V/R and generator have been completely rebuilt and will go back in tomorrow. Also a pair of new 6TLs. Unfortunately, we missed the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay. (with the truck). I do have a couple of shots of it going by when I was on foot, but the lack of truck makes them non-MV related, so unless you want to see them, I won't post them.
A combination of factors caused this failure. Weak V/R. Old and very well worn Generator. Weak battries and a poor ground. These factors , combined with a 12 V tap ( running a 12V bus heater), caused a feeble system to go into overload. The contact points in the V/R did some really cool arc welding. This caused us to go over the entire charging circuit with a microscope!
A 24 - 12 V invertor will be happening very soon. I have found 1 at a distance. If I can't find a reasonable local one, someone is gonna get a PM!
I posted this, so you could learn from my mistakes. Yes, I do make a few, but I try not to make the same one twice!