Welcome to TT:120

[Compound2632]

1 hour ago, AY Mod said:

I appreciate the technical exactness but I'd be concerned that some may think it's another niche thus reducing engagement 

 

I haven't noticed a problem with RMWebbers failing to engage with the topic...

[Grovenor]

Sorry its late at night, should be approx 2% but its still a noticeable error, 2.5 mm on the length of a coach and not neccessary.

[britishcolumbian]

1 hour ago, whart57 said:

 

Back in the late 1960s my dad met an East German chemist at a conference in Prague. In conversation this East German mentioned he was interested in model railways and my dad replied he had a son who was too. So they agreed to swap model railway magazines when they got home. I got the East German magazine OK, useful for my German O Level, but the Railway Modeller and Model Railway Constructor were confiscated by the East German authorities.

The border guard was probably interested in model railways, too.

[Pacific231G]

12 hours ago, britishcolumbian said:

The border guard was probably interested in model railways, too.

No. In those days Western publications were definitely not allowed to anyone beyond a few carefully vetted specialists in the Soviet Bloc. We had a school trip to the USSR in 1967 which included a day in Berlin (both sides) and, coming back from Ventspils in Latvia (now happily free) on a Soviet ship,  I remember us all rushing to the newsagents in Copenhagen's main station as soon as we docked to buy some proper newspapers. The only English language papers we'd seen since crossing the wall on the train ten days earlier were the Morning Star and the English lanuguage version of Izvestia ( I don't remember seeing an English version of Pravda but that may also have existed)  

[whart57]

It mustn't be forgotten that it was the failure of the Eastern bloc economies to deliver the most simple of consumer goods to their citizens that brought them down. Letting Western magazines in would have shown how bare the East European world had become. As it happened the borders could be pretty porous to those who had the contacts so the black market in clothes and other consumer goods was well supplied.

[Hobby]

True, what's surprising is hoe good their TT stuff was, I suppose that was with exports in mind.

[britishcolumbian]

1 hour ago, Pacific231G said:

No. In those days Western publications were definitely not allowed to anyone beyond a few carefully vetted specialists in the Soviet Bloc. We had a school trip to the USSR in 1967 which included a day in Berlin (both sides) and, coming back from Ventspils in Latvia (now happily free) on a Soviet ship,  I remember us all rushing to the newsagents in Copenhagen's main station as soon as we docked to buy some proper newspapers. The only English language papers we'd seen since crossing the wall on the train ten days earlier were the Morning Star and the English lanuguage version of Izvestia ( I don't remember seeing an English version of Pravda but that may also have existed)  

Oh, 1960s I don't know about. Hungary in the 1970s I know from my dad were different, and 1980s I know from firsthand were different: as a 7 year old I took some magazines in for relatives, including a Playboy...

[PeterStiles]

42 minutes ago, britishcolumbian said:

d I took some magazines in for relatives, including a Playboy...

One of your relatives was a Playboy?

[britishcolumbian]

18 minutes ago, PeterStiles said:

One of your relatives was a Playboy?

No, the magazine...

[rekoboy]

On 17/10/2022 at 11:32, Hobby said:

True, what's surprising is hoe good their TT stuff was, I suppose that was with exports in mind.

The GDR was very export-oriented but their good products were only too often undersold in order to maximize hard-currency income - which sometimes caused the country to be seen as a bargain-basement producer - which it wasn't. The quality of household electrical goods was very good - we have a GDR vacuum cleaner and a kitchen mixer, both in bright orange, still in reliable service. Interestingly, E German business provided a very large proportion of the electrical and clothing products in the W German Quelle and Neckermann mail-order catalogues. Those E Germans who, by what ever means, got to get copies of those catalogues were often extremely frustrated to see products such as Piko and  Berliner Bahnen model trains (sometimes under different names such as 'Play Good' or 'Good Play'), stereo systems and washing machines on sale for much less than the price in E German shops - which were often bottom of the list for supplies. Export customers came first. However, those lucky E Germans who had official access to hard currency, often as a result of an inheritance in W Germany or the USA, received a Genex mail-order catalogue from an E German enterprise which had largely western-label products in it at often very keen prices, especially if the products actually originated in the GDR! Thus it was possible, if you had inherited a pile of hard currency, to buy an E German car, such as a Wartburg, at a hugely discounted price with no waiting list. My brother-in-law, Jochen, in Thüringen inherited a good sum from an aunt in the West and was able to re-equip his kitchen with Bosch products at prices well under the standard W German ones

Edited October 21, 2022 by rekoboy

[whart57]

If you were starting out in photography in the 1970s then an East German Praktica SLR was what you wanted. It was half the price of a Canon or Nikon, but the lens was just as good. It was just a bit more basic and clunky. Basic is what you wanted though if you wanted to understand shutter speeds and f-numbers and how they worked together

[rekoboy]

Aah, yes! Memories! Interesting, though, that the late 80s top of the range GDR SLR was the Jenaflex, based on the Praktica B series - here it cost a couple of hundred - in the GDR it was export only, as was most of the B series. My wife's family were generally very unhappy about the fact that English photographers (including this writer, sadly) were enthusing about top entry-level cameras that they in the GDR could neither find in the shops nor afford - unless they had hard currency.

Edited October 19, 2022 by rekoboy

[Dava]

Is this a source of static TT-120 locos? Royal Hampshire pewter cast locos are available for £5-10 on EBay. This is a Battersea Suburban tank loco, the gauge is 12mm and the side elevation is to scale, it seems slightly narrow but I don’t know the prototype width. The range includes Gresley and Stanier Pacific’s and HST power car but I don’t know if they are all to the same scale. Beyond motorisation but an accessible way of sampling the size of British TT-120 scale.

 

Dava

[Pacific231G]

On 19/10/2022 at 16:31, whart57 said:

If you were starting out in photography in the 1970s then an East German Praktica SLR was what you wanted. It was half the price of a Canon or Nikon, but the lens was just as good. It was just a bit more basic and clunky. Basic is what you wanted though if you wanted to understand shutter speeds and f-numbers and how they worked together

OFF TOPIC

OT but I've still got the Practika my Dad gave me when I upgraded from the Kodak Retinette I used as a youngster  (on which I learned about shutter speeds, f-stops and ASA numbers)  It was rather clunky so I later bought a Ricoh kit from my sister who was going compact and never used the Practika again. The Ricoh has also not been used since I went digital but I do have a converter to use its lenses with my current Lumix DX2. I don't think the lenses for the Practika are worth getting a converter for but I might investigate that.

Also from behind the iron curtain I still have the Soviet Kiev-Vega 2 16mm stills camera that I bought in a hard currency shop in Leningrad in 1967. It was based on the Minolta.  We thought it was a spy camera (they were far smaller) but it was actually a pocketable camera for general snapping. While still at schools I could get ends of rolls from the school's film society to reload the standard Minolta cassette but later bought the loaded cassettes that AFAIR came with a processing deal. The pictures weren't a patch on what I got from the Retinette so I never used it much. 

 

BACK ON TOPIC

I do have a couple of Berlinerbahn TT locos I bought to use for H0m. I wasn't very impressed by their build quality but now have a couple of Tillig H0m  060Ts and they are very good runners. I should look at the Zeuke railcar again though as that runs well and could well provide the mechanism for a French metre gauge autorail.  

Edited October 21, 2022 by Pacific231G

[Millimodels]

I was wondering whether to issue some of my 1/200 scale card locos from my Millimodel kits  at 1/120 scale. I have test built them at 1/100 with extra parts and they seem OK.

GCR 4-4-2T at1/100 pictured below.

 

Robin

 

[Rhys]

I've watched this topic for 3 weeks now...

Having been modeling in TT for over 30 years (abet in TTn3.5) I have mixed feelings about this.

It feels like I  have been living in a quiet out of the way hamlet for 30 years and woke up to discover that not only is someone building a large shopping center in the next field but there are people roaming the lanes telling the locals we have been doing the gardens and housepaint wrong.

The plus is that we should see a stack more 2nd party lineside bits for the rest of us to use.

[Hobby]

What's TTn3.5? I guess 3mm scale scale using 10.5mm gauge track to represent Cape Gauge?

 

Not sure there's anyone telling anyone they've been doing anything wrong, I've been modelling in TTe (1:120/6.5mm gauge) for several years as well, and certainly don't feel that, more a sense of relief that we are now likely to get some 1:120 scale stuff rather than having to consider compromising with 3mm! I suppose it depends how you read things, Hornby are pushing a new scale so it's inevitable they'll push it hard but I haven't see any of the "we're right and you're wrong" element other than the scale/gauge bit.

Edited October 29, 2022 by Hobby

[Dava]

On 24/10/2022 at 07:35, Millimodels said:

I was wondering whether to issue some of my 1/200 scale card locos from my Millimodel kits  at 1/120 scale. I have test built them at 1/100 with extra parts and they seem OK.

GCR 4-4-2T at1/100 pictured below.

 

Robin

 

Not only the locos, the complete trains could provide useful ‘period’ rolling stock for background or fitting with running gear.

 

Dava

[Rhys]

22 minutes ago, Hobby said:

What's TTn3.5? I guess 3mm scale scale using 10.5mm gauge track to represent Cape Gauge?

No, its TT scale on 9mm gauge track. And being from New Zealand I've never called it cape gauge.

[Hobby]

55 minutes ago, Rhys said:

No, its TT scale on 9mm gauge track. And being from New Zealand I've never called it cape gauge.

 

Perhaps you don't as it's your local gauge? In the UK 3ft 6ins is known as Cape Gauge though I see that it's called "Colonial Gauge" in NZ. See link below.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3_ft_6_in_gauge_railways

 

Thanks Rhys, I wasn't sure as others have used TTn3 as 3mm scale/9mm gauge designation for 3ft gauge! your's is next step up from mine, then! I have some TT models of metre gauge German prototypes which also use 9mm gauge, designated TTm.

Edited October 29, 2022 by Hobby

[Rhys]

Yes, here its just the standard gauge. The scale has some comercial support in the form of kits and 3D prints. We do use N scale mechanism's and wheels (US for preference as the production runs tend to be longer).

[Hobby]

What sort of kits? Just interested if there's anything I could use!

[Rhys]

Trackgang products

https://trackgangproducts.co.nz/

[whart57]

On 29/10/2022 at 08:29, Hobby said:

 

On 29/10/2022 at 08:49, Rhys said:

No, its TT scale on 9mm gauge track. And being from New Zealand I've never called it cape gauge.

 

 

When I have had my Thai stuff (3mm scale on 9mm gauge) get into print Continental Modeller call it TTm

[Hobby]

Mmm, yes, they are not known for their accuracy of the designations! ;)

 

TT3m?! :)