BMacdermott

Hello Chris I am very much looking forward to the Quad Arts!😃 Not wishing to add to your workload but will it be possible to have a video of how the coupling works and how they run round second radius curves? I can't get to Warley. I am sure you have overcome the 'problem' of close-coupling and I am intrigued to see how you have done it. Many thanks Brian

Hello everyone Many congratulations to Accurascale on this announcement - at least I won't have to read the word 'topfeed' in every other RMweb post from now on! (😀Only kidding GWR fans!😀) Seriously though, we wish them every success with project.👍 Within The 00 Wishlist Poll, we listed the 57xx/8750 for the first time in 2018 as it then came within our listing cut-off date. In that year, and again in 2019, the class was Middle Polling. In 2022, the next Poll to run, the class had climbed to High Polling, only missing The Top 50 by just six votes. Brian (on behalf of The 00 Poll Team)

Hello John My 'sorting sidings' lay slightly downhill towards the stop blocks (as per prototype). I have just tacked 40 wagons onto No.7810 - started without even the slightest slip!🙂 Brian

Hello everyone Many congratulations to Heljan on this welcome announcement - we wish the project every success.👍 Within The 00 Wishlist Poll, we have only listed the Class 44 in the two most recent Polls (2019 and 2022) and it was Middle Polling around the half way mark. (Just a reminder: The Poll Team believes it could list well over 30,000 items so the fact that any item is half way or above is a very good result!) Speaking personally, I will certainly have one of the 'originals' as I was lucky enough to be a trainspotter when they were first introduced. Brian (on behalf of The 00 Poll Team)

Hello St Enodoc Fully concur with that. I have left the occasional wider gap on my running lines and the sound effects are very pleasing. Talking of gaps... When I built my layout, I deliberately very slightly angled my freight sidings away from the Goods Line (as per prototype). Modern RTR rolling stock is very free running so, to overcome everything running to the stop blocks, I have strategically positioned some slightly wider than usual gaps where wagons 'drop' into the slot. If you have a number of adjacent sidings (like me), it's best to 'stagger' the slots so that the wagon stopping spots look more naturally random. Brian

Hello Rob That's correct. We hadn't listed the class for many years as the DJM model was 'current'. However, because of all the troubles surrounding the company (and the model) we decided to re-list. As Miss Prism has shown, it was the 'most wanted' GWR loco and came in at overall position sixth. Brian (on behalf of The 00 Poll Team)

Hello Tony and everyone Some years ago, when The 00 Poll Team was struggling to bring down The Poll content from way over 1000 items to a more voter-friendly level, we developed a 15-box checklist to decide whether an item should or shouldn't go in, depending on how many points it scored up to a maximum of 28. Boxes 'scored' 1, 2 or 3 points with some 'weighted'. I won't publish the checklist here (as The Poll Team worked long and hard on it) but - for example - a couple of 'boxes' were: Is the item publicly popular? (Articles, books, seen on the real and/or preserved railways) Is there potential for variants? (Liveries, cabs, tenders, etc) When you sit down and 'score' items that have been made, it is easy to see why! To be clear, The 00 Poll Team has never claimed that models are made because of The Poll - but The Poll should closely reflect what is made, and we believe it has done that over the years. One-offs? Below is how some have fared in The Poll: Bulleid Leader Consistently Top 50. Hush-Hush, GT 3, 18000, Big Bertha Originally High Polling but moved into The Top 50. (Big Bertha was consistently 'most wanted' LMS loco.) Turbomotive, LNER Garratt, 10100 Consistently High Polling for some years. Brian (on behalf of The 00 Poll Team)

Hello Chris I know Simon Kohler very well and recall speaking with him at an exhibition where he was very clear that those such as I, The Poll Team, and many who write here, are more of the exception than the norm (said in the nicest context in case anyone takes that the wrong way!) Brian

Hello Jamiel Fully agree there! I come from the printing industry and have lost count of how many times I have seen counterfeit gangs 'printing £10 notes' on a printing machine that would struggle to cope with the average business card! Aviation has similar anomalies - I have seen a film where a pilot flying mid-Atlantic was speaking directly to an air traffic controller in Heathrow Tower!🙂 My wife had much to do with horses in her younger days. Whenever you see a horse in a film, they seem obliged to make it 'whinny' - never happens in real life like that. As you say, there will always be someone who spots these things. Brian

Hello everyone Many congratulations to Ellis Clark on this model - we wish them every success with the project!👍 Within The 00 Wishlist Poll, the class has been in The Top 50 from the start. In 2022 - the most recent poll - the class came in at overall position 18th. Brian (on behalf of The 00 Poll Team)

Hello everyone Congratulations to Heljan on this big announcement - we wish them every success with the project. Within The 00 Wishlist Poll, the class has been Middle Polling up to 2015 but High Polling in the latest four polls. Brian (on behalf of The 00 Poll Team)

Hello everyone but mainly for Phil (Mallard) I happened to be looking at the Motive Power Miscellany of TI July 1959 (which was published within The Locomotive magazine). It seems that a Castle and two Granges ran light over the SR main line from Exeter to Basingstoke on clearance tests during June that year. Brian

Hello Tony and everyone Dennis Lovett has kindly supplied the following with permission to post here. This fully sums up the situation. Finally, I did omit saying in an earlier post that when makers and retailers show their era systems, they do go to reasonable lengths to explain that they are 'guides' only. Dennis alludes to that below. Brian _______________________________________________________________________________________ The Epoch system has long been part of the continental modelling spectrum. Bachmann’s sister company Lilliput is well versed in it. Back in my Virgin Trains days there was considerable debate on the old MREmag forum run by Pat Hammond asking why we had no such system in the UK? As a result, I suggested one which Pat duly published and there was considerable debate around it. Broadly it seemed to be acceptable to those who saw a benefit in it and unnecessary by those who knew what they were buying. It was appreciated by many that received models as presents ensuring that they no longer received Mark 4 coaches to run behind their LMS liveried steam locomotives! After I joined Bachmann in 2006, it became clear that many were not as knowledgeable about railway history as many on RMweb. It was therefore suggested we adopted an Epoch or Era system to assist both retailers and their customers in identifying suitable products to run on their layouts. The system adopted was similar to the seven era one that appeared on MREmag with two additional eras suggested giving us early emblem / late crest and also Pre-TOPs and TOPs in the BR post steam periods (when five digit class numbers were introduced). At the time, Bachmann challenged various organisations such as the Historical Model Railway Society to devise something better and if they did Bachmann would adopt it. No one did and the Bachmann system became established with retailers, in the model railway press and eventually by other manufacturers. The first eight periods are all in the past and therefore, do not need any great refinement. The only controversy appears of Period 9, the Privatisation era where there have been umpteen changes in franchises, franchise holders, liveries and ownership. Hornby decided to split Era 9 to create two more covering the privatisation period whereas Bachmann have not. The next big change will no doubt come with the creation of Great British Railways, however none of us know how that will pan out over the coming year or so. Of course, the Era descriptions are only a guide. I can recall seeing Network SouthEast EMUs working out of Kings Cross almost ten years after the BR sector ceased to exist. There is now an InterCity Mark 4 set with a Class 91 working on the ECML which was not foreseen when the system was developed, not sure how we explain that one! Nothing beats good research and I expect many on this forum will be able to obtain the information they require from a variety of sources. For those who have neither the time or the inclination to find it for themselves, then the Era system fits the bill. No system will suit everyone’s needs or tastes. The Bachmann Era system was designed to help those who required such information. That it is now widely used seventeen years after it was introduced, shows it is still relevant today. If it was not, it would have disappeared years ago. There will of course be overlaps between eras, changes do not and cannot happen overnight on a specific date although in these days of vinyl stickers they are now quicker than when everything had to be repainted in a major works. Hope this helps Dennis

Hello PLP An Ivo Peters photo taken 12 August 1961 shows the speed limit sign clearly as 55mph. You can find the photo on page 61 of Mike Arlett's book, The Somerset & Dorset at Midford. Chris Osment (Railwest on here) will almost certainly be able to answer the signal query. I guess he will see 'S&D' in your title and respond. If not, I will nudge him. Brian

Hello Tony and everyone As noted, I am not a fan of the era system but - to be fair to at least some makers, including Bachmann - their websites and packaging almost always go into great detail about a model's history. Accurascale, for example, show Era 5 on the box of their No.7812 Erlestoke Manor along with a small photo - but then supply a 16pp A5 loco history booklet in the box. Of course, such a history is fairly easy with the likes of, say, Flying Scotsman and most locos that lasted until BR days or have been built since. It gets harder with PCCS and NPCCS and even harder with wagons (unless built in modern times). I'd rather the system didn't exist but it seems here to stay. Perhaps best to just ignore the fact it's there? Our hobby seems to be growing exponentially and - in these days of 'on-line influencers' - there are bound to be factual errors and confusions. Those who want to research their models more deeply will do so. Those who don't, won't. I applaud the many makers who are now going to extraordinary lengths to give us superb models backed up with researched data. Brian

Hello again I have just looked at the Bachmann 2007 catalogue, and that states that the system was introduced in 2006 "...to provide extra information to new comers to our range..." Brian

Hello Tony and everyone To the best of my knowledge, the 'original' era system was set up by Bachmann - mainly to assist less knowledgeable shop assistants to put stock into broad chronological context. Continental modellers have had the 'Epoch' system for many years, There were, I believe, nine eras originally - and those have been increased by others to the current 11. I'm no fan of the era system myself (!) but can see that it has value to some. I know Dennis Lovett very well (late of Bachmann PR), so will drop him a line to confirm my beliefs above. Brian

A good point, Chris! Within The 00 Wishlist Poll, the R1 has been steadily climbing up the ranks and has been High Polling in 2018, 2019 and 2022. (The Poll didn't run in 2020 or 2021.) Brian (on behalf of The 00 Poll Team)

Hello everyone Congratulations to Rapido on this announcement. We wish them every success with the project.👍 Within The 00 Wishlist Poll, the class has been steadily climbing and was in High Polling in 2019. In 2022 (the next Poll to run), it had very slightly slipped back into the Middle Polling segment although higher up in the LNER Locos category. Overall, it was still in the top half of overall voting. Brian (on behalf of The 00 Poll Team)

Hello everyone Many congratulations to Rapido on this announcement which expands their SECR range! Within The 00 Wishlist Poll, the class had been High Polling for some years and entered The Top 50 in 2019. The Poll didn't run in 2020 or 2021 but, in 2022, the class was still in The Top 50. We wish Rapido every success with the project. Brian (on behalf of The 00 Poll Team)

Hello everyone Congratulations to Rapido on what will no doubt be a very welcome announcement!👍 We were about to list these locos in the forthcoming Quirky Poll but will now replace them with something else. Yet another winner for Quirky! (The Quirky Poll 2023 will run from around mid-December - more details at that time.) Brian (on behalf of The Quirky Poll Team)

Hello Nick All the best for the next few months! As you know, I have 'been there, done it, and got the T-shirt!" I'm sure it will all be fine and worth the effort.👍 Brian

Hello Phil For lamp irons, I use Peco track pins. I drill a hole into the loco; apply a small dab of superglue to the pin end; push it through the hole to decent depth with a pair of track cutters for good grip; when glue is firmly dry, snip off both ends to correct size. Not totally 'prototype' - but it works. Brian

Hello Phil I have a Hattons/DJM 14xx and it runs fine. I use what were KPC hand-held controllers with feedback tuned to virtually zero. On one occasion, a controller came back from repair with the feedback accidentally 'on' - and the 14xx performed as well as the average kangeroo! (All other locos were fine.) The controller was returned and corrected...and all was well again!🙂 Brian

Hello everyone Congratulations to Bachmann and EFE on these announcements In The 00 Wishlist Poll, the Class 70 has always been High Polling and reached The Top 50 back in 2018 as well as in 2022. Brian (on behalf of The 00 Poll Team)