PhilJ W

I checked your online shop and all items are marked 'not for sale'?

I worked for a London Borough for thirty seven almost thirty eight years. One of these wastes of oxygen insisted on 'exerting his authority' the result being that my line manager, who knew more than anybody about the job walked out telling him where to put the job. I put in for early retirement the following morning. Reason for edit, spelling.

Us pensioners who have an occupational pension as well as the state pension here in the UK are paying it. I might add that I do not begrudge your not paying tax, the villain is Norman Lamont.

That explains it, you have to look very carefully to find the news item among the ads.

Lights went out at midnight again and on again at five. I don't recall being told about this and neither do my neighbours, typical Basildon District Council. There must have been a notice, probably on a notice board at the back of the council offices where few people go.

There is rather a different take on the appearance of these locomotives in the current edition of 'Back Track' showing a centre cab design based on the New York Central's 'bipolar gearless' design.

The A13 is almost empty between those times but is lit up like a Christmas tree, it would be better (and save even more) if they were switched off with a 50 mph limit for safety reasons. When I venture into Kent I notice that even the motorways are not lit at all. It depends on where the lights illuminate. One of my neighbours had a light on all night illuminating a passage at the side of her house. The problem was due to garages, sheds and high fences and gates anyone standing beneath the light would not be visible from any direction. I live in an end terrace house and I asked a crime prevention officer about the risk of burglary, he told me that they tend to go for the second house in a terrace as there is less chance of them being seen.

Went to bed just after midnight last night. I noticed that there were no streetlights in the three streets that are visible from my upstairs window. I thought perhaps that the local council had decided to 'switch off' as an economy measure but there had been no warning. I had to get up to go to the bathroom about 5 this morning the street lights were on! There must have been some sort of power cut but I will have to wait until tonight to find out.

If you use two of these to make a W1 perhaps you could use whats left over to make a streamlined B17?

Hopefully the series will run like the Hatchett ones (up to issue 10?).

This is the one I'm referring to >> http://www.little-wheels.co.uk/?q=models/view/4745

Thats not the one, its the later model with the 'square' cab. London Transport has/had a pair of them, I believe they are up for disposal. Pictures of them have recently been posted on the London Transport Service Vehicles site.

Regarding cats and rabbits, when I was a youngster I used to visit cousins in Chelmsford who had a guinea pig that used to beat up the local cats.

No the one in the normal series, IIRC produced mid 80's.

They also made a rather small water tower, barely enough to fill the toilet tank on a Mk.1.

I wonder if the smaller models such as the Rocket will come with rolling stock?

I've just bought one, somewhat surprised by the weight so they're not all plastic!

If you want to model a road-rail machine the old Matchbox Unimog snowplow is 1:76 scale.

More here >>

Oxford make a suitable Land Rover.

They may have had a set of 'standard' colours. The London one's were second hand and re-furbished by Sentinel so it could have been that the 'standard' colour had changed or just the colour that was available.

A fellow member of my local model railway club drives containers around the country for a living. He comes in on odd occasions with photos of damaged containers. How anyone can manage to fold a container back on itself or impart a twist in one of about 120 degrees is beyond me (both 40-footers).

Second hand containers are quite cheap, they were probably earmarked for scrap anyway (well they are now).

The standard factory colour was green. The three London Transport 0-6-0's were in this colour, LT simply added the transfers.

Yes its a real bank and the £25 is shown on my statement.