PhilJ W

I've just spotted these on e-bay. Item # 380270882436

If you want a TV camera and crew shooting a scene take a look at the offerings from Subbuteo. These are 1/76 scale to go with their tabletop soccer/rugby/cricket games. They also made spectator figures, most with long scarfs but these were seated figures. If you are a Morcambe and Wise fan they even made two old men sitting in deck chairs! (Cricket spectators). Subbuteo is now only limited production but can be found on e-bay.

Then what do the new class 70's look like?

Another source of models and figures suitable for 1/76 scale is Micromodels, their motorcycles in particular. They produced many models tied to TV characters including Dr. Who but these are sought after by collectors and may be expensive. As well as the above they made an Isetta bubble car that is a very accurate representation and is closer to 1/76 than the Cararama one and they also made a couple of frogmen with articulated limbs. You can find them on e-bay but they don't come up very often.

I have just purchased a 'OO' scale diecast model van from Hong Kong via e-bay. No complaints about the dealer or price and the postage was free. The diecast had the appearance of an Austin A40 van of the early 50's which is why I decided to purchase. It arrived this morning and despite being a solid one piece casting was quite well detailed, the problem is that the bonnet casting is from an A30! not an A40. There is the possibility that this vehicle is an Australian model but it does look strange.

L to R 1) AEC mid 30's to 50's, 2) Albion, these were often old fashioned in appearance and could be up to mid 60's 3) AEC Mk. V, late 50's to late 60's 4) Bedford TK, introduced mid 60's, I last saw one in use as late as 2005!

Perhaps a 10 wheel tender, or even a 12 wheeler, it will be on bogies of course 4+6 or 6+6.

They were painted white with black underframe.

Do you mean by steam era it has to be steam? If not Alphagrafix produce several narrow gauge petrol/diesel railcars in 7mm scale. These are card kits that can be motorised and detailed.

The guy who invented the Jack-in-the-Box has just died. It took a week to lower the coffin into the grave!

Don't forget that Gresley designed the prototype of what became class 76, this would have taken the place of many of the B, K and even the V class steam locomotives. The ECML would probably have been operated by a streamlined version, perhaps 'A4' shaped with the train 'topped and tailed' like an IC125. As for the Great Western as they looked towards Switzerland for some new technology one could imagine a 'Crocodile' pulling an express over the Devon banks.

I think it had more in common with a Fairlie.

London Transport had a similar idea 75 years ago of running trollybuses through the Kingsway tram subway. They even built a special trollybus to operate the service. Unfortunately WW2 put a stop to it like many other things.

One aspect of preserved lines that no one has remarked upon yet is those lines that 'share' facilities with Network rail. I know of at least two lines that do so. Chappel and Wakes Colne and the Buckinghamshire rail centre. The first has a regular passenger service and the other sees regular 'Binliner' freight services through the centre of the site and may soon have a commuter service if Cotswold Rail have their way!

Quite a few preserved lines offer wagons finished in P.O. liveries appropriate to themselves. Locomotives are a different matter, few if any preserved lines would have the necessary funds to commission a specific locomotive unless it was already available in RTR form, indeed some such locomotives are copied from preserved examples. One necessity for a preserved line would be a 'heritage' DMU, their use seems to be ubiquitous on all preserved lines except 'steam only' lines such as the Bluebell. I am considering modelling a preserved railway based very loosely on the East Kent Railway. I have a mixture of kit built/bashed and RTR items that I can use as well as some rather battered rolling stock that I have picked up for pennies at swap meets ect.

Just a couple of thoughts. Instead of building a box body use the original body and add a tilt. This will also have the advantage of easy access to the works. If you are still having problems with building a differential have you considered using a separate motor for each wheel? this was used sometimes on full sized trolleybuses, the motors automatically adjust their speed.

I have just read his negative feedback. It says it all!

The Commer van appears to have a chromed or white painted radiator grill surround. The entire JJH 1-999 registration series was issued to the LMS in 1947.

A slightly earlier Austin Lodestar was produced by Dinky Dublo. This was of a SWB tipper and the cab casting was very accurate with regard to shape and scale. During the 70's a white metal articulated lorry was produced based on the DD cab, in fact it was a copy made using the DD cab as a master. The most common cab unit used by BR was the Karrier as produced by Base toys.

If all three liveries were to be seen together the oldest livery would probably be on a special vehicle that would only see occasional use. A photograph would be very unlikely unless someone with a camera was present. I can think of several instances when 'if only I had a camera' applied.

It looks like a large shopping centre. It is not Lakeside (Thurrock) and I don't think it is Bluewater. The two bowstring girder bridges in the background might give a clue?

I once had a Vauxhall Victor up to an indicated 100 mph, with driver and 5 passengers, all pretty big blokes and all with only 1600cc. Then the head gasket blew! It was the FD (coke bottle shape model) and it was when 100mph was legal on motorways. A few years ago police stopped a driver doing 100mph on the M11, in a Reliant Robin! There is a Reliant Robin currently on the road fitted with a 4.6 litre V8 from a Range Rover .

Does anyone know if any of the high-top Marina vans still exist? I think one would come in very useful when visiting preserved railways ect.