sorabain

and trying another way with rails, by using search term "EMU" and selecting "OO gauge", I get some Bachmann EMUs, but they seem to be in a random order: 411; 450; 411; 416; 411; 410; 416 ugh, even for a modest number of results it's an effort to mentally group what classes/liveries are available. Not sure how Hattons sort things (whether it's by product code or something else), but they generally have the same classes in a contiguous block.

Bachmann should (and would) care. Hatton's was (still mostly is except for Bachmann) my first port of call when browsing. People get used to a website and how to get to what they expect, so whilst some may prefer Rails or <some other> website, I preferred Hattons by far and haven't had the time or inclination to learn another's website so well. Why does this matter? I may be browsing for a specific item, but with good search software/website you end up seeing "related products" and may buy more than you thought you wanted. As an example. If i go to Hattons I can select oo scale, then pick what "type" i'm after, e.g. DMU, EMU, electric loco, diesel loco then filter down by manufacturer and get a "clean" list of products. I try to have a "fair go" with Rails and hunt through "categoies" which itself comes across as a random assortment in multiple dimensions, and try "Diesel/electric loco". The first products are all DMU/EMU and non-UK (for me not what i'm after, not sure if the site "learns" what you're interested in or if it'd remain foreign). So i try to filter down to what i'd do with hattons, and select Bachmann+oo gauge, and am still presented with a first page dominated by DMU/EMU, not locomotives. It just doesn't feel clean or well categorised. With hattons even just browsing down the "long list" of OO gauge stuff with item counts you quickly spot if some new manufacturer has popped up in your "favourite categories". Those who are faithful to Rails may have learned their way around the above perceived shortcomings, but for me Bachmann not being on Hattons has almost certainly meant purchases unmade as I don't get as much info for my time from other's sites.

Well this picture is reported as being from 1997. An EWS 60 and from this page http://petertandy.co.uk/class31.htm this picture is stated as being 1997 too, BR Blue 31

I thought you had massive balls for taking on a class 91 + mk4s when previously I was only aware of wagons. The 91 didn't suit my layout, which is WCML based, although the day before the announcement I dropped an order for an early 91 figuring I could run it on test trains/commissioning/original light-loco run from Crewe to Bounds Green. I'm sad that it hasn't worked out for you. Now onto wishlisting, it's already been mentioned but how about a 317? It's had a long life, has been on many regions (ok only relatively short-lived on WCML but it fits within my era), and I don't think anyone else is doing it RTR in any scale -- i hold out hope that maybe the 319/320/321 'N' gauge from various manufacturers may make it into OO. If i'm honest what I really hanker after is a 304 or 310, but think the 317 might reach a wider audience; I appreciate this would still be a giant leap of faith. *Edit* alternatively what about some infrastructure, still crying out for decent "RTR" OHLE, which would help make a market for future models.

Those two pics are going to cause quite a debate in 50 years time about "what colour red was it really?"

fixed it for you

I think if you lower the roof (perhaps cut half of the upper section out), filling in the remainder of the upper windows at the same time you'd go a long way. Excuse the crude MSPaint hack job, but it's a start

I await the pantograph with many hopes, but also some fears. Pantographs are typically quite brittle and exposed on models, prone to damage. If spares are not available and the mechanism is "complicated" it might not bode well in the long term. I don't intend to be raising/lowering the pan in practice, just hoping for a decent looking one that can be posed, but one that wont be an achilles heel.

Nice work eric709. Did notice there seems to be a typo in one of the names "275 railway squdron" <- should be squadron. Not sure if that's what the previous few comments were obliquely referring to -- i can't see original post from Chard

My hope is that as we get more good quality electric locos it will attract more modellers to the joys of OHLE and the demand for EMUs will go up and make them profitable to manufacture RTR.

For the best advice we will need to know which era. By the last paragraph, it sounds like you're after the "big four" but good to confirm in case you actually mean to model a bit later and just assuming that "big four" signals were still present.

hahaha, for those who didn't get the reference

Would be interested to see any graphs of survey submissions over time as well. Has been a looong wait and wouldn't be surprised if they tailed off rapidly after July (and wonder if this post re-awakening the beast will give you a minor spike in mid-august)

I've decided to slightly spite myself and not re-order from somewhere else, to at least cost Bachmann some sales. This is one of those items of stock that I could do without, would have been a "celebrity train" that doesn't really fit my intentions of otherwise being close to prototypical timetable but couldn't help myself when they were first announced. This rift needs to end.