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Having new staff in those areas who may not be used to railway modelling and the various scales may explain some of the errors seen in some of the publicity so far?

I'd agree with Andy that there probably will be a need in due course, just no yet, whilst the target market might not want them there will be plenty of us existing modellers that are giving it a go that might! I was thinking about just cutting a building in half like I did on a recent H0e layout to make half relief models, using the other half elsewhere. Though I do like the look of Sandsmodels ones, I take it they will "clean up" and can have windows, doors, etc., fitted? I have a stock of TT and H0 scale doors and windows from a trip to the Czech Republic a few years ago!

It rather depends on how far in the background, if it were a street right behind the station and the half relief buildings were there I'd say that N scale ones would be too small. I've constructed plenty of building in 1:120 and they are quite a bit larger (more than you'd think!) than N scale ones I've seen at shows on s/h stalls. I made the mistake of buying an N scale one once thinking it would be OK, but it wasn't. Maybe in the far background, as forced perspective but any closer I'd suggest not.

Yes, the Piko N stuff was what I meant. We still see it around and it looks dire, considering what BTTB were churning out at the sane time it's not surprising N didn't take off in the old Soviet Bloc. I take it that it would be nigh on impossible to import western n gauge as well?

If it was Peco 12mm gauge track 5 or 6 years ago it was actually H0m track and so H0 scale track for metre gauge (Swiss) prototypes. Personally I preferred the Ratio TT track bases that you slotted rail into, I feel it looked better than the heavier looking H0m track when i modelled in 00n3, but my only H0m layout I used Peco and it looked fine. I'd have thought the sleeper spacing and size a little large for TT3 but with ballasting would look fine?

It pre dates N and the new flats being built in the Eastern Bloc were small, so it fitted the bill for people who hadn't the room for H0. By the time N came out and was of decent quality (some early stuff was dreadful) it had already taken root and N never got going in the East. I recon!! Andy, you read too much into stuff sometimes, I was simply expressing a different viewpoint, I could equally say the same about some of your own and others posts. That's all it is, nothing more, nothing less.

In effect we have the same conversation going on two threads! I'd throw this into the equation as well, re Heljan, Hornby cannot stop anyone else going into the market and we've had plenty of duplications in the past. Heljan could have looked at the Hornby launch as free publicity for TT120 and for any stock they may produce, in fact, even better than that, as only Heljan and Peco would be in the shops that gives them another sales edge, as any Hornby customers going into a shop to pick up Peco and other stuff like scenic materials would see the Heljan stock. But no, they've simply pulled out, that seems to make sense to some people but I still don't see the logic.

I do, but it doesn't seem logical. Before Hornby's big reveal when virtually nothing was due to be launched they were willing to go ahead even though any range would be tiny but now they aren't because it won't be in the shops. By that logic (if that's what it is and not just a dig at Hornby) if Hornby do start to sell it in shops they will be willing to start production - but the won't, because they've stopped everything. It still seems to me like they wanted to bail out and this gave them the chance, but they are hardly likely to admit that in public. You may view it differently, which is, of course, your prerogative. I await their TT stock when Hornby start selling it in shops, then! ;)

See this post I made earlier about a disabled guy with an EV, sounds like you will sympathise!

It's been five years in the making so not rushed! I suspect, as others have said, that the stuff is on the boat in its container so they know the arrival date and can start the launch. We can read too much into things, see the comments about the display model, which it now appears aren't the production models but stuff put together to publicise it. I'm not a finescale modeller so even those models looked, in the main, ok!

I wasn't aware that Auto Express were conducting a campaign, but well done them. https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/358995/new-public-electric-car-charger-accessibility-standard-launched?amp&fbclid=IwAR0mUXFKsBQFyKzGkyUzBV5IvFXy1KyV7_SqDCn-vsqEap9B-TWfhtjhOxA

As others have pointed out, it isn't aimed at many people on here!

This from an LNER Forum, it seems the answer is yes and also gives a reason you may not have seen it! "so from my humble files I can advise that the following have definite Colour-Photo evidence of blue-background plates circa 1958- 1961 60004 ** 60011 60027 60031 the remaining Haymarket A4s (9/12/24) certainly had black or red backed plates in BR days but as yet no trace of blue ** I cant help but mention this one seems to have been the rarest Streak; carved on various parts of Darlington station's infrastructure was the legend "I died here waiting for Willie Whitelaw" (sic)" https://www.lner.info/forums/viewtopic.php?t=10456

Perhaps they aren't the production versions... Cobbled together just for show because the real thing is just round the corner? Until we see what we know is a production version perhaps too early to start making comments? It's debatable if even the A4 is an actual production model rather than a pre production test model?

Rather like real people then! ;)

Leaving the finer scale stuff to Peco I expect. We have the dead frog discussion on 009 forums all the time but fron my experience of 0-4-0 mechanisms its track laying that causes any issues rather than the dead frog. I expect any layouts laid on carpets or trackmats the locos will be going too fast to notice it anyhow! ;)

You should try narrow gauge, they get even more confused! "That's N" then they look at my description and frown, then the lightbulb lights up and they figure out what it is... But I have to say TTe (TT scale 1:120 using Z 6.5mm gauge track) really confuses them as there's not much Z around so it's outside their knowledge zone, especially as I've used 1:120 scale as well!! :)

I agree and would hope that when the scale is up and running we'll see others join in, however we are currently talking about the launch of the scale and I think for that purpose a sole supplier is neither an advantage or disadvantage. Throw this one in, if it does succeed I wonder if Tillig and Piko may dip their toes in the water rather than a British based manufacturer? I did use some 15mm figures on my TTe layouts, but the support for TT figures from the model railway manufacturers is very good so didn't go further, can't remember any details of them, though. Even some 1:100 figures sold by the Chinese can be used, they are already shrunk enough and people come in all shapes and sizes!!

Surely it depends on how "niche"? If it's 5% then it's still quite large, and with the chance to grow, another of those "who knows the answer" questions! My layout will be "preservation" era and that answers the first question. My local preserved railway, the SVR, is a single track branch with Pacifics even GWR to suit Peco! Not that it'll be based on the SVR, though!! I was thinking the same about my local shop when I asked the question. With a completely new scale launch the expectation would be to stock the lot, something that my local shop would have to clear out everything else before being able to! I doubt he'd want to on the off chance it takes off.

They could decide that changing the result last season is enough (but I doubt they will), I agree with you about the ongoing advantage, but I think the current points chart flatters Max, Ferrari were closer than it makes out... Maybe a "We're watching you!" instead!!

Why bewildered? It was set up before the launch of TT! If anything it will encourage the youngsters into asking for a set and when they look up Hornby online, which most will do, they'll see TT120...

Oh Gawd, I hated that programme!! :) Snowy update number three: She's back up and about, no wobbling and the limp seems to have gone (perhaps the sedatives helped there!), and she's eating the new food, thank goodness, and is back to her old self, i.e annoying me and acting as "guard cat"! I know things will start to go downhill in due course but it's nice to have her back again...

Still no decision They've backed themselves into a corner (hole would be more appropriate!), they know what they should do, which is reverse last year's result, but they won't bring themselves to do it. RB cheated, it's doesn't matter by how much, they cheated and got an advantage by doing so and that allowed them to win the championship. Do the right thing and stop faffing around, FIA, and bite the bullet!

Judging by the number of people on this forum who have said they have bought a set around the same number on this forum who have expressed their dissatisfaction of the enterprise! So am I and I would say that the reactions haven't been negative except for certain people who don't like Hornby, but more questioning why they've done it and if it will succeed or fail. Rather like here, I'd say. As we've said, though, the launch of a brand new scale, as we've all admitted, carries a great deal of risk, the use of direct sales actually removes that financial risk from those people who have most to lose, i.e. the small retail shop. So on the flip side to your argument they could also be said to be doing them a favour! If it does take off I'd be surprised if it wasn't run out into the shops, though, to help keep up momentum if nothing else. It's one of those discussion that has equal weight from both sides. Has anyone asked a model shop whether they would stock TT had they been given the chance?

It's better than the brick hut it replaced, though! I was not sorry to see that go, but it would have been nice to have that black and white building still around.