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Thanks Dave. Do you know I can't remember I will have to have a look! Kind regards, Richard B

Yes one understands all that, the days of two World Champions in one team are probably over. That was not really the point I was trying to make. Frustrated and disgusted of Maranello....

Hi WH, I don't dissagree, both Charles and Carlos deserve better than their current situation. Both have great talent, I just don't understand how Ferrari GP seem incapable of learning from past errors and getting some real strategic and tectical brain power into the team. That Irish Lady (Sorry madam, can't recall your name) that injects some real brain power into the Sky team commentry could help I'm sure. My daughters, who are Ferrari Fans too (well brought up...) wan't to see more women in the sport. As that old chestnut states, women are capable of thinking about more than one thing at once...... Kind regards, Richard B

I vote for Charles Leclerc going to RB next year to give Max a run for his money - Charles has been a patient and very honest driver and is very telented. He deserves better than the bunch of clowns that Ferarri have become in GP racing. I should add that I am a dedicated Ferrari fan and have been so since 1966. Over that period there have been long periods of uncompetative Ferrari GP cars and, joy, the delights of the MS years of great success. The problem now seems to be the teams seemingly total inability to know what to do to improve things. Some years ago, there was a great debate about which was the best approach - make everything yourself like Ferrari (and BRM etc) or focus on the chassis and aero and buy in your engine and gearbox. The latter seems to have it in trumps at the moment and in the modern era, usually does*. Fortunately, for a Ferrari nutter like myself, we have the teams return to Endurance Racing bringing victory at the Le Mans 24 hour race in June. As I have mentioned before, I have always preferred Sports Car Racing, watch it, it is totally absorbing. Kind regards, Richard B * I don't count RB's adopted Honda engine as their own nor Mercedes - who bought Ilmore Engines to power their cars.

I think we all get that Phil, anything but doing what really needs doing, in my case under baseboard track and point wiring - I hate it! Kind regards, Richard B

I think most loco's where the namplate is over the splasher have a mounting bracket attached to the top of the splasher to which the nameplate is bolted. I have consulted my Book of the.... always a good starting point I think, and on page 32 you can just see the curve of the mounting bracket at the end of Sir Francis Drake's nameplate. My thought being you could make up the bracket from thicker material with tabs to glue to the top of the splasher but paint and fit the nameplate to the bracket and then fit the assembly to the top of the splasher. Just a thought. I use the very sharpest new blade to remove nameplates, it can still result in some damage but it can usually be corrected. An excuse to show a few images of my Robert Blake in ex works condition pausing at 70D. Built a long time ago by me from a Craftsman Kit bought at a Model Railway Exhibition. I did not follow my advice when I fitted the nameplate! Kind regards, Richard B

Thanks for the interest guys. PLease indulge me for a little while. On a related issue, DLT asked, a little while ago, if a "Kitmaster" body would have been a better starting point? A good suggestion but my project was to turn a beat up, and very old Hornby body into something presentable. Having said that, I did use a "Kitmaster" tender body in my re-working of my Hornby Bude R2685 which, if you recall, was in the guise of the 1948 Locomotive Exchanges. It was coupled to a black LMS Stanier tender and the loco was still in Malachite Green. I wanted Bude to be in early 1950's appearance so I repainted the loco in early 1950's BR Green and then used a "Kitmaster" Bulleid Pacific tender kit to match the loco. Bude has hardly been used but sadly it has the Hornby gear train issue with the motor spinning but little forward motion. I plan to send it to Peter's Spares who provide a fixed price repair service - I really am not interested in delving into Hornby drive mechanisms... Tender's on parade. So on the left is Bude's tender which I patch painted to create an Intermeadiate overhaul appearance it will be re-allocated to the brass plated Watersmeet when it is finished. Next is a spare Hornby tender purchased from Ebay for Bude this will have to be re-painted since the colour is just wrong. Lastly is the cut down tender from Wilton R2218 which is closer to the correct colour. Kind regards, Richard B

How about the Paddlebox and Adams 4-4-0 Bernard? I suspect more bad than good egg? Kind regards, Richard B

Coming along nicely - although, as you would imagine, it is tiring for the eyes. The comet valve gear etch has arrived as has the Markits safety valves and whistle. The cladding sheets seemed to be held on with a combination of small rivets and larger set bolts. Some of my rivets are oversize. As the years go by many go missing especially those securing inspection covers until the inspection covers go missing too. Sandbox filler covers opened. Phil asked me earlier if it was good to work with such thin brass sheet. Well yes it is but it needs careful handling and its very rewarding to see a "gold" WC emerge. I have had this resurrection of my old "Winston Churchill" body with brass sheet in mind for many years but put in at the back of my mind and got on with all the other important things in life. When I returned to modelling I noticed that others had had the same idea so not such a daft idea! Kind regards, Richard B

A little more accomplished, but it does strain the eyes somewhat! I must do a rivet count later.....not really they are probably set bolts anyway. Kind regards, Richard B

Thanks Phil, yopu can get it down to 1 thou, this is 2 I think. Kind regards, Richard B

I could not agree more. I had so much time to observe what was happening and then thinking about the meaning of life etc.. it seemed to go on for ever. Kind regards, Richard B

The problem with the fifth gear test is that it is not controlled in the way that Euro tests are. You can compare results with the Euro NCAP because they are to a consistant standard) Actual crashes are different and very, very random with a huge number of variable that all contribute to the result. Many years ago I crashed a Mini - I had collected it from its service for my daughter, it was her car. I specifically mentioned to the national service agency that the brakes pulled to the right. As I discovered my specific request for investigation and rectification had seemingly been ignored. Driving down a country road with tree lined banks on either side a car pulled out from a side road directly into my path, I swerved to avoid the vehicle only to see headlights coming towards me so I braked hard, the car swerved to the right, went up the bank and then turned over many times. I thought I was to meet my maker, it took for ever for the sparks, noise and tumbling to stop. When it did the car was back on its wheels in the middle of the road I got out (yes the door opened) the roof of the car was crushed except the corner over my head! The windscreen had gone but the wipers were still working. All the wee bunnies and teddy bears that sat on the parcels shelf were arrayed along the bank staring at me with disgust.... So the outcome of this Mini crash was positive thanks goodness but the interaction of all the forces involved were unique and no measure of how well the original mini's secondary safety would score in NCAP. I would much rather have been in my wife's BMW MIni Clubman! or rather not on that road at that time at all! Kind regards, Richard B

If I may, it is clear that modern cars are very much larger then those of fifty or more years ago. I used to have a FIAT 500 back in the 1960's and when I see one now I cannot see how I even got in the thing! (I am 6' 2" and fairly slim so its not that I have spread that much.) A few years back I have a lovely modern ABARTH 595 which I thought was tiny compared to my other motors but it was huge compared to the original. The thought of going back to the flimsy vehicles of yesteryear fills me with horror, I am all for as much safety kit as possible and this includes structural integrity too. I like to think that I am a thoughtful driver but however skilled and careful I am that won't save me from someone who has made a mistake and lost control so the primary and secondary safety features of modern cars are well worth while. It is also true that the reliabilty and quality of modern cars is more than welcome compared to those primative vehicles of yore. Kind regards, Richard B

Whilst I am awaiting the coupling rods I have started on the body. I used some Gluebuster to remove most glued on items and this, as noted previously, is also a good paint stripper. I followed this with a good scrub in soapy water. I then filed off the rivet detail etc. All original Bulleid pacific casing follow the taper on the top of the firebox. Whilst this is represented in later Hornby bodies, not this old lag so this feature was created with a file. Image shows the brass sheet that I will use to clad the body. First section in place, looks ok....so far. I will do the flanks next and then move towards the boiler section. The next section fitted. I have left off a few set bolt (?) heads for these will be holes where a few are missing. I have also used a ball head (the blue thing in the background) to slightly destort the surface of individual panels as in the prototype. Kind regards, Richard B

From the ex-works images of LN's in BR livery I would say yes green with the portion running on the smokebox black so you don't have to repaint it all DLT! The model looks very fine and as you say, you have more detail to add. My second ever kit build was one of these Craftsman Kits, I think they are a good effort for the time. Kind regards, Richard B

Well observed Phil! If the cladding plan does not work then immolation may be the only answer... Kind regards, Richard

Many thanks Pete

Yes Phil - 31901 - 4 inclusive from 5/61 - 9/61. Kind regards, Richard B

It's not a Kitmaster body but a very early Hornby "Winston Churchill" with a detailing pack fitted by me many years ago. I know that it is ghastly but that is the challenge, make it a worthwhile addition to my fleet of WC/BB pacifics. I hope to improve on the current Hornby version. We shall see.... Kind regards, Richard B

Yes I remember Denis Jenkinson - very reactionary chap. Didn't he co-drive with Sterling Moss in a Merc SLR in the 1955 Mille Miglia? I guess that gave him some licence..... I remember watching on the BBC Lorenzo Bandini crash at Monaco in 1967 and weeping thinking what a terrible waste and so the deaths continued into the 1970s (and beyond) so thank goodness for Sir JS and his brave campaign that faced huge opposition. Kind regards, Richard B

Brakegear all fitted, a few snaps of the motor/gearbox running in. Awaiting coupling rods. A quick trial fit to the veteran body - "never raced or rallied" but could do with some TLC.... KInd regards, Richard B

Hi DLT, No not really, as you know I'm sure, each hanger is in two parts that need to be soldered together. It would be easy to get that wrong unless you looked at a drawing and some good images or, like me, you have a number of models of Mr Bulleid's wonderous pacific's both Hornby and kit built. This re-build of a very old Hornby model is a bit nostalgic really, the old thing was my very first attempt at detailing a model before I had built any loco's. I am looking forward to covering the plastic moulding with sheet brass (or cooking foil!).....I think! Kind regards, Richard B

Motor and gearbox fiited to chassis. I have adapted some spare Hornby pick-ups to fit the chassis. The original WC/BB airsmooth casing means that the pick-ups can be situated on top of the chassis thus avoiding all the brakegear crossbeams etc. Motor connected up and run and plenty of room for a flywheel. Problems with the coupling rods though - I used a spare valvegear etch from my scrap box but checking the axle journal spacing resulted in a 7' 3" equal wheelbase which should be 7' 6" - 7' 3" so I have a Comet valve gear etch on order. The connecting rods are ok. Kind regards, Richard B

Quite a good driver too....