Huw Griffiths

Apparently not a Bo-Bo+Bo-Bo - just a Boo-Boo. Joking aside, I wonder how long it might be before they offer a "razor edge" railcar - packed with an autocoach - take your pick between GWR and early BR colours. Something like this could be great in a "train set". OK, despite tooling that some people might describe as "superannuable", I suspect they might still want "full fat" prices, but ... .

Sounds like a good call. When even I am referring to Morecambe and Wise stuff from 40 or 50 years back (and saying how much I liked M&W / that their repeats are more watchable than a lot of the "festive" viewing), this thread has probably just about run its course. As for the Hornby Show, I suspect that some of us might be watching just so we can see what "cheap to make gimmicks" they're thinking of loading into basically RailRoad models in the hope of "jacking up" the price. I've never been a gambler - if I were, I would have guessed at piezoelectric nebuliser elements (essentially a PXE disk - driven by an oscillator - and resting on a damp sponge) under the chimneys of "kettles" - real water vapour - and "only" an extra hundred quid ... ! I think I'll stick with the base models, thank you - I don't want to pay extra for gimmicks I don't want. Anyway, as a DEMU member, I'm rather more interested in "Diesel & electric" - you don't tend to get much steam from postwar multiple units ... .

These days, they generally seem to be - especially around bank holidays - and as for the "festive turkeys" recently on offer, the less said the better. I reckon I'd prefer wall-to-wall repeats of Morecambe and Wise. Meanwhile, returning to the Hornby Show ... .

Who can forget "detail, detail, detail"? Probably best if I say no more - after all, I wouldn't want anyone to refer to "all the right details ...".

Well, it's either that or pure Morecambe and Wise: "What do you think of it so far? ..." OK - perhaps not ... .

To be honest, I've never exactly been a "problem" drinker myself - and none of my relatives are - we all value our health too much for that. Another issue is that, if I'm returning home from (eg) a show by public transport, I'll probably be faced with a long walk, late at night - so I need to be alert. Anyway, it's easy to tell if I've had too much to drink - I suddenly become even "quieter" and more "withdrawn" (apparently this is possible ...). Returning to the layout / plans, the discussion about the bridge is interesting. I see different angles on this issue: It's possible that a real boatyard - and the road / rail approaches to it - might actually have been on the same side of a river (which would probably be too wide to effectively model in the available space. I'm reminded of former WW1 "National Shipyards" (some of which weren't very far from my "part of the world") - although these were connected with much larger vessels than anything in your concept. This brings me to what sort of boats a yard like this would actually have been working on - I'm assuming they would have been tiny, in maritime terms. Ultimately, with any layout like this, you're going to run up against space issues - realistically, there's no way you can do much more than suggest that boat building and repairs are going on in the area. This would probably be true for just about any industry you might try to include in a layout. I could probably make similar comments about "sets" used in making films and TV programmes - for example, unless they're using "real" locations, they'll probably be careful not to show typical road vehicles "side on" against buildings ... . Anyway, one final (we all hope!) thought: Any plans to outline the process of designing / "fine tuning" layouts in a future magazine article? Probably a crazy idea - I'm not sure ... .

I know. Space for a Stein - and a tin of biscuits - would be far more useful. It would be even more useful if they were full. For some rerason, I'm reminded of that old Aldi advert - in which an elderly woman tells us: "I don't like tea - I like gin!" That's right - "G&T", minus the "T". Some of us have different preferences when it comes to "nourishing beverages" - like Hoegaarden, or Port. Of course, I don't have a car - so I don't need to worry quite so much about staying sober until I get home. As long as this doesn't mean a wagon - or even a van - with "Twinings Earl Grey" on the side, I'm not too worried. Before anyone asks, I happen to quite enjoy Earl Grey (or, when I'm desperate to chill out, Rooibos).

Welcome aboard. Keith makes some good points about the "Layout & Track Design" section - and the "Skills & Knowledgde Centre" area in general. I suspect it would be only a matter of time before you're asked for more detail about your planned layout - the space available and other constraints - and a track plan drawn to scale. Chances are that questions like these won't be about "tying you in knots" etc - but rather about identifying your real options etc. I suspect that lots of planned "dream" layouts would probably have been seen to be "nightmares" at this point - shown to be unbuildable, unworkable for the intended model trains, or otherwise not worth pursuing. This might be uncomfortable at the time - but, at this stage, it costs nothing - it's much better than throwing lots of time, money and specially built stuff at fatally flawed concepts. If / when you decide on a workable layout, I suspect that lots of people here would almost certainly be interested in seeing how you get on - cue a new layout thread / blog etc. Some people here are probably already interested with talk of self built DCC, JMRI etc - I wonder if you might have considered joining MERG. (Don't worry - I might run a MERG Zoom group - but I won't subject you to a high pressure "sales pitch". The only reason I'm mentioning MERG is that a lot of members - but not all - are interested in stuff like that.) Anyway, returning to your layout plans, posting in the "Layouts & Track Design" section sounds like it could be a good move.

Fair comment about the mould release - which might be more of an issue these days, with acrylic paints often being used by modelmakers. As for the "small parts might break off" malarkey, might there be some point in putting the sprues / runners / parts inside one of those zipped mesh bags sold for washing socks etc in washing machines? I seem to recall seeing them in places like The Works - they're not expensive - but I'm not sure if they've got them at the moment.

Somehow, I don't imagine that Andy - or anyone else connected with Warners - would exactly choose to have ads like the ones you describe polluting their website. Unfortunately, some people, somewhere, make a business of attacking other people's sites - forcing website owners etc to dedicate lots of time to trying to frustrate their efforts. Whilst on the subject of "dedication", I could imagine that a number of legitimate website owners might welcome any chance to "dedicate certain ads to" the jerks responsible. Of course, the word "dedicate" is used here in the Anglo Saxon sense - of "roughly inserting" the ads ... errm ... somewhere the sun doesn't shine. And on that bombshell, I'm certain that Andy likes that stuff even less than we do - not only does he not like it - but he's also got to instigate steps to deal with it. I hope we can all realise this - and give him a break. Thanks, guys.

Not a lot. Probably nothing, actually.

This was one reason why I made a point of visiting on the Sunday - even though "less than ideal" Sunday train "services" meant that I wasn't able to get there until lunchtime, so I couldn't get anything like the full day I really wanted. As for the show itself, I managed to get about 90% of what I wanted done - and spoke with some of the people I wanted to. Biggest regret? Not getting chance to munch through a pack of Stollen bites, whilst visiting a certain magazine stand. Seriously though, I wouldn't dream of it ... . Anyway, it was a good show - just frustrating that the lack of train services meant that I didn't get chance to enjoy it as much as I'd hoped.

HO! HO! HO! For "just a minute", I was starting to wonder if that might be their preferred modelling scale ... . Anyway, it's probably just as well that nobody's likely to be stood in front of certain stands, munching their way through cake - nobody would want it to be Stollen ... . (Now where did I put those "festive mints" - that's right - the "bah humbugs"?)

Now if they could only be persuaded to offer plastic kits of a 1:76 GWR "razor edge" railcar (the only sort of "razor edge" I'd allow into the house) - and a class 313 EMU - to allow for customisation into our own chosen variants. They'd look great as static models - and I suspect that a number of us would be more than capable of sourcing suitable chassis, if we wanted to build powered versions. As for more "conventional" kits, I'd quite like to see something like a 1:24 (or larger) Ford Escort estate, a Morris 100 traveller, or an early Land Rover - especially if they sell them through model shops.

I'd wondered how long it was going to be before we heard about the Patiala State Monorail Trainway ... . Anyway, I could imagine that some people familiar with the PSMT might regard the sort of trains we see in our part of the the world as weird.

No - he just got checked into one of His Majesty's "boarding houses" (the ones with bars in every room, but no alcohol), for an extended stay - but perhaps not quite as "extended" as some people might like.* (* Although the sentence for crimes like murder is officially referred to as "life imprisonment", the "tariff" is more likely to be set at some number of years. He probably wouldn't even serve this long as, after serving a certain percentage of his sentence, I suspect that he'd be released "on licence". I suspect that this might have been rather different to the "suspended" sentence which might have been conferred at an Assizes for a similar offence a number of years earlier.) As for the topic of people being called for jury service, I've never been called - but I'd be quite happy to be called. (Although there are some types of case I'd particularly welcome the chance to "hear" - including fraud or drugs offences - I very much doubt if I'd ever get the chance to choose.) Will I ever get called? I've got no way of knowing - however, as I'm now in my late 50s, I'm beginning to wonder. I guess time will tell.

I also hope so. He was also a rather good actor. RIP

Joking aside, I believe that one magazine about model making has recently offered some masking tape as a subscription "persuader". Meanwhile, newsstand editions of some other magazines have recently had packs of small sanding pads taped to their front covers. Strange concept that - not the "freebies" - but the thought of people actually building and modifying things. I wonder if it will ever catch on ... .

I don't think it helps that a number of "toy train sets" include significant amounts of 1st radius curves. OK - I suspect that, even if the locos / stock included in the sets are of some length, they might well be older models (perhaps "set up" to go round tight curves) - but you might not always find too many "full fat" versions of long locos, rolling stock etc in the more affordable train sets. For example, it's not exactly unknown to find "local pick-up-goods" themed sets, with a very short loco (whose design might sometimes be of distinctly dubious origin) and a handful of short, 4 wheel, wagons. There have also been passenger themed equivalents, featuring the "celebrated"* short 4 wheel coaches. I haven't noticed too many sets featuring the 1960 "Evening Star", or multiple units of classes 156, 158 or 159. (*OK - different people have their own opinions regarding the short "traditional" Hornby 4 wheel coaches. As I'm a member of DEMU, I've got other reasons for not buying them in bulk - let's face it, they don't exactly reflect the "postwar" railway scene ... !)

Perhaps. Perhaps not. Some people might wonder why I'm making such a, seemingly vague, comment. Well, not all of us are in relationships / families, in which our hobbies (including railway modelling) are shared or willingly accepted by "significant others". A number of people whose hobbies are viewed with (at best) thinly veiled contempt have devised ways of getting in "essential supplies" unseen - often right under partners' / relatives' noses. For reasons like this, I could imagine a number of people really wanting to be able to continue using real banknotes when purchasing hobby stuff - this offers an element of "deniability" which cards don't offer - which definitely wouldn't be available if someone else "holds the purse strings". Anyway, I could imagine some "significant others" preferring a different sort of "deniability" - based around the ability to deny certain people the opportunity to purchase models, kits and other supplies. Even if not actually prevented from purchasing supplies, "awkward questions" might sometimes strip away at least some of the enjoyment hobbies should offer ... .

Anyone might be forgiven for thinking that railway modellers might be getting older. I'm sure it's all smoke and mirrors. Seriously though, it gets me how adverts of this nature seem to fill up the schedules on a number of commercial TV channels - it's even worse than the "wall to wall" adverts for "specialists" desperate to shift warehouses full of sofas, carpets and kitchen sinks. Not only are the funeral ads incessant - they also keep on "hammering" me about the fact that I've somehow managed to lose both my parents in the last few years. I know that both of them had been in poor health for years - people I know, from medics to bus drivers, have commented about this when they found out - I also know that nothing I could have done would have kept my relatives alive any longer - but I still can't help feeling that I must have failed them. I didn't like those 5 minute funeral plan ads on YouTube - but at least there's some option to skip most of those, or just leave the room and head to the "bog". Unfortunately, the relentless juggernaut of TV funeral / cremation ads don't come with a "skip ads" flag. Instead, we get the widow of somebody who used to be on the "box" once, giving us a patronising lecture about how expensive funerals can be - before touting some overpriced plan, then insulting us with: "I'm glad we had this little conversation - aren't you?" (Do you really want to know, pal?) If it's not that, it's a cartoon, with a woman talking at her son: "I've been thinking about my funeral - I don't want one - but I do want this!" Really? Personally, I'd prefer not to be reminded about this, fifty seven times an hour - once for every year of my life thus far. Personally, I'd prefer not to find my way into a box - personally, I'd prefer to stay alive (but not be subjected to this onslaught) - personally, I'd prefer my late parents to still be alive - personally, I'd prefer my late gran to still be alive. Personally, I'd prefer it if these advertisers were to change the **##*%%*!!**@@**££** record. Somehow, I suspect there might be more chance of Hell freezing over. (OK - I probably wasn't supposed to make that last comment - but I think it's fair comment - and, somehow, I doubt if too many people would disagree with the point I'm trying to make.) I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea here. I'm definitely not looking for sympathy - far from it, in fact. I'm just saying that most people round here probably think that "enough is enough" with these ads. Unfortunately, a lot of advertisers don't seem to care what we think - especially when there might be the potential to "make a killing" if enough people "buy into" their "get themselves rich" schemes. Well, I could say where I'd like them to shove their "plans" - and their nauseating ads. I could say - but it would only get censored (quite rightly too). Anyway, let's get back to the trains ... .

I could imagine some people taking a different line if they discovered that they were "next door" at a major show. Some people might be turning up with popcorn ... .

Probably just as well this layout isn't set in Germany. You could almost imagine some joker calling it Werken Progress. OK - perhaps not ... .

Probably more effective than most, too. When adverts start on TV, a number of people have been known to "switch off", or go into "cynic mode". They might be less likely to question what's said by somebody narrating what comes across as essentially a factual programme - especially if it isn't blatantly "Grimm", biased or full of obvious "doublespeak". Ultimately, I suspect that Hornby see these series as marketing tools - based around a superficial idea of the sort of stuff that goes into creating new products (but not giving enough detail for this to become a threat) - homing in on a small number of people likely to be popular with viewers probably helps here - as does creating a favourable impression of these people. (To be honest, such an impression is probably fair - I don't think programmes like these would spend any time in the company of jerks!) Anything likely to be controversial isn't likely to find its way into programmes like these (unless you count some guy conducting his own "torture tests" on some of their products) - these programmes need to be "safe" and "comfortable". There will also be no mention of prices. This isn't because of a number of potential customers' "perceptions of these prices"* - rather because prices are likely to change over time, so any reference to prices might restrict how many "additional chances to see these programmes"* viewers might be "offered" (and over how many years). (* I know that alternative descriptions are also available, but ... .)

I wonder exactly how "free" this would actually be to Hornby. I'm not referring to who might commission series like this - and who pays the bills - I haven't got a clue about stuff like this. Regardless of this, I'd imagine there would be other costs involved. Even if a number of the people who appear in programmes are doing unpaid overtime, they might have needed to change their plans to be where the filming crew were - stuff might have needed to be done in a different sequence (perhaps repeated "for the cameras") - and there could easily be logistical costs involved. In other words, I doubt if the series would ever actually be totally free to Hornby etc - but I suspect that someone would have worked out that any costs could be more than offset by the advertising and other potential benefits the company might gain in return. I suspect that, ultimately, Hornby would have seen this as a "business decision". I doubt if these TV programmes were ever intended to address issues like these - or how a number of their customers' perceive their prices etc ... .