GeoffAlan

Kato make two sets to make up a train in N gauge 1/160 scale.

Castleton, on the Esk valley line to Whitby, had coal drops into 5 or 6 separate storage areas. Back in the 1950s and 1960s I remember a coal merchant having a little shed and signs on two of the drops. Wagons would be shunted over the appropriate drop and unloaded. The coal merchant bagged and delivered to among others, my Grandparents. They got there coal by the ton or half ton as they lived in Commondale and the roads were liable to becoming impassible in winter. I do remember a couple of years where we could only visit them by train, this entailed a very long walk in the snow from the station to their house.

It does seem like half-hearted selling will kill this off. A shame as I have one on order. Earlier comments re the J72 are interesting, and while the N Gauge Society have had issues with their Hunslet electrics, I'm confident that not only will they appear (good news as I have two one pre-order) but that they'll be 'right'. Seriously if a society can do this then Hattons should be able to replicate it in a J72, and as the Beyer-Garratt is so much bigger, the electronics should be far less of a challenge for them. I do hope Hattons get behind their initial enthusiasm and sell the B-G harder.

Gooch's Wandering Railway? Don't the panniers look the same?

I've pinned through cork for my layout and it worked well, My permanent layout is built on internal doors. The predominant noise of a train is clickity clack, although I do have a few noisy locos, with gear whine, that drown it out..

For me, it can have bells galore and whistles aplenty, but if it don't run, it's a diorama and not a model railway. It's absolutely basic that it runs. I've yet to see one in this series that does that one single thing reliably.

My advice is go N gauge, and if you want virtually bomb-proof running and steam engines, buy Union Mills locos. Great running and hauling and run forever. You'll need to ring Colin on the Isle of Man for orders, he doesn't do IT, but well worth the effort. PM me for a contact number. Usual disclaimer, have no connection other than as a very happy repeat customer.

Beat me to it! I suspect there were many more ungated crossings pre-War than the 1950s when I remember them.

A 'friendly' girl by all accounts she was 'No better than she ought to be'!

I watched series one and the stand-out layout for me was the one that looked most like one you'd see at an exhibition. It didn't win! Yes the series is aimed at Joe and Josephine Public and we are Modellers. But for me, the exposure of the hobby to the world is a Good Thing, even if we aren't over-impressed.

As a long time N gauge modeller, some 45 yrs or so, I look at 2mm scale models in some awe. However, while I can see the attraction, I feel the effort and plain difficulty is beyond me. The same applies to P4 and similar 'better scale' OO style models. If the better accuracy is a real attraction and you have to time, skills and patience then go for it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

I too feel it's a better stab at the concept than series 1. I think the judges have emphasised operational reliability, not that it was evident in all cases! Not my favourite TV format really but worth a watch.

I too had difficulty sourcing a chassis and eventually bought it from Japan. Be aware you may well incur import duties and an exorbitant fee from the Post office. Last time I imported from japan I paid £4 odd duty and £8 to the PO!

Yes, my 1954/5 built unit died the death in the 1990s. By then, having moved to N gauge in the 1970s, it was used for it's dc 12v continuous and 15v ac only.

I keep my 250 locos ,or so, in either the original box, less outer card sleeve, or, if bought 2nd hand and unboxed, a suitable box. everything else, and there's a lot, is either on the layout or in stock boxes (cardboard or plastic boxes with foam tray inserts). This takes up a lot less space, and when I change era or country (which happens every 4-6 months) it's much easier and less far less time consuming as well as being better for the detailing on the coaches and wagons.