John Isherwood

Indeed I did - but the essence of my frustration is encapsulated in your own response - "And retailers will try to keep the price to consumers as high as possible to maximise profits". Whenever the price of oil goes up, there is little or no lag before pump prices follow. Oil was yesterday at a negative price, but I know that I will not see a proportionate decrease in the pump price. I know all about the low proportion of the pump price being attributable to the price of oil, but the instinct at all levels of oil refining and retail to "keep the price to consumers as high as possible to maximise profits" is, and always has been, evident in what we actually pay. John Isherwood.

.... and I think that that was the gist of my post ! John Isherwood.

Could there be a better or more graphic illustration of the disconnect between world markets and consumer prices ? The price of oil goes up - and the price of everything goes up; the price of oil goes down - and the price of everything still goes up ! Such is life - and we wonder where the super-yacht owners get their money . At least they can't buy immunity to COVID-19 ; YET ! John Isherwood.

It would seem that this propensity to dissolve in varnish is a feature of Powside transfers ink, and not attributable to any particular varnish. Clearly, the next step is to enquire of Powsides as to which, if any, varnishes are safe to use over their transfers. John Isherwood.

My wife was less than enthusiastic at first, but is now happy to admit that it is the best thing that we ever did. Life here is so much quieter and more civilised - it comes as something of a culture shock when we go back 'up country'. If we have to socially isolate, I'm glad it's here and not Cambridgeshire! Regards, John Isherwood. PS. The RM is excellent down here - we know the postman by name, and he is happy to take our outgoing post when making deliveries.

So I take it that the subscription issues distribution problem has been overcome, and that us long-term subscribers can expect imminent delivery of our copies? John Isherwood.

Quite - for the simple reason that the headcode 'font' preceded the Rail Alphabet by quite a few years! Regards, John Isherwood.

The recommended remover for Klear was (is?) a solution of household ammonia. John Isherwood.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news - but your NO SMOKING labels are upside down. Sorry, John Isherwood.

Do you really think that the some corporate body is going to come looking for infringement of 'copyright' by private modellers printing headcodes for their models? I fail to understand why some members start getting all hot under the collar whenever the subject of fonts is mentioned. John Isherwood.

The operative words there are "You" and "I'm" - you assume that your requirements / aspirations apply to all prospective purchasers of these kits. I would submit that only a minority of those potential purchasers would want to fit brakegear safety loops. As one of that minority, you apparently have the skills and commitment to produce and fit that level of detail - but provision of the necessary parts would be wasted on most purchasers. Indeed, I would imagine that you too would not use such parts if they were provided, on the grounds that production restraints would make them overscale. You presumably use wire to make safety loops - something that any modeller, concerned enough about such details, would be able to do. So where is the problem? I too have the necessary skills, but I follow the Tony Wright philosophy of producing 'layout stock'. In common with many other modellers; (the majority?); I don't feel that reproducing the minutae of rollings stock under-gubbins is necessary in order to create the impression of the era that I am trying to represent. Each to their own - but please do not try and impose your own exacting standards on the rest of the hobby. John Isherwood.

I'd guess there are several reasons : - 1] many modellers would find them too fiddly to fit; 2] many modellers - probably the same ones as in 1] - don't notice the absence of such fine detail; 3] fitting safety loops makes it difficult / impossible to remove wheel-sets for maintenance / cleaning. John Isherwood.

Before you go shopping for Klear, do a bit of Googling on the subject. Johnsons seem to like rebranding and reformulating it; (I bulk-bought the original); but received wisdom is that the current formulation works as well as the original. John Isherwood.

I recall a London smog, one New Year's Eve in the early 1970s - it must have been one of the very last really bad ones. We had been down to London for the day from Cambridge, and set off back in the late afternoon. Very quickly, what had been a misty day became a complete pea-souper! Policemen with flaming flares were trying to prevent collisions at major junctions, and most vehicles had someone walking in front, trying to find the way - including myself; not an experience that I'd care to repeat. Suffice to say that we got back to Cambridge just in time to have a celebratory drink, as the New Year was rung in. John Isherwood.

Exactly my own method - and as recommended in the instructions that accompany my transfers. John Isherwood, Cambridge Custom Transfers. https://www.cctrans.org.uk/products.htm

Mike, Two varnishes of widely different origins; same effect - this suggests that it is a function of the transfer material rather than anything else. I would enquire of Powsides as to what varnish(es) are safe to use over their transfers. Regards, John Isherwood.

Just a thought - I've a feeling that this design of artic. tractor was produced for the military as the prime-mover for the Blue Streak missile. How about painting some in RAF colours and using them as loads on LOWMACs or WARWELLS ? John Isherwood.

For the benefit of those who don't buy their Mitsumis from me, I attach below the diagram that I supply which shows where to drill additional attachment screw holes in a High Level gearbox. For narrow gearboxes, the holes should be ovalled-out with a rat-tailed file, into the fold line, to give some clearance for the screw heads. John Isherwood, Cambridge Custom Transfers. https://www.cctrans.org.uk/products.htm

Roadrailers, do I hear? You know where to come to for the transfers. Regards, John Isherwood. PS. The vehicle numbers now come, correctly, in red.

Well - my flabber is well-and-truly gasted !!! A knock at the front door announced the (totally unexpected) arrival of a banana box, crammed with grocery essentials - free of charge from the Government ! It was all in there - from cereals to pasta and pasta sauce, bread, milk, ham, biscuits, fresh and tinned fruit and vegetables, etc., etc. - and a couple of toilet rolls. Presumably, because we are a couple of 70+ pensioners, one of whom is classifed as extremely vulnerable, we have qualified for this largesse. Coming as it does, hard on the heels of last evening's priority two-week shop from Asda, the storage cupboards are now stocked to bursting. Thank you HMG - it is greatly appreciated ! John Isherwood.

Both OO and HO have clearly defined scales - 4mm. / 1ft. and 3.5mm. / 1ft. respectively - though they share a gauge of 16.5mm. The term OO / HO is self-evidently nonsense - a model cannot be both 4mm. and 3.5mm. / 1ft scale at the same time. End of story ! John Isherwood.

David, Received wisdom is that the chassis for the Ratio loco kits can be 'challenging'. Does the 4-4-0 have plastic or brass frames? John Isherwood.

It's another figment of Wrenn's imagination, I'm afraid. John Isherwood.

Our latest Asda order has just arrived on schedule. Cheerful, helpful van driver, and the few substitutions were sensible and acceptable; (well - I'm not keen on vegetable (as opposed to potato) crisps; but needs must ..... )! John Isherwood.

I use the 'bogie and a half' principle - one outer axle in fixed W-irons; the other two axles running in inside bearings in a pair of basic inner frames, comprising simple strip brass, centrally pivoted on an old-fashioned brass frame spacer with an axial tapped hole and another central hole at right-angles. The central hole is the bogie pivot, and the axial hole is the pivot for the two inside frames. To stop the equalised bogie from 'crabbing', tube is placed over the axles between the frames, to keep them apart. Using the this design, you have 'milking stool' equalisation, which gives excellent running. John Isherwood.