unravelled

This is a crop from a photo taken at Radley in Mid 1964 (I think). Looking north through the road bridge the signal arm on the up loop has been removed, but the post remains. The track is still in place. You can just make out the points for the down loop behind the buffer stop . Crop of the reverse view showing signal arm removed from bracket on platform. Dave

I have a quantity of D connectors, (other items coming soon), which were acquired with the thought that they might come in useful one day. It turns out they aren't any use to me but perhaps someone here would like some. They are mostly male solder cup types, some female, and some plastic shells to suit. The ones still in packets are RS. I would like takers to donate a sum to cover postage, (at least...) to charity. PM me if interested, Thanks Dave

Physical shops aren't as good as they used to be either. I've been caught out by being sold returns put back into stock. Not so far had a problem with refund or replacement, but it's another wasted trip. I've had a few lost or damaged ebay items, but usually quickly resolved.

How much have these in common with the corridor stock? If roof jigs were common to both designs, keeping the ventilators off centre might make sense. How often would workers have to walk the roof for maintenance? Off centre would make this safer. Still, neither is an explanation for making both hands, or even marshalling them so neatly. Dave

I can understand how these are handed, by the ventilator position, but the unanswered, (as far as I can see), question is why? It can't be just to comply with the "no two coaches the same" rule, can it? Was there a pattern to how they were intended to be oriented, say with all the ventilators on the south side of the train? Thanks Dave

I made my usual Christmas trip to Aristotle Lane and Walton Well Road on Sunday last. Rathe murky pictures at https://www.flickr.com/photos/unravelled/sets/72157640353126193 and https://www.flickr.com/photos/unravelled/sets/72157662881635111 It was good to see the Aristotle lane trackwork complete, but the signal gantries there and at Walton well Road were a bit of a shock. Walton Well Road by David Harvey, on Flickr There is a new, or extended siding on the down side reaching almost to the bridge, which has made the access point unworkable. A belt and braces approach to stop blocks has been provided. Walton Well Road by David Harvey, on Flickr The up side carriage sidings seem to have been completed with plenty of low level lighting. I have seen these referred to as the electric sidings, supposedly designed with electrification in mind. If foundations for OHLE have not been provided provision should have been made for them to be installed without having to relocate any services. Walton Well Road by David Harvey, on Flickr Thanks Dave

Something about that image looked familiar I think they used a similat typeface in The Prisoner. Probably no coincidence... Good Morning (and seasons' greetings) Dave

This is a printing block I bought at a boot fair at least 25 years ago. It appears to be for a treble-0-lectric guarantee certificate. Does anyone have original paperwork which matches this? I presume the cutout at the top would be for a serial nunber printer. It came with a smaller block with just the word "Guarantee" on it in a similar style. Thanks Dave

Thanks for all the suggestions, I like the diffferent dating cues used. My guess for the Lewisham work was August bank holiday 1993, but it could be a year either way. Dave

I am trying to date some of my badly organised slides. There are a couple of events I have photos of and which I would like help in dating them. My efforts so far to search for dating evidence has been unsiccessful. The first is the replacement of the bridge under Lewisham station, when the bottom of Loampit vale was made dual carriageway and the (recently removed) roundabout.created. The other is the stabilisation work on Brockley bank, adjacent to Vesta road bridge. This happened after a row of new houses had been constructed, witth allegedly dodgy approval/inspection of ground works. This is the final clearup after a retaining wall, with substantial ground anchors under the houses, had been constructed. I have guesstimated dates of 1993, 1994, 1996 for the three events, but would be happy to be corrected, and get more detailed dates. Thanks Dave

Well I took the van out for a short shopping run yesterday, and it certainly runs more smoothly. There is an occasional "catch" in the engine note under some circumstances which will need looking into, but I know the engine is well off tune after all my tinkering. Of course the problem with A series engines is that they will run even if well off tune. I think they will drive, after a fashion, with a couple of plug leads swapped, so getting them right can be a long job. Thanks Dave

Well, the pointsless system from simonbbc has been installed, and the engine seems to run more smoothly. I expect to do some tweaking and a test drive when I get a chance. I tried the strobe, but couldn't spot the timing marks. I'll clean up the notch and retry. Checking with my "tuning Lucas ignition systems" book, there are several 25D4 anticlockwise models. I haven't looked to see which engines they went with. Thanks for the advice and comments Dave

New methods of egg sucking are constantly being invented, and it's sensible to keep up with alternatives. I've been in the owners club for over 40 years now(!), but haven't attended a rally for a good few years. Mine is an everyday Austin and needs to get there under its own steam. Maybe if I can sort the reliability I'll get to one next year. The vans I've had over the years have had parts from various cousins incorporated. I had a late (1968) van which was a bit underpowered with its 848 engine. It ended up with a Sprite 1098 engine (with Oselli prepared head), Sprite front disk brakes and hydraulic rears. Sprite halfshafts were a necessity with an appropriate diff, although this meant I had to renumber the speedo, (using tippex if I remember correctly). The engine rebuild was done in my bedsit, and the work done in the street. There are lots of fun problems swapping parts of different makes/ages. Morris minor 1098 engines don't have a hole for a mechanical fuel pump, so electric is required. The sprite block had a fuel pump hole, but no drive lobe on the cam. Early cars had diffs with a filler, later ones had the filler on the casing, so you can end up with two fillers or none. Guess which combination I ended up with a year back... My latest mix and match has been to adapt minor front brakes to fit. It's all fun... Thanks Dave

Thanks for all the comments and advice. I have now decided to see sense and have ordered a pointsless replacement. Once I've made sure that the leads and coil are right for it, I'll get it installed, and report back. Fingers crossed... Dave

Thanks, I had already flagged distributordoctor as a likely source of better quality spares, and I will probably buy there when I decide what I need. When I had electronic ignition in a previous A35, I kept a complete spare distributor in the boot,(A35's don't have the luxury of a glove box...) in case of failure. It was never needed. So yes, I should really go pointsless. It's the logical thing to do, but it will niggle if i don't get to the bottom of this issue. Dave

Thanks, the electronic igntion is only last resort in that I want to know whether there is any underlying problem which needs fixing. The questions that this thread and my googling have raised, but not fully answered are: Are some modern condensers rubbish, and if so how do I find a good one? Is there an easy home test for a good condenser, so that I can throw out all the duds? Can a faulty alternator, or anything else, cause the condenser to fail? Currently, its thank goodness for a Freedom pass and Sainsbury's home delivery. Thanks Dave

Thanks for the comments. I can't say it has ever started with one finger on the starting handle, but when all was well it started easily enough on the handle. But all is not well. In originally troubleshooting this I changed all the electrical parts except the points, and as it is running OK since today's condenser change, I might well change them too. But three times in the last few months the problem has returned, and the last couple of times it has been cured by a replacement condenser, with no other changes. I have tried two coils, one standard and one "high power". There is no obvious difference between them at idling speeds. I tried exchanging them before replacing the condenser today, but with no effect. I did mistakenly order a ballast coil, which it ran with for a time, but it was replaced by something more standard a while back. So I guess the immediate answer is to carry some spare condensers and allow plenty of recovery time on journeys... Thanks Dave

I'm looking for some ideas to help me sort out my car ignition. It is a fairly standard A series engine, and it seems to eat condensers. I have a suspicion that it's simply because some modern condensers are rubbish, but I'm also looking for other possibilities. A basic electronic ignition is a last resort, but I do like to know what's causing a problem. The problem shows up as a misfire/ lack of power, or even a reluctance to run at all. I am convinced it is a condenser problem, as replacing the condenser, and nothing else, cures the misfire, and restores normal running. The problem is that the last two condensers have failed after only a few dozen miles. It is a 1098 engine, the only main alteration to the setup is an alternator. I know that common wisdom says swap points at the same time as the condenser, but I prefer to only change one thing at a time. Can badly set points, or wrong coil polarity kill condensers, (I think both are correct). Any ideas? Thanks Dave

I have been having a sort through years of accumulated stuff, and found these few 0 gauge items. The Bassett Lowke mechanism looks like a later design, possibly purchased by my father for a gauge 1 conversion. I don't know the origin of the wheels, and I haven't found axles. Some are showing signs of corrosion. Would such wheels be used nowadays, or are they only suitable as a wagon load? Thanks Dave

A couple of the coaling stage from 1964, plus one inside the shed. I can email original scans, for a bit better quality. Dave

A bit late with the Murdoch observations, but at least once stock footage of a Hall class on a train has been used. More recently on a documentary series about canal history, comments about the effects of the railways on the canals have been illustrated by clips of american trains. Slightly off topic, one of the things which catches my eye these days, in '50s set programs like Father Brown is the over large backplate for light switches, used to disguise a modern square switch. Dave

Another shot which might be useful, as it shows the difference in level between the main line and the shed. January 1966, it shows 6998 before haulling the last steam service from Oxford. Thanks Dave

I hope thes will be useful, three photos, one rather poor, of what I think was the lifting shop at Oxford shed, about 1966. Dave

I have many photos taken in and around Oxford shed, as I lived in Walton Well Road. Most are not currently on the web, but there are a few examples in in this album https://www.flickr.com/photos/unravelled/albums/72157623097377354 There are a few more if you search my flickr stream for Oxford 196 I probably won't be able to post more for a couple of weeks, but are there any particular areas you are looking for? Thanks Dave

Rather than an expensive meter, there are some cheap handheld and USB oscilloscopes available, which might do the job. Does anyone here know whether they would be suitable? Thanks Dave