Mark Laidlay

Most in your position corrected the gauge and stayed with 4mm scale. But you corrected the scale, it's a pity that many more didn't. Did you see two options and what drove your decision?

Is there any interest in HD two rail track, I've found a few bits in a deceased estate.

There is a H0 scale mini next to the 911. I don't do overscale ballast either, I use paving sand mixed with a bit of tile grout to get the colour I want. The worst ballast I see is overscale mainline ballast in a loco depot, imagine all the workers comp claims those railways must get due to rolled ankles etc. I must admit that bike in this photo is 4mm scale.

I see some people arguing that beginners need to know what will suit their "00 gauge" railway. Surely they would just as easily know if the products were labelled "00 scale". That minor change would avoid some of the confusion between gauge and scale that I see in the UK more than in other markets. People who are confused will often not ask questions due to embarrassment so may drift away from the hobby. I notice that Hornby are using "scale" in regard to their TT120 line. I read magazines and consume other media from the US, UK and Oz.

Maybe I'm overly fussy but I can't mix models from different scales in the same scene. Forced perspective uses the full scale in the foreground with smaller scales in the background so overscale models won't fit on my H0 scale railway. Surely everyone can see the 4mm scale car in the attached photo amongst the H0 scale cars.

But aren't there standards that use 16.5mm gauge with finer flangeways and wheels? Are you pinching their name?

Or people thinking they are modelling "finescale" because Peco told them when they bought code 75 track, it's still "univeral" standards!

My re-collection is of a layout called Broadford, the BG was 18.2mm. While many people model HO BG using 16.5mm gauge is a problem it's not the same issue as confusing people by calling a building "00 Gauge". I do know where Launching Place is.

I think you have your lost colonies confused, it as a Bing Crosby who dreamt of a white Christmas, he lived in the USA.

No I'm not.

They are the names used during my formative years. Today I find it irritating when people refer to "Christmas Lunch" Dinner is traditionally the midday meal.

Much the same as the US but it's just as messy as most places. The problem specific to the UK is the common use of the word "gauge" in relation to a non rail model - tree, building, car etc.

When I'm in charge after the revolution I will mandate that the nomenclature will tell us the scale, gauge and standards. P (Proto) 4 (or 76) S (standard gauge), P87S. U (Universal) 4S would replace 00. C (coarse) 7S, C48S, S10S. Exceptions to standard gauge (broad or narrow) would be indicated by either the gauge of the model track or the gauge of the prototype track.

So is anything that runs on 9mm gauge track "N gauge"?

My railway is H0 scale Australian prototype and any 4mm scale cars stick out badly, remember they are 12% to long, 12% to wide and 12% to high so the total volume is much greater.

I'm coming to the UK from Australia for the York show then staying around 6 weeks and I feel a need to discuss this now so I don't annoy everyone when I get there. Why is it UK modellers refer to product by gauge rather than scale? 4mm scale is the worst offender due to at least 3 standards/gauges being in place, 00, EM and P4. I see all sorts of things advertised as "00 gauge" even if they won't be going on the track being a building or a motor car. Why not just call these things "4mm Scale"? It's all very good making it easy for beginners but they are very soon going to ask "what's the difference between gauge and scale?".

Further to the above we are going to start in York at Easter and towards the end do Pendon. I see there is another "model railway museum" at Butterley that we will do also. Are there any more worth visiting for high end modelling, I'm not interested in flashing lights, glib cameos and lots of animation. Mark in Melbourne

Maybe that's answer, try to file them down. Please let us know how it goes. Mark in Melbourne

Has anyone done anything about the steps over the valve gear? The must be way over-scale as they hit platforms that everything else clears. Maybe there is an etched brass replacement available, Mark in Melbourne

Or just ignore it.

Also I would like to see "Broadford" the Australian prototype layout which I believe is still on the UK exhibition circuit. Any hints around as to where it might be seen?

Ah but being Australian I have no idea when May Bank Holiday weekend is, other than in May of course. Mark in Melbourne

Is there a British prototype H0 Group on Facebook? Mark in Melbourne

York was the reason I was starting at Easter in the UK and I will also do Expo EM then head for Heathrow and home to Australia. It sounds like Railex is going to be too late unfortunately.

I'm looking at travelling to the UK in 2023 and want to attend at least one exhibition with high end layouts, something like Scaleforum. I was hoping for early in the year (April-May) and Scaleforum appears to be September. What's worth attending early in the year for someone who wants to see P4, EM and S7 layouts? Mark in Melbourne