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Lest we forget what WW2 aircraft carrier hazards and airborne war on other ships was about

it gets really hairy about the 7 minute mark

thanks Mike!

Talented Alex has designs on your next new car

A MERSEYSIDE dad has spoken of his pride this week after his son landed a dream job designing a Chinese car companys latest models.

Jeff OBrien, from Thornton, told Life On Cars that after impressing car industry executives with his design flair his son Alex has now jetted off to Shanghai to help design vehicles for Qoros, a joint Israeli-Chinese firm which will be launching its first cars in the UK next year.

Mr OBrien said yesterday: "Alexs designing and sketching skills are out of this world, and after completing the car design course at the University of Coventry he impressed a lot of design executives for different companies, who all saw what hed come up with and wanted to take a look. One of them was a manager at Qoros, who spoke to Alex and was absolutely delighted with him.

"Alex wanted to work with Qoros because its a new company, and theyre really keen to use some of his design skills in their models."

The model which former Manor High School pupil Alex created to conclude his design course, a sports car design aimed at supercar builders Bugatti (pictured above), attracted attention from car industry executives at an exhibition, used to showcase the UKs latest car design talent, held in Coventry last year. Father and son worked together on the car, with Jeff, a retired Craft, Design and Technology tutor, helping to fashion the wheels for the model of Alexs sports car design.

Although work commitments in Shanghai meant Alex was unavailable to speak to Life On Cars, a Qoros spokesperson said of its new range of cars: "Qoros is a fresh, new brand without legacy. It is driven by a passionate international team of expert designers, engineers and marketers who are united in their desire to develop sophisticated and highly individual products.

"The company is dedicated to meeting an ever-increasing demand for cars that are highly differentiated from other products within a crowded automotive marketplace. In addition to design that is both elegant and functional, Qoros products will be distinguished by a strong focus on state-of-the-art technology, with high levels of user-friendly in-car connectivity and vehicle safety standards which compare to the best in Europe."

The first Qoros car to be sold in the UK, an as-yet-unnamed four door saloon, will make its European debut at the Geneva Motorshow next March.

On The Second Day of Christmas

... a lot of people are recuperating, or something. There were just three diehards in the woodshop: Henry Vincent, John Faulhaber, and Paul (the new guy) Cronin. And one lonely misanthrope over in Barn 8.

The three guys in the shop were all working on the Lake Shore Electric freight trailer #810. When I happened to pass through, John and Paul were producing long lengths of poplar tongue-and-groove boards for the roof. It looks just like the product of one of the old-time car shops.

And Henry was painting pieces of tack molding. I should point out that there are very few interurban freight trailers in existence, and none of the others are in good condition. The 810 is the only one being restored, and George and the others are doing a very thorough job. This will be a restoration we can really be proud of!

Having said that, I cant let some lowly freight car get the better of me. I spent most of the day sanding the next ceiling panels in the 319, and then applying first primer, as seen here. The center panels, the molding strips, and the lower panels were done. I also started reinstalling one of the molding strip above the car cards, as seen last time, but didnt take a picture. With two space heaters going, the main compartment gets up to a nice temperature for painting and woodwork.

Notice something missing? When we got these cars from Cleveland, the wreck tools and first aid boxes had been stolen. In the 319, I had found some replacement wreck tools and installed them, but CA&E first aid boxes are scarce. Im willing to offer a reward for their return.

Since we will not actually need to break the glass for access to first aid supplies, a false front should be good enough as a replacement. I have made another front of such a box, as I did on the 308, and tried it out. It now needs to be painted and lettered.

Just so you wont worry, let me point out that every car in revenue service will have a large plastic emergency box with a fire extinguisher and nice new first aid supplies. This will usually be stored under a seat or in some out-of-the-way location -- the crewmen will know where it is. So theres never any need to break glass to get to an old first aid box, and it might be empty! Phil Stepek of the Coach Dept. provides these boxes and their supplies, and keeps track of them so everything is ready for use. Thanks, Phil!