JSpencer

Thank you, mine is actually quite high standing 4ft off the ground. But yep, kids can quickly write off something if you are not careful. And one reason why I keep much of the old robust stuff!

I do have a GN gunpowder van along with an NB one. These are quite bright compared to the drab SECR greys but plausible (I could of brought more Iron Minks but then it would look overpowering and non realistic). An Earlier train today with the SE&CR RCH wagons, also the GC and GW RCH pair, a Rapido GWR 4 plank and some Rails 1424 vans and Rapido Gunpowder vans. I have too many 1424s (I only wanted the 5 SECR ones, but ended up with SR ones at the start that I repainted before later getting the SECR ones - you can see why I need more opens 😅).

I'll take a few of both 😉

Another pair RCH arrived today. The GW and GC ones. One way to quickly add additional opens to a pre-grouping layout is to include a few from other railways. For the SECR, midland railway opens were a common sight, but I have also seen GC wagons too. And why not a GW version. The brakes on this pair are one-side only unlike the SECR versions which have brakes both sides. And the contrasting greys to boot....

Now in a train with mostly other Rapido wagons including the 3 RCH in late SECR, a pair of Bachmann ones and 3 Rails 1424 vans (of course the C class might see itself replaced at the head by an O1 at some point): On an inner line, 3 early SE&CR RCH can be seen with 3 other early coloured SE&CR opens. The free running of these wagons really allows us to capture the length of these mixed trains. No issues for the C pulling it all.

Comparisons.... I think it is safe to say that the Bachmann Collectors club of 3 SECR opens has now seen its day. The paintwork is generally too dark and obvious within a rake. (the same can said of Hornby and Dapols standard wagons in SECR colours). Rapido Maunsell 7 plank bottom (could do with a few more of these) vs Rapido RCH top: Bachmann Collectors club right vs Rapido Left (that Bachmann is dark...) Rapido top vs Bachmann bottom Bachmann left vs Rapido right Bachmann top, rapido bottom

Rails SECR versions arrived this morning. Very welcome in helping to rebalance my SECR wagon rakes back towards being mostly opens. The end doors were not glued in though and I now wonder if they could be made working so as to discharge 😅

Their new class 31 but only the deluxe models. Most of my HM7000 fitted locos (I have about 10), do not have space for a powerpack. Most are older models made between 2005 and 2015 with 8 pin loco fitted plugs and certainly not designed with sound in mind. Worse, often only the 6 driving wheels actually picking up (no tender pickups). But despite this I found I have run some of these models non stop for 30 minutes (including stops at stations etc and not simply just going round) without issue of cutting out. I only get issues when there is dirt, but then it is out with the track rubber, and cleaning the wheels then it is all fine again.

Also Bachmann's OO-9 mainline Hunslets have them too.

That's fine, they can do with and without. Some people want these, some don't and the two views are not incompatible. Look at Bachmann's all new diesels. You have a plain DC version, DCC sound version and then a deluxe version which seems to outsell DCC sound version. As for the effects, I doubt most will run them as such very often anyway and probably adds hardly anything to humidity in the air.

Glowing fireboxes is one thing, but what people notice the most is all that steam coming out chimney. Here Hornby have made inroads (no other competitor has this feature yet but they are working on it). It's going to be a while before that retrofits across key locos in the range but that is an opportunity. HM7000 must be something that is doing well too. These chips allowing synchronized smoke as the price being asked is going to be a winner as development progresses. I noticed this reduction of stock in the previous report did not do much to reduce debt. My gut feeling would be fewer all new toolings but in many liveries to recover costs in year one instead of year 4. (Even Bachmann is on fewer toolings with more liveries even if hardly any are steam except OO-9). Another thing is stock levels of high ticket items. When they do hit a winner, there is not enough to go around and far too many when they don't. Although I think they are better here now than 5 years ago. Direct sales are up, but I do wonder if the cost of the operation outweighs the gains. Admittedly one player fell to the side in January which might mean Hornby are becoming or have become the big box shifter themselves. Are model shops regaining confidence to place decent orders with Hornby ? Or are there still issues of many wanting say 10 of an item and getting only 1?

A problem with Hornby on their all-new tooling is that they still look at recovering costs within the later run rather than the initial one. New Players like Accurascale and Rapido give us umpteen choices. We buy the one (or more) that we really want and we have little need to wait for a rerun. IF a rerun does happen, we'll probably add another to our range. Hornby are, the common liveries in run 1, the pretty liveries in run 2 which only appears 4+ years later by which time their market has moved on. Likewise you cannot build up a rake of wagons with Hornby on run 1, nor even with run 2, 3 or 4... they are drip fed. They have a tonne of stuff well within their tooling waiting to be done which should have been done by now. But helas, it is like the French army in 1940. They are replying to the huge break throughs by new competitors with an army attacking in penny packets along the front line. Some little parts do show brilliance but overall no where near enough to stop the huge breakthroughs.....

There are online bits 'n' pieces of an Albert Usher Coal Merchant at London Bridge. So this and the above would lead me to think it would be ok to consider a visit by this wagon on the SECR. In anycase I consider it good to have a ratio of say 75% known SECR region types 10% from the LBSCR, 5% from the LSWR and 10% further afield (TBH there is probably more evidence of further afield than the neighbouring lines, but I do have a few LBSCR locos so not too bad to have suitable rolling stock). Some proper Midland Railway opens would complete the illusion though....

Well done Rapido. Very nice but - @RapidoCorbs - we are missing the Bluebell one 😀😉

Very nicely done. And you just made me order another 3... 😅