Helmdon

Rails are selling the next GT3 run

Mine's just turned up - happy new year

...

Mostly, although there's always the loss leader approach. Not sure the industry as a whole is big enough for that to be worthwhile, although it might be for some of the larger retail players.

Steam - New Tool 8F (got to be, sooo overdue, and I don't even want one) - B16, probably the biggest remaining LNER gap - Pannier of some sort, again feels overdue Diesel/Modern Image - Green 47? Totally out of the loop on modern image so there may well be one already Coaches/Wagons - Maunsell buffet - 16T mineral wagon in RailRoad (ok, it would help me out, but it seems an obvious move for the train set end of things to knock out a basic cheap 4-wheeler which might well be wrong on all sorts of technical/prototype levels, but if you've got the tooling already.... The Surprising Thing - Great Bear? Probably wouldn't be that surprising actually

...

Now *that* would convince me to drop everything and try a new scale.

Well I’d hazard a guess that it’s not great…

Although, the reverse of that as a what if is also instructive - what if they’re doing all this because of growth in the Hobby and sales of product due to the pandemic, but as the world goes back to ‘normal’ it’s not going to make sense? All sorts of companies that had a ‘good pandemic’ and set up for the ‘new normal’ are now having to rethink. on the one hand, cash has probably had it for good, on the other, IIRC online v bricks and mortar retail is tipping back to the latter to an unexpected/predicted extent.

B16 please. At this stage it’s basically the missing link/holy grail

Owning an OO one (in my house for all of 24 hours before going back for surgery) it will be about the best piece of rolling stock (RTR) on many layouts. Totally new ballgame. Ok, it’s a price to match, but stunning.

Probably ok actually - there’s up to a two year wait, and consequently someone who’s never really thought about it before but likes the look of the announcement might now say ‘I’ll buy the kit’ - got about 6 months to shift it though realistically at that price.

of course, as a 1950s GC modeller I'm forgetting the obvious NE freight locomotive that would help me out vs the kit I've got, please can I have a B16?

Keeps both my last guesses in play though.

despite being a GC modeller, given strong family connections to Seaham Harbour I would crawl over broken glass for a Coffee Pot or the Lewin.

Whatsapp is American (founded in California) and since 2014 has been owned by....... Facebook

Yes, bloody annoying but not their fault and they're doing something about it quickly. Mine is all boxed back up again and waiting for the next trip to the post office (8 miles away).

BR Maroon version just came through my front door - very happy purchaser here. I know it's a flight of fancy, but it looks wonderful. And the fancy hasn't had to fly very far really....

agree - although it did occur to me the other day that TT120 is an absolute gift trackwise if you want to model 3 foot gauge to mainline standards (so perfect if you fancy something Manx).

December 1954 for withdrawal I think (very much off the top of my head, but I don't think I've dreamed it)

That, sir, is wonderful. Very many thanks.

Brilliant - been offered a rake of crimson and cream Bulleids and didn't immediately dismiss them as I was sure at the back of my mind they would probably be ok! Thanks for that.

Your second sentence is why I'm asking really - I've got a GC layout set on a fictional station at the top of Culworth Junction (i.e. it's before Woodford Halse but after the Banbury line joins the GCLE). Consequently I think this is an opportunity to run ex-Southern coaches behind my 10xx/69xx/68xx...

sorry, for all of this, assume nationalisation to 1957 if it makes any difference.

I know there was a SR set in use alongside the BR(E) ex-LNER set. Were they Bulleids? Also, I know that WR locomotives typically changed over at Banbury, but then another tranche changed over at Leicester, so where did the Bournemouth workings change over, and what would have been hauling them between Banbury and Leicester (and vice versa) please?