Good morning Dave,Martin,
No,China,s boom will not last for ever,nothing does,remember Japan some years ago ?,then it will be somewhere else. I was unaware that there was anyone involved in the steel industry these days,apart from those selling it or using it,do you still make it? [Is it now owned by an Indian co?]
Not sure about the Auto industry,most of that appears to be owned and run by outsiders and I can,t remember the last time I saw an English made motorbike,it was a long time ago !
Re the Port of London,this is true of most major docks,they were due for upgrading anyway,as were the railways. This happened quickly all over Europe,but sad to say,not in England,where shipyards are a thing of the past and the railways??, need I say more? Of course,you are not alone,over here,they not only closed down the railways,they took up the tracks as well,just to be sure [maybe that,s where some of that old rail track came from ]
Are there any machine tools made there anymore,or did Maggie get rid of them all? I suspect that if there are,they would be priced way out of our range anyway,since they were never intended for people like us.
By the way do any of you remember a shop called Tyzacks in London [not sure if I have the spelling right ]? I remember seeing their ads years ago in a magazine called "The Mechanic",which my father used to get from time to time.They all got lost during my many house moves,as did many other things!.
Excuse my rambling,that,s what old age does to you !
PS Dave,I enjoyed your tale about trying to buy a secondhand lathe !,could tell you a story along those lines !