John Isherwood

..... and they add much needed weight. CJI.

It might be helpful to other members if you quoted the RAL number? CJI.

I would expect them to be clones of the originals in all respects - but then my D9500 runs perfectly well; albeit mine runs on basic DC. CJI.

Churns from farm to creamery; process in creamery; piped from creamery to tank wagons. CJI.

During the black / straw period, all lettering was straw. Straw faded to pale cream, and later alteration / repainting of some lettering was often white. It's impossible to tell from monochrome photos what is what! John Isherwood, Cambridge Custom Transfers.

Many years ago I was working on a construction site that had formerly been part of a sewage farm. Tomato plants were eveywhere - and loaded with tomatoes. I can personally confirm that tomatoes that have been grown in such circumstances are delicious! The adjacent field was used for grazing horses, and mushrooms were plentiful. More than one pack of bacon was consumed with these foraged items! CJI.

Highly likely - there are published photos of Transfesa vans at Chivers, Histon. CJI.

Electronics / wiring for DC - two wires from pick-ups to motor terminals; for additional sophistication, two wires from loco to tender (if such exists). Please explain how DCC wiring is simpler than this. DC blanking plugs - wouldn't exist if it wasn't for DCC provision. Suppression capacitors and diodes - why? None of my kit-built locos have them and I don't have neighbours hammering on my door! Not paying for extra components? What of stay-alives, DCC sockets, lighting, speakers - all at the expense of space previously available for valuable ballast. Sound fading in and out - yes, but what sound; in-cab sound? Not really the same as what we hear(d) from the station platform or lineside. CJI.

Having seen the 'Teddy Bears' brand new at Swindon, I can confirm that the two shades of green matched those on a Brush Type 4. The yellow used on the buffer beams was not the standard warning panel shade, but a far more 'acid' yellow which was particularly striking. The same shade was used on the maroon 'Westerns' and 'Warships'. CJI.

Regent and Fina had them too, amongst others; I can supply the transfer - see Sheets BL11 and BL12 at the Cambridge Custom Transfers website. John Isherwood.

As I have said, my experience of DCC sound is zero, but I had genuinely assumed that its purpose was to add to the ambience of the layout as a whole, by reproducing the sounds that would have been evident to an observer, outside the train, from the operators viewpoint. Clearly I was greatly mistaken, but I am glad that I now have yet another reason for staying true to traditional DC operation. It does annoy me, though, that I have to pay for unwanted electronic gadgetry, and the inconvenient mare's nest of additional wiring, just so that a certain section of the market can pretend that they are in the cab. .... and no - I have no desire whatsoever for a driver's eye view of the layout; I have yet to see one that is remotely convincing! Be that as it may - each to their own - I do feel that there is scope for the development of a sound system which portrays the sounds that would be heard by an outside observer as trains approach, pass and recede, or shunt. CJI.

I have no interest whatsoever in DCC or sound, but I really wonder why persons whose main interest is driving trains even bother to indulge in actual modelling. Surely the best way to fulfil their interest would be to use one of the many available virtual railway modelling apps? Unless or until real-world models come with in-cab cameras, such that the operator can have a driver's eye view of the track, I can see little point in sound projects based on in-cab recordings. CJI.

I'll be happy to be proved wrong, but I understood that BP did not have any 35Tglw (Airfix kit) tank wagons. The Dapol iteration of this kit has been issued with BP transfers, but I believe this to have been a marketing ploy rather than a reflection of reality. CJI.

The HD 3-rail 8F tender had two sprung plunger centre rail pick-ups, as used on their diesel and electric outline locos. CJI.

Hmmm. I might just know a man who can! ...... and a CONFLAT B would be within his area of interest. I will post further if there's something to report. (I assume that you are aware that I produce transfers for the CONFLAT B and the AFP container)? John Isherwood, Cambridge Custom Transfers.

To spell it out - the quote was "I wouldn't base anything on the number of people who press the like button on RMweb"; topically, I (humouously / ironically) indicated that the same could be said of the confidence vote. No indication of political bias on my part - just an attempt to lighten the mood; (wasted, apparently)! CJI.

Irony / humour - please don't jump down my throat every time I draw breath! I carry no candle for any political party, having been subject to politicians' whims throughout my forty year local government career. CJI.

That's what the BBC are saying about the Prime Ministerial vote of confidence - nonetheless, he won! CJI

Judging by the response to my post - I think not! CJI.

I can't imagine that there'd be many more in the queue with you! CJI.

Close-up of roof; (grilles kindly supplied by Bachmann, fan Class 47?). Note locating strip at leading edge of roof above cab; fits below cab roof dome. Close-up of Black Beetle, showing attachment of cosmetic frames and, just, longitudinal spacing / bracing strips below raised floor. John Isherwood.

Close-up of dynamic coupling attached to buffing bar, which has twin, opposed-pole micro-magnets inserted into the face. (Beware of the floor mouldings - some seem to be made from a very 'soapy' black plastic which does not cut or file well; the body and roof mouldings, however, can be brittle and prone to snapping). Close up of 'engine room', showing longitudinal beams bracing raised section of floor, with plenty of lead sheet ballast between. Close-up of vestibule end, showing roof securing screws and lead ballast. Close-up of cab; raised floor is just visible, with screw fixing of seats with shortened plinths. More images to follow. CJI.

'Never-was-a' box for my Kitmaster six-car rake. Interior of box for six-car rake. Underside of power car, showing live-to-one-side wheels and pick-ups and dynamic magnetic coupling via buffing bar; Black Beetle in leading end; and brass screw / nut attachment of raised floor and roof; (two more roof screws are hidden beneath trailing bogie and pass through the toilet compartments into the false roof. The false roof is glued to the underside of the moulded roof, and projects approx. 1mm. below the roof gutter; this braces the roof and the side mouldings, which have a tendency to warp and bow. Close-up of BB drive, which pivots below the raised section of floor. More images to follow. CJI.

In short - no; though Genesis Kits used to do a whitemetal kit; (Ebay and patience)? Alternatively, Peco / Parkside PIPE wagon kit chassis plus cut-and-shut body from Peco / Parkside CONFLAT A bodies - been there, done that. (Parkside used to supply chassis and body sprues separately - I believe that Peco still do so). I'll leave others to suggest alternative uses for the Hornby 'Conflat B' chassis! John Isherwood.

Nothing too difficult - a section of the floor moulding, slightly longer than the Black Beetle, needs to be be cut and raised a little. This is achieved by fitting packing strips, longer than the section of floor removed, longitudinally on each outer edge of the section of floor to be raised. The section removed has the bogie pivot hole adjusted in diameter to fit the boss on the top of the BB, and the screw supplied with the BB retains the bogie. Raising the floor will affect the cab floor, so the cab seat will require its plinth shortening. To determine the thickness of the packing, measure the height of the top of the BB above railhead; and the height of the underside of the car floor, also above railhead. The difference is the thickness of packing required. Don't forget to check the diameter of the wheels on the BB; you may need to substitute larger wheels to match the prototype. If I get chance later, I'll get the BP out and see if I can post a couple of photos. Good luck. John Isherwood.