PatB

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stock, which I rode on when it was brand new, and which seemed astoundingly spiffy and modern, described as old and outdated.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).

I suspect that most of the likely contact points of the average cat are too well insulated, with either fur or thick, dry skin, to provide an attractive path to earth. The one vulnerable spot would be the nose, and that's hedged about with sensitive whiskers which I would not be at all surprised to find can detect dangerous voltages long before contact is made.

I suspect they'll cope just fine, just like the abundant and healthy wildlife in motorway and other rail corridors, military ranges, and other, superficially unattractive and sometimes noisy places which are off limits to the general public.

I dunno. Relatively safe from human predation, unless the crossing needs work, within easy reach of a steady food source (human generated garbage), and well sheltered on 3 sides. Pretty good thinking for a brain the size of a peanut.

I agree with that last bit. I actually enjoyed that take on The ABC Murders, and Poirot in general, but the chase across the railway lines was just ridiculous. Especially the Triang inspired colour light signal. Rather took the gloss off the whole thing.

Is this a current profit, actually available in Hornby's bank account, or an announcement of a profit that can be pre-ordered for delivery estimated to be Q4 2025?

Actually, I may have to revise my opinion of Sam's Trains. As I'm going through a slot car phase, I was googling around the subject and stumbled across his vids on Wrenn's Formula 152 slotcar system. Whilst not exactly historical reference material, I found the contents both interesting and informative, and there was plenty of footage of the cars running which is, after all, the point of slot cars (although many makers of slot car vids seem to forget that little point). Even Sam himself was less annoying than he sometimes is. Maybe I'll be less inclined to skip to something else next time.

Did they drop the Wolfrace Sonic wheels that,IIRC, came on the early ones?

As a bodger who lives in a dry (usually, it's tipping down and 150% humidity right now) climate, assuming the concrete is still structurally competent, I would be tempted to fix battens to the deteriorating surface, and clad with something more attractive (weatherboard, decorative corrugated tin, what have you) to protect the exposed rebar from direct weathering. Obviously it would be important not to protrude beyond the roof overhang, and the gap twixt concrete and cladding would need to be open to atmosphere top and bottom to allow air circulation. Guttering (which doesn't seem to be fitted at the mo) would be needed to keep things dryish. Then I'd think about framing out the inside to (a) provide somewhere to put insulation, (b) create a structure that will keep things upright if/when the concrete crumbles to dust, and (c) allow you to screw things to the inside walls. Pretty much all of it should be possible with secondhand materials to keep costs within reason. I make no claim to this meeting local (or, indeed, any) building regs, or guarantee of it working acceptably in the perpetually damp UK.

If you're feeling a little creative, a simple Darlington pair transistor controller is dead easy and cheap to construct and can work very well. I have a minor hobby of breadboarding Roger Amos' designs (with adaptations to suit components that are locally available and/or didn't go out of production 30 years ago), and have found them all to be pretty good with the limited variety of motors I have available for testing. Basically, X04s, the cans used in the Chinese Smokey Joe, and the open can thingy in recent Hornby 0-6-0s. Oh, and, in substantially beefed up form, the ancient and current hungry wound field pancake in vintage US made Marx 0 gauge stuff, but that's probably a bit niche to be relevant. And, yes, I'm well aware that real electronics experts consider the Darlington pair to be ridiculously outdated. Quite possibly true, but I like simple and cheap, and it works for me.

My only experience of a GM V6 was the 3.8 in my company Holden Commodore. It was quite nice, with a moderately lazy 200 bhp available. I'd be interested to have a go in one of the (factory) supercharged ones.

No permanent damage done, but it took what felt like an eternity of seesawing the drum off the hub, a tenth of a thou' a side at a time, and the top joints of all my fingers had gone an interesting shade of purple by the time I got them back. I must have been young and stupid at the time as, round about then, I was taking the steering wheel off the same Landie and it was, again, a bit reluctant. So I thumped the backs of the spokes a bit. Obviously it immediately de-stuck and smacked me across the bridge of the nose with its rim, which was a "valuable educational experience", both for me and for anyone within earshot. Come to think of it, I used to quite regularly damage myself in new and innovative ways whilst working on vehicles. Teenage idiocy will out I suppose.

Does it matter? Perhaps the videos you link to are being watched by those with a very specific interest in the models reviewed (and so, arguably, are reaching the audience that counts for their specific subject matter), whereas Sam's Trains vids get watched by a much more general audience. Not saying that is the case, it's just one possible explanation. Regardless, I think you've actually rather neatly made the point that Sam's Trains is not the only source of video reviews out there, and there is material available that may appeal more to those who find Sam to be the YT equivalent of nails down a blackboard.

Alone in the shed, late one night, I did once attach myself to a Land Rover by the fingers, when I was thumping a reluctant brake drum into place and it suddenly went, trapping both hands between drum and backplate. Of course, it then stuck firmly, leaving me unable to reach any useful levering tools, and beyond earshot of any likely assistance..

And now a perfect example of why some people shouldn't be allowed to own... well, anything really. https://www.autoshrine.com/registry/1966-Triumph-Spitfire-MkII-FC64791.6739/ Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go and pour bleach in my eyes.