Horsetan

This wouldn't be Rome, would it? We had a bag taken from under our nose in 2014, near the Spanish Steps....

I remember a feature long ago, in the 1979 Model Railway Constructor Annual, which described a dual-purpose layout that could run either UK-outline stock, or SNCF. It was the French part I was interested in, as some of the locomotives were built from baked bean tins, a remarkably effective technique with corrosion seemingly not a problem.

Dave Basford's further updated etch list attached. the etch list latest 16.02.26.pdf

I think I might still have the remains of some TCR racing sets in the attic. They might be alright for spares donors.

I had an Aurora set in the early 1980s - the police-themed "Chase & Race", which was a knock-off of the Matchbox "Race & Chase" but without the U-turn function.

Ingenious system, yet crude. It was of its time, using the technology of that time.

The immediate problem with slot car systems is the jackrabbit acceleration and speeds, making them unsuitable for use as a working background for model railways. Back in the 1960s and 1970s, Faller did produce a slot-car system in HO, similar to the later Aurora racing sets, which was remarkably comprehensive. Didn't catch on, though. Nowadays, you have the current Faller Car System, or DCCar (an industry in itself) or even remote control in 1:87.

Example here - seems to be a zinc flux, but doesn't actually say which metals it will work on, other than copper.

Going somewhere less feral?

He is doing another run in the next two months. Just after getting a reply from him.

That's it, I'm in. I'm just after sending Tommy an e-mail. Hope he sees it.

I remember buying one of his resin Laminate kits years ago. Let's see if he's serious about another run of the TPO kits....

What's his contact e-mail?

That would certainly be helpful

That's a BR Mk1 TPO, so the proportions are all wrong. Ideally, you'd be wanting something like a Bredin Parcel Van, or Irish Freight Models' old resin kit for the CIE TPO

Accurascale sent me a reminder e-mail a couple of days ago with a link to the invoice.

Just after paying off the invoice for it.

Andrew Barclay works no.880.

This was very good. I've been listening in during dinner 🍽

"Gravel? Luxury!!"

It's this fella - real name Dave Basford, a.k.a K2 Kits. I've attached a copy of his current etch list for anyone who fancies a go at ordering direct from him. the etch list latest 23-04-25.pdf

You may be able to adapt a London Road Models 2F chassis - see ref. "Chas6" at the bottom of the list

This looks like a mid-1980s K's spec. By this time, K's were operating out of a premises in Teignmouth, Devon. The wheels are K's own - they were mounted on "D"-ended axles to try to make quartering easier. Problem is that the plastic wheel centres can go brittle with age, and wobbly wheels aren't unknown. The biggest weakness is the motor - by this time, K's included the H2M motor in every kit except for their "Milestones" range - even the LMS Garratt kit had the H2M in it. Whilst it had a built-in gear cradle, quality was a bit hit-and-miss as the motors were made on the cheap. If you're really unlucky - as I was back then - the motor will lack proper bearings either on the front of the shaft (where the gear cradle is) or behind, or both. This is a factor in the H2M running hot even when not under load, which then leads to distortion. It's not really a suitable motor for anything heavier than a light shunter.

The top end sounded like a bag of nails, reminiscent of the 1960s-1980s Simca / Talbot car engines.

The Brian Clough Negotiating Technique