What could we dare hope for?

[7013]

One of the editorials recently pointed to how the world of model railways has changed, especially in the last few years.Up until 2000 there was little movement in development of new models. It is well documented how the introduction of the Hornby 'Merchant Navy' heralded a quantum leap forward in the standards of RTR models. Since then things have improved even further and we now have a huge range of buildings as well as locomotives and rolling stock.

One area that we modellers would not have dreamed of a little while ago was the introduction of locomotives that were fairly obscure in prototypical guise. Just look at the latest EP shots of the Beyer Garratt, the forthcoming Wainwright C class in SE & CR colours to name but two.

So what can we expect in the future?

I know this subject has been covered before but who would have guessed we would be in the fortuitous position we are in now and it does not hurt to look at current trends and what may be possible if these trends continue.

I have highlighted steam locomotives, however the development of unique buildings is already on us, specific rolling stock like the 'Silver bullets' are produced, operating signals, the list seems to grow daily.

My choice, based on what is being produced now would be a GWR/BR 47XX. Recently we have had locos like the 'Clan' which were virtually identical apart from their nameplates, Beattie Well tanks a very small class, even the Beyer Garratts only difference in the class are the coal bunkers. So why not a small class like the 47XX which fulfilled a unique roll.

The argument 'It will never sell' does not appear to hold water these days, for the right price and a decent model people will buy it.

So what trends do you see at the present that could lead to new developments?

[Karhedron]

As modern classes are steadily picked off, manufacturers have to look further back for prototypes that will sell. Can this trend continue indefinitely? I genuinely don't know the answer to that one. I think the rise of TMD-style layouts with their heavy requirements for locos have helped in this regard.

 

One of the big drivers has been the shift to batch production which means that locos must pay for their R&D costs in the first run. The success of this policy has opened the doors wider. A logical extension might be subscription models where the run only goes ahead once a minimum threshold of deposits has been received. I believe some locos are produced this way in the US and Australia. It would be interesting to see if such a system would be popular here.

 

On a personal note I would also love to see the big 4700s, particularly if they appeared in N gauge. Perhaps the completion of the new build 4700 under construction at Didcot might spur the manufacturers to consider these locos in the same way that Tornado prompted a new A2.

[Linners]

How about RTR narrow gauge locos and rolling stock for UK prototypes (Ffestiniog, Lynton and Barnstaple, Penrhyn, Snailbeach, Talyllyn etc)? Perhaps this would increase the number of people who model narrow gauge and even prompt those who do model narrow gauge to actually model a prototype company/setting as opposed to a fictional one. Just a thought!

[Xerces Fobe2]

The future - A set of 3D drawings on line that print and paint at home - maybe even print chassis etc in different materials as we the technology develops - Ultimately every model you could every want at the push of a button and a debit of your credit card,. The logical conclusion the end of railway modelling as we know it!

 

XF

[RichardJones]

How about RTR narrow gauge locos and rolling stock for UK prototypes (Ffestiniog, Lynton and Barnstaple, Penrhyn, Snailbeach, Talyllyn etc)? Perhaps this would increase the number of people who model narrow gauge and even prompt those who do model narrow gauge to actually model a prototype company/setting as opposed to a fictional one. Just a thought!

 

+1

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

...One area that we modellers would not have dreamed of a little while ago was the introduction of locomotives that were fairly obscure in prototypical guise...

And now we also have extremely arcane multiple unit trains too, and apparently getting the sales. To go with the surfeit of A4's produced over the decades, a matching Coronation train set does not seem quite as improbable as it once would have.

[Mythocentric]

Personally I would like to see more buildings depicting north-western prototypes, i.e. LNWR, L&Y etc. Mostly railway structures but also 'civilian' types. I know there are a lot of ready-made and kits out there but they appear to be somewhat limited in general scope (more GWR anyone?). Also perhaps a website for drawings for scratch-building. The many superb drawings featured by Railway Modeller magazine springs readily to mind. A one-stop source like this would be superb!

[YesTor]

Random perhaps but... A retooled Bachmann Class 66 with a decently detailed underframe - the current one in my opinion is a little crude looking by more recent standards.

[Baby Deltic]

dcc clag?

[Dagworth]

An end to wish-list type threads? Or is that one step too far...

 

Andi

[Jan]

World peace?

[grahame]

As modern classes are steadily picked off, . . . . .

 

 

Ahh, if only that were really true. In N gauge there's still plenty of units, both electric and diesel, to be produced. Perhaps it could be said that they're keeping up with new real loco developments rather than making significant inroads. And, of course, as our models develop and improve over time, the earlier production versions of them will continually need to be re-visited to be brought up to acceptable modern standards, including the 'modern' classes as well as steam/historic ones.

 

But for me, the one thing to dare hope for would be a decent British outline RTR N gauge track system to accommodate and match the current better standards we enjoy on the stock - such code 40 rail for the finer profile wheelsets, narrower flangeways for the wider BtBs, accurate sleepr size and spacing, and choice of BH or FB.

 

G.

[Physicsman]

Tied in with Grahame's comment in the previous post, I wonder if there will ever be a "proper" OO gauge track system produced (by Peco or somebody else). I know this is much-debated, but this thread is looking at what might happen. Given the production of minor loco classes - which maybe have limited appeal - you might expect due consideration could be given to the track system which the majority of modellers have to use.

 

Jeff

[chaz]

I wonder if "DCC sound" will die a death like some other fads have done?

 

Not a chance! This "fad" is a big step forward in realism. DCC is widely used in the USA (a much more important market than the UK?) and judging by numerous YouTube videos sound is also now being accepted as de rigeur. DCC and sound are not without their drawbacks, and they are some way off perfection, but when I hear my 7mm model of D5330 start up, tick over and then move away with that characteristic Sulzer sound I am transported back to Hatfield in the late fifties.....or a grimy ex-GNR saddle tank hissing and wheezing as it trundles a few wagons into a siding.....

 

When I started fitting my locos with sound (they have all now been "done") it was agreed with my guest operators that we could turn the sound off and run the layout in "stealth mode" if we preferred. We never have. I took my DJH V2 to a club open running session recently - that 3 cylinder Gresley beat drew a small crowd (unfortunately, as it was running on DC, I couldn't make it whistle).

 

Chaz

[cromptonnut]

An Adams Radial, as used on the Lyme Regis branch, and preserved on the Bluebell, would make me quite happy. OO or O, don't mind, either works for me.

 

Are you listening Dapol...?

[edcayton]

^{Working inside motion in steam loco's}

 

^Ed

[Metr0Land]

I'd go along with the thought that 3D printing is currently in its infancy and will take off in a big way - somehow. As we're barely beyond 'dipping toes in water' at the moment I suspect this has a long way to run - especially if it becomes really viable for all the small suppliers who do parts to modify extisiung stock.

[Barry Ten]

I wonder if "DCC sound" will die a death like some other fads have done?

 

Steam sound doesn't seem to be catching on particularly well, does it? Compare and contrast

with America where almost every new steam model has sound as a standard option ... and at

increasingly affordable prices. The release of new steam-sound models in the UK is very slow

and seems to be restricted largely to express passenger types. When the G2A came out the reviews

noted that there was provision for a speaker in the tender, but there's not been any factory-issued

sound version in the three years since the model was released. My guess is that the cost differential

between plain RTR and the sound versions has been too much for the UK marketplace. So yes,

I could see RTR steam sound dying out unless there is a concerted effort to push it and expand the

range of available types.

[melmoth]

Perhaps RTR steam sound has more of chance in 7mm where the price difference between fitted and non-fitted would be lower as a proportion of the cost of the basic locomotive.

[Guest Max Stafford]

RTR steam sound will catch on when it becomes more than a hiss and unsynchronised chuffing that continues even on slowing down. Nothing that I've heard sounds remotely organic and plausible in the way the 6LDA simulations do. Personally, sound doesn't do much for me as it doesn't include the ambience of track and rolling stock sounds as well as that of the background.

 

Dave.

[The Black Hat]

Steam sound doesn't seem to be catching on particularly well, does it? Compare and contrast

with America where almost every new steam model has sound as a standard option ... and at

increasingly affordable prices. The release of new steam-sound models in the UK is very slow

and seems to be restricted largely to express passenger types. When the G2A came out the reviews

noted that there was provision for a speaker in the tender, but there's not been any factory-issued

sound version in the three years since the model was released. My guess is that the cost differential

between plain RTR and the sound versions has been too much for the UK marketplace. So yes,

I could see RTR steam sound dying out unless there is a concerted effort to push it and expand the

range of available types.

 

Actually, Id say that steam is catching on. A lot of DCC sound has not been done by the main manufacturers and had it fitted ready to run, but plenty has been covered by independant companies and shops. The DCC sound market now seems to be driven by Howes of Oxford, Realtrack with Legomanbiffo sound chips and South West Digital, the latter responsible for a lot of sounds that Bachmann engines have. A lot of engines have been done for sound but you also need to remember where the sounds actually come from. A fair few engines that recordings were taken from are all preserved classes and that means big express engines like Duchess of Sutherland, Union of South Africa, Tornado, Tangmere, and Black 5 45407, etc have all been recorded, because they are out there and still active.

 

Other classes no longer with us need a generic sound chip, with ones adapted from other similar classes or ones taken from archive film to get a right result. Thats the hardest part to do but has been shown to be possible. I have two J39s from Howes that then became available after I said they were superb. The other aspect about steam locomotive is the wheels go round to an extent that they are easily seen. That means exhaust beats must match wheel revolutions and not all models and chips have been released where thats the case. Its much harder getting that accuracy right and linking it to the amount of cylinders and engine would have, than just a diesel where the engine is heard and the motion all internal to the exterior of the engine.

 

I think more engines will be done, but also more steam engines need to be fitted so that sound instalation is easier. A lot of the new steam engines since ther Merchant Navy have not had the proviso for the DCC chip to be fitted and now are being refitted. This still means that you need space for a DCC speaker and there isnt a lot of room in the boilers of the models. Hardwiring is an art form that DCC specialists can do for you, but it would be easier if all engines had the chip in the tender or bunker and cab. Sadly, thats a practice that at the moment, we could only dare hope for....

[PLD]

The next step is already starting to happen. That is a most welcome shift from a loco-centric world with a broader range of coaches and wagons becoming available to the same standards of accuracy and detail as we have come to expect of locos over the last 5-10 years...

[Waverley West]

I'd like to see scanning used for all new loco releases as standard, so that shape issues become a thing of the past. I think certain manufacturers really are missing out here, as models that get poor reviews and suffer from major shortcomings (mentioning no names) seem to suffer in the sales figures.

 

As for sound, I can't imagine running my layout without it, but it's been very frustrating to see the price of sound chips/sound-fitted locos remain so high or get even higher. At £150 - 200+ for one loco (whichever way you do it), it's amazing it's as popular as it is. I have a fair number of locos in the loft awaiting the funds for chip fitting, but with everything else going on in my life, that won't be happening for a while at least.

 

On a personal note, air-con Mk 2d's Mr Bachmann, please.

[edcayton]

RTR steam sound will catch on when it becomes more than a hiss and unsynchronised chuffing that continues even on slowing down. Nothing that I've heard sounds remotely organic and plausible in the way the 6LDA simulations do. Personally, sound doesn't do much for me as it doesn't include the ambience of track and rolling stock sounds as well as that of the background.

 

Dave.

 

Agree! Steam sound just ain't good enough, and it sure isn't as realistic as me going "hiss, chuff, chuffchuff chuff" etc. My fave sound layout is Vine Street whjch is mixed steam and diesel, but has all sorts of noises such as buffering, coupling clank and things; but as you say none of the squeal of stock going round tight curves, points changing etc.

 

However, I expect sound will improve at least as much as rtr has in the last ten years or so, so I shall sit and wait.

 

Ed

[coachmann]

Not a chance! This "fad" is a big step forward in realism. DCC is widely used in the USA (a much more important market than the UK?)

If the USA market was more important we'd be buying out British outline locos from over there! Different yes........It is the home of unballasted three-rail track!

 

As for steam sound, a lot of extra sounds are thrown in just because they can and modellers use them just because they can, and thats really what grates in the confines of a room. That said, I can see the advantage of having a steam-sound loco rinning around the garden as at least the sound would fade away instead of being constant as in a room.