Les1952

Sam's trains tried to fit one. The decoder was too long for every OO model he tried it in except one- the Hunslet, where it the space was long enough, but the decoder was too wide. Les

We know from SK's comments on the Hornby videos, and from snippets in the TT club mag and other places that Hornby have published that there are (at least) three designers working on TT:120. We also know from the Model World TV programmes that Hornby put a designer full tome onto one project until it goes into tooling at which point they move (part time?) onto other things and come back to do mods as tooling samples arrive. We have also seen different projects having different technical problems. From the evidence they've presented even if there is a set sequence of starting each item in the scale it is fairly obvious that there will be some that leapfrog other others. Looking at the loco list the 57xx seems to be the one where they might not have got a good library of measurements in stock. We know from what SK has said that the 08 is more complex than it looks at first- which will have slowed it down. Their aim is still to do two releases per year, but it does look as if some release 3 stuff may arrive before some release 2, and so on down the line. At least we aren't waiting as long as we did for the Farish J72 (was that six years from announcement to cancellation?) or Dapol's Bulleid pacifics in N- which might arrive before the tenth anniversary of their announcement. Hornby needed to set out their stall with a decent range of stuff in the pipeline for the scale to take off at all. They are trying to deliver. I will start to lose a bit of patience if I don't have a J94 in my hands by Spring 2024. Of course if this sabre rattling by the US and China develops beyond just that everything could change. Sanctions would stop the flow- remember that we trade with China in US Dollars. Let us hope it is no more than sabre rattling. Les

Talking to SK at Gaydon specifically about the J94 he said- low bunker, high bunker, conical fabricated chimney and Geisl ejector- though I did point out to him how difficult the latter would be. I'll take one of my OO Geisl fitted Hornby J94s to show him the effect when I go to Warley with Bregenbach im Schwarzwald... Les

Osborns are putting together a nice range of wagons in kit form, with half a dozen or so available already. Just waiting now for the NER 20 ton hopper wagon to appear.. Les

There is a rather nice range of small diesel locos in the Piko range, some of which would pass for UK industrials. Les

Our card reader is having problems reaching the Welfare's wi-fi from the entrance. As a result, although we can still take card payments you'll get in a lot faster if you pay with cash rather than having to wait for the machine to contact the living..... Les A fiver to get in (remember those things called banknotes). Accompanied children free.

Also there is NO PLACE, in the capable hands of Geoff Warren and Eric Beech while I spend most of my time on club sales. Les

Mine will be strutting its stuff on NO PLACE at the South Notts show this coming weekend. I've now given it a very subtle weathering, taken off a lot of the shine and added a tiny amount of dirt where it first starts to show. I've tested it under the screens and it performs perfectly but it will probably chuff around on the passenger and in the shed as it is too clean to be hired to the Coal Board. The dirty WD next to it in the pic won't be going as it isn't sound fitted. Cotgrave Welfare NG12 3PJ, only a fiver to get in (cash preferred as our card machine takes forever to contact the living...) Les

Unfortunately for ALL manufacturers (not just Hornby) stuff is delayed by random amounts mostly by problems in China. I'll give a non-Hornby example. I ordered three of the N Gauge Society Hunslet diesels expecting to run them on my layout "Hawthorn Dene" for which they were eminently suitable. I even had a prototype (unpowered) being pulled round Hawthorn Dene at Warley, where we gave the NGS the award for innovation, expecting them by the following Summer. TWO YEARS later they arrived, by which time I'd sold the layout. Two more years on from that and those who ordered the last batch of liveries are , I think, either only just in receipt of them or are still waiting. I will add, not least because Ben Ando reads these, that the delays were not the fault of the NGS- just a combination of hold-ups by manufacturers, suppliers and suppliers of suppliers. This will also be happening to Hornby. Les

It could be thickness rather than width, or possibly just a little more off underneath to hang the tab of the blade on to. All the best Les

Lincoln MRC have had to drop out, so another new layout taking their place Burch Green as a layout still under construction (but not far off finished as it is going to Sleaford at the start of June).. Play spot the character- apart from Steed and Mrs Peel who else is there? Les

Another layout pic. This one is Marmagne.

No. I think the guy who was doing them might have retired. Les

No chance sorry, the three that I suspect are the old tie bar still are fixed to the layout which is stacked in the corner of the workshop with Bregenbach in front of it until a week tomorrow. Then Bregenbach moves onto the stands and I can reach the layout but not open it until after the N Gauge show at York in May (my TT operations are on hold until then). Les

I would definitely recommend using them for paints and glues- as they sell war games they keep the full range of Citadel and Vallejo paints as well as the more usual Tamiya in acrylic and lacquer, together with a small range of spray paints. A member of my operating team worked in the labs at Croda Adhesives until they moved it to Germany, and he says Access are good for glues. A sound recommendation from one of the inventors of No Nails... Les

My two long points that failed were one straight out of the packet as I was fitting fishplates, and the other very shortly after being laid, indeed only about half a dozen throws of the switch. I bought four (two left and two right) in my first batch plus a replacement from Malc's Models. That would make five early points, of which two failed. The other three of these are in place and seem to work OK, though I am always careful when I throw them- the levers are behind the backscene and I use wire in tube, with a little "give" in the plastic tube in case I am over-enthusiastic with the lever. The second batch of four from Peco took a long time to get to Access Models, so I suspect these are the later version with the strengthened tie bar. The two that fell apart Peco repaired and the engineer's report sent with them states these were then were fitted with the strengthened tie bar. In all I have six Peco points on the layout (those behind the backscene are Hornby as these are a little shorter). Three of these are early and the other three are from my second batch, giving me one of those plus the two repaired ones as spares in case of another failure - which Sod's Law says will happen either just after I've ballasted the track or during the layout's first show.... I'm still waiting for my short points to appear at Access Models. The delay in issuing them after they were first advertised would lead me to believe these have the strengthened tie bar from the start. I won't be using the ones I have on order until Bregstadt is finished and on the exhibition circuit and I'm ready to start Broken Scar. Les

The Hornby points are fine for fiddle yards, and certainly more robust overall than my first Peco ones, two of which fell apart and were repaired by Peco. Having said that I'll probably use Peco throughout on Broken Scar, where all locos will be small and the space saving in the fiddle yard by using the small radius will be welcome. Bregstadt is now past that stage. Les

There aren't many others. Sherwood Models has a wider range of trains and associated bits in OO and are ready to order stuff, but doesn't really stray into other areas of modelling. I'm not sure what Ian's reaction will be when I tell him I'm building a layout in TT (I'll find out next weekend, he has a stand at our show - South Notts at Cotgrave). Geoffrey Allison in Worksop is too far from me really to look. Over 20 years ago they did a range of their own Bachmann Private owner wagons andas I was collecxting Bachmann PO wagons at the time I visited them, a model shop upstairs in a bike shop. The collection stared getting seriously out of hand (as these do) so it had to go and I've only been to the shop once since. Having said that the collection all raised more money on eBay than I paid for them.. Benhams of Edwinstowe I've not visited but watching him in action (from the adjacent layout) with the hard sell constantly at a 2-day show I'm not convinced I want to. I like to buy only stuff I want, not get the heavy duty sales treatment to persuade me I can't possibly do without something he has too many of.... I'm not sure if the Goods Yard at Tuxford is still trading. Having said all that I can walk to Access Models in about 45 minutes, or 15 mins on the bus. Generally I visit on a Wednesday when I'm in town anyway. They do like to get to know their regular customers by name, and to greet you by name when you walk in. That sort of service you don't get from bigger places. The range of stock was a bit run down when Steve was having problems finding a buyer but Tim and co are building rapidly and always looking for suggestions, particularly with model railways where they admit they have a lot to learn. All the very best Les I should have added that I'm chairman of Bingham MRC which is the nearest club to Newark.

I've gone through the first 16 pages of this thread then done a search with nothing found. Access Models of Newark changed hands towards the end of last year. Owner Steve Clark who started the shop around the time I moved to Newark in 1980 (as Portprince Models and Hobbies) decided that he wanted to retire and sell the business. Tim and team are now fully in charge and building up stock. Not a model railway specialist as such, also selling radio controlled cars and aircraft, war games, a good supply of Airfix and similar kits, and a vast range of kits, bits and glues etc. Very willing to get things for you in any scale if they don't stock them. (So far I've had points in TT:120 and Continental locos in N sourced by them). 43-45 Castlegate, Newark. Les (just a satisfied customer)

Less likely to get damaged.... Les Coming up from N where separate handrails are rare.

Two of the latest three arrrivals - the other being a Ferkeltaxi railbus set by Kres. This gives another impression of just how much smaller the UK loading gauge is than the German- the BR80 is quite a small loco by Continental standards. You can tell the BR80 is one of Roco's earlier models in TT gauge with the rather prominent worm visible in the cab and the citcuiboard visible at the other side. Still at under £100 including postage from Germany its price compares well with the Hornby stuff that is to come. I'll wager my J94s won't be as cheap, though they will be a bit less tall. The BR80 is now out of stock at Roco, though Elwira and Donnerbucsch Koln are both showing at least 10 in stock. When I can set the layout up again in May after the NRM N-gauge show I'll experiment with Dapol Easi-shunt couplers on these two. My BR vans may have manifested themselves by then also. Les

It now seems Victoria isn't coming after all- after we put a picture of it in the show guide... It looks like this one is coming instead. Les

Oh good. Put me down for half a dozen some time in late 2024, early 2025... Les By that time I'll be building Broken Scar to run my Hornby J94s on.

He seems to do them in batches, coloured differently each time. Worth bookmarking him if you are an eBay user and checking back from time to time. Les

If your coaches always run in the same rake have you tried a short and a medium length together? The disadvantage would be that you then need to mark the underside of each coach to show which end is which for when taken off the track... Les who had problems with standard plus short pairs of couplings on Mr Simon's 8-car class 101 multiple unit in N.