Thoughts about TT

[britishcolumbian]

On 11/02/2023 at 00:07, rogerzilla said:

The Chadwick Model Railway channel has some interesting insights into the Easterner TT set.  Charlie demonstrates that the track isn't very well made (the curves are too small in arc for a proper circle, and twisted outwards) and suggests you should try Peco instead.  Also, because OO (except the track) is oversized compared to HO, TT is much closer to N rather than being halfway between OO and N.   It is more like halfway between HO and N.  I agree with this and would choose N instead as there is plenty of s/h stuff in N.

 

He isn't a fan of the direct sales model, it's safe to say.

My takeaway from it is that he set out to slag 1:120 and Hornby off from the start. I don't feel like he had any intention of saying anything good about it at all. And re the size, as someone pointed out elsewhere, the Minitrix A4 is well oversize for 1:148 so doesn't accurately portray the scale difference. N still suffers the same issue of incorrect scale/gauge combination that 00 has. TT remedies this. (To be quite frank it has always boggled my mind how so much of the British market has just always accepted this.)

[rogerzilla]

The gauge error in British N is pretty small, though - 4" out, or 0.66mm, which is quite hard to see. Nowhere near as bad as OO, which is 7" out and really obvious from the front.

[britishcolumbian]

18 minutes ago, rogerzilla said:

The gauge error in British N is pretty small, though - 4" out, or 0.66mm, which is quite hard to see.

4.5", so 0.7 mm, but. Maybe this is because I'm coming at this all with North American eyes, but like 00, British N also doesn't convey that broad gauge feel that British equipment has, being so small on the same gauge we use here for much bigger trains.

[NCB]

The Hornby track I've bought so far is fine.

[rekoboy]

3 hours ago, rogerzilla said:

The gauge error in British N is pretty small, though - 4" out, or 0.66mm, which is quite hard to see. Nowhere near as bad as OO, which is 7" out and really obvious from the front.

I do not understand what this has to do with TT 1:120. I would prefer to read comment and informed discussion from modellers who have bought or intend to buy Hornby 1:120, or have personally seen Hornby 1:120 in action or are involved with US or European 1:120 in some form, or have an open mind to new developments rather than experience comment from those people who have already imagined Hornby failing or see TT 1:120 as a curiously foreign and un-British system which is not to be encouraged.

[rogerzilla]

16 minutes ago, rekoboy said:

I do not understand what this has to do with TT 1:120. I would prefer to read comment and informed discussion from modellers who have bought or intend to buy Hornby 1:120, or have personally seen Hornby 1:120 in action or are involved with US or European 1:120 in some form, or have an open mind to new developments rather than experience comment from those people who have already imagined Hornby failing or see TT 1:120 as a curiously foreign and un-British system which is not to be encouraged.

Because another member raised the issue of gauge accuracy.  I don't think this board is supposed to be a worship of TT, rather a discussion 🙂

Edited February 12, 2023 by rogerzilla

[rekoboy]

I am a TT enthusiast, not a worshipper, and I seek neither TT worshippers, nor nitpickers, rather open-minded modellers who are ready to give new developments a chance.

[NCB]

Wonder if Chadwick used the #6 curve by mistake ... 😁

[Glob-Ally]

As someone potentially interested in a venture in to TT120 as a way to get properly in to the hobby (after several failed attempts tinkering around the edges in OO and N), I was very struck attending the big Doncaster show at the weekend with my trains-mad son that there was absolutely no evidence of TT120’s existence to the thousands there. I’m sure some of the exhibitors had Peco track on sale but there was no sign of advertising for, let alone a demonstration of, Hornby’s product.

 

I get that Hornby’s marketing pitch isn’t to people already established in the hobby, but it seemed like there were a lot of families like mine at Doncaster. People who went as something interesting to do locally on a cold Sunday with kids who like trains. People who will only go to that one exhibition this year. And who probably look at the (excellent) layouts there and think they could never do it, so don’t buy anything. Is that not the perfect demographic to be selling this manageably-sized complete-system train set to?

 

The fact that my not-in-the-slightest-bit-interested wife was probably more likely to see an ad for TT120 in the Sunday paper she was sat at home reading feels very odd I have to say.

 

Meanwhile I will be back to reading the excellent posts on here and watching YouTube videos whilst deciding whether to take the plunge…

[rogerzilla]

On 13/02/2023 at 12:25, NCB said:

Wonder if Chadwick used the #6 curve by mistake ... 😁

The most infamous YouTuber of all has replicated the experiment and got the same result.  The curves are just a little too long and a bit twisted.

[dunnyrail]

Like you Glob I was surprised that Hornby did not have a stand at Doncaster. Perhaps it was too far or they found it too expensive to attend. Somewhere in the last day or so I found a list of shows that Hornby will be attending, surprisingly Aley Paley was not one of them. Oh yes was my latest TT-120 mag. Electric Show MK, GBR show Gaydon and of course Warley at the NEC.

 

Club Membership, I have joined up to get the 15% discount on my purchases, will I remain a member when I have to pay? Not sure yet see how things pan out and if the discount remains.
 

The range is slightly disjointed at the moment, for instance why all the fizzy new colours for 08’s rather than an early BR Green to go with the puffers is somewhat strange to me. But I expect this will be remedied in the fullness of time.

[D9020 Nimbus]

Given that some of the EP samples had ladders, which none of the current liveries require, I'd say that's pretty likely.

[Porfuera]

12 minutes ago, D9020 Nimbus said:

Given that some of the EP samples had ladders, which none of the current liveries require, I'd say that's pretty likely.

 

Hornby have revamped some of the pictures in the online shop (presumably replacing pictures of 00 models with TT:120 ones where they are available) and the three Class 08 photos are of those livery samples with the ladders.

Edited February 21, 2023 by Porfuera

[Les1952]

On 15/02/2023 at 21:18, rogerzilla said:

The most infamous YouTuber of all has replicated the experiment and got the same result.  The curves are just a little too long and a bit twisted.

 

He also said it wasn't an issue and the stuff runs perfectly when properly pinned to a board.

 

Someone else has stated on one of the Facebook groups that he rubbished the Flying Scotsman model because of a glue mark on the back of the tender.  He pointed it out (it shouldn't be there) but overall rated the model quite highly.

 

Les

 

[dunnyrail]

On 21/01/2023 at 17:48, D9020 Nimbus said:

It's been done (by Roco) in HO, for a price in excess of €400. While it's relevant to a lot of countries, it's restricted to a fairly short time span. I note that Piko are doing some USATC stuff—they've done the Whitcomb diesel in HO and are planning it in N.

S160’s almost made this century in Poland, certainly 40 years after the war in a few other European countries. The odd one survived quite late in China as well. 

[britishcolumbian]

7 minutes ago, dunnyrail said:

S160’s almost made this century in Poland, certainly 40 years after the war in a few other European countries. The odd one survived quite late in China as well. 

Also in North Korea, but I think they were gone from South Korean rails by the 1970s. (it's interesting that S160s fought on both sides of the Korean War...)

 

Hungary had several hundred of them, too, lasting into the early 80s... that's two of the biggest non-German markets for TT right there. No-brainer.

[franciswilliamwebb]

 

While my hair shirt is away being fumigated I’ve been having a play with TT120, in true table-top mode using Hornby set-track.  This is a right hand junction using 2xTT8009, 1xTT8018 and 2xTT8002 - the last time I saw that many dead frogs was in a French restaurant😉

 

I suppose in the age of the onboard stay-alive this isn’t the problem it once was, but I still get the urge to peer at if from behind the sofa🫣

[Ravenser]

As this thread has resurfaced - what a difference a year makes.

 

Doncaster 2023:  

 

On 15/02/2023 at 16:02, Glob-Ally said:

As someone potentially interested in a venture in to TT120 as a way to get properly in to the hobby (after several failed attempts tinkering around the edges in OO and N), I was very struck attending the big Doncaster show at the weekend with my trains-mad son that there was absolutely no evidence of TT120’s existence to the thousands there. I’m sure some of the exhibitors had Peco track on sale but there was no sign of advertising for, let alone a demonstration of, Hornby’s product.

 

 

Doncaster 2024:

 

Dawlish at Doncaster show 2024