Dave Swindell

Aero Detail 8, Spitfire I-V is a good pictorial (detail photos, drawings, plans, profiles etc) all round reference

Flightpath do a comprehensive detail & upgrade package for the Italeri kit, including the headboxes & stores you need for the 1TWU period version you want. Most of the set is ex PP Aeroparts, if you can find one, this would do as well. Flightpath set here.

https://www.scalemates.com/search-solr.php?fkSECTION%5B%5D=Kits&q=RMS+Queen+Elizabeth+2+eliz* The 450th scale kit has appeared under various labels over the years, but it's all the same tooling.

1 20ft container = 1 TEU, a 40ft container is 2 TEU Most containers on boxboats these days are 40ft, there's a few 45ft boxes on ships, the rest will be 20's, none will be 60's. Just because the ship is stopped doesn't mean that the refrigerated cargo will be lost, as long as there's fuel to keep the generators going it will be fine, a few days or even weeks extra isn't going to affect most products as long as the temperature & CA is maintained. The total capacity of 602,392 TEU you quote is the total slot capacity of the ships in the fleet, not the number of owned or leased containers. Ships rarely sail to max TEU capacity, often being limited to less by draft restrictions, stack weight limits, stowage restrictions and currently due to market overcapacity A lot of Hanjin containers will be on CKYHE alliance partner vessels, and conversly the CKYHE alliance partners will have their boxes on Hanjin vessels and will be affected by this. Some boxes will be dockside as you say, and a lot will be landside. Hanjin was a global player, only a small number of ships will be on the Europe trade, and of those only a small percentage of the cargo will be UK bound. There are quite a few other players in the far east/europe trade, so yes, there may be a few hiccups in short term supply of some commodities which may see some items go up in price, but overall I doubt there'll be any significant noticeable impact on the UK consumer.

Mike, The days of British flagged ships being required to be manned by British officers is long gone! I doubt if there's many, if any at all, British officers affected by this. Of all the officers on my current ship when I first joined it 4 years ago, and when it was still registered in Bristol, I was the only Brit. League of nations is the norm these days, irrespective of vessel flag.

Well that looks like KC on the port tail plane behind the pilots head to me? Aircraft letter K would be on the starboard tailplane.

Nice ones Ian! You bringing them to the club on Friday?

Just received my copies of Ric's 738 & 752 decals, very impressed with the quality of the decals, instructions and service. A selection of fleet reg & names are included (7 for the 737, and 5 for the 757, with & without winglets). The instructions give both sides of the aircraft, one aircraft is covered in a large diagram, and the alternatives detailed in smaller diagrams, top marks for these! The cockpit windows shown in Ric's picture weren't included, the instructions advise you to use the kit decals for these and the wing stencilling - as the kit decals are good quality, this shouldn't be a problem.

Hi Mike Apoloigies for not getting back to you sooner, been away for a few days the rather busy when I got back. The trip involved a visit to the SS Great Britain and the Brunel Institute, fantastic library, including all David MacGregors books so heavily modelling orientated. Staff were most helpful and I got to examine 5 original copies of LR - 1902, 1915, 1917-18, 1918-19 & 1919. The info you posted has a typo, all the entries for Northfield I saw quote 2099 GRT. 1902 has the same owner/manager as you quote for 1909. Owner isn't a problem, it's a single ship company set up to limit losses to the parent company, still happens today. The manager however is intriguing as Ruthens allegedly went into receivership whilst Northfield was on the stocks, and all their ships (6) were bought by E. Jones & Co of Cardiff who then set up Field Line to operate them. I've been able to interpret most of the entrys for Northfield, but there's a few little bits you might be able to clear up for me if your copies of LR list abbreviations used SteelScSr is Steel construction, Screw propulsion, ??? Equipment letter "s" ? FK under registered dimensions - False?? Keel WB=CellDBa&uE110'f122'551tAPT39t Water Ballast = Cellular Double Bottom a??&u??E?? 110feet f?? 122feet 551tons Aft Peak Tank 39tons The painting I found on the internet is definately the right ship, and now I know what it looked like and it's dimensions I should be able to adapt plans of a similar ship from one of my Waine books, there's a few likely candidates in British Steam Colliers. That just leaves me with the colour conundrum.... Dave.

Mike, I'd found that page before but the pennant number hadn't registered, thanks for pointing it out! I'm presuming this would have just been used for signalling purposes and not painted on the hull. I'm guessing she'd have been painted all over grey by the time she was sunk, but I'd love to see photo's of her (both sides of course) in a dazzle finish. Dave

Thanks for the confirmation of the date of the tug Mike, and also possible locations, interesting mainly for elimination purposes. Re-assignment of signal letters I was aware of, and is irrelevant in this case as the ship was sunk in 1918! The painting in Field Line colours would date to between 1903 & 1915 - post Ruthen & Co bankrupcy & prior to being sold to Harry Keep / requisitioned as an RFA auxilliary. She was carrying coal from Glasgow to Devonport (presumably fleet bunkers) when sunk. I also recollect reading somewhere that the code flags themselves changed at some point (post WWI?), so the flag hoist may not actually read SHWP. All being well I'm planning visiting the SS Great Britain in Bristol en route to Devon on Friday, hopefully the Brunell institute there will have at least one copy of LR for the relevant period, and I'm not holding my breath, but I'll check for plans in the David MacGregor collection

Hi Bob Unfortunately I'm pretty sure that one isn't the Northfield I'm looking for, I found that photo some time ago, and another that cropped up on ebay of the same ship taken in the 50's. The painting, however, is promising but I can't prove it. The name is right, as are the funnel colours and house flag. The style of the painting is also right for the time, I have a couple of original watercolours of the sailing ship "Starling" which my Great Grandfather was Master on, although a few years earlier, they are very similar in style. Field line only operated between 1902 and 1919, and as far as I can ascertain only ever operated 5 ships, all ex Ruthen & Co. Northfield, Eastfield, Westfield & Huddersfield plus one other I've yet to identify. Huddersfield was wrecked on Hartland Point, not far from where Northfield went down, but fortunately without loss of life. Photo's of the wreck plus the tonnage/dimensions indicate that although built in a different yard, if the painting is the Northfield I'm looking for, she would have been a near sister to Huddersfield. The flag hoist in the painting (SHWP) should indicate the ship's call sign, what I need to find is some document listing both callsign and official number (114672) to tie them together. I'd agree that finding original plans is unlikely, but if you don't ask.... Another cracking model there, Bob, but not the usual "signature" Parker pen, I see a Papermate one has slipped in there! ;-)

A bit of a long shot I know, but I've been looking for pictures and plans of the SS Northfield for some time now without much success. 98 years ago on Thursday she was torpedoed by U-60 SW of Lundy and lost with all hands, one of whom was my great uncle, a 19 year old AB. I'd like to scratchbuild a model of her if I can find enough info, the best I've come up with imagewise is a painting which may or may not be her. Any help would be much appreciated. Dave

Welsh Models do the Dash 8-Q400, Dash 8-300 and Dash 8-100, all in several liveries.

Hopefully the Blackbird nacelles will be the correct length, the SAM/Freightdog ones are too long at the front. Distance between engine firewall and propeller spinner should be the same until the 2 stage supercharger merlin's were introduced.