BernardTPM

I do remember seeing those, but they were so similar to the BMC 1500/1600 Farinas that it would be easy to overlook them (the big Austin Westminster and Wolseley 6/110 also looked much the same). I think the original big-fin BMC 1500 version came first, but not by long. Pininfarina toned the fins down for the Peugeot 404 and the revised BMC 1600. Banger racing in the '70s must have wiped out a lot of the BMC Farinas; they were hefty old lumps!

From what I remember of them they did go funny colours like that, starting in the olive and going anything from a muddy beige to purple.

I doubt it. There's a much new Citroen Xsara that's joined it in the 'car park of doom'. The latter is still shiny but has weeds growing up the wheels. The Escort (4 door) is a 'S' reg, so 1977-8. Both the Estate and Van used most the Mk.1 shape from the door back. Mind you, the Mk.1/2 Escort van used the doors from the 1961 'Anglia' van, so wasn't ever 'all-new'.

Weighs 28t 4cwt, carries 15 tons (GW Coaches Appendix 2)

There's an old Mk.2 Escort near where I live slowly rusting away and that has a shattered in situ windscreen. I'll have to check the registration, but I'm guessing it's late' 70s (model introduced in 1975). Frosting clear styrene might give a reasonable effect, but might not really good enough for 4mm scale. I'd hate to think how many knife knicks it would take to create a 'shatter' of scale size pieces across a complete windscreen.

The coach shown here http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7220/6901714686_6ea6231a5f_o.jpg has the same style roof/rainstrip and was contemporary to the K41.

Sorry, but 1645 is a 1938 pattern D127 Brake Third, so is not like a K41. These later coaches had a completely different roof profile that broke away from the previous style used between 1933 and 1937 (pre-1933 was similar, but the roof panelling was different). K42 was to the revised pattern though.

They were bigger in those days - the 10p was reduced in size in 1992. Up to then old 2/- coins were still in regular use alongside the new decimal 10p ones. The larger coins ceased to be legal tender in 1993.

The light grey (Rail Grey, as used on blue/grey coaches) was a Stratford trademark. They painted silver roofs on 47163 & 164, along with big Union flags on the sides for the Queen's Silver Jubilee. Later roofs were done in the cheaper Rail Grey paint which looked almost the same after a short while in service. That would suggest a 1977 date at the earliest.

(caps not included)

If you make the seats as a pair, like the real thing, and make a two part mould with the seat base, backs, arm fronts and wings in the lower half and the back and underside largely in the other half with the split line following the blue line in the diagram then when you demould you should only need a simple cleaning up round what would be a fairly short join line, most of which will be towards the back when the moulding is in place in the model. You could probably add simple support legs too, if the fronts of the legs came level to the blue line; they could be trimmed back to become invisible after moulding.

Sean, you might do better to mould the armrests in with each pair of seats. The real things had the supports for them as part of the GRP moulding; there was no centre armrest, just the outer pair for each pair of seats http://www.flickr.com/photos/58433307@N08/6870877659 Also note the integral filling piece between the seats which should make it easier to mould.

Sorry Ray, yes, Pampisford; my typing isn't always too good. Not a place normally associated with sleeping cars and long since closed.

The Hornby n

If you go for the earllier steamlined units they had short bogies like the Japanese chassis have.

Good luck, Pete. I hope your move will go smoothly.

There was a drawing in Motive Power Monthly when they were new; not sure of the issue off the top of my head.

An indoor garden railway is certainly original thinking and those tiny Bagnall 2-4-0s make very attractive prototypes.

As it's a different body type it doesn't really take over from the existing Farish model, rather it adds variety. It will still be way ahead in terms of detail though, even if not as good as it could be.

There was a useful article on Chilmark in the June 1996 Railway Modeller that included drawings of stock. Parkside Dundas have a post-war Hudson bogie wagon in their range http://www.parksidedundas.co.uk/acatalog/Robert_Hudson_Ltd.html DM65 with the bogies available as separate items DM66. The 009 Society are planning to produce an RNAD van soonish.

A N gauge Marina would certainly get my vote!

It's a possibility still. As for the Ital, I was thinking strip it, file off the bumpers and rear lights, add a piece of 30 or 40 thou. added to the top of the boot and then build up the extra panelwork in Milliput. Make new bumpers, grille and spolier, carve in the lights and revised boot lines, aeroflow vents, remodel the dash (carried over from the Marina II) then paint. The glazing can go back in 'as is' (though flush glazing the side windows would be nice, even on the standard Marina). The wheel trims will need attention, plus door mirrors, probably seat patterns. Now I've written it out I'm glad I don't need one! A coupe would be nice though. Harder work with a file, mind you, but more useful.

There's been this thread http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/73590-prototype-wagon-with-23-dia-disc-wheels/ recently where someone has bought some 9mm dia. wheels and is looking for a use for them. Perhaps APT could be that use!

I bought a Marina this weekend and it must be one of the best cars they've done. Apart from a slightly wide track (more Maxi than Marina) I can't really fault it. However, there must be the in me and he keeps saying 'Ital'. And that's just no good at all for 1972.

Minor point on car registrations. At this time they ran from 1st August to 31st July, so L reg. is August 1972 to 31st July 1973, making it even more likely to have been built in 1972. A to D suffixes were for 1963 to 1966 respectively, but E reg only covers 1st January 1967 to 31st July followed by F reg from 1st August 1967 to 31st July 1968. Apparently this change was at the request of the motor trade to improve sales mid-year where they had traditionally been low, but in the end the annual suffix/prefix system distorted the market. The FWD 1500 was later re-engineered to RWD as the Dolomite, but externally there's very little difference.