The Nth Degree

Nothing at all is off the table at the moment. A client of KitPart has got us looking at some 7mm wagons, so coming up with some solutions to production problems has got me thinking about many things for future LLC models. Now that KitPart is acquiring some of its own production equipment (CNC mill next week), along with a second designer/engineer I'm hoping we can move along quite quickly once everyone is up to speed. Very highly detailed wagons should be relatively easy on the equipment we have now, although it does worry me about the potential price point we'll be coming in at; it probably won't be the £30-40 range you're all used to, although current plans do allow for just about every single detail. Assembly prices in the UK are pretty high. It's quite possible that we cut out the assembly costs and supply them as fully detailed plastic assembly kits, which we are also planning to do with a couple small locos. We can then comfortably match prices or compete with other manufacturers, where we would supply a fully detailed kit, while they offer a less detailed ready-to-run model. It's just an idea at the moment. LLC will always just supply cutting edge ready-to-run models, so moving kit products (if we decide to go that way) will be KitPart branded.

Hello Alastair, if you received a cancellation email then you definitely have an active and open reservation. What would be more difficult to ascertain is if you didn't receive an email and you believe you have a reservation. In time I will contact everyone on the order system to see if they are still interested and if they have specific requirements. For example, the notes I made in the old system (where I noted preferences for S7, payment choices, delivery address, etc) was lost so I will need to gather that data again. The release is not imminent so there is still some time. Thanks, Steve

If you order 'Lister' it will come with a predefined nose style as per the prototype. I'll have to look into why you still need to designate a nose if you choose the limited edition. Yes, all development will be shared here (with exclusive previews available to funders first) and at shows – starting with ALSRM in Reading next month.

That is correct. Fire away! Several retail orders have come in already. Please let me know of your experience using the new website and ordering system.

Hmmm, unusual. I can't explain that one, but maybe Andy can help?

The Ruston is a separate animal and will be fitted in wherever there's a slot. The 22 and 50 share the same production facilities (different to the Rustons) so they will appear in that order, but hopefully not too long of a delay between them.

Just the Class 15. All new models will be produced in the U.K. - hopefully in our own factory one day.

The new website is up and running, so please have a look. There are one or two teething issues, but please don't be shy reporting broken links, factual errors and additions you'd like to see. Next week we'll be fixing all reported issues and adding back the old Ruston reservations. www.littleloco.co.uk

Yes, absolutely, nothing for you to do. The website elves will be working on this next week to migrate the old system with the new. I blame the Class 22. With 5 liveries, five noses, two gauges and several options the old order system couldn't cope so had to be upgraded - which in turn made the old reservations incompatible... Bloody Western Region, always had to be different!

We are conducting website maintenance at the moment and uploading the new website for the weekend. You may get a notice that your Ruston reservation has been cancelled, but this is only temporary while we build the new back end. The new website will be live over the weekend so please do have a look and see if I've made any glaring errors or told totally blatant lies! Have a great weekend all. Steve

The website is currently being upgraded at the back end mostly and this will be online by the weekend. You will be able to make retail reservations from then. Expecting a call from the ecommerce people any moment now, in fact.

I hope everyone had a fabulous chocolate-fuelled Easter. The Class 22 project is underway! Some interested parties have requested payment extensions to account for pay days and holidays, and due to the arcane publishing schedules of magazines my ads will be appearing during this month, rather than last month, so I'll have to honour those enquiries too. What it boils down to is that I have opened the closing date slightly for the first instalment, but the second instalment payment date will stay the same (throughout May). The production schedule has been agreed for some parts, so if you happen to be going to the ALSRM event on 12th May you could see a little something of the project in the flesh. The interest in the project has been overwhelming, so finding the time to get back to all the enquiries, plus confirming your order and payments has been a struggle. If you have made an order and/or payment and have not yet heard from me please get in touch so I can confirm it. I have a stack of order forms received in the mail over Easter that I am working through at the moment, so those people will hear from me this week. Thanks all for the interest, orders and support.

Thanks Paul! Yes John, the original design had an easily removable cab but something happened between the prototype and the production models that eliminated the functionality of the easily removable cab. The Ruston (when it's FINALLY released!) has a removable roof and the 22 has a screw in cab.

That is a design with a lot of layout potential. I really like the tree-lined back staging. It could be something I could switch to, considering this is something small to incorporate the leftover research stock I have.

That's much more complicated than originally designed! Good to see all the in-cab details I spent ages on though, but are almost invisible when the cab is mounted. The train marker lights should be pre-programmed into the decoder already for independent control. I believe the functions are in the 20s, but without a DCC manual to hand I can't remember which specific functions. I'm not sure a lighting pattern is possible with one button, but I must confess to not being the most knowledgeable on the secrets of DCC. If anyone knows I would be very interested to find out.

This thread is not really for talking about politics or corruption, but those criminals bought a loss-making, broken company for £1. It was lost way before they became involved.

I wish it were the case Norman, as it'd be relatively easy to solve. The problem is skills and to some extent enthusiasm – or lack of – over here. LLC has made a commitment to UK production (as far as possible) but I had no idea before I made this commitment how much we lost during the 70s-90s. It's coming back though, I can assure you plans are being made. A much more radical idea is required and I'm working with some others to put it in place.

Hello Norman, I am currently reviewing the situation. Until production issues are resolved I can't progress any further. There are a few niggles to get right first then all the parts can be produced as per spec. I have a UK model builder on hand ready to put them together, although I continually have to ask myself if one person is able to assemble them why a factory of professional assemblers can't do it. By the end of the week the factory will be aware of all issues to resolve, and then it will be down to them, which could be another 2-3 months of work. I'm currently managing the schedules of Class 22 production, so time available for the 48DS is very limited, especially when projects at Kitpart are also nearing production.

How do you know this information Meil? Or is this entirely supposition? You can clearly see from my text you quoted I made no reference at all to legality or morality, just that it was a calculated move. My statement is fact. I don't know what yours is.

I know because I wanted to buy it – being by far the most valuable part of the company – so asked the liquidator (as did at least one other I was led to believe). The freely-available information to do so is in the post above this. The company it transferred into has a very similar name to the originating company.

Other things happened too before that event. The IP suddenly transferred into a new company and, in fact, the only things that were left were the debts and the old factory plant. The more you look into it the more calculated it appears to be.

Inbetween the main 7mm scale projects of LLC I have been working on the Z project in spare moments. A very nice chap is currently making a test track with the Martin Wynne-designed turnouts to start off the testing phases. These will test the basic principles of the new standard, and we'll build upon that with various sizes of turnouts and curves, starting with a B7. In virtual terms I've been playing with the arrangements of various components inside the model shell. The Class 25 pictured below is one of the smallest locos we'll produce, so is ideal to test-fit components. We also plan to produce a Class 22 in Z, which is slightly smaller, but the 25 is sufficient to prove the case. The green and orange block is the motor/gearbox, the red components are PCBs and the blue block is the speaker. Yes, a built-in speaker. I'm working on two sound transmission principles at the moment, but still waiting for samples of both to arrive before choosing. The bogie frames themselves will be very heavy, which avoids the need for a chassis block taking up valuable space inside the model body. All components can therefore be clicked into position using lugs in the moulding, or in the case of precision components, be screwed into an exact location.

Sadly, Little Loco Co has had to withdraw from the Kettering event this weekend. By way of apology, for those who have reserved models and supplies we will offer free postage on your order. For those who had planned to make a purchase we are offering the same apologetic deal. Simply email sales@littleloco.co.uk For any traders and visitors that do attend, be safe and have fun! Steve

I would firmly, but respectfully disagree with that assumption. I don't doubt that RTR products have had an impact on kit sales, but I would doubt that would be enough to close down a business with a quality product like JLTRT. Model railway kits are, and always will be, an extremely limited-volume product in a very small market. 100 units sold of any kit is optimistic and generally regarded as pretty good going. One hundred! RTR products can sell 10 times that amount in O gauge, and more for some products. We won't know what the exact circumstances were for JLTRTs closure, but I would hazard a guess that acquiring (and paying for) very expensive plant and machinery to produce products of very low volume would go a long way to explain the circumstances. That is quite a continual heavy overhead that had to be met every month. I would guess, and I stress it is a guess, that RTR products accounted for a drop of 5-10% or so of kit sales. You have to take into account that most RTR sales would have been made regardless of whether a kit was available. Builders of kits, however you view it personally, are very few in number and it is nobody's fault.

Sorry Craig, I don't understand the relationship between my post and your response. I'm not personally aware of people reminding others about time or skills. I've also owned several JLTRT kits, although I only built one of them. And yes, I agree, the loss of JLTRT is a big blow to the scale.