Horsetan

At the age of 5, Hornby's "Freightmaster" train set, containing an oval of Super-4 track, a Triang Class 31 A1A-A1A and five wagons plus brake van. The controller wasn't a mains one, but had to be mounted on top of two bulky Ever-Ready 6-volt batteries. These: https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=DChcSEwjHjInBq4v8AhUKnu0KHVKYBAUYABAVGgJkZw&ae=2&sig=AOD64_18jd7aTg96-Q_NJQa0zrYMsxAz9w&adurl&ctype=5&ved=0CAIQz7YHKApqFwoTCPiu38Sri_wCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD The control lever lifted out from the hub of it. The rest, as they say, is hysterical.

The other thing I'm reminded of is that the K1a variant with the 6' driving wheels kept the same wheelbase as the K1, unlike the British "U"/U1s that had a slightly shorter wheelbase, so technically you could rewheel a Bachmann K1 into a K1a with small splashers and not too much extra work.

Thing about the Bachmann Woolwiches is that they are a touch narrow over the footplate - I think they scale out at 8'4" wide, rather than the MGW/GSR/CIE's 8'10". The difference is purely because of the frames being spaced to suit Irish rather than standard; all the extra is in the middle. They never did widen the cabs, though!

...until they come up on eBay later, at two or three times the original price.

That little baby is either French or Belgian, I'm betting....

I'd be happy with any of the above, except orange.

I think that just leaves two surviving Bredins, one at the RPSI, and the other as a grounded body (no bogies) at Moyasta

I think someone on the Forum did try one, and found it wasn't very good......

Squires might make a pitch for the remains of Eileen's. Who knows?

That was practically MTK's USP and applied to all of their kits, whether British or Irish. Legend has it that Colin Massingham never really consulted any engineering drawings, but merely guesstimated.

I can see Squires Tools possibly making a pitch for the remains of Eileen's - they seem to be on the lookout for ways to expand their empire. Just look at how well their takeover of South Eastern Finecast went. Coopercraft wagons were probably the only usable part left. There has been some doubt expressed elsewhere about Slaters reclaiming the tooling for their coaching stock (GWR Toplights, basically). Last I heard was that some of the tools/moulds might be scrap because they hadn't been properly stored or otherwise looked after. If you want SSM to expand, then you need to have a serious discussion with @Weshtyas to what is practical. He's not been on the Forum for a while, so I'm guessing he has other priorities which don't necessarily involve new kit design.

Sometimes the box is worth more when it's empty.....

It may not even start at all if the drivers are on strike.

Edited for accuracy

The lettuce will be frozen, so will last longer

We actually have an alternative Advent Calendar now. Every day that you open a door has some sort of strike behind it

Enjoy it. The postal strikes over here mean that you'll be lucky to get any post this side of Christmas......or New Year.

Ireland once had a number of 3ft narrow gauge lines - the central buffer was common.

"Chancers' Greed Thread" might cover many many retail sins.

What exactly was the design flaw that led to this happening?

I think a case might also be made for the Bazin "500" class 4-6-0s, as their splashers are but mere bumps in the footplate.

Certainly feels like it.

Boris seemed quite keen on Cincinnatus.....

I had to sit down for a moment when I saw what he wanted for a copy of the first MRJ Compendium.

Probably OT, but did you manage to rectify the missing crankpin web in the post-1930 driving wheel in the end?