Y2-1 Bus Query

[Idris]

Whilst working through a box of odds and sods (which is where I unearthed my plastic 1950s German cars, I found this yesteryear bus which has been in my possession since the mid-1970s.
At first glance, it looks to be an ordinary, run-of-the-mill, playworn model:

Y2-1a(s).jpg (51.79 KiB) Viewed 2262 times

However, closer inspection shows a curious raised detail on the underside of the stairway, picked out in blue.

Y2-3a(s).jpg (53.25 KiB) Viewed 2262 times

Y2-4a(s).jpg (55.13 KiB) Viewed 2262 times

I have always assumed that it is simply a casting defect, picked out by an outworker. Has any Member ever seen anything similar?

[YYS4BOB]

Can't say I've seen anything like it. As it's a raised detail, it would have to have been gouged out of the mould. Has it been applied after the staircase came out of the mould rather than being part of the component?

[Idris]

Has it been applied after the staircase came out of the mould rather than being part of the component?

having re-inspected it under a magnifying glass, I'm tempted to say not, and I think this is supported by the fact that it seems to blend smoothly into the surrounding casting rather than sitting on it. furthermore, the blue paint is over red, and that red seems to be a match for the rest of the red paint. Having said that, it does have a slightly pock-marked appearance, a bit like a really poor weld.
As you say, the issue is that it's proud of the casting, so how could it ever have been cast together with the stairs without there being matching damage to the tooling?

[Moyboy]

Thats a weird one !

[Idris]

Thats a weird one !

Yes, it is. It's the reason I bought the model in the first place.
I corresponded with Ray Bush about it, but he was equally flummoxed.

[Moyboy]

If it had been a bit of swarf in the mould it would be impressed not raised so perhaps the mould got damaged and was replaced but then there would be more about not just one.

[Idris]

If it had been a bit of swarf in the mould it would be impressed not raised so perhaps the mould got damaged and was replaced but then there would be more about not just one.

I can only agree.
It is also impossible to see how something could have got 'stuck' to the stairs during tumbling.
If it is tool damage (which currently seems to be the most plausible explanation), then it is possible that there are others out there, but that they have gone unnoticed simply because the raised detail has not been picked out in a different colour.