cctransuk

Err ... the wheels are double-flanged. Centre flanges run on tramway rail with a centre slot. CJI.

Those joints are a b*gger, aren't they? When I get on to my MTK Park Royal (Cl.103) kit, I'm considering reinforcing those joints with small countersunk screws, tapped into the whitemetal ends. It should be possible to 'lose' the screw heads with filing and filler. I have now completed the pair of Southern Pride Eastern Region Car Transporters, and am well into an Anbrico GWR streamlined railcar - the chassis is operational, and I SHOULD now be embarking on the bodywork. There's a kit for the unique GWR 'Lambourn Car', to fit the Lima chassis, to follow. John Isherwood.

Indeed, hence the 'IMHO'; in such matters we can only use our own best judgement. Time will tell! CJI.

Could I, with the greatest of respect for your superb treatment of these ancient kits, suggest a little more attention to the solebar / bufferbeam interface of the leading car? CJI.

Ah - that's where we differ; for me, a loco is for life, not just my attention-span. Unfortunately for my offspring, a mammoth task awaits on my demise - disposing of a lifetime's collection of model railway stock, and a mammoth library of railway books. I will not, from wherever I find myself, blame them for dumping the lot on dealers and realising only a tiny fraction of their true resale value. My model purchases must provide value for money IN MY LIFETIME - I will not see any personal financial return! CJI.

Aprototypical - not prototypical. Should the model have no lamps - YES. Will the novelty factor outweigh the negative polarising effect - I sincerely doubt it. CJI.

Because they are aprototypical, and I shouldn't have too. That's enough for me not to purchase several and to, reluctantly, proceed with my far more labour-intensive alternative Black Five projects. Keep it simple - but well-detailed, I say! CJI.

The question to answer is this - would the new Black Five have sold as well, or even better, WITHOUT working lamps, close-coupled(??) tender and 'bling' all over the place? IMHO, a resounding 'better' - I have two or three Black Five projects that I would willing have sold on, if only I could have had an 'Accurascale' standard model, without gimmicks that I would then have to remove. In this case (and others), Hornby are trying too hard - concentrate on producing quality models of popular prototypes, that are demonstrably superor to what is already on the market. Ditch the gimmicks - they are more trouble than they are worth! CJI.

....... or, develop the concept for the additional couple of years BEFORE announcing it, and really wow the market with a proper system. Releasing a half-*rsed product merely generates adverse publicity, and condemns the whole concept from the outset. The rush to recoup the cost of development always triumphs, though - I can hear the bean-counters in the boardroom now - "When are we going to see a return on investment"? CJI.

Unfortunately, yes! 🥴 CJI.

The lower one of the two would appear to be a rack loco, judging by the proximity of the pinions to railhead level - presumably the jackshafts drove the pinions. CJI.

Precisely!!! CJI.

So, why not ignore the 'rivet counters'? Exactly what I'd expect from KRM - it's always 'their' fault! Not a nice character, by all accounts. CJI.

At the end of the day, what is shown to the public as an EP is decided by Hornby in the UK. If the factory make an 'ill-advised' EP, there is no obligation upon Hornby to publish it. One can only assume that Hornby themselves were unaware of the defects. CJI.

I use rectangles cut from those ultra-thin food bags - on the basis that they seem to be made of much the same plastic as that used by the model manufacturers to protect models from rub marks on the paintwork. CJI.

BBC Southwest went out today, looking to film a St. George's flag - it took them all day to find a single example flying. We should be ashamed - not of the flag - but for its absence! Some sixty years ago - when I was a Scout - there was a full military parade, on the Sunday nearest to St. George's Day, in every sizeable town and city in England. CJI.

Aren't these the former 2/001 ARM WE armour plate wagons? John Isherwood.

What I still fail to understand is, if Hornby's design team are as knowledgeable as we have been assured, why ANYONE thought that a fixed Royal Train headcode could possibly be acceptable. It should NOT need the members of this forum to point this out. There was a time when forum members commented on the minutae of detail on new models; now, it seems, companies are putting out poorly researched EPs, relying on potential customers to identify the most basic of errors. CJI.

Since we are a body of known eccentrics, with a penchant for the past, perhaps we might be spared the latest of 'trendy' evolutions of the English(?) language, if only to pander to our sensibilities? 🤨 CJI.

First adopted by politicians when asked ANY question, in order to give them a chance to make up a remotely plausible response - or not! CJI.

Come on, Andy, have you never had cause to grumble about the advertising department on here? A mildly humerous observation, nothing more! CJI.

Something that, it would seem, even RMweb suffers from! Money talks, and doesn't listen to anyone else! CJI.

A contradiction in terms - no such things! I know what you mean, though - if they pay, we'll advertise it! CJI.

I know that they want the advertising revenue but - how much damage does this do to 'Steam Railway's reputation? CJI.

Be aware that part of shank was inset into the streamlined body; if fitted with the full shank length visible, they are to long. Hence Lima's short shanked buffers. CJI.