Arthur

The whole topic is about BBC salaries so I fail to see how it's wandering off topic. The BBC might be the best broadcaster in the world. That does not mean it should be able run free with public money. I'm not concerned about price, I am concerned about value. .

I don't think that revealing the salaries funded by taxpayers is ever irrelevant. We know what the PM earns, ministers, MP's. Just nice to see where our money goes, helps act as a brake on unjustified costs. Maybe the BBC should cut some of these salaries and then we'd see just which private broadcasters snapped them up. I return to BBC newscasters. The differences in salaries is staggering. As far as I'm concerned they all do the job well enough, I actually prefer some of the lower paid ones. Again, do we need some newscasters earning £500,000, more than twice that of others doing an equally competent job. Don't see the value in it myself. .

It's Liberty Steel. The finishing plants at Dalzell and Clydebridge were sold to them for a nominal fee and the Scottish Govt. gave grants so that they could re-open. Dalzell is certainly back in production rolling plate and Clydebridge is a heat treatment facility. These plants were previously owned by Colvilles, then the BSC, Corus and Tata. Colvilles had acquired the dormant Clydebridge plant from the Clydebridge Steel Co. .

Independence would have created a degree of resentment in the UK. Come the decision on building warships, that resentment would have been whipped up by certain politicians, unions seeking UK jobs, local vested interests and many newspapers creating a storm no London government could have resisted. Headlines of 'Caving in to Sturgeon, UK warships built in a foreign country' would have stoked the flames. Not opinion, political reality. As we are seeing with Brexit there are costs. Do not delude yourself that independence would have been cost free and on Holyroods terms. As for Trident, I thought independent Scotland was throwing out nuclear anyway. .

Scunthorpe, I believe Brian, supplies at least some of the slab for the plate mill at Dalzell. .

No need for doubt. In the event of independence the UK government would have swallowed the cost bullet and moved production out of Scotland. It would have been politically impossible not to have done so. Continuing to build in Scotland would have broken the 'foreign' shipyard stigma in which case they could just have gone for the most cost effective tender, and that could have been anywhere. As independence did not happen then existing UK facilities can be used at no extra cost. Breaking that 'foreign' shipyard stigma for warships may well still be breached at some stage but make no mistake, independence would have seen the building of U.K. warships leave Scotland very quickly. The public mood in the UK would have supported it at whatever cost. .

This is nothing to do with the actual figures, it is whether or not these are competitive, and therefore reasonable, salaries within the broadcast industry. Are some ITV newsreaders being paid £500,000/annum? If they are not, then the BBC is paying unwarranted salaries to some of it's employees. I have no issue with competitive salaries within an industry, amongst a skill set. However, I have said before, I do have an issue with public bodies squandering taxpayers money. I do have an issue if they are setting the 'pay race'. However, again as I said before, without those other salaries being published we will never know, the suspicion will therefore remain. .

Not sure that's true for industrials. A quick look at works photographs of Yorkshire Engine Company industrial steam locomotives shows not one fitted with guard irons.

I absolutely mean that. Rights are abstract expectations conferred on individuals with the consent of the general society at any particular time. Organisations have no rights. In a democracy, Governments have authority, and nothing more, conferred on them by the electorate. That authority is not a right. Like every individual and other organisation, they have the obligation to act within the law and then benefit from the protection of the law. 'Rights' is a term too loosely used. .

To say I was a little disappointed with my Ikea hot dog would be an understatement, next time I'll read the small print. .

Many industrials had very deep buffer beams which would obviate the need for guard irons. As to there being any rule of thumb, I suspect it was down to the whim or opinion of the resident engineer. .

These are organisations established and paid to serve the public and they do not have rights. If we are to give public service bodies 'rights' then we really will be under the cosh of the unfettered state. .

Pity, it's an attractive blue on the model. Like Dave (Ruston), I've just kicked off a thread covering my own modifications with the model. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/124596-golden-valley-janus-modifications-and-repaint/ .

Excellent, that's the first photo I've seen looking down on the bonnet. I'll just cut out a centre panel exposing the radiator filler. It shows, at least to my eyes, that the raised rim on the model is too tall. Edit; On this https://www.flickr.com/photos/40928931@N05/14141747982/in/photostream/ The recess is less clear, it all looks yellow? .

I see I'm following you again Dave with a mirror thread! Excellent prototype shots as ever, thanks for posting them. .

Rather than hijack the main thread I thought I'd start my own in the Standard Gauge Industrial Forum. And have just realised that Dave (Ruston) has this very evening started a similar thread.....we've only just finished matching threads on the Judith Edge Brush 200hp. As I mentioned in the main thread, I've two of the Janus models in NCB livery, both good runners. One is currently staying as it is, the other was stripped down the first day I opened the box. I'll be finishing this one in a British Steel Corporation wasp strip livery. I've a couple of the forthcoming models on order too and will be finishing those in my fictional steelworks livery. Here is the loco body reduced to it's component parts. Most parts are just tight push fits, if there's any glue it's minimal. Readily removed were the bonnet unit, the cab, buffer heads and stocks, jacking points, hook couplings and handrails (not those on the bonnet). The battery boxes are held on by lugs, one came away readily, the other had a bit more glue on the lugs and one broke off as I levered it away. The glazing comprises four separate mouldings, two front and two side. They were minimally glued in along the bottom. By pressing them in from the outside I heard the bond 'crack' and they were easily removed undamaged. The neat little windscreen wipers were pushed out from the inside using a metal probe. They 'pop' free so keep them contained with a finger. I didn't on one and it flew out onto the floor. After a major man hunt it was arrested this afternoon and returned to the bits box. The printing was removed using a fibre glass brush leaving the Yorkshire and BTH plates intact. I plan to fit whitemetal buffers to the heavy duty pattern used at Workington Steelworks and produced by RT Models. I've previously fitted RT Models Stewarts & Lloyds pattern buffers to Janus models built from Judith Edge kits. Item 4SLP051 on this page; http://www.rtmodels.co.uk/rt_models_023.htm Workington Steelworks was part of the United Steel Companies, as was the Yorkshire Engine Company. Here they are cleaned up and primed with Tamiya Fine Surface Primer in white. Preparation for fitting them involved grinding off the existing buffer bases using a burr in a modellers drill, took about 5 minutes in total. The D shaped mounting holes were opened out to accept the spigot on the back of the cast buffers. Next, the hole for the tension lock coupler was filled with a rectangle of 80 thou styrene and super glue. This may require a little filler later. Looking like a face... The footplate was masked to allow the blue valance sides to be firstly primed in white. On the prototype the fuel tanks are incorporated into the footplate which is why they have the deep valance. The nicely printed fuel gauges at the ends of the valences were masked by applying a blob of grease on a cocktail stick. The bonnets. I mentioned at the time of release of the first prototype photos of the model that I thought that the raised 'rim' behind the Yorkshire nameplates just looked wrong. Though I cannot find a photograph looking down onto the bonnet ends, every photo from the side suggests that the top of the nameplate is pretty much level with the top of the bonnet and that they are linked by a flat plate. Probably a flap giving access to the radiator top. Here is a relevant close up from a drawing published in Tony Vernon's highly recommended book on the Yorkshire Engine Company. I think it possible that Oxford have taken a detail from different Yorkshire designs and put it on their Janus, some do seem to have this raised rim feature. From the same source, a Yorkshire 0-6-0DH. Using a new scalpel blade I cut down vertically behind the nameplate and then shaved off the two side rims. I then cut a strip of 20 thou styrene to match the width if the nameplates. Before cutting it to length I used the scalpel blade and emery sticks to thin out one end such that when fitted it would sit flush with the bonnet top. The pieces are held with solvent, being careful not to damage the nicely printed Yorkshire nameplate. Though I would hope to be able to fit etched plates at some stage I plan to keep the printed ones for the time being, they are very well executed. They were given a protective coat of Johnsons Klear before proceeding further. More next time. .

No, but I bet you've been tempted! .

It is most certainly not a 'right'. .

Yes it does. I pay the BBC whether I like it or not, I don't subscribe to Sky, nor any other provider. Commercial channels need to draw in audiences to maintain advertiser revenue, I can live with that. I have a lot of support for the BBC, it's probably the best broadcaster anywhere and it's generally my channel of choice. That does not mean it is some perfect form and should run itself as some high handed fiefdom. The BBC is a bit like the NHS. It's acolytes will truck no criticism and calls for reform are seen as attempts to dismantle it. I want both to be accountable, open to modernisation and reform, delivering to those that pay for it the best service with the money they are given. .

But it should not be pointless. I don't mind the BBC paying a competitive salary for the job in hand. I do mind if a publicly funded (i.e. me) organisation is paying salaries which are dreamed up internally with no checks and balance and with no reference to worth. It is not unreasonable to expect these bodies to manage the money they take (I have no choice) off me responsibly. .

I'd like to see what the commercial channels pay their similar 'stars'. I know that's unlikely but the BBC justify these salaries by saying they need to be competitive in keeping/attracting the best talent. I'm a little suspicious that this is not the case and that the 'value' of many of these people on the open market is a good deal less than they are paid. There's a bit of a whiff of an overpaid 'jobs for the boys' club here. I do have some sympathy with those stars fronting shows which generate big overseas sales, e.g. Top Gear, deserving a share. I gather Evans' brief spell with Top Gear is being used to justify his salary. Those staffers fronting shows broadcast only to licence/taxpayers are not essentially generating greater income by their presence. Do I need a £500,000/year newsreader? Hmmm... .

An opposition just carping from the sidelines and with nothing positive to offer is clearly not fit to govern. No, they cannot do anything but a supportive approach with sensible suggestions would do them credit. Yes, it is their job to ensure the standing government are not overcome with inertia but they should temper that with an understanding that 'act in haste, repent at leisure' is a good tenet for governance. But, as you say Which was the point I was making.

And before we start blaming the incumbent government (of whatever colour) for hastily driven through, poor, legislation remember that it is usually driven as much by the opposition (of whatever colour) demanding that 'this incompetent government do something' whilst offering nothing positive themselves. Any government expressing a desire to consult and take a measured view gets accused of inertia, not caring, having a vested interest, etc., etc., etc... Collaboration?, That'll be the day.

Whereas several English works had them I cannot think of any Scottish Steelworks that used the Janus design, and none of the Scottish steelworks bought a Janus from new. The largest operator, Colvilles, favoured Rustons, operating them in tandem for heavier duties. The other large operator was Stewarts & Lloyds. They certainly had some other Yorkshire Engine Co. designs in their fleet but not a single Janus. .

I've had two delivered over the past couple of days and only today found time to have a look at them. Both long standing orders, one came from Hattons, the other Kernow. They both ran in the 'right' direction and both ran smoothly, with a reasonable low speed, straight from the box. I'll see what improvement a bit of time on the rolling road brings. They both had the same internal arrangement with the flywheel at one end of the motor and a small brass universal coupling at the other. So far, so good, I'm very happy with them. One is now in bits, a man hunt is underway for an escaped windscreen wiper... More to follow. .