LNERandBR

Never said it affected their development to this point. It's their ongoing development this year and development of next years car that will be affected. Not only by their penalty for breaching the cost cap but also for being 1st in the constructors. This will be the test for these regulations. To see if they can stop Red Bull running away in the ongoing development race and see if any other teams can keep up.

They not only have the cost cap penalty, they have less testing time due to being first in the constructors last year. I'd argue that Merc being 3rd last year will put them in a better position for making improvements this year. Granted, they have less prize money but I'm sure they've still got plenty of investment moneys.

What I didn't like was that I had no idea why Lando was right down the bottom of the field until they finally showd him getting air at a pit stop. A lot of the midfield pit stops are not shown by Channel 4 as a result of their highlights. I do hope that the effects of the lower cost cap and aero testing time clips Red Bulls development. We need a closer field and no one team with a massive advantage. It was good to see the slowest qualy time was only 1.something seconds off 1st but clearly Red Bull's race pace is too high at present.

Don't see this posted anywhere so thought I'd start a topic. The Statfold Barn Railway are holding their second ever Model Railway Exhibition on the 1st and 2nd April. https://www.statfold.com/modelrailwayexhibition I went last year and enjoyed it and this year will be exhibiting with my clubs layout, Tytton Hall Yard.

When I saw this announcement was going to be made I thought it would either be a 58 or a 60. Would really like to see a price before I decide to take the plunge or not. I have one 56 on Pre-order but the lack of price on the DCC Sound versions of that also puts me off. I'm sure it will be made kown as soon as possible however 🙂

Will the Sound Decoders be available seperately for if you want to fit your DCC Ready version at a later date?

I personally and firmly believe that it's not the increase in detail that has pushed the price of models higher. There are more factors in play which are having a greater affect. You only have to look at the prices being asked for older tooled models. In some cases, older tooled models from one manufacturer are the same price as new tooling from another. Yes, the models are more detailed and that detail takes more time and effort to implement. However I think there has also been a leep in technology which has driven that increase. Prices are rising due to many, many more factors.

I wouldn't read into who ordered when as I would think it also depends on which version. Not much longer to wait and I'm sure everyone will get their long awaited model 😁

They charge your payment card and you get a dispatch notification.

Unless the 'OK' means they fixed it 🤔

I think the pickups can catch somewhere on the rear of the wheels. My Linda (with tender) had a small 'click' sound which could only be heard one way. Took the keeper off and adjusted the pickups and it disappeared.

I'm very much a luddite when it comes to coaching formations. Would it be possible to get some of the possible formations in one of your wonderful graphics?

Suspect it would come off pretty easy 🤣

Are those the ones with the Kinematic couplings? I believe they upgraded the Mk3's recently to have them whilst the earlier coaches did not have them. If so, you may in fact need one of the standard NEM socket types which will be of a different length.

The couplings are supplied in different lengths so that different stock and layouts can be catered for. This is why there is no 'minimum radius' as it will depend greatly on which stock you are attaching them to. If you get buffer lock then you need to try longer couplings or mix and match (A short on one end and a long on the other) My understanding is the HST sets are for the retooled Hornby HST before they added the kinematic couplings. I don't think they are designed with Railroad or other Hornby HST's in mind. I have heard that people have successfully bent the legs on the Hunt Couplings outwards to give greater purchase. However, you must be gentle or you will snap them like any other NEM coupling. My advice would be to use glue to firmly attach. I've now fitted Hunt Couplings to countless wagons, coaches and two HST Sets. I've been very happy with them given I've been able to close the gaps between stock. More importantly for me, they make setting up and packing away at shows far, far easier than any other close coupling that I have used. I'm also impressed with the flexibility of the range. They do take a little bit of fettling to get the best out of them but I expected that going into converting my fixed stock rakes. I have no connection other then a very satisfied customer.

Only going on the estimated arrival of the new batch of Deltics is Q1 2024. Does that mean the next run of 37's will be produced before them?

Why not opt for both? Accurascale aren't going to copy the exact example that Bachmann is offering and you'd normally see multiple of a class if you are in an area that they are common. Bachmann's will appear shortly because that's how they operate now. Whilst based on the new batch of Deltics there will be time to either pay in installments for the Accurascale version or wait until they appear around next year. Sorely tempted by the Dutch Bachmann's 37 but I've spent too much just recently so can't really afford it appearing right now. Accurascale's pay in installments option makes it far easier to justify in my eyes as it spreads the cost out nicely and makes budgeting easier.

Hi @RBE Thank you for your comprehensive reply. I'll be honest that I'd completely firgot the environmental impact from disposal of the boxes. I agree that it's something that you need to take into account. I was also comparing the boxes to other manufacturers which have an end opening box. The only difference being they often incoperate a plastic window. I'd therefore assume they'd need thinker card in order to replace the lost structural integrity. Overall, despite all my discusson on it, I do think it's a minor thing. As you say, the boxes as they are supposed to protect the models to ensure they arrive safely. They do their intended function very well as I have yet to find anything ammiss on my 18 wagons. It was just the only thing that it feels others have done better and I felt it was more unfair to you if I did not mention it. Overall I think it's a very subjective thing.

My 18 from Trains4U have also arrived and overall I'm also very happy. Not had them all out yet but I am very pleased with how those I have had out look and feel. My only negative would have to be the boxes. When compared to other recent offerings from competitors they do feel somewhat cheap and flimsy. The cardboard used being thin along with the plastic inners also being thin and held together by sticky tape. However, I really feel wrong for saying that because pretty soon I'll have the boxes stored out the way with the wagons themselves stored safely within a stock box for easy deployment and packing away at shows. I therefore offer this as constructive feedback as the models themselves are excellent and I am very happy with them overall.

I think it's clear they are more susceptible to being incorrectly assembled then other models. However those with issues are also clearly just those which have slipped though QC. There are plenty of reports of people being happy. I think Bachmann should be commended for taking the plunge with these more complicated prototypes. I'm sure they will be gathering all the data they can on any issues for future models. Be that adjusting the designs or tighting QC further. Personally I keep looking at Charles now and thinking of taking the plunge with another. However I don't think my wallet could stand it!

Trains4u took my payment for my Railfreight red cradle packs. They mentioned that they are just waiting on one pack to come from the warehouse but it's on it's way. I still believe that Cavalex have been very brave in getting these remade. We all should be patient as I'm sure they will all be on our layouts in due course 😀

I would say the Hunslets are more delicate to assemble. The Baldwin's being inside frames and having no fly cranks. My pesonal experience has been for any running issues to dissapear with running in. Indeed I have a Linda which ran fine light but had a slight tight spot under load after running in. Running with a load saw this slowly dissapear and all my Hunslets, both quarry and mainline, are now completely fine. They are always going to need more wheel cleaning and pickup maintenance. They rely on just 4 wheels over a short wheelbase to collect power.

At least Accurascale have explained there is a delay via a long blog post outlining all the information as to why. They have explained what they were trying to do and have detailed the reasons why they weren't able to meet their original target. Personally I think that is far more than you get from the majority of companies no matter what their industry and they should be commended for keeping us as up to date as humanly possible.

I'd recommend either getting a rolling road or see if you can visit a local club where you can run them in. 30mins in each direction and do so before fitting the decoders.

Completely agree, it's clearly a topic that sparks a very informative and interesting debate that deserves its own thread. From what I can see the well meaning of that message was lost within the ambiguity and lack of tone that written communication sometimes lacks.