Paddy

Congratulations Andy. Looking forward to seeing you and Rapido take the UK market by storm. Kind regards Paddy

Thanks @Aire Head - thought so. I wonder if there were any ASDA milk tanks? Kind regards Paddy

To be fair, I don't believe KRM have said they intend to leave any particular detail in or out. They simply announced their desire to create these wagons and invited feedback. If there are issues then no doubt KRM will be keen to correct these within the commercial parameters they have set for this model. Kind regards Paddy

Hi Folks, Not taking sides here but it does amaze me how polorised the price/detail/accuracy debate has become. There are a number of older models with compromises that I am personally happy with but it would likely be commercial suicide to re-release them now (talking about British N Gauge here). We have all seen how reviews of new models highlight the smallest of errors/compromises even if the author labels them as "nit picking". Surely, if you are creating a new model from scratch then it is as easy to get it right as not? If you are making compromises in the design then be up front about it and explain to your potential customers why e.g. price, ease of manufacture, robustness etc. (no offence to KRM intended). Personally, I still have my fingers crossed for KRM to release the N Gauge Shark brake van. Kind regards Paddy

Is it true that ASDA started out as ASsociated DAiries? Kind regards Paddy

Also, I believe Hornby have plans to introduce Railroad Plus. These models will be the RR range but with enhanced livery application. Not sure where this range would sit? Kind regards Paddy

For me it has to be PECO’s N Gauge wagons and associated kits. They have their compromises but most of them have been in continuous production since the beginning of mainstream British N Gauge. Kind regards Paddy

Popped to Halfords and got cans of white, grey and red primer. As I model in N gauge this should last a wee while! Kind regards Paddy

Thanks both, much appreciated. Kind regards Paddy

Hi Folks, Thank you for the great info. I had a look on the Halfords website but there is no red oxide aerosol primer listed. There is a plain red - is this the same thing? Many thanks Paddy

Not sure the innovation will come from the UK market due to its size. Look to the large model railway markets (USA, Japan etc.) to see what we might inherit. For me, the game changer would be self powered models and to get rid of all wiring. This may not benefit the high end modellers so much but it could transform everything else. Someone who wants “play trains” can simply lay their track down in all manner of configurations including return loops. Plonk their favourite models on, download the app and away they go. You get bored with a particular track layout you can easily rip it up and start again. Edit: You would not even have to enter your track layout in to the app. Fire up the camera, point it at your masterpiece and boom. All the fun of Brio with proper trains. It really would be the ultimate table top railway system. Kind regards Paddy

Hi David, I am in no position to argue against your view. However, all I would say is 20 years is a LONG time in any technology sector. You may indeed be right but it might only take one killer requirement (commercial and/or military) to rapidly accelerate the 3D printing timeline. Kind regards Paddy

Have to agree here letterspider in terms of your thought process. It would seem very logical for 3D printing (especially if/when they get to the point where colour/liveries could be included) to replace more traditional methods. I suppose one benefit molds have is that you can produce significant quantities quickly whereas you would need loads of 3D printers to scale. Of course, none of this is impossible as technology almost always exceeds our expectations. Also, if model railway volumes drop below a certain point then 3D printing could become even more beneficial. Mind you, model railways do seem to be quite a conservative market where change can be measured in decades rather than months. To me the idea of the power coming from the track and all the associated wiring seems archaic. Logic would seem to suggest that the models should be self powered and everything controlled without wires. I suspect the technology to do this already exists but will it ever replace traditional DC/DCC? Kind regards Paddy

Have to agree there. In the UK, Hornby is "toy trains" - and to most non-modellers they are all toy trains. How many of us still hoover the house even though we may have a Dyson, Shark, RAM etc. vacuum cleaner. Kind regards Paddy

Our grandson is exactly the same Railroadbill. Some of his layouts are magnificent and he spends hours pushing his trains around. Kind regards Paddy

Wow impressive stuff Maurice. Who knows then, maybe 2021 will see Hornby announce a range of British N gauge! Kind regards Paddy

As I said, there is no doubt these train sets sell but it does not change my point about “play value”. I fear most of these will end up being 5 minute wonders. Of course, that does not mean they are bad business for Hornby! Kind regards Paddy

Hi Maurice, It would be interesting if Hornby (or under their Hornby Arnold brand) re-entered British N gauge in a significant way. They certainly have some lovely models in OO that could be shrunk quite effectively. Mind you, the same argument could be made for Hornby entering O gauge which I thought they might do under Basset Lowke. Creating an N gauge range would be a big investment and there is already significant competition in that market. Hornby's finances would need to improve to justify such a risk. How about a curve ball - restarting British TT gauge? Kind regards Paddy

Actually, just found... https://www.gaugemasterretail.com/magento/rightlines-article/kestrel-service-station.html Kind regards Paddy

Hi Grahame, Sounds interesting - do you have a link at all? I checked GM's website but could not see any mention of these new kits. Kind regards Paddy

I am surprised train sets continue as the play value is sadly lacking. In the case of Hornby, it is the same old 0-4-0 in various liveries with a 2 or 3 wagons. You don’t even get a brake van! OK, you can go up to the more expensive £100+ train sets but even then it is not exactly exciting. From a toy perspective, the Hornby Battle Zone train sets would seem a good idea but Simon Koehler has indicated in the past that these are poor sellers. One can only assume that someone is buying these sets? I fear they are opened up, assembled once and then shoved in a cupboard after the loco has done a few laps of the supplied oval. The recipient then returns to their PlayStation. Kind regards Paddy

Graham Farish had something similar to this for N gauge 20 years ago - their Magnum Layouts. The board could be ordered from Farish with the track laid, wired and ready to go. They also had the relatively cheap Scenecraft building kits based on plastic blocks and sticky labels. This meant it was possible to get a good looking layout up and running quite quickly. This approach certainly worked in N gauge. Kind regards Paddy

Hi Michael Would love to hear more of your stories from Graham Farish. I am surprised no one has written a book before now e.g. Peter Farish. Kind regards Paddy

Hi Phil, Just for balance, when Everard Junction does a model review on YouTube, he includes lots of prototype detail. Not all unboxing videos are equal. In the main though, the magazines do a great job on our behalf. Kind regards Paddy

Yep, such data is readily available from various companies but it is not cheap. Whether Hornby would be willing/able to pay the sums involved would be debatable. Also, it is not a one off cost as the data needs to be refreshed/cleaned on a regular basis. This is something technology companies pay for quite frequently but they have the resources to do so. Kind regards Paddy