mdvle

Tangent - October release - available now new run of General American 8,000 Gallon 1917-Design Radial Course Tank Cars. DMSX "Dunbar Molasses New Orleans 1919+" , CONX "Continental Oil 1923+ Lease", CSOX "Cities Service Oil (Penn)" 1937+, DRX "Deep Rock - Cushing" 1940+”, UTLX "Black Repaint 1948+", GATX " Union Starch and Refining Company 1950+", VENX "1964 North American Lease", Spokane, Portland, and Seattle "Water Service 1964+” X-405, SP&S "BN Era 1972+" X-385, BN MWM Water Car 1973+ 973084 https://www.tangentscalemodels.com/general-american-8000-gallon-1917-design-radial-course-tank-car/

This is where being aware of what has been happening in the UK hobby market (in OO) for the last several years helps to explain things. Hornby has seriously annoyed their retail network (cancelling confirmed orders due to "shortages" yet the product remains available from Hornby direct), deliberately duplicating a model (Terrier) because it was a "Hornby" product, deliberately trying to intimidate a new(ish) company to the UK market despite legal ramifications (Titfield Thunderbolt), etc. With Hornby's large announcement, and its availability only through direct sales, retailers won't want to stock it anymore (because they can't offer 99% of the available product and won't want to help send potential revenue to Hornby who they are already annoyed with) and thus the financial risk to anyone else - Heljan or otherwise - has increased dramatically. Thus it is no longer feasible - from a risk perspective - for Heljan to continue in TT:120 even with a different prototype.

Same things said when Peco announced their range - nobody would carry it. Yet retailers did carry and sell the Peco stuff, and retailers did list and do pre-orders for Heljan's announced loco. So that indicates your belief is incorrect. Because retailers are in the end in the business of providing what their customers - both existing and potential new ones - want. You may be right on the quantities - but that would simply mean any manufacturer would need to commit to having a warehouse of product for retailers to order from as they felt demand justified. It is doubtful the OO market could support 2 brand new Class 31 models - the TT:120 market certainly can't. Yes, Heljan's model was still in it's early stages - but Heljan is grateful for that because it means they won't be writing off a significant amount of money they would lose bringing a duplicate model to market in a brand new scale. Yet Heljan built up RTR 7mm/O without a full range... The problem isn't the breadth of product announced, the problem is that it is all coming from 1 company.

The problem is that it is too bold. It is too much product all at once for a scale with no market (yet) in the UK. The decision to launch such an extensive range, and to only sell direct, has already caused Heljan to withdraw from TT:120 and it is doubtful at this point if anyone else will enter the market. If you are a retailer you won't be interested in stocking anything TT:120 going forward - because 99% of the product is only available from Hornby direct. So while we will need to wait and see how this plays out my feeling is this has killed UK outline TT:120 - at least in terms of what many of us here on RMweb were hoping for.

Heljan have exited the TT:120 market. https://railsofsheffield.com/blogs/news/from-Heljan-tt-120-update

Hornby have effectively poisoned the UK outline TT:120 well by announcing such a wide range of models and by refusing to sell through retailers. Working on something else doesn't help if the retailers won't be interested in carrying it because 99% of the product is only available through Hornby.com ...

Blog post from a modeller in Quebec where he takes a real rail served industry (meat packing plant) from Quebec City's past and uses it as inspiration for an inglenook layout https://hedley-junction.blogspot.com/2022/10/abattoir-legrade-as-inglenook-layout.html

The organizers of Hindsight 20/20 have announced that the virtual RPM will continue and they now plan for 2 online events a year (held on the same weekend each year going forward). The next 2 events (details to come later) will be held on December 10th 2022 and March 4th 2023

Kadee - October 2022 - available now PS-1 40' Boxcar - Grand Trunk Western #516816 built 1957 factory new paint scheme https://www.kadee.com/shop-by-category/freight-cars/ho-scale-rtr-cars/5325-ho-scale-grand-trunk-western-gtw-516816-rtr-40-ps-1-boxcar

For anyone who hasn't followed the announcement thread modeling Metra in HO is suddenly an option. A couple of months back Atlas announced a new run of the MP36 units (former True Line Trains tooling) as well as tooling up one of the versions of the gallery cars that Metra uses and then last week Rapido announced they will be doing the Metra Budd gallery cars.

Short video about the brook being sent through it's new permanent path to the sea.

ScaleTrains UP Standard Turbines - preorder by October 31st

ScaleTrains Rivet Counter - Multi-Max Autoracks - BNSF, CN, CP, CSX, NS, TTX, UP

Bowser - preorders due December 2nd 2022 New run of RS-3 models - CN, CP, ONR, D&H, Interstate, L&N, Long Island Metro, NP, SP&S, B&M https://www.bowser-trains.com/docs/RS/RS3 2022.pdf

Rapido News - 157 - October 3rd 2022 NEW! HO Scale F40PHM-2 Locomotive - the Most Lovable F40! Re-Run! HO Scale Atrak NPCUs NEW! HO Scale "Head End Power" E-units NEW! HO Scale Budd Gallery Cars - CB&Q/BN/Metra versions NEW! N Scale ATSF RR-56/60/61 Reefer NEW! N Scale Procor 5820 Covered Hopper Car https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Rapido-News-157---Big-Product-Launch-Email.html?soid=1101318906379&aid=Ds9htNIPKBw

Rapido - from their US Dealer open house - order deadlines are December 15th 2022 NEW - Procor 5820 Covered Hopper Car - https://rapidotrains.com/n-scale/freight-cars/procor-5820-covered-hopper.html NEW - ATSF RR-56 Reefer - https://rapidotrains.com/n-scale/freight-cars/santa-fe-mechanical-reefer.html

Rapido - from their US Dealer open house NEW - F40PHM-2 "Winnebago" - 4 Metra paint schemes https://rapidotrains.com/ho-scale/diesel-locomotives/f40phm-2.html Re-run - NPCU "Cabbage" - 4 Amtrak paint schemes https://rapidotrains.com/ho-scale/diesel-locomotives/npcu-cabbage-second-run.html NEW - "Head-end Power" E-units - full details later NEW - CB&Q/BN/Metra Budd Gallery Cars - full details later

October update

Athearn - October 2022 - preorders due October 28th, eta November 2023 Auto-Max Carrier - KCS, BNSF, BNSF, UP, Ferro Sur, Arkansas & Oklahoma http://www.athearn.com/newsletter/093022/10_ATHN_Auto-Max_093022.pdf

Accurail - October 2022 36' Fowler Wood Boxcar - CN 40' Single Sheath Wood Boxcar - Pacific Electric 70-ton Offset Triple Hopper - PGE 50' Exterior Post Welded Steel Boxcar - SOO Line http://accurail.com/accurail/CATALOG/2022/2022_October.pdf

Athearn - October 2022 - preorders due October 28th, eta November 2023 Genesis - GE Dash 9-44CW - UP, BC Rail, BNSF, KCS (patched ex-BNSF), GECX, , NS http://www.athearn.com/newsletter/093022/01_GENHO_Dash9_093022.pdf Genesis - GP38-2 - NS, EMD, BNSF, UP, Chehalis Western, Milwaukee Road http://www.athearn.com/newsletter/093022/02_GENHO_GP38-2_093022.pdf Auto-Max Carrier - KCS, BNSF, BNSF, UP, Arkansas & Oklahoma, Ferro Sur http://www.athearn.com/newsletter/093022/03_ATHHO_Auto-Max_093022.pdf 200-Ton Crane and Boom Car - CB&Q, Rio Grande, Milwaukee Road, N&W, MKT, IC, C&NW, Duluth Missabe and Iron Range http://www.athearn.com/newsletter/093022/04_ATHHO_200-Ton_Crane_Boom_Car_093022.pdf 50ft Superior Plug Door Box Car - BNSF, C&NW, Conrail, BCR, NW, WP/FGE http://www.athearn.com/newsletter/093022/05_ATHHO_50ft_Superior_Plug_Door_Boxcar_093022.pdf Maxi-III Well Car - APL, SF, Northwest Container, SP, Trailer Train http://www.athearn.com/newsletter/093022/06_ATHHO_Maxi-III_Well_093022.pdf Yard Tractor - SF, JB Hunt, Conrail, SP, UPS http://www.athearn.com/newsletter/093022/07_ATHHO_Yard_Tractor_093022.pdf 48ft Container - JB Hunt, Conrail, SF, SP, NYK http://www.athearn.com/newsletter/093022/08_ATHHO_48ft Container_093022.pdf 48ft Container and Chassis - JB Hunt, Conrail, SF, SP, NYK http://www.athearn.com/newsletter/093022/09_ATHHO_48ft Chassis_093022.pdf

I have no idea if Dapol sends out newsletters (not signed up) but I have found my newsletters from other companies seem to often get caught in Google's spam filters so it may be worth periodically checking your spam/junk/etc folder.

Never bought them, but this reminds me of Walther's HO Oscar and Piker which were a regular in their catalogs for a long time. Appears they have even offered them again in the recent past - https://www.walthers.com/21-heavyweight-quot-oscar-quot-quot-piker-quot-set-ready-to-run-pullman

Can't help with a kit idea, but given a lack of other responses some rambling ideas that may be useful. Based on the pictures of your blog post the siding has changed several times over the years - eliminating the fancy corners would make scratchbuilding with some styrene siding product/wood product appear to be reasonably easy. Suitable windows could likely be found in the Walthers catalog, if price is an issue getting into the UK perhaps even making using L shaped styrene would be possible if tedious. The only difficult thing would appear to be the porch and its fancy embellishments - taken care of in one picture on your blog by simply having the vegetation hide it but that I would guess may not fit in with your chosen era. The easy choice would be to simplify (or even omit) the porch but failing that finding someone willing to help who has access to a 3D printer or laser cutter may be the best option for the ornamental parts.