locoholic

We're used to disappointment by now. Five different goes at getting the Class 37 and 47 right, but we still can't buy an LNER J69, a Scottish 4-4-0 or a Southern U class.

Have Hornby ever done their most recent iteration of the King class in BR green, early emblem, with a single chimney, the state that they spent the majority of their BR careers in? In fact, has this version ever been produced RTR - did Lima do it?

My statement was so blatantly untrue that I assumed everyone would spot that I was being sarcastic...

It must be SO difficult for Hornby, now that every single British steam loco type is now available in RTR 00 gauge. What choice do they have other than to churn out ever more expensive A4 pacifics and models that other companies have already produced? And how enjoyable it is to be expected to buy multiple Stephenson's Rocket models, just to obtain the one new L&M carriage that they include in each train pack!

Have I missed something or is the Planet Industrials Victory the only OO gauge RTR steam loco release of 2022 that is of a prototype never before available as a RTR model? Very happy with my three, by the way.

There is a loco that Bachmann USA make that I would quite like to buy, but I can't find a stockist in the UK either. E-Z track does come up from UK sellers on ebay sometimes, so that might be an option.

Oh well... For various reasons I didn't get the usual early start today, so when I approached the vicinity of the NEC on the M42 there was well over a mile of almost stationary traffic just trying to get off the motorway. I sat in the queue for ten minutes and hardly moved, before giving up, as I didn't fancy spending so long just getting to one of the most expensive car parks in the UK, to be followed by a lengthy hike to the exhibition itself. Even though I live deep in rural Herefordshire (hence not using the train - we don't have one), I suspect I was back home before I would have got in to see the models. Of course, I might have made a different decision had I bought an advance ticket. I think I'll try one of the other big shows next time - one that doesn't have half the population of England trying to get into the venue at the same time. Thanks to everyone who has posted photos, so I can see what I missed.

I'd be careful if I were you - I got banned from a topic and told I should have kept my head down when I supported someone else's criticism of Hornby and their shabby treatment of retailers!

Reading through recent posts in this thread (and the Class 800 and Stadler Flirt ones) makes me wonder what procedure is or should be used to determine whether the benefits supposed to be delivered by such fantastically complex new trains and rail projects outweigh the now obvious costs in terms of both finance, delay and lack of resilience that accompanies them.

Gosh! Standard 2MT, Hush Hush and Thompson pacifics - can't wait. Full set of Coronation Scot coaches, too... I would have put money on the equivalent LNER set being made first. Excellent news.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-50730763?fbclid=IwAR0iuwtN1cx8TxEdqDqLdw7tflAIGJb427Ra0DSi937V7M1IO6vThLjK7Kg

On the strength of the photos on here and the fact that the KR Models website now takes credit card payments, I have placed an order for GT3 and also expressed an interest in the Fell. Thanks to everyone who posted info from Warley - I wasn't able to visit this year.

It's easy to be cynical - try living in a town that lost its trains due to Beeching and is left dozens of miles from any railway station, and access to the nearest stations is now awful due to traffic congestion and lack of parking. I do agree about the money, though, although it is galling to see shedloads of dosh being hurled at HS2, to benefit people who already have access to trains.

Please forgive if already mentioned (I spent many minutes trawling through previous pages to no avail). I finally decided to order a GT3, and got as far as the payment page on the KR website. The credit card option didn't work. Is paying by Paypal the only option, and if so, why?

That's fine as long as you don't mind only selling a few of the models. Over the last few years we have had some models that include design innovations which have led to problems. Generally, the simpler the concept, the less there is to go wrong. I would have thought that getting as much weight as possible over the driving wheels was an example of this.

The issue is much more pronounced on a model, since the mass is proportional to the cube root of the scale. I would really be happier if the cab at least was a metal casting, instead of the smokebox.

Excellent. I'm a bit surprised that the whole boiler including smokebox is metal whilst the cab and splashers are plastic, since this will push the centre of mass well forward of the driving wheels - I hope traction tyres aren't involved.

What part of "So what" don't you understand? Rail travel is a minority activity. Travel on the WCML even more so. Doing nothing really IS an option! The UK has a major housing crisis, and is on the verge of a major electricity supply crisis, and yet many millions of extra people expect to make their homes in the UK every decade. There are many, many more pressing issues to address, and that's without addressing the current political, economic and environmental issues.

1. Some people definitely treat HS2 (& railways in general) as a religion. 2. You are assuming that the capacity issue on the WCML is a problem that deserves a solution. Given that only 3% of passenger journeys are made on trains, and that the rail network seems to grow ever more unreliable and inflexible, adding another, very expensive, line to the network does not seem to the general public and the politicians who represent them to be a sensible use of many billions of pounds of public money. Regarding projections of future demand and the costs of doing nothing as "facts" is also disingenuous, especially since many of these "facts" come from the vested interests.

Because trains on HS2 have only two destinations south of the Trent Valley: Birmingham and London. in BR days if a potential new traffic flow was identified like, say, Gatwick airport, through trains could be run without any engineering work. HS2 does not have that flexibility. Booking a through ticket is not the same as actually being a proper railway network - the latter word implies a complex system, not just one line with no junctions. HS2 replicates all the problems that Brunel created with the Broad Gauge. We have learned nothing.

As you point out, HS2 is not going to be properly integrated into the national rail network. To me, that is a major design flaw. In a scheme with such a massive price tag, that is inexcusable.

How can the second phase of HS2 be described as "cross-country" when it stops dead in the city in the centre of the country, with no possibility of trains carrying on to other destinations?

But you are quite easily staggered. Please see my reply to Phil Parker for the reason why your comment is irrelevant.

No, you are quite wrong: taxpayers don't pay for public services simply because the private sector won't. They pay for things that they will need or use, like the army, roads and hospitals, because there is a consensus that public funding for them is a good thing. Sadly for all the true believers on here, there is no public consensus that HS2 is a good thing (given its eye-watering cost), since only a tiny fraction of UK taxpayers will use it.

Your comment explains clearly why HS2 should be cancelled. It is public money, and therefore should be spent in a way that appeals to the people who paid the tax in the first place. HS2 does not "appeal" to private investors because they would lose their shirts if they invested in it. Why should taxpayers lose their shirts instead?