John Isherwood

Are we overthinking this? The valve looks like a bog-standard unloading valve on any Class B tank wagon; it's just at one end instead of roughly central. Regards, John Isherwood.

No, Tony - by no means always - would you like me to send you the photos? Regards, John Isherwood.

Tony, I think that you overstate the actual situation. I have a lot of photos of Departmental B1s, and it is true that some have had their screw couplings removed, but not their coupling hooks. On the other hand, a lot (the majority?) of photos show the screw couplings to be present. As always - follow a photo of your prototype. Happy New Year, John Isherwood.

Mike, I bulk-buy 85% phosphoric acid via Ebay; (dead cheap, no delivery problems); and dilute it to 12%. As to dilution of acids, we used (I think) diluted hydrochloric acid flux in metalwork at school, and we were taught to dilute the acid by adding acid to water, NOT the other way round. As a failed O-level chemistry student, I repeated the metalwork rule in my ignorance; assuming that it would apply to all acids. Our metalwork teacher was an ex-Army man, who insisted on the title 'Major'; if he gave you an instruction, you followed it to the letter !! Regards, John Isherwood.

Just do a search on phosphoric acid on Ebay. Buy the highest percentage that you can get and dilute it with water to around 12%. Remember; add acid to water - not water to acid. Regards, John Isherwood.

Just my version of humour - no offence intended. Regards, John Isherwood.

Glacial would imply some element of movement - which is more that the site is demonstrating at present. Regards, John Isherwood.

Well - I believe that S.M.D.L. stands for Scottish Malt Distillers Limited; so some form of alcohol would seem likely. Regards, John Isherwood.

Sorry to sound a negative note - but that chimney needs looking at again. Regards, John Isherwood.

The "wrenn / Hornby" reference implied, to me at least, the old Hornby Dublo model - not the pre-China Tri-ang Hornby tender drive model. Regards, John Isherwood.

A (probably) useless piece of information, but the Mitsumi worm is a match for a Hornby Dublo worm wheel - which was very useful when I was remotoring an HD Barnstaple. Regards, John Isherwood.

I'm not sure that your first paragraph is correct. Are you saying that all (Triang) Hornby (as opposed to Hornby Dublo / Wrenn) 8Fs were made in China? Were none made in Margate before the transfer of production to China? Why, then, would Golden Arrow specify a Chinese built Hornby 8F chassis? I'm sure it wasn't to differentiate it from a Hornby Dublo / Wrenn 8F, which is an entirely different beast. Regards, John Isherwood.

Sounds to me like the plastic of the body has been attacked by the paint stripper - if so, the damage is terminal, I'm afraid. Regards, John Isherwood.

I think that seeking a prototype for IVOR is to miss the point - the essence is whimsy; a misty-eyed romanticism and a Dylan Thomas-esque reminiscence of a Wales that never (quite) existed. (Mind you - some of the Welsh rabbit-warren OO9 layouts that have been built; including my own Tan-y-mynydd; come close)! Regards, John Isherwood.

Can't let that pass - I have built quite a few K's kits over the years, with perfectly satisfactory results. Nowadays, I would substitute Markits wheels and a Highlevel / Mitsumi gearbox / motor; but K's kits are fine if you put in the necessary work. Regards, John Isherwood.

Can I detect lining around the tank of 68255? Regards, John Isherwood.

Ditto. John Isherwood.

In order to use the existing Stanier tender chassis, I'd guess; (the motor was in the loco). Regards, John Isherwood.

Browsing through the RCTS archive, I can across this image of J71 68255, fitted with a shunting pole. I don't recall previously coming across a photo of a loco with what appears to be officially approved equipment - though I am aware that such practices were sometimes used on an ad hoc basis. Comments would be welcome. Regards, John Isherwood.

Lurid - can't think of a better word to describe what at times seem to be caricatures of the model in question. If the publication prefers images that appear to be AI-generated, they might as well cut out photography altogether! So much of magazine publication seems to be based on 'cos-we-can' - regardless of whether it is desirable or even visually attractive. Regards, John Isherwood.

.... and that's why I like them - to my eye, at least, there is excellent depth of field within the main subject area, but the background has an element of soft fade. That's what I perceive in real life, and that's the way I like it. (I'm assuming that the images that you've posted have not been subject to image stacking). Regards, John Isherwood.

When I observe anything the object of my interest is 'in focus'; I am largely unaware of the surrounding scene - it is effectively 'out of focus'. As my point of interest shifts, so the point of 'focus' shifts. No photographic technique can reproduce this, though it is sometimes possible to get most or all of the image in focus. However, when this is achieved - often by 'stacking' nowadays - it just looks 'wrong' to me. It's not how my eye perceives the real thing, and magazine photos produced in this way shout 'model' at me. No image, real or model, has the same level of interest throughout, and a model image which focusses on the main subject will always, to me, appear more realistic than one that is pin-sharp throughout. Just because something can be achieved, does not automatically mean that it is desirable. This modern obsession with infinite depth of field has, in no small measure, contributed to my giving up on all model railway magazines except MRJ; (along with the 'dumbing-down' of the vast majority of their content). Regards, John Isherwood.

But just imagine the furore if this had been, for instance, a Bachmann release !! Funny how reactions differ according to allegiance ! Regards, John Isherwood.

The LMS built at least one double-decker - to their diagram 1824. Regards, John Isherwood.

..... and much missed !! If you look in here, Larry - season's greetings from this fellow 'grumpy old man'. (If he doesn't, could someone who knows him please pass this on)? Regards, John Isherwood.