['LIVEWIRE?']

With reference to my post #63 -No matter how many years (almost 47 in my case!) any of us have worked with electronics or what qualifications we have, clangers can still be dropped! I should have checked both of the 2SC2235 transistors seperately. One of them has a virtual s/c - actually about 6 ohms both ways round - between it's collector and emitter, hence the readings I was getting. Two new 2SC2235s, plus posssible replacing the two FR107 diodes across said transistors C-E junctions should cure the fault, though what caused the transistor to fail s/c I know not.