PatB

I suspect that Triang's success was primarily based on price, and producing a wider range. The corollary is that a major factor in Trix's lesser reach was also price. IIRC a Trix Pacific was roughly double the price of its Dublo equivalent, which was, itself, very expensive in comparison with a Triang Princess. Trix probably also suffered from its lack of interoperability with anything else. Regardless of any merits of its bodies, and the both-sides insulation, a Trix AC loco wouldn't have been much use to the "serious" modeller using the de facto standard 12V DC, so that's another little bit of market gone.

I've always liked that one a great deal. IIRC the article was titled "For Amusement Only". I do have the issue somewhere, but I think it's in a box buried under a hundred others, so it might as well be on the moon. If I was going to be overly critical, I seem to remember that the platforms of the terminus station were so short that 2 coaches and a GWR 4-6-0 (Dublo Castle?) overhung the ends by a substantial margin, but that's not really the point on something like this, is it?

My Spitfire had what I think was one of their aftermarket bonnets with the GT6 bulge. It wasn't a very good fit and was rather floppy, making lifting it either a gymnastic exercise or a 2 man job. Whoever fitted it had also omitted to drill or cut out the heater fresh air intake, rendering the already somewhat feeble heater somewhat non-functional. I remember Hot Car describing a road test XR3i's handling as "bordering on dangerous" for exactly this reason. Can't remember exactly what year, but it must have been prior to July '83 as that was when I stopped buying the mag because I needed to pour every spare penny into a terrible Austin 7 special.

Ejector seats, whilst they have saved lives, are not kind to the human body. In their usual application, most users tend to be young and with a high level of physical fitness, and can still suffer significant injuries due to the g-forces of the vertical acceleration when the seat fires. I'm not sure what the effects would be on a driver who might, say, be a bit overweight, lack muscle tone and be in their 50s or even 60s. Practicalities aside, I can see there being significant issues with weighing the risks involved in an accidental or unnecessary firing vs the rewards of such a device in a potentially fatal collision.

Screenshot from page 17 of the 1985 edition of 27 Circuits for Scalextric. I mean, it could be an entirely innocent oversight but....

Can't see much left that's boat shaped. Did it burn, leaving that debris mass on the right (as viewed) of the track at the crossing? 10/10 for the classic Jouef station/crossing keeper's house though.

I don't see it as much different from the WSR, in their early days, running a lot of services with repainted Park Royal(?) DMUs. It seemed very mundane and a bit of a disappointment at the time, but in hindsight, they were quite interesting vehicles, and it's regrettable that they've since had to be scrapped. And it was certainly better than no trains to Minehead at all, which seems to be the preference 40+ years on.

A prominent feature on Maunsell era engines. For those who do not know what a snifting valve is, when the regulator of a steam locomotive is closed, a partial vacuum can be created in the cylinders which, in the absence of any other openings, can suck ash and other abrasive residue from the smokebox down the blastpipe. This does the cylinder bores, piston rings and valve faces no good at all. To alleviate the problem, one-way valves (snifting valves) are incorporated, which remain tightly closed under pressure, but open under vacuum, admitting fresh air to the cylinders, rather than the grinding compound that's been through the firebox, tubes and smokebox.

I can do you some very nice, though I say it myself, handmade porcelain goblets which are (astonishingly, as we didn't aim for it) exactly 185 ml, if that helps at all [/shameless plug].

Sounds like every Australian tradie I've ever encountered. Which is why I've spent a fair bit of both time and money, and considerable effort in arranging my life, to become as self-sufficient as possible so I don't have to depend on them. Or, at least, can fix the inevitable lethal bodges when legally obliged to engage a "professional".

Under ideal circumstances I'd agree on the orientation, but we've got a couple of big trees immediately to the west, which give some shading in the afternoon. Not a disastrous amount, but enough to make output drop noticeably after lunchtime. As I can neither afford, nor wish to have them taken down I accept the limitation. The installation still generates about 5x more energy than we can directly use. Battery storage, and lots of it, would make sense, but I can't afford that yet either. When prices come down a bit and my superannuation becomes available it'll be something I seriously consider.

Whilst I haven't published any model railway vids, I occasionally get energetic and film aspects of our pottery business to post online. Given that the most popular video so far has been of a minor disaster when a big mould wasn't quite as well sealed as I thought it was and consequently dumped 100 kg of porcelain slip on the workshop floor, I've come to the conclusion that what people like is seeing stuff go wrong.

Whst I don't remember those particular products, I do remember two distinct varieties of sweet cigarettes being available at least until ~1978. First was a thin, brittle, white stick of slightly sweetened chalk, with a dab of red food colouring on one end. T'other were sticks of something almost recognisable as chocolate, wrapped in what purported to be rice paper, but which was actually slightly less edible than actual Rizlas. I remember the latter variety being given as a class prize, at primary school, for something or other. Even as an 11 year old, my critical thinking faculties found this difficult to reconcile with the regular lectures on the evils of smoking, delivered by the same teacher as presented said prize.

A recent rekindling of an interest in 70s and 80s Scalextric products has made me realise I may be of the last generation to consider it perfectly normal and healthy to emblazon children's toys with ads for tobacco products .

I've successfully insulated 2 large sheds (both with tin roofs) by attaching battens/beams to the outside of the existing roof, laid insulation between and then putting a second layer of tin over the lot. The first was 16 years ago and the second 10+. Both remain dry and comfortable. The only downside I can see is that it might raise the height beyond permitted limits in some cases.

In my experience, all carpets end up grey in the end.

It does seem to be a feature of ageing, that one finds oneself mystified by the reverence shown towards what one remembers as pretty awful vehicles. I now know what my father felt like at old vehicle shows .

On a similar note, seeing Newcastle Metro stock, which I rode on when it was brand new, and which seemed astoundingly spiffy and modern, described as old and outdated. Ditto Sprinter DMUs. Seeing buildings you watched go up demolished as obsolete.

Having put the title into Google, this seems to be the cheapest of Amazon's options. Waterstones list it at 23.99 but haven't actually got it. So, if someone really wants it, at the moment that seems to be what it will cost. Whether anyone does actually want it that badly, of course, remains to be seen. Me, I'd be waiting to see if it turns up in Waterstones again.

Realising that you are older than the majority of senior ministers and shadow ministers in government. And considerably better equipped to run the country, obviously . Seeing vehicles you still think of as impossibly modern advertised for sale as "nice old classics".

Last time I looked, on Google Earth, it was still possible to discern marks on the ground left by various features of the camp. Felt a bit odd that something that was there well into my lifetime now looks like something Time Team might feature.

I tend to agree with you. I suspect there are far more, more or less scenified, set track ovals out there, with Southern pacifics running alongside unwired 91s, hauling brightly coloured PO Wagons, than RMWeb could collectively cope with . As an indicator, Sam's Trains YouTube channel, which is currently receiving some stick elsewhere for its "train set" approach, is massively popular, in model railway video terms. On longer units, even amongst "serious" modellers, I think there a limitations to the market for them. I haven't done a count, but I very much get the impression that, on RMWeb at least, photo planks, micros, dioramas, and other small to very small layouts, vastly outnumber those which can reasonably accommodate longer trains. I think 'twas ever thus, it's just that fewer of us pretend we can depict a portion of the WCML in 6x4 than hitherto. Anyhow, it comes down to why would you pay several hundred scarce model railway quid for a unit you can only actually use about half of? Yes, maybe because it's a nice thing to have, in itself, but how many can afford such an indulgence? Enough to cover the manufacturers' costs, and offer them the possibility of a profit? I don't know, but I suspect the manufacturers have a reasonable idea.

I wanted a sky burial on the roof of our shed, but the local council called security when I went to ask them about it.

I suspect that, in austerity, post-war Britain, most demobbed military vehicles would remain in their original colours with any insignia removed or painted out. Any that did get a coat of civilian paint would likely be either whatever could be had surplus (so still military/naval colours), or something from Woolworths' range of gloss. So black, white, forest green, bright red or royal blue, basically.

I do wonder if the reluctance on the part of the manufacturers to expand the range of MUs is maybe because collectors make up the portion of the market that makes it profitable to make a model, and people don't collect MUs. Or, at least, not ones that didn't/don't sport a wide variety of colourful liveries to chase. Hence no obscure 1st Gen stock that only came in green or blue (notwithstanding variations on yellow warning panels).