Kiwi

Nope. Thats a dead link.

I haven’t tried without a mat, but you don’t need to. You can get a 12x24 mat.

I’ve seen the occasional one crop up on eBay, but they are usually crazy prices.

I think so, but they’re all busy discussing it here

This might be what you are looking for

I’m just a stone’s throw from John Oxlade it seems, in Glen Massey, deep in the Waikato bush between Ngaruawahia and Raglan.

DccConcepts https://www.dccconcepts.com/product/rail-bullhead-4mm-scale-stainless-steel-l960mm-10-pack/

DccConcepts: https://www.dccconcepts.com/product/pack-12-bullhead-track-24-rail-joiners/

”the straw that broke the camels back” perhaps? Everyone has their own tolerance limit.

Try this web based image editor. Free, and easy to use. https://pixlr.com/

No, they’re a sub-species of the genus “rm-webber”

OK. I give up. No point replying further. Some people just get it, some don't. Such is life.

No, it doesn't. In fact, IMHO, it explains why they did use B-L and not Hornby. I'm sure this has been explained before, as this is the most 'roundy roundy' topic I think I've ever read, but I'll have one more go at it. As I suggested above, the brief for this development, it seems, was to target a new market; make it fun, "out there", and different; and, prudently, keep the at-risk expenditure as low as reasonably possible. So: Hornby is not new, and it is not different. It would not serve to differentiate the current from this new market exercise. B-L, is new (to most people), and certainly to most if not all of the new target market, and it is definitely different. The name "Basset Lowke has a distinctly "Victorian" feel to it, so is eminently suitable for these products. Creating a totally new brand, registering it, protecting it, etc., etc., as very expensive. But the Hornby Co. already own B-L, so, surely, it becomes a no-brainer to just use what you have. A "two-for-one" deal: a new brand, at minimal cost, fully differentiated from the existing, and a great fit with the stated goals. There is still, of course, some benefit from the reputation that the Hornby brand carries, in terms of distribution networks, product quality (I know - I'm going to regret that one :-) ) and so forth. Hence, if you check the images of the B-L branded advertising material on Andy's first post in this topic, the Hornby name, logo, address, etc. DOES still appear, but B-L is clearly the more prominent focus. It is a sub-brand in fact, a common and very useful marketing concept. This is all just basic marketing principles. It can be found in any basic marketing text book. It really isn't that hard to figure out, surely?

Do you really believe that serious steampunk aficionados are the target market for this? However poor anyone's opinion of Hornby might be, they are not that daft! That is no more their target market than (most) of the members on this forum are. Surely the market is the thousands (as I understand the figures) who flock to Laurie Calvert's (Hornby's design expert for these models) Cato Pass model railway at every show it's at; and those who were stunned by the imagination behind his entry into the Great British Model Railway Challenge. This is a straightforward attempt to cash in on what might well be a completely new market. People who might be tempted by toy trains, but more so if they are 'different, fun, and "out there". You won't find them here, and you won't find them among existing steampunk groups. Most are probably not even modellers, yet. Of course it's a gamble, and hence some caution by Hornby in setting Laurie some pretty tight parameters for his design See his comment here: I hope it goes really well for them, despite all the 'expert' opinions being thrown needlessly around various forums. Top marks to Hornby and Laurie for giving this a go.

Sadly this tends to happen a lot. DCC does NOT need all those things. It can use them, and many of them might be a good idea (opinions vary widely), but don’t let “experts” suggest you must have them. Many people happily run DCC with just the two wires, just like the adverts tell you it can be done. Feel free to pm me if you want a quiet (off-line) chat about it.