Stentor

David, According to the CRW Flags of the World website: “in fact the emblem was reversed on one side of the funnel, due to some maritime requirement that the top of the design should always point to the bows. This was to give a better visual indication of the ships direction to other navigators in times of bad visibility. “ // Simon

Yes, this fits in with the philosophy of Dick Hardy and John Bellwood of pairing crews to locomotives to encourage pride in their “own loco”.

Paul, if I understand you correctly then although these B12s were “on the books” as being under 30A the Southend fitters removed the 30A shed plate and replaced it with a 30D one. Was this a common activity within each shed pool for the locos working from an outlying shed?

There is a lot of information out there so I don’t know why manufacturers still get it wrong nowadays. For me, and probably many of us, to get paid to research and curate this kind of detail would be a dream job. So it strikes me as odd that a “dynamic and passionate team, striving to be the FIRST choice in models and hobbies” aren’t passionate about the detail here. //Simon

I agree with you, it looks like Hornby have misread that B12s were used on the Southend services and taken it that they were allocated there too. 61576 appears on the shedbash UK website as being at Southend in January 1956 but it is shown as being allocated to Stratford. RCTS vol 2b also talks about B12s monopolising fast and semi fast trains to Southend but makes no references to allocation to 30D. //Simon

Happy Christmas and a brighter 2021 to you and yours David. Thank you for your dedication in bringing us these fantastic pictures every day, it is very much appreciated. //Simon

Thanks to all who answered especially to Philjw, Fodenway and Modelldoc. The John Day Models site is a real treasure chest for this and I’m going to go for a Morris LC ambulance which is bang on for my time range of mid 50s. // Simon

I’ve been looking for a suitable load for a Lowmac wagon around 1955 in East Anglia. I have recently seen a couple of photographs, taken in the 60s, showing a new civilian ambulance and a Royal Navy ambulance being delivered by rail. So three questions: 1. Were ambulances delivered by rail in the mid 50s? 2. Which makes and models would they have likely been? 3. Are any suitable models available in 4mm scale? Thanks in advance for any insight. //Simon

I would agree, it looks like a Nissan Cherry GTi to me, https://www.curbsideclassic.com/uncategorized/carshow-classic-1985-nissan-cherry-europe-gti-the-worst-of-both-worlds/ //Simon

Taken at Acton Bridge, its the lighting and the compression of the turnout length that gives a model look I think.

Thanks for all the suggestions and following Philj W's suggestion I slid a thumbnail between the front grill and the front bumper and it opened with no damage. Likewise doing the same between the rear bumper and the body loosened that too. I attach a couple of photos of the split body for anybody who faces the same problem, the seats and glazing look straight forward clips. Once again, thanks to John and especially to Phil for their help.

As suggested by Philj W here are some photographs. As you can see our old friend the blind man has painted the model using his trusty bog brush which is why she needs a repaint. The rear number plate looks promising but that is part of the glazing , not the chassis. Any suggestions please.

I have recently acquired a Solido 1:43 scale Renault 5 which I would like to strip and repaint. But I cannot see how to separate the chassis from the body. There are no obvious rivets to drill out and whilst the body is diecast the chassis appears to be plastic. Does anybody have any experience of how to open them please? Any help much appreciated, thanks.

Happy Birthday Dave, you’re still a young man, never let anyone tell you otherwise. //Simon

I stumbled across a new to me supplier of 3D printed figures on eBay. The quality is very good and the range is impressive covering mainly modern dressed figures in what you might call normal everyday poses. 116 figures are listed including: middle aged men chatting, man on a mobile phone, male and female photographers, man on a motorcycle, stern older looking lady, pregnant woman, man spraying paint in a hazmat suit, girl leaning against tyres, man with a clipboard, football fan and a choice of dogs. Service is good and when I contacted them with a query Stewart replied back very quickly. The range is mainly 1:76 but some figures are 1:43 or 1:50, options for painted or unpainted and prices start from £1.99 a figure. Find them on eBay by searching for seller PMMSTUDIO. They have no connection to me other than being a satisfied customer. //Simon

I too remember seeing it as a 6 year old at Colchester Zoo and the dimming of the lights made a big impression on me. Going through some old papers at my Dad's house I found the booklet that described the railway and I attach a few scans from it, the ink stain was not an original feature of course. The scenes included: the Channel, France, Germany, Switzerland, Ocean and City of the Future. The booklet describes the construction and gives plenty of hints and tips for building your own layout. Fond memories of an inspirational layout. //Simon Dear Mods, I assume that I'm not breaking any copyright here as there are no declarations on the pamphlet of copyright and it is more than 50 years old now. If I am please take it down.

Hi Jack, I cannot check the individual issues at the moment but this link to an index tell you where articles about Wanhurst appear: http://www.modelrailwayjournal.com/index.php?o=title&s=wanhurst&t=All&g=0&x=0&y=0 //Simon

Phil, I think that’s a Mk2 Cortina not a Morris 1100 Countryman which makes it more likely to be in Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased). //Simon

Hi Mick, Nice user name, a fellow disciple of Mr Nelson I presume. This might be of interest to you as it’s quite straightforward to service the Triang motor bogie. As mentioned already the body is too short and I understand that it is possible to cut and shut it to length using another body. It was done by the great Chris Pendleton in the past but I’ve not been able to find any further details. Does anybody out there know any more? //Simon

Thanks to everyone who responded especially 298, Rivercider and Jonny777 who have given me the date of 24th October 1987, I’ll amend my scanned photos accordingly. //Simon

I think the bmx style bikes may be Raleigh Burners or Mini Burners. //Simon

I've been scanning some old negatives and found some I believe were taken at Didcot Railway Centre. On the film they follow on from Ripple Lane open day which was 17th October 1987. However I cannot find any references to this event using my idea of what to search for using Google. Can anybody please shed any light on this - the event not my searching abilities? Was there a diesel gala in late 1987, possibly to celebrate Didcot's 30th anniversary or was it just a normal weekend? Thanks for any information. //Simon

Thanks to everyone for their insight. I’ll look at using the ends to build a model of one of the de-icers built from old 4SUBs. //Simon

I have been given 2 sets of these white metal ends and I am trying to identify what EMU prototype they are. I think they might be from a 2-NOL. I did wonder if they are from a 2-BIL or a 2-HAL but I don't think so because the conduit pipe above the route indicator doesn't go to the cant rail for those types and the roof profile of these ends is too shallow to be a HAL or BIL. Any help much appreciated. //Simon

Darius, you are very very good at turning these into great models but I think you've got your work cut out with this one. I guess you'll be junking the mouldings for the underslung track recording sled and scratch building it. I look forward to seeing what you can do, good luck my friend. //Simon