John Isherwood

Cambridge Custom Transfers can once again accept orders - BUT ONLY E-MAIL ORDERS WITH ON-LINE PAYMENT; (BACS OR PAYPAL). Unfortunately, we still are still subject to Covid-19 shielding, so receiving orders via Royal Mail, and processing cheques, are not currently possible. If you do not have access to on-line banking, you should still be able to make a payment to us via telephone banking, or in person at your local bank branch; you will find our payment details below. Alternatively, you may have a friend or acquaintance who can make an on-line BACS payment for you. We apologise for any inconvenience that these, hopefully, temporary arrangements may cause, but we are sure that you understand that avoiding Covid-19 infection is paramount at our age; (70+). Keep safe, John Isherwood. https://www.cctrans.org.uk/products.htm

BP - fictitious; Regent prototypical. John Isherwood, Cambridge Custom Transfers. https://www.cctrans.org.uk/products.htm

Surely, if the product has been recalled as defective, the cost of return postage will be borne by the retailer / manufacturer? John Isherwood.

Not really surprising - someone has to process and bag the plaster, and they're probably on furlough. John Isherwood.

I have to say that I am surprised that this cast firebox is being used; surely it would not be a huge task to fabricate one from brass? I also have to agree that I don't think that this approach would be contemplated for one of Tony's beloved 4-6-2s. Still - we all have our priorities and blind spots! John Isherwood.

Why? Few, if any, customers are fooled - it just subconsciously helps them find the product. If they are fooled, and find they don't like the 'copycat' product, they won't make the same mistake again. On the other hand, if they do like the product, they'll keep buying the own brand item and save money. The extra marketing of branded products is funded by the higher price - that's a market-placement decision by the manufacturer. All's fair in love and marketing! John Isherwood.

I'd have said that it would be overscale for 7mm. ! The Silver Tay etchings are good - I bought several. John Isherwood.

For drainage purposes, the normal minimum slope is 1:40; (or, as a site foreman once put it to me, around an inch in a metre)! John Isherwood.

You clearly didn't read far enough : - "Replacement products with correctly-specified components will become available in due course," added Dapol. John Isherwood.

See Sheet BL161 at https://www.cctrans.org.uk/products.htm Regards, John Isherwood, Cambridge Custom Transfers. PS. Both white and yellow transfers are included.

We've been here before, haven't we? (Though it may have been in the Hayle Quay thread). If perfection in Cornish pasties is your thing, it has to be Philps of Hayle - and they do mail order; https://www.philpspasties.co.uk/shop/pasties Unfortunately, they're another temporary victim of Covid-19. Regards, John Isherwood.

Having lived in Cambridge for forty years, and visited Norfolk and its coast several times each year, I know Norfolk well. I also know that it has a thriving tourist trade that needs servicing via the food sector. Indeed, we frequently took the opportunity to buy fish and meat during our excursions away from Cambridge, as we found the quality and prices in the Norfolk market towns were better than at home. Good butchers need seeking out - but when found, their produce will be vastly superior, and far more economical than at a supermarket. ...... and I seem to recall an awful lot of barn conversions being undertaken in the Norfolk villages that we passed through - and plenty of evidence of tourist activity. John Isherwood. PS. The days of orchards around Cambridge, especially near to Chivers factory at Histon, passed many years ago.

The secret is to leave ordering until the last day before delivery. I quickly learned that items go in and out of stock so frequently that you end up having few of the items you want if you start too early. Keep a paper wishlist, but place the actual order at the last possible minute - that way you get to see the actual stock availability and receive far more of the items that you ordered. Our last Asda order had one Substitution and two 'Not Availables'. John Isherwood.

Surely, in a rural area such as Norfolk, you have a local butcher? Here in Cornwall we patronise a local farm butcher - his main business in normal times is wholesale to the hospitality trade, but he has a small retail shop on the farm. The meat is superb - the provenance is posted on a chalk-board and, being wholesale, his prices are way lower than the supermarkets. We never buy meat from supermarkets - it's too expensive and the quality is too variable. John Isherwood.

Possibly a shunting pole - for pushing wagons on an adjacent line. John Isherwood.

Be Alert !!!! Your Country needs lerts !!!! Hat, coat, ............ John Isherwood.

Is it just the photographs - or are those FRUIT Ds painted in Ice Blue, as latterly used by British Rail for insulated vans? If so, do you know something that most of us don't? John Isherwood.

Because the manufacturer doesn't wish to tool options for the different variations in lamp iron location. John Isherwood.

I cannot agree, I'm afraid; the rear RH cut-out does not match Dapol's rendition. The Dapol cab front does not, as you point out, match any of the prototypes in BR days. John Isherwood.

Not sure about Tri-ang, but I bought Replica glazing for my Hachette coaches but didn't use it - six years later, I can only assume that it didn't fit. Regards, John Isherwood.

On reflection - Replica, I believe. Though not now listed, they offered the trussing as a separate item at a very reasonable price. It might be worth an enquiry if you could use some. Regards, John Isherwood.

Not sure that I did - it's been a while; six and a half years ago! It may - or may not - have involved new underframe trusses; Southern Pride, perhaps? I can recognise the acutely pointed V-hangers as being original Hachette, though. Regards, John Isherwood.

If I recall correctly - twenty of them. Regards, John Isherwood.

Mike, No, the kit that I have is very definitely an original - the packing and instruction sheets have the Massingham stamp all over them! I built an MTK Gloucester two-car DMU back in the 1980s - which was also an original - it too was a very good quality item and assembled into a model that was better than the Tri-ang / Hornby DMUs of the period. John Isherwood.

Well - thanks to a fellow RMweb member - I am now the possessor of an MTK Park Royal (Class 103) kit. Whilst waiting for the kit to arrive, I ordered a few Hornby DMU spares to replace anticipated substandard MTK components, such as chassis fittings and bogies. I needn't have bothered - all the kit components are fine. The body is cleanly punched and well-formed, and the castings are sharp and free from distortion. With the addition of a High Level Lo-Rider motor bogie and some DC Kits interior fittings, I see no reason why the kit can't be assembled satisfactorily as originally intended. Much slander is promulgated against MTK kits - mostly by modellers who have never handled one. There were some loco kits that were challenging, but the majority of the DMUs and EMUs were very well produced for their time. John Isherwood.