fodenway

I remember back in the sixties, probably around 1967-8, seeing Roger Moore driving the "Saint" Volvo in the village of Cawthorne, near Barnsley. It had the ST 1 plates on, but also had trade plates hung loosely over the bumpers. Apparently, Moore was staying at or renting a cottage on Bark House Lane at the time.

The Jowett Bradford van is by John Day Models (along with the Utility and the pickup versions) and the Ford "Pop" van was by Scalelink, if I remember correctly. Both very nice little kits suitable for the post-war period. Classix Fordson E83W behind.

1964 Rambler Classic which I owned for a couple of years in the mid-eighties. 3.2 litre 6-cylinder, 3-speed automatic, a very nice little car, but I just couldn't bond with it because it was right-hand drive. I prefer my Yanks to be LHD! Bought from a seller in the West Midlands, and swapped for a 1958 Austin A55 in Bradford, a subsequent owner fitted a Rover 3.5 V8 and resprayed it blue and white.

Imported from Florida, paid just $1200 (about £900 at the time) for this very solid 1954 Chevy 210 2-door in the late eighties, shipping and duties added another £525, sold on for £3,800 a few months later, just as the bottom fell out of the classic car market. Six cylinder 3.8 litre, 3-speed manual box, this engine had so much torque that first was rarely needed. I took a friend down to a custom show at the Essex Showground at Great Leighs, and once we'd left his house in Barnsley I never came out of top gear. When we arrived at the showground, he turned to me and said " I thought you said this was a manual car? You've not changed gear all the way down!" Incidentally, the registration number is currently on a Vauxhall, so I don't know whether the Chevy is still around or not.

It's decades since I saw that film, I'd have to try to find a copy to find out. I can't even remember very much about the movie at all, come to think about it.

Another of my past cars - 1952 Chevrolet Styleline Deluxe Sedan. 3.8 litre straight six, 2-speed Powerglide automatic, restored in Texas and imported to Britain. I bought it in Northumberland and eventually sold it to a buyer from the West Country. A lovely car (and surprisingly economical), but you can't keep them all.

Stirred on by this debate, I've been researching the subject in more depth - which perhaps I should have done earlier!. Various sources give differing accounts, but it seems that some kind of subsidy scheme was suggested as early as 1903, following the War Office Trials of 1901. According to most sources, the specifications for various classes of vehicle had been laid down by 1911, the idea being that if a civilian operator bought these vehicles, they would be paid a sum of money at intervals providing that the vehicles were maintained to a specified schedule and standard, and would be handed over to the military if needed. It seems that the term "RAF Subsidy" was never an official term, being applied either by Leyland (referring to their own reconditioned ex-military lorries), or by others unknown in later years - again, accounts differ depending on source.

My point being that the RAF didn't come into being until at least three years after the RAF subsidy scheme started!

.....none of which explains why "RAF", when no such organisation existed at the time - "WO" (for War Office") or "WD" perhaps would have been more obvious choices of terminology.

I always wondered why the term "RAF Subsidy" was used from the early days of the First World War to identify 3-ton lorries purchased on the understanding that they could be requisitioned by the military if necessary. The odd thing being that the RAF (Royal Air Force) as such didn't come into being until 1918 - up to then it had been known as the Royal Flying Corps, or RFC, organised from volunteers from private flying clubs. The vast majority of lorries were requisitioned by the Army, not the RFC.

My Honda ST50 Dax, bought new in August 1970 with money saved from my Saturday morning job (whilst still at school) and savings from my first few months of full-time wages. It cost £153/18/9d "on the road". I used it for a couple of years, but then I moved on to cars, and the bike was stored away for a good number of years, virtually forgotten, until early 2010. I had just been made redundant, but had found another job a few miles away but with a start date in five weeks time. I decided to dig the old bike out and get it back on the road - it would be handy for getting to the new job. The engine was still free, so I ordered a new battery, changed the oil and drained and cleaned out the fuel system and checked and cleaned the plug and points. With fresh fuel in the tank, I was amazed when the little engine fired up on the second kick. With the engine running, I could try the lights - they also worked, but the horn wasn't playing, so that was replaced. I pumped up the tyres, and although they were perished they held air long enough for a short test ride around the yard, surprisingly the clutches were free and gears could be engaged. The silencer was blowing through a few rust holes, so a new system, sprockets and chain and a pair of new tyres were ordered and fitted. After a couple of days spent cleaning, polishing and adjusting, I took it for the MOT, which it passed without problem. I've kept it on the road ever since, even using it in winter, and on August 5th this year I will have owned it for 52 years - a remarkable little machine. The photo was taken at Scarborough just pre-pandemic.

For curved windscreens, look at sections of the clear blister packs that lots of items come in - tubes of glue blister packed on a card are very useful, their tapering shape often giving just the right profile. Fix them in place with Glue-n-glaze or similar. Clear plastic bottles can also provide useful sections, particularly in larger scales.

My first two trial models from "N-Tastic", the Karrier Bantam Mobile Shop and Commer Superpoise van. I've added ventilators to the shop roof, and a bottom channel for the sliding door, and fitted the nicely detailed front wheels in a turning position. I will be adding more 'signwriting' and internal details later. Not yet decided on a livery for the Commer, but may replace the rather plain wheels at some point. I look forward to seeing the rest of the range at this weekend's Buxton Railfest.

Check out the book "A History of Motor Vehicle Registration in the United Kingdom", by L.H.Newall. I find it's an invaluable reference for getting the right numbers for any area or period, plus a very concise and interesting background to how the numbering system was developed. Not the cheapest book on the market, but one that I use a great deal.

A worthwhile improvement - don't forget the tax discs and quarterlight window frames.

I bought this in 1983 from a garage in Hereford where it had been sitting for 17 years. It was apparently taken in part-exchange against a Jensen, and had a very distinctive registration number, which the garage owner wanted more than the car!.It's a 1958 Oldsmobile Starfire 98 hardtop sedan, 305 HP 6043cc V8 with 4-speed auto box, power steering and brakes, 6-way power seat, electric windows, self-seeking radio with electric aerial, tinted glass, "Safety Sentinel" speed warning, automatic headlamp dipping and several other features which are still considered "modern" today. A very comfortable (and fast) car that always drew attention, I eventually sold it to a guy in North Yorkshire, and heard that it had later ended up cut in half lengthwise and mounted on a pub wall in Newcastle. I don't know whether that was true, but I'd love to get confirmation or a photo.

I've had quite a few calls over the last couple of months telling me that I've overpaid on my washing machine warranty. It's always £199, and I suppose they would like me to give them my bank details so that they can pay me back - yeah, right. Sometimes I'll ask them "which washing machine? this is a launderette and I've got thirty of them", sometimes I tell them I've already given my details to the nice lady who rang last week, but haven't had the refund yet, and sometimes I tell them that I'm glad they called but I'm just on my way to work, and ask them to wait half an hour and then ring me on my work number - sometimes I give them the Serious Fraud Office number, and sometimes it's our local Police Headquarters. Now and again, if I'm not in the mood for a laugh, I tell them to do something ending in "off".

Sally, when she was about three months old, had ambitions to be an opera singer, and practised often.

This is about 1/50 scale - I say "about" because it's a bit of a caricature of a Ford Cargo. The wheelarch shape is completely wrong, and some of the proportions have been exaggerated. It was part of the 'toy' range of simpler, less-detailed vehicles aimed at the younger market, or in this case, the cheaper gift shop/promotional market. There was also a Mercedes lorry in the range, based on the same chassis and rather more realistic than this Ford.

I have to agree about the Standard Atlas van - here is one I bought very many years ago from an architectural modelmaker, along with a Mini, Rover 2000, BMC FG ("threep'ny bit") dropside and BMC FFK box van and dropside. They are all 1/100 scale, (approximately TT) and appear to be cast in a hard plaster, not 'stonecast', much lighter and more delicate. Although they are solid, the proportions and detail are very good, especially considering they were made at least fifty years ago.

Virtually any serviceable ex-military vehicle would have been snapped up at the M.O.D. disposal sales held at intervals after the war. New vehicles were very hard to come by due to the requirement to export as much production as possible to earn foreign currency. Even tanks were converted for agricultural use (Robert Crawford of Frithville, Boston, still have at least one of their Sherman conversions in working order), and to tow scrapers on opencast mining projects. GPO Telephones and the BBC had a multitude of army surplus vehicles, many lighter types, but including Bedford QL and Albion in the heavier categories. I remember a batch of Bedford K and M type lorries being released by the Royal Navy in the mid sixties - a coal merchant near me bought a Bedford M type flatbed in 1967 with just a few hundred miles on the clock. It was given an "F" registration suffix. There were also at the same time a batch of Albion tank transporter tractors and general service lorries (CX22/24) sold off , most of which ended up on the fairgrounds with "F" and "G" registrations. As has already been stated, Heavy Haulage companies, recovery operators, timber merchants, bus companies, fairground and circus proprietors all took advantage of the disposal sales to obtain premium vehicles (and spares) at a low price. Coopercraft did the Beford M, easily converted to a K type by fitting single rear wheels and shortening the chassis. As well as Airfix and Oxford Diecast, check out the military modelling websites and manufacturers such as Milicast, Convoy, Matador, Wee Friends etc. for 4mm scale vehicles.

They can also be sliced thinly and used as window frames.......

Here's another Matchbox Dodge which is almost accurate - the slight shortfall in overall length is due to the rear door being modelled shorter than the front, whereas in reality they were the same. A change of wheels and a little paint detailing helped, mirrors still to be added. Matchbox also do a very nice 1961 Dodge Dart Phoenix which is just a bit too far oversize for me, but I bought one anyway, just because some years ago a girlfriend owned one.

A similar tool can easily be made from sections of one of those cellular plastic "For Sale" signs used by estate agents or similar. Effective, and usually free.

My grandad always referred to them as "Pye Wood Cottages", although they'd pretty much gone by the time I was aware of them, there were a few more brick remnants than there are today. It looks as though some of the northern end of the site was cleared earlier to make way for the tarmac area that was known as the Landsale, it's still there but has been unused since the pit closed. I'll check out Lost Pits, although I suspect I've already seen the photos.