Chamby

If we all liked the same things, this would be a very boring hobby. Phil.

And a happy new year to all from mid-Cornwall too. That guard is very nicely modelled, Tony. Hopefully he will remember to use the safety rail before moving off! . Whilst I an still at a relatively early stage of layout build, I beg to differ with you on this one, Tony. I have been most impressed with the fact that I can operate everything on my layout thus built, using just one plug-and-play DCC controller. This has allowed me to build/test/operate everything on my layout without having to build anything resembling a control panel so far. It is true that this method of operation can be tedious and requires a good memory (or aide memoir) regarding point numbers, together with a visual checking of routes set etc., but during this early stage of layout building and operating for private use, I have found the ability to operate in this way invaluable. That said, I agree with you wholeheartedly that you cannot beat a clear and intuitive panel display to keep track of what is going on across the layout at any given time, and speed up operation to a level appropriate when exhibiting or demonstrating the layout to others. Even though my layout is fully dcc, the construction of a ‘push button’ panel with mimic display will be a priority for me this year, allowing the operation of all accessories separately from the handset(s) in a way that is intuitive for visitors, and leaving the handsets free for simply driving trains. Having now built both analogue and dcc layouts, I have become an advocate of the latter because I find it so much simpler and more versatile to build/use. It is true that with analogue control you can do most of what can be operationally achieved with dcc, but it does require a lot more wiring, switches, and pre-planning re: isolating sections etc, that you just don’t need with dcc. My dcc control panel will look very intuitive to analogue-philes but will still only need the now infamous two wires to connect it to the layout. The relative merits of dcc and analogue control have been discussed extensively before, but in the specific context of building and operating the layout itself (distinct from what runs on it), I am now unashamedly a dcc convert. Phil.

Have you tried cutting through the outer card on just one side of the foam board, along the boundary of the part that you need to be squeezed? You’ll find that this controls the compression, keeping it to just where you need it, and it means that most of the deformation will take place on the one side of the board. You can control the deformation quite well, with this technique. Phil

The term ‘finescale’ is surely much less relevant these days. It was more appropriate when RTR products were relatively coarse in comparison... heavy mouldings, vastly overscale flanges and valve gear, deeply recessed windows. RTR products have moved on so much since the term was introduced, that they are probably to a ‘finer scale’ now than the majority of kit builders can produce. Take Rapido’s Stirling Single, as a recent example... surely a ‘finescale’ product straight out of the box, with a level of precision and detail that is hard to replicate. Perhaps, kitbuilding used to be a way of building something more accurate (to a finer scale). Now, it is primarily used to produce something different... or in Tony’s case, to be able to pull something more accurate/different! Phil.

Some manufacturers would disagree. PECO have for many years also appropriated the word Finescale to describe their RTP Code 75 and Code 55 track work. The finescale police have clearly been unable to arrest the use of that definition, adding to the overall confusion.

Its because the term has become associated with a set of standards, so it has come to mean different things to different people. To some, if you don’t follow their published standards, it’s not finescale. To most other people, it simply means modelling to a more prototypical scale, for example using code 75 rather than code 100 track, as used by PECO. I agree that stuff seen on this thread is predominantly modelled in fine scale, but not necessarily to what a subset of modellers have adopted as Finescale Standards. It still looks fine to me! Phil

That is both the beauty and the frustration of this thread. It covers so much, but as a result it can veer off on another tangent very easily. 24 hours (and 100 posts) later, you revisit and find it is in a wholly different place! Whilst pubs may be called the battlecruiser, it wouldn’t work the other way round... though I can imagine that many Jack Tar’s would have enjoyed a posting on the HMS Rose and Crown!

Merry Christmas everyone! Woken up before dawn by very excited grandchildren... and Santa has brought me a nice German flock grass applicator. (No excuses now).

HMRS pressfix. Phil

DCC concepts do A system called MPD - looks good but bl** dy expensive. Again, if money is no object have you seen the nelevator? It’s an intriguing vertical storage yard introduced a couple of years ago. Needs rather more space than a loco lift though.

Not sure that I am brave enough to put shelves above my own layout. I’m sure that I’d end up dropping something onto the rails and stock below... that’s a lot of storage you’ve got there, though!

Modern technology has had a huge impact on the way we live and how we approach things. The younger generation has everything available on demand via the Internet, so you don’t need to learn stuff, you just need to know how to find it when needed. So we now have a grazing mentality when it comes to knowledge, including geography. Google Earth and online Maps are great tools, but it does mean that people get lazy with things that the older generation regards as general knowledge. You don’t need to know where Grantham is, if you can look it up. Open up Google Earth, type in ‘Grantham’ and hey presto. Which probably explains why folk need to be permanently ‘connected’ these days. Modern life is becoming increasingly ‘virtual’... take music for example. I have a good collection of DVD’s and even some old vinyl, these are tangible items that I own, have storage shelves for, and I have a good knowledge of its content. My kids just pay a subscription of a few quid each month, and ‘stream’ their music from ‘the cloud’, with a small cylindrical thing called Alexa being the only item physically present. Living in a house with small rooms little storage, it is a different lifestyle completely. Which doesn’t sit comfortably with model railways as a hobby either. You need a lot of ‘stuff’ to be a railway modeller! Phil

For comparison, the DCC concepts version. It still needs a higher resistance I think, it’s too bright at the moment. It is powered from the track, DCC supply, so is constant intensity brightness.

Illuminated lamps on brake vans are rarely modelled, I can’t remember when I last saw one at an exhibition. Even models that are festooned with platform lighting, yard lamps, flashing blue lights and flickering camp fires seem to omit illuminated tail lamps. My railway room is at the back of my house, facing north, and at this time of the year the lights are on even during the daytime when I’m at the modelling bench. When running trains however, the natural light is almost dusk-like and any lighting on trains stands out well. I have fitted a couple of brake vans with the illuminated tail lamps sold by DCC concepts and the effect is very pleasing, when using sufficient resistance to tone down the lighting level. They even make the white and red lamps used on the side of unfitted brake vans... and I have never seen these modelled/illuminated at exhibitions. I am now wondering about developing my layout without bright lighting, modelling half-light and running all the trains with lit lamps front and rear. Has anyone else done this?

All the frothing was down in Dawlish today, they had a load of sea-foam blow in. Maybe that’s a spooky natural portent of what is to come?

Yes, you are right that it doesn’t make sense for Hattons to be freezing out Bachmann... Try looking at it the other way round, it makes more sense then.

This is a dispute. You don't act at a time convenient for your competitor, you do it from a position of strength.

Hattons will fully understand if you cancel your pre-order on this occasion, given their inability to supply which is outside of your control. Other retailers have good stocks, and the Antipodeans on this forum speak highly of Kernow’s overseas delivery (for example).

30,000 posts, that’s got me thinking. When this thread reaches 6xxxx we’ll get to some very evocative numbers. In the meantime I’ll dedicate this post To 30040, a Drummond M7 built in 1898 and scrapped in 1961.

Hornby have a Class 66 too, don’t forget, but for now they seem to be still supplying Hattons.

I think you should assume that Hattons DON’T know when (or if) they will be able to fulfil your order. If the two parties are still in discussion, then obviously the outcome is not yet decided.

There is no villain and no hero here, it is simply market forces playing out. Hattons have had an aggressive strategy over the years to become the nations largest retailer of model railways, thanks to the internet, opportunism and hard graft. They have taken market share from nearly every other retailer in the land. It might seem unfair on the small retailer, but Hattons did nothing wrong, on the contrary. Similar things are happening right now along the high street. Now it looks like another player in the business that feels they are impacted by Hattons’ continuously expanding ambition is not being as passive about it as those retailers were. Bachmann have clauses written into their trading terms and conditions for a very good reason. Presumably Hattons signed up to these some time ago, maybe they have just out-grown them... maybe they are just testing them. You only find out where boundaries really are by pushing against them, until they push back. Dialogue ensues, it will be interesting to see where it leads. This is all normal stuff in a dynamic market place. I’m interested, but not at all worried.

Agreed, we don’t need to know the reasons, but the consequences for customers are rightly our concern. It is typical in this situation that the customer message is managed on a short term basis, the word “soon” is frequently used. This may be based on hope rather than reality, but it serves to get the business through to the next day. The reality may be rather different however, particularly if the impasse is over deeply held principles, a loss of confidence in the other party, or an activity that one of the parties has heavily committed to (financially and/or resources) that the other has issue with. Some things are not so simple to resolve! I don’t think we need to worry though, as Bachmann customers, about whether we can still get our goods: the question for those who prefer to buy through Hattons is more about whether to wait, or shop elsewhere. Hattons have helpfully publicised their last dispatch days leading up to Christmas, which will help their customers to make their own informed decision. It might be inconvenient, but it’s not an insurmountable problem!

Were the layouts running poorly, or were they being operated poorly? I found at Warley that on many of the layouts, the “operators” were more preoccupied with the social side of the exhibition, to the extent that putting on a good show for the public was not the priority. Also, some operators, particularly with shunting oriented layouts, seemed to like constantly ‘fiddling’ with stock on the front of house even when unnecessary. It can make a big difference whether the layout is being operated by the A or B team, and the longer the exhibition, the more likely you are to see fatigue coming in to play. There is a really wide variation across layouts regarding how well things are managed at exhibitions.

Has anyone with a Hattons pre-order for Bachmann's new releases made enquiries over the 'phone yet? It would help others to know the official response being given by their customer facing staff. During last year's stock control issues at Hattons, I developed a respect for the frontline staff who were always honest with me... even though they were not perhaps able to share all the dirty washing in public.