The New Year already, where did 2025 go, unfortunately a very difficult year with the sad loss of far too many competitors, engineers, builders, enthusiasts and suppliers? Consequently, with a new season to look forward to,  we wish all our readers good health and success for the coming year.

Because of the nature of the website, a considerable portion of our time is spent dealing with items, both old and new, trying to identifying them if the origins are unknown and piecing together what other information and history that we can glean. Some may well ask why this is important, but as someone far more profound than us once said, 'an item without a history is just that, give it a history and it comes alive'. Having waded through fifty cars and several hundred engines recently as mentioned in last month's pylon, this has taken on a new reality for us. In the real world, most items have a certain value, attach a maker, artist or builder and it goes up, the extent depending on the fame and desirability of that name, but can amount to a huge rise in value. Add a provenance and the rise can be phenomenal and there-in lies the difficulty. Firstly, can any of it be established, and secondly, is what has been associated with the item actually true? Consider that the most expensive tethered car sold made in excess of $20,000 not because of what it was, but who had 'supposedly' owned it?

With cars and engines, it is primarily establishing whether they are reproductions as opposed to originals, but then comes the thorny bit, the true provenance, because, as we know from the fine art, antique and car markets, claiming something is not what it really is can be seriously profitable. Consequently offering a seemingly rock solid provenance, can prove immensely so. Fakers and forgers though are just as good at faking that as they are the item, not so much a problem for us as it usually word of mouth and urban myth that can muddy the waters. Sadly, traders, owners and vendors do not always tell the truth either?

As can be deduced from the website, we have a particular interest in the work of Fred Carter. Numerous examples of engines attributed to him have turned up, but how many have been through his hands or could be associated with a particular flyer, record or achievement? In fact, for only very few can there be any certainty, apart from those with unbroken trails such as the Gibbs or Hall Doolings, the Davenport Nordec, one McCoy and possibly some we have yet to discover. Of the ones of which we are aware that claim to be, one might be as it looks right, two where there is no proof, although again, they could be and one that has actually gained a dubious attribution only in the last two years. Another 'Carter' turned out not to be, but might be something equally interesting and possibly a unique discovery. The last was the bog standard Dooling 29, sold at a premium because of its claimed Carter origins. When it came to the Dooling Yellow Jackets we had to deal with, it was confusion all round. One was confirmed as an Underwood original as there was a paper trail, one confirmed as built by Don Sohn, three were Ukrainian repros, a Q model that according to Underwood's list never existed and the others that looked OK outside, but were a different story entirely when the internals were considered.

Imagine the excitement when three TWAs emerged in the collection, except there never were TWA 29s and 61s, or were there? Extensive research and a bit of luck revealed that TWAs in all those sizes, plus 15s were being manufactured and sold by Performance Model Parts inc long after the T&W association had ceased to exist, so another motor that was not quite what it appeared and another piece of information to add to the archive. What would the 15 have been worth if it was real?

The Pitbox this month illustrates all of the above as it is an exceedingly well known and uniquely identifiable motor. Its provenance was unbroken until 2025 when it was separated from its hull of seventy plus years and passed on. Hopefully it will be continued to be recognised for what it is?

The Album of 'Real Pushers' continues for a second month illustrating the vital difference between launching boats and cars. Once a car is pushed off it is all down to the horser who can make or mar a run. With a hydro, the launch is much more difficult but once the boat is away, it is entirely in the lap of the gods.

The Photo looks back over seventy years to the extensive amount of work required to build a tethered car track, only to see that it was all for nothing just a few short years later, it did last longer than most in the UK though.

The discovery of a second 10cc car owned by G.E. Jackson of the Derby Club has prompted another of the occasional Pitbox Specials, this time investigating the origins of these two cars and Jackson's involvement with tethered car racing.

Pylon was originally started as a sort of odds and ends column in the manner of Dope and Castor so we are always grateful for bits of information that turn up, not requiring much else other than a mention, unless further material comes to light. Last month we were sent photos of an M&E Special, nothing unusual in that, except the chassis number was 1002. Bearing in mind that numbering started at 1000 this was either the second or third car completed when M&E launched the model in 1947. The second was information of a 'whereabouts'. The original Ken Robinson RTD 'Flying pencil' was sold at the Miquel de Rancougne auction in 2004 and effectively vanished, but now it has been brought back to the UK, and like most other items in the auction bought for a lot less than it cost someone in 2004.

December has been a remarkable month as, thanks to our readers and contributors, we have received a bumper crop of images, items, updates and other material that we will sharing with you over the next few months. This includes a visit to a tethered car track that closed over fifty years ago, a whole host of images of the cars and engines from the late Alberto Dall'Oglio,  and a unique selection of Rowell material that reveals the Rowell car 'that never was'. An Electra Buck 2A and confirmation that Colonel Bowden expanded his aeroplane, and hydro interest to cars as well, and more, still to be assimilated. We have also persuaded on of our regular contributors to commit to a series of 'chatty articles' that puts on paper the topics covered in numerous phone calls and 'mardling' sessions at Buckminster over the years.

Extra events announced last month are another two BMFA engine auctions on the 15th and 27th January at 6.00pm, no catalogues, online only.  Details of these unusual auctions and the items to be included on the BMFA Buckminster site, registration and perusal of items from around the 5th/6th Jan. Don't forget the third International engine swapmeet and collectors gathering at Lampertheim-Huttenfield Germany on 28th Feb. Visitors last year from across Europe with a whole raft of models and engines for sale as well as displays of rare motors, racing motorcycles and more. For further details, to book tables or accommodation contact Amadeus Kurz or Peter Rathke email modelengineswap@gmail.com

Yet another cautionary tale involving a LiPo that goes rogue. Last time it was the loss of an entire workshop and lifetime's collection, but this time serious personal injury ensued. Charging advice is there for a reason so ignore it at your peril! More snippets and the report on the CL nationals with just 3 entries in F2A, a Champion, an up and coming flyer and someone remustering. Is there a future for it or is it yet another modelling discipline that is under threat? Is it just now too technical and too fast for ordinary mortals? Still marvel at the sanguinity of the combat exponents who accept the total loss of models and expensive engines on a regular basis? Makes a bit of a scratch on a tethered car body pale into insignificance by comparison? 

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