John Isherwood

BR Rail Blue - I had Halfords match ICI blue and mix me some up in a rattle can; it was indistinguishable from Rail Blue!! Well - Beeching was chairman of ICI before he went to BR. Regards, John Isherwood.

Been there, done that - earlier in this thread; it is correct, though. Regards, John Isherwood.

I'm not quite sure why you asked the question - it really hasn't told you or the rest of anything except that you don't agree with the opinion of a seasoned modeller. Frankly, the oft repeated question "Do you think that x will produce y?" might just as well be directed to Mystic Meg or the fairground fortune-teller !! Regards, John Isherwood.

A Google search found an RMweb thread which mentions a Jung RK20B. Regards, John Isherwood.

OOOh don't !! Those flailing coupling rods !! Regards, John Isherwood.

Ahhhh - Noggin the Nog !! ..... and don't forget Nogbad - naturally the villain of the piece! How about the Clangers - and the Soup Dragon? Surely from the same stable? Regards, John Isherwood.

My Sheet BL159 - see https://www.cctrans.org.uk/products.htm - covers, as far as I know, all types of SIPHON that ran under BR. Of the number series for O62 to which you refer to, W1312W and W1332W are included - the latter complete with TO RUN BETWEEN PADDINGTON & OXFORD markings as per the prototype. The sheet also includes milk train and sausage van lettering for appropriate diagrams of SIPHON. Regards, John Isherwood, Cambridge Custom Transfers.

I doubt that anyone is going to see the effect of the play of light inside a 4mm. scale SIPHON G - zinc gauze or not! The essential point is that etched louvres, unbacked, do not convey the appearance of the prototype. Regards, John Isherwood.

Not strictly ..... ..... but, put perforated zinc behind louvres fitted in those grooves - as it should be if the van is in any sort of condition - and the angle at which you could see daylight from one side of the van to the other would have been miniscule. Louvres should (ideally) exhibit a sloping surface to each slat - more practicably, you should not be able to see daylight through the van! Regards, John Isherwood.

My most productive time - as far as model output was concerned - was when we were bringing up two primary-aged children, each of us with two jobs, and yet the models seemed to pour off the production line. That was when I learned all my modelling skills - with minimal tools because we couldn't afford them - and nowadays I haven't the slightest idea how it was achieved. Regards, John Isherwood.

First find a bullrush - if you live in the Fens, or close to a canal, this part is easier !! Cut it off and take it home, and place it in a warm, dry place. It will dry out, and at some point, sort of explode. You will be left with a LOT of dry, downy, straw-coloured fluff - which is ideal for representing 4mm. scale straw. I have used it very successfully in cattle pens - with a long-suffering menial, with a wheelbarrow and fork, tidying-up after the stock have departed. .... and in seeking your bullrush, you get a good country walk into the bargain !! Regards, John Isherwood.

Union Mills locos, being something of a niche item, will usually be bought by people who want to hang on to them. IF, rather than when, anyone has one for sale, it's as likely to appear on Ebay as anywhere. I would be very surprised if there's a specific outlet that specialises in used UM locos. Regards, John isherwood.

See https://www.cctrans.org.uk/products.htm for :- Sheet BL32 - End numbering transfers for BR (SR) Bulleid and Mk.1 coach sets. Four numbers provided for each set. Available in white, cream or yellow; please specify when ordering. Numbering for sixty sets. (Coach running numbers available on Sheets BL141 & BL142). 2mm., 3mm., 3.5mm. & 4mm. scale price is £7.50 Regards, John Isherwood, Cambridge Custom Transfers

Undoubtedly a very early BR plate, cast using the LMS patterns. Regards, John Isherwood.

An admirable policy - but a bit of a gamble! There are regular reports of smaller retailers receiving only a fraction of their pre-orders, whereas the 'big boys' seem to get all the ask for. Regards, John Isherwood.

Please don't take the following the wrong way. The problem with etched louvres is that they are, inevitably, see-through - which the prototype ones weren't, being angled slats. If I am building a model with etched louvres I invariably back the louvres with a solid sheet. Plastic card is ideal, and can be grooved with a D-shaped blade to represent the sloping slats of the louvres. The ideal solution would be resin-cast louvres with sloping slats. Regards, John Isherwood.

No need - there's an etched 4mm. scale kit available for the 24.5T mineral hopper. Regards, John Isherwood.

I should take a nap ................ Regards, John Isherwood.

No - I was intentionally quite specific - "modellers will happily renumber wagons, etc.; if the wagons were only available with TOPS markings, modellers would set to and reletter them". I referred to non-modellers as operators and went on to say "TOPS operators can use pre-TOPS wagons without relettering if they are not modellers; pre-TOPS operators cannot use TOPS wagons if they are not modellers. The essential point remains that pre-TOPS lettering was seen in the TOPS era; TOPS lettering was not seen in the pre-TOPS era. If both types can be produced - fine; but if it has to be one or the other because of minimum order considerations, they should be pre-TOPS. Regards, John Isherwood.

Andy, I appreciate that you were busy with Warley - but are there not other moderators? The damage was being done during the weekend, and the loss of Falcon Brassmasters would have been disastrous. Samantha indicated that the site would close imminently, so something had to be done quickly. I concede that I whipped up support for Samantha - it was the only way that I could think of to try and avert her intended action. Frankly, the issue should have been picked up by one of the moderators as soon as Samantha indicated that she had been seriously affected by adverse comment on RMweb. As it was, the thread was removed without explanation; far better would have been for the thread to be locked, along with a comment to the effect that the issue had been recognised and was being dealt with. I know that Warley is the highlight of the year for the model railway press, and seems to take precedence over everything else - but the world does not stop turning for all those not attending, and for many of those who do. Perhaps it might be wise to ensure alternative moderation when you are otherwise occupied? Regards, John Isherwood.

No - modellers will happily renumber wagons, etc.; if the wagons were only available with TOPS markings, modellers would set to and reletter them. The bottom line is that TOPS operators can use pre-TOPS wagons without relettering if they are not modellers; pre-TOPS operators cannot use TOPS wagons if they are not modellers. Regards, John Isherwood.

Oh yes - and a deathly silence from the RMweb bunker. If only you could see the deleted thread, you would understand why some of us are so incensed! Basically, two members who had not bothered to acquaint themselves with the circumstances under which Samantha was reinvigorating Falcon Brassworks, threw their dummies out of the pram because she wasn't able to provide box-shifter service. This was done in such derogatory terms that Samantha announced the effective closure of Falcon Brassworks, as of this week; she indicated that she didn't need the hassle. Quite a few of us expressed, in strong terms, our indignation that two insensitive members should have effectively closed down Falcon Brassworks - at which point the entire thread disappeared without explanation. If you have read this thread from my OP, you know the rest. So far, the Falcon Brassworks website has not disappeared, thank goodness; but I have placed a small order just in case. Regards, John Isherwood.

So how do we excuse his refusal to refund money paid, when he knows that he has no intention or ability to supply? The IT illiterate sends a non-rubber cheque to the disappointed potential customer with an apology; the crook says 'Tough'! (which I understand to be the gist of his response when asked for a refund). This guy thrives on the gullibility and excessively fair-minded attitude of decent people; sympathy is the last thing that he deserves! Regards, John Isherwood.

You clearly missed Samantha's e-mail to the effect that she would close down the Falcon Brassworks website imminently, due to derogatory postings on RMweb concerning the level of service that she was able to provide. It was made clear that the only products that would in future be available would be the wagon etches; and those only via the Dart Castings stall at selected exhibitions. Previously, there was the prospect of much of the original Falcon range being re-introduced - including the locomotives. I would direct you to the postings concerned - but the former thread was removed over the weekend, without explanantion. Regards, John Isherwood.

Quite so - sorry that I missed the subtlety ! Regards, John Isherwood.