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I guess that I have gradually shifted from traditional (kit/scratchbuilding to digital modelling methods over the last 20 or so years as my eye sight got weaker and my hands less steady. First using 2D CAD to prepare artwork for my own etching parts rather than traditional drafting/scribing and cutting out parts with piercing saw/snips/craft knife and more recently 3D modelling to produce resin printed wagons. The shift to 3D printing certainly increased my own productivity compared to traditional methods adding 40 (complete) wagons of my own design to my personal collection during the past 4 years, compared with approx 10 kit built wagons during the past 20 or so years. We subscribed to Onshape & Fusion 360 (Autocad)  3D Modelling software for our commerical work producing successful models with either software. Onshape offer a freeplan for non-commercial use resulting designs become open source to platform users, a free version of Fusion 360 (with limited features) is available for personal use in some countries excluding NZ (I use a pay as you go subscription rather than an annual sub. TinkerCad (Autocad) is a free entry level 3D modelling software (Some of Rob S examples have been produced with TinkerCad). Currently I am beginning to use Fusion 360 to produce models of buildings, including typical Irish early-mid 20th Century corrugated iron/asbestos and mass concrete industrial buildings, I have enough wagons for now and probabably stick to etched brass for pre-amalgamation coaches. To buy or not to buy a printer? I only bought a resin printer after the bureau that successfully printed the test prints of several of our wagons refused to carry out further 'small scale model" prints because it wass not worth while because of the high reject rate and post print clean up cost (special effect and industrial work more profitable. At  the end of the day I struggled to achieve an acceptable print quality with our printer (except fantasy animals/creatures for our kid) a Photon Mono. Eventually out sourcing our printing to bureau in China one of which (Facfox) consistently produce consistent high quality prints at a fraction of the price including shipping (to NZor UK) of using a local bureau/printer. I am finally after a lot of experimentation beginning to achieve an acceptable level of print quality with my resin (Anycubic Photon Mono X) printer, but planning to try the "makerspace" at the local Public Library to trial FDM printing of replacement sleepers/track base for my large scale garden railway & possibly buildings. A number of local engineering/manufacturing business that offer CNC milling also offer 3D printing services. Personally I think trialling some simple 3D models on TinkerCad to first get a feel for the modelling process, then some test prints at the library trialling different processes and possibly prints a local or Chinese bureau, before leaying out several $ hundred on a 3D printer. Starting commercially I had the advantage of using a professional designer who worked in the print shop that successfully printed out initial models and a print shop owner who from day 1 told me that he was reluctant to print small scale models. Gauge O and the larger scales tend to be more forgiving than 4mm and the smaller scales, FDM layer lines may be reminesent of wood grane and surface imperfections as millscale on steel  

I don't think many are taking the Red Sea route via Suez owing to the unpredictability of the Iran-supporting Houthi rebels in Yemen.

I only work to P4 standards, so I wouldn't be in the market for these. Bear in mind that both the Mk2 and the Park Royal bogie wheels are based on a 1mm/1.5mm dia stub axle, and the "live" pinpoint bearings are matched to this. A 2mm diameter pinpoint does not work properly in the IRM bearings as the angle of coning is different - this was the first thing I tried, using Scalefour Society 28mm axles, and found that a 2mm pinpoint results in significant rolling resistance / dragging. P4-profile coach wheels commonly come on a 2mm axle, so that means finding a suitable converter bush to press into the wheel centre to reduce it to 1mm/1.5mm. Bushes of that kind are very hard to find. Most 1.5mm i/d bushes on the market have an outer diameter of 2.4mm so cannot be pressed into a standard P4 coach wheel. IRM list their pinpoint stub axles as spares in the coach instruction leaflets but whether they are actually available is another thing altogether.

I should be printing stuff for the SSMRS stand at Railex but I have been distracted again. Broken window pillar was ham fisted me getting the supports of. Never mind, it was only a quick trial print. SLNCR Railcar B if you were wondering..... The test print, from a Recreation 21 file, has done it's job. Looks nothing like the real thing so I won't bother with the 18 hour print for the rest of it. 😞

It may be worth trying the old-fashioned route and writing to Alan by post. His address is listed on the Worsley Works website. Given the difficulty people seem to be having in reaching him by email/phone, it’s possible he may no longer be in a position to manage correspondence that way. A letter might be seen by Alan himself, or by someone assisting him, who could perhaps help move things forward.