Have The Polls (i.e Us!!) Got It Wrong?

[Bernard Lamb]

If you weed out all the off topic posts you get a rather different result.

I can understand how the merits of the various CMEs cropped up on the A2/2 A2/3 tread but the torrent of posts about Bachmann large LNER machines I find distracting.

Bernard

[Mallard60022]

On 08/01/2020 at 13:08, BoD said:

We need a poll.

I thank you......

[Mallard60022]

2 hours ago, Steamport Southport said:

 

Already happened. I think it's all good humoured though. Any comments I make are purely tongue in cheek being more a fan of big locos with Belpaire fireboxes. But I'll be buying some A2s.

 

Some of the Gresley lot are a bit odd IMO. Why make such a big song and dance over a little duck?

 

It's quackers!

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-35960407

 

 

 

Jason

Oi!

P

[Andy Hayter]

5 hours ago, Steamport Southport said:

It depends if there is discussion in the thread though.

 

The LSWR brake van thread is much longer than the LMS brake van thread. Eight pages compared to three. I reckon they will sell many more LMS ones over the next few years than the LSWR ones as they were ubiquitous and lasted from the 1930s to the 2000s. However you don't really need to discuss the LMS brakes as most people know what they are and there hasn't been discussion about whether the colour is wrong or where they were used.

 

 

 

Jason

 

Equally following the discussions, some who might have bought an LSWR van will not now do so because the colour is viewed as being wrong.

 

But you are right the LMS would automatically have more appeal.

[Mallard60022]

I see that Clive has started a Dieselpunk thread...………….

Ar$£

[Steamport Southport]

48 minutes ago, Mallard60022 said:

Oi!

P

 

I was firmly in favour of the duck. Daffy as it may seem....

 

 

 

Jason

[F-UnitMad]

3 hours ago, Mallard60022 said:

I see that Clive has started a Dieselpunk thread...………….

Ar$£

Where?

I tend to think of Steampunk as "Isambard Kingdom Brunel on Acid".

 

No idea what Dieselpunk should bring to mind!!

[The Black Hat]

Its interesting to look at the way in which some announcements have generated a lot of interest and thus a lot of posts. In the past Stationmaster is right that some threads generated a lot of activity after the initial announcement, where as it could be judged that the interest in some of these is not as strong as others from previous years.

Personally, I think that is a little unfair on this years Hornby release. Most of the excitement has been contained within the Main Announcement thread. Threads for the individual items then were set up by users, whereas sometimes this has been done by AndyY on some announcements when suppliers give over more details. This all depends on the administration of the forum - its up to the mod team to decide whether it is for them to set up a thread or for a user to do it as policy. Everyone seems happy with the status quo and we as users are grateful for the mostly fair moderation and time that the mods spend on the site ensuring all is well. This though cant be construed as being pro/against one company or another, nor a measure for taking our interest, but perhaps could be how much companies regard use of this forum pending on the information they send for Andy and his team to then publish.

 

Some threads and the amount posted on them also depend on the interest generated in the prototype, or the stages that it goes through as the model is made. Some threads can take a lot of time to reach such levels, having started they then lie dormant for ages between announcement and news of development. The Bachmann 158 could be like that having taken a while for the model to develop. Its not realistic for posts to be made to keep in busy and active when less is happening. Heljan threads on things like 47 and Peak are happily sitting under the cover at the moment with some interest generated but these are slow and steady. Meanwhile the Hatton's 66 has a load of messages and lots of information, but much of this is linked to the prototype and much as how it will effect the model. Some models previously have generated a lot of activity when new areas, eras or boundaries are pushed as people post to show their excitement. DJM generated a lot of activity with some models being announced and at first all seemed popular. Some of this was then followed up by Hornby with Q6 and 71 as they went for the same model, before in the end it all went sour.

Overall, there are several ways and reasons why threads can appear or not to be popular or generate a lot of activity. I would suggest these need to be viewed more on a case by case basis and how the model fits into the general picture of the market and options available. For example, 2MT will be very popular and I'm judging this not off the thread on its own there for now, as it will grow in interest, but that it was highly popular in the wishlist that's published and that it will fit into the gap that is there to be filled as people buy all the BR standards or have one as they operated in the area they like. The thread will thus grow more, but also given Hornby announce things closer to their release date this will also cut the length it can grow in.

Does it mean its easy to judge? I'd say not, there are many variables and only when you look at a bigger picture can you use such activity here to build a picture on how well received a model will be by the buyers.

[autocoach]

I usually avoid the UK Modelling and Musings but last night I ran across a video murder mystery that managed to malign steam punk and model railways in the same drama. I normally enjoy the New Zealand Brokenwood Mysteries productions but the first show of season 6 depicted a racist, homophobic train store owner who was also into steam punk as the victim. The murderer (spoiler alert) was his young model railway store assistant with an "incel" problem after being rejected by his now gay daughter. New Zealand model railway enthusiasts and steam punk aficionados along with the LGBT community should all sue the writer and producer for defamation.  The Anti-Cliche people should be up in arms. The political correctness crowd also put in an appearance as the gay daughter of the train store owner had to be involved with a young woman of Maori origin guaranteed to inflame her racist  father.

 

Dastardly depictions of our hobby aside...the main protagonists of the program seem to be sleep walking through their roles now by the sixth series.

 

Interestingly nearly everything in the train store in the program was North American stuff. Nothing appeared to be of UK or of antipodal origin.

[Oldddudders]

The main Hornby thread is interesting, because the astounding announcements of ECML steamers get very little mention, while crucial matters apparently concern multiple-units and liveries for diesels and HSTs. Recently the catalogue itself has scored highly, too. 

[Steamport Southport]

1 hour ago, autocoach said:

I usually avoid the UK Modelling and Musings but last night I ran across a video murder mystery that managed to malign steam punk and model railways in the same drama. I normally enjoy the New Zealand Brokenwood Mysteries productions but the first show of season 6 depicted a racist, homophobic train store owner who was also into steam punk as the victim. The murderer (spoiler alert) was his young model railway store assistant with an "incel" problem after being rejected by his now gay daughter. New Zealand model railway enthusiasts and steam punk aficionados along with the LGBT community should all sue the writer and producer for defamation.  The Anti-Cliche people should be up in arms. The political correctness crowd also put in an appearance as the gay daughter of the train store owner had to be involved with a young woman of Maori origin guaranteed to inflame her racist  father.

 

Dastardly depictions of our hobby aside...the main protagonists of the program seem to be sleep walking through their roles now by the sixth series.

 

Interestingly nearly everything in the train store in the program was North American stuff. Nothing appeared to be of UK or of antipodal origin.

 

Sounds like Corrie....

 

Did the "train" bloke have NHS glasses held together with sellotape? 

 

 

Jason

[Nearholmer]

Speaking as a bloke who is into railways, who recently had to renew his 1960s-NHS-look-alike glasses, because the carefully applied duct-tape holding them together was beginning to fail, I don't quite understand the point that's being made here.

[John M]

On 18/01/2020 at 09:01, autocoach said:

I usually avoid the UK Modelling and Musings but last night I ran across a video murder mystery that managed to malign steam punk and model railways in the same drama. .

 

Interestingly nearly everything in the train store in the program was North American stuff. Nothing appeared to be of UK or of antipodal origin.

 

A reasonably reflection on railway modelling in New Zealand where the hobby is conducted in a similar manner to the United States with specialist groups representing American and New Zealand modelling holding meetings and conventions rather than the UK model with public exhibitions. 

 

American modelling is predominantly rtr and kit supported by model shops and specialist suppliers, NZR modelling is more craft based supported by specialist suppliers and unlikely to be available over the counter in a hobby or model railway shop.

 

Funnily enough Hobby Shops usually stock Hornby, but model railways then to take second place to R.C. aircraft or vehicles.