/94701-new-products-from-cambridge-custom-transfers/page-2&do=findComment&comment=1884439 Wizard Models (MSE, Comet, etc.) now list a Canon 1620 motor. However, there doesn't yet appear to be a supplier for a range of sizes of 12 v motors such as we had been able to get from Mashima. Many of the motors available through ebay and the likes are lower voltage - usually 5 volts - and presumably produced for battery powered applications. Some have been produced for specific applications such as DVD drives. The 12v motors are often from other industrial applications such as automobile uses, etc. and may not totally suit our needs. There are very high quality 12v motors available from Faulhaber, etc. but at prices that few people would be willing to pay. At least one former major importer of Mashima motors is looking into alternatives, but hasn't reported on progress as yet.

As far as we know, production has ceased.. Stock of some sizes is exhausted but the others are still available from the importers/retailers. At least one "Small Supplier" is considering supplying only with the kits he manufactures, following a bout of online "panic buying" of motors.

A Bakewell pudding is much nicer.

Single cans of Testors Dullcote available from Phil at Hobby Holidays, but he can only supply at shows as his carrier won't deliver.

The Peugeot 406 Coupe was also designed and built by Pininfarina. A future classic at currently very low prices.

Nick, photo of LRM 4mm chassis attached. The cross shaft is behind the rear coupled wheel (P4 profile) so the lack of clearance in 2mm may be a combination of artwork reduction and wheel profile. However, the instructions do refer to a potential problem if using original profile 4mm Romford wheels, recommending the RP25 profile version for OO, so the clearance is obviously very small. From memory, the short "drop link" was included in the 4mm etch, so should be on the 2mm version. I don't recall having to find a couple elsewhere. IIRC, LRM do a wrapper etch for the Coal Engine (although not listed on the price list) which was a hangover from the George Norton Connoisseurs Choice range. Brassmasters did their early LNWR loco etches as a series of small component etches to mix and match the various loco kits so it could be one of theirs. However the BM locos were all of larger LNWR prototypes with bigger boilers.

When I were but a lad my father drove a Trojan van with windows and longitudinal benches to carry his team of workmen. They worked for my uncle's contracting company based near Rugby. I particularly remember that the diesel engine was difficult to start in cold weather and you had to unscrew and pump a knob on the dashboard marked "Ki-gas" to spray fuel into the intake for - allegedly - easier starting. A friend recently attended an auction of "classic" vehicles that included a barn find (what else) Field Marshall that hadn't apparently been run for twenty years. It was started by screwing in a cartridge and hitting it with a hammer. He said it was a memorable event.

Sorry, the two Mercs don't comply as they don't have round headlamps.

David, following your post I have emailed Holt Model Railways and hope to receive a reply this time.

It may be their way of dealing with what is not an uncommon situation for them. The Samaritans have assisted Network Rail with a program to help staff cope with what is an unpleasant situation for all concerned.

I know of several people who have emailed them about MM products (myself included) and had no reply. The item I enquired about is listed separately as Not Available and Out of Stock, but the site also says Will be re-manufactured. My enquiry was a couple of years ago and nothing has changed. As it is a white metal casting, then I assume that nothing will, so will have to get around to producing my own.

They were employees of the LNWR when awarded the VC and two LNWR Claughtons were named after them. The LMS reused the nameplates on two of the Patriots as Sykes and Wood were still employees at the time. A third LNWR employee, John "Jock" Christie, was awarded the VC and a Claughton also named after him, but the name/plates apparently weren't transferred to a Patriot by he LMS as he had left the employ of the LNWR/LMS by then. Another Claughton was named Patriot and carried a special plaque "In memory of the fallen LNWR employees 1914 -1918".

Had a visit today from a friend who is into pre-war BMWs. We went to check up on two that are hidden away in Suffolk, slowly deteriorating because the owner won't do anything with them or sell them to someone that will. His collection includes several other pre WW2 cars suffering the same fate. Why do people do it?

With a ######, it's more about what you do with it rather then how big it is, just like "upmarket" car brands.

I prefer layouts that are based on real locations or, if fictional, follow actual railway practice. Something where you can see that the builder(s) have tried to model the railway in miniature. I get no enjoyment at all from those layouts where the builder has apparently just raided the various manufacturers catalogues to create every cameo scene he can cram in. The bus on the bridge, modern small factory unit with impossibly small access for the delivery trucks, church with wedding/funeral, burned out house/shop, pub with brawl outside, road traffic incident, workmen digging up road, etc. etc. As these appeal to the general public it may be appropriate for local club "family" orientated exhibitions to have one such layout alongside the Thomas layout, but they don't have a place in many exhibitions. Even the "finescale" shows such as Railex can still attract a significant number of families without these cameo layouts. Do such layouts generate sufficient interest in youngsters to bring them into the hobby when older? I doubt that it does for very many. I think it is more likely that their fathers (perhaps I should say parents) are more likely to do so when the children are off their hands. So the recruitment value of such layouts have is to get the family to the show.

Successive governments have been assett stripping the nation for years, so this shouldn't come as a surprise. If it is beyond the NRM's capability/budget to maintain and restore any artifact of historical importance, then perhaps it is proper to put it in the hands of an organisation that can. However, the NRM should exercise due diligence to ensure that the recipient will be willing and able to do the job that they can't.