Les1952

the pond progresses. One complete jar of Gloss Cote tipped in. Mind you it is doing a good job of changing the colour of the grass around it.... More of this when it finally dries the same colour as in the pic (taken while it is still wet...) Les

Some of the latest scenics. First trees have gone in at the Eastern end of the layout over the tunnel. These take time as every tree I've found that is a decent shape and size has had to have a lot of work done on the colour. There will also be some trees in front of the road- how many depends on the number of quality trees I can afford. Also the first trees have gone in between the shed and the town- different species mostly for this area but the same remarks about quality and finish apply. The one in front of the flats has yet to have the ground around it worked on to hide the plastic roots. The area around the shed has had the ground cover extended. A lot more work to do here but it is better than varnished plywood.... Having abandoned the idea of having a second platform - a halt this size wouldn't have two platforms - the area between the running lines would now be just unused space- most likely in more affluent time there would have been flower beds here, though they could still be added. A different angle of the same area. Mr Simon has paid a visit today to retrieve his dog from his holiday here, and suggested that as there is a dip in the ground level here, a large puddle/small pond to the right would be a good idea. That seems a good possibility. the unstarted area behind will be grassed, with bushes and a path from the cobbled area to the shed. Not a road as all supplies will be brought in by rail. Last for now, the cobbled access from the ramp to the concrete goods standing has now been laid in. Again no work yet done to blend it in, but it is there. The goods transfer warehouse is now stuck down on the extended concrete standing. Next is to look on the DM Toys website for appropriate fencing for the edge of the apron. The area around can now get its basic grass covering. Plenty done but a lot to do. How long to April 6th (less time needed to prepare the other layouts for 4 shows and the annual holiday)? Les

The layout is set up again, until the middle of October when it needs to be taken down to allow NO PLACE to be readied for Hinckley show. Running today there seems to be a shortage of serviceable railcars as the morning train to Donaueschingen has a Class 215 pulling three Ferkeltaxe trailers, which haven't even had the railway's crest applied over the DR on the sides. The morning goods is light enough for the 08 (bought at scrap value from British Rail) to handle the train. Nothing for the goods yard here this morning. More pics showing progress when the glue sets and the paint dries- I've been working on that expanse of ground behind the station and between the shed and the goods yard. Les

I got the impression that it was a TT Talk for the sake of having one. I'm certain that anything with a delivery date before mid-October is firm, i.e. waiting for shipping or on the boat for its journey of up to 3 months. A "Surprise" item needs to be in production now if it is to appear by the year end. That means something has been passed for tooling and a slot found. I'm not going to guess what- I've too much to do getting my German TT layout ready for its debut in April and making sure my N Gauge locos are all running well for Warley... Les

I think the target market isn't the twenty-odds but the middle-aged would-be modellers in smaller houses. There is a higher proportion of younger modellers either still with parents or in rented accommodation without the location stability to consider a train set. Those would possibly be the ones more likely to go for 377/87 etc. Les

There's every chance of it snowing on Christmas day. It is just working out where...... (preferably Lapland) Les

Interesting, a certain recent Prime Minister was known as Daggers, short for Dagenham for the same reason... But then again it might just prove that those in the City of London can't count., or that they are too posh to know where Becontree is....... Les

I had problems when the Fell I was sent was an analogue one rather than the sound-fitted one I'd ordered. Two emails failed to produce a returns number. It went back anyway, registered post with the order number outside and inside of the package together with a copy of the order and payment and a statement of what the issue was. Two more weeks after Royal Mail confirmed delivery I had heard nothing. More emails. Two weeks or so after that I saw Michael at the Gaydon show, He promised to sort it. More weeks and more unreplied emails. Eventually just before Warley I got a refund, having given the loco up for lost. Poor service and an impression that where there is a problem Keith isn't all that interested..... Les

Just a thought- if these are recent tooling and regular model shops can't get them, are they being produced mainly (or even exclusively) for the "centre aisle" market to increase brand awareness? Les

Bregenbach in Schwarzwald will be there.

On a par with a Fleischmann loco I returned to Gaugemaster as wholesaler/importer via my local model shop. Les

Yes, I'd spotted that in the other thread and deleted that part of the post. Many thanks for the reply. Still no Geisl chimney though. Les

About 4 years too late for me sadly. I'd have been up for at least six to work Hawthorn Dene. Now I'm looking for about six Hornby ones in TT:120. Les

Only four? I've just been invoiced for a Bachmann ordered 5 years and 5 months ago..... Les

Like this one? I've just completed the layout flier and its first outing is South Notts Show on April 5th/6th next year. High speeds because at the moment there are still too many odd bits of ballast I need to remove- locos stall on these bumps if running slowly. OK, not UK outline but I'm picking up the skills to model in a new scale- and finding that for the first time ever I can't raid dealer's bits boxes at shows and toyfairs for secondhand buildings, cars etc. The UK outline one will follow it, and by that time I hope I'll almost know what I'm doing.... Les

The last two pics are still in the phone (not the camera- that would have been too easy!) However, here is the video I threatened promised. Speeds and acceleration are too high to avoid stalling on bits of surplus ballast that locos find but I can't always see to chop away. They will be dealt with next time up. The pics will follow at some point. Meanwhile the layout is packed up and Bregenbach is on the shed floor with some spiders evicted from the underside and stuff being assembled for Loughborough. Les

So far the replies to my post about the anniversary have been interesting. Perhaps putting two main points in the same post was more than many could handle- as most focused on the running together of UK and Continental prototypes. My 08 will run on Bregstadt as it is conceivable that a cash-strapped German private railway would have bought one that BR were selling off at scrap prices. My Pacifics are showcase queens. UK outline Broken Scar will have an East German diesel shunter which looks quite generic together with 08s and J94s- it is planned as an industrial twig. To repeat the MAIN point of the post. "It is coming up to the first anniversary of Hornby's announcement so perhaps time to look at what has been achieved. Three loco types (A1/A3, A4 and 08- four if you count the A1 and A3 separately), four varieties of coach (2 each Mark 1 and Pullman), and four varieties of wagon, all from new tooling. Plus a track system from new tooling and nine buildings, all from new tooling. This is in addition to items in OO from new tooling" There has been an objection to the thought of calling A1/A3 two different locos- note I didn't. Ignoring the track system and buildings, I repeat the question. Please give me an example of ANY other manufacturer in UK outline which has released eleven new tooled items of rolling stock including three locomotives in one scale. Now factor in that this is NOT the main scale. How many newly tooled items have appeared in any one of Bachmann's subsidiary scales? There has also been the comment that this is a new scale. In its second year it isn't new any more but there are at least as many new tooled items coming before July 2024. Assuming the 8000 Facebook TT-gaugers have a degree of duplication, can anyone give an example of any manufacturer that has brought (say) 2500 newbies into the hobby.

Last day of work before packing up- and almost up to date with the photos. Only two more pre-dismantling pics to come, these showing an overview of everything fixed down. These are still in the camera. The video is also done and the two pics for the first layout flier are picked. BR94 arrives with vintage passenger train. The area around the shed has been levelled and painted brown (shame it dried glossy but it was the only pot I had in stock) read for the static grass. A pair of judicious trees hide the fact that the low relief buildings are actually centimetre forward of the backscene. The paving beside the flats still need relaying and some parked cars and people will disguise the dodgy levels in front of the buildings. Residents would have cars even though through traffic would be limited, the main road being presumed to be offstage behind the layout somewhere. I've made a start on the low relief factory- progress will be very slow as everything involving depth has to be reduced to 26mm in depth from the original 52mm. The doorway at this end of the building has been bricked up and there will be a small yard at the far end, after which a digger will be making a hole for another block to be built. There will be a vehicle placed on the road over the board join, removable as will be the factory. the layout name will sit immediately above the factory to finish disguising the two joins in the backscene. Moving on, the BR94 has retired to the shed now the static grass is laid here. With a little cropping of the foreground this will be used in the MK1 version of the layout flier. Naturally better photos will replace the two on Mark 1 as building the layout progresses. Moving on, the BR280 passes the shed on its way towards Furtwangen. This is a better photo despite the slightly dodgy foreground photo in that clangers are harder to pick up. I think this will be the main pic for the flier. The layout is now boxed up and standing on end. I've added a drop wire on the run-round loop on the tunnel board, as ballasting the line seems to have lost a connection at the fishplate immediately beyond the point. If that is the only electrical casualty of ballasting I'll be very grateful. Last pics of this spasm to follow, with the link to the latest video. Les

It is coming up to the first anniversary of Hornby's announcement so perhaps time to look at what has been achieved. Three loco types (A1/A3, A4 and 08- four if you count the A1 and A3 separately), four varieties of coach (2 each Mark 1 and Pullman), and four varieties of wagon, all from new tooling. Plus a track system from new tooling and nine buildings, all from new tooling. This is in addition to items in OO from new tooling. In that time how many items of new tooling have come from ANY of the other manufacturers even in their main scale? The nearest comparison should be Graham Farish, which is supposed to be Bachmann UK's main secondary scale. Perhaps those who are spending their time Hornby bashing would like to compare numbers. You need to look to the Continent to find more new items- for example in Fleischmann's 90-page new items book. There are well North of 8000 members of the various Facebook TT:120 groups, most of whom are new to the hobby. Any comparable measureable growth elsewhere? As to scale to gauge- what matters isn't 0.4mm on the gauge but that the scale is consistent with the rest of the world. Not 1:148 vs 1:160 as in N or 1:76 vs 1:87 as in HO/OO. This means when I put my A3 Trigo next to a German steamer it looks the right size. The Continentals appreciate this also- a fair number of A3s and A4s have gone to Continental buyers. I also model in N. My A3s from Croft Spa don't look right standing next to the Continental stock on Bregenbach im Schwarzwald- quite apart from the fact that the only UK outline stock I have that will handle the continental Radius 1 curves and less-steep-than-prototype 1 in 25 banks are my Union Mills locos. The scale to gauge thing is best viewed fron the right end. Not all positive- the Tillig couplers are a nightmare to uncouple by hand and do have a habit of uncoupling themselves bumping in the flangeway of Hornby's points and I'm not 100% happy with the transfer of power between the blade and the stock rail, though in N gauge Fleischmann points if anything slightly worse. As to flanges- when the stuff is running it will be difficult to see just how big the flanges are. This video which I've posted before shows my 08 running on Bregstadt with German wagons. By the way the bumping is on stray bits of ballast that I'd still to remove at that point- stock finds it better than I can see it.... The layout is having its ballast upgraded with finer stuff. Les

Penultimate day of building before the layout is packed away for three weeks. Still playing catch-up with the pics but I've also been getting a video done. the good news is that I've also got a pair of useable pictures for a layout flier. The flier will be put together next week so I have some to give out at Loughborough in a couple of weeks time. The first set of trees don't really hide the hole in the backscene, so there will need to be tidying up there as well as a couple of trees behind which can be seen through the hole. A bit of touching up to be done on the bridge. The nearest trees have been sprayed with matt varnish and dipped in flock powder to improve them from the basic bog brush. The ones to go in front of them will also have the bottom branches and the ground under them made more dead with some brown scatter. Houses four and five of the town. The two I'd bought to extend the town are too deep so I'll put a couple of judicious trees to hide the gap between house and backscene and make green space. The factory for further along is too deep but after some thought I can reduce its depth from 45mm to 25mm. Again here some cars, people and shrub tubs can hide the problems with the pavement. The other end is still rather bare and a bit out of focus in this pic, but the Noch roadway now extends the full length of the scenic area and with the edges bedded in properly and cars etc hiding joins between strips it will look good when finished. One tip is to always lay overlaps so the front piece rides over the top of the one behind it. That hides the join from the direct frontal view and makes the view blockers and distractors have to work that little bit less hard. The two main station buildings are in their final place though not bedded in. The "Frauen" sign on the ladies' can be made out. The little waiting room for the other platform is under construction, not that there will be all that many times when two passenger trains cross here. Grass tufts in the background- these particular ones from Amazon came with a very nice pair of tweezers but aren't self-adhesive. Last for today, in the box of goodies from Modellbahnshop Lippe, as well as some wheels for a parcels van I'm building, the first of the figures (including the signature peeing dog) and a couple more Enaos bogie wagons the couplings for the NoHab have arrived. The grotty area in front of it here is the next area to be tackled to make a presentable foreground for the flier pics. Still more to show, but not tonight. Les

The three buildings at the back corner are now all bedded in and a few trees planted to hide some of the imperfections. Two views looking into te corner- darkening the area behind the backscene has also hidden the view somewhat. I need to order some more small plywood sheets to finish the top over here, which will darken it further. On Bregenbach I have a couple of trees just behind the backscene at one point which helped give the impression that it isn't a tunnel the trains are disappearing into. I'll probably try it here after Soar Valley show- I have about 6 useable weeks to get on with this before a holiday to Iceland and BB and NP going out to two shows each. The flat block is stuck in place and now has a footpath to the cellar entrances, with a flower border running along in front of it. Tidying up still to be done at the left end of it. Work has moved to tidying up the edge of the footpath to the footbridge, and getting the other two buildings of the town done. The blog is running a couple of days behind at the moment, so a lot more has been done but the next batch of pics are still in the camera. More to follow. Hopefully there will be a couple of views good enough to make a layout flier before I pack away on Sunday. Les

As I said above Area 7 Backworth Unit kept all of their locos spotless. An inwards transfer would be run for as short a time as possible before being taken into the paintshop for sorting out. It was only in the final year as the diesels arrived that locos became a little dirtier. Even then all five of the working steamers went for preservation, as did earlier regulars 44 and 47, one of which became Moorbarrow on the NYMR. Ashington kept its steam clean until the diesels arrived. In the midlands Cadley Hill had an immaculate fleet which were used in preference to the diesels. Many smaller collieries had locos that only worked part shifts or irregularly within a longer shift and in a good many of these the driver spent his spare time cleaning the engine. There is also the loco at Shop Pit Loco Shed in the Team Valley which was religiously cleaned to spotless on one side and left filthy on the other- it was something to do with complaints. I can't remember whether the cleaned side faced towards or away from the complainant. I'm pretty sure the loco was number 81. First pic is No.9 on first arrival from Burradon, where locos were generally filthy. The pic of it with No.6 is 6 months later. Second pic below is two years on. Final pic for now is the last loco at Shop pit, the immaculate no.32 not long before closure. Not as clean as Backworth but little dirt considering it was some time out of shops. Les

I've just had an invoice for a loco that I ordered way back in March 2018, manufactured by Bachmann. That long ago I'd forgotten I'd ordered it. Presumably waiting a year or two for a Hornby to appear is more of a disaster to the modelling world than waiting for 5 years for a Bachmann...... Les Who expects to be thoroughly hammered by the Bachmann Mafia on RMWeb for pointing this out.....

Area 7 until Durham and Nothumberland split, then Area 1, South Northumberland Area, Northumberland Area and North Eastern Area in order. Of the 4 locos in the pics- 6 was preserved at Brechin (with number 48 which was just as impressive) 9 went to the Strathspey Railway 16 and 49 to Tanfield where 49 works regularly and 16 is yet to be restored. But the foreman took pride in his steamers and the colliery group repainted their wagons regularly. The pics are 1973 to 1975. Les

As noted above last year's heatwave in China took out several weeks of production for a good proportion of ALL manufactured good coming from China. The current heatwave is expected to decimate Chinese production for EVERYONE for even longer. Between the two you are getting beyond three months of slippage just for high temperature. Of course RMWebbers appear to be castigating Hornby for not anticipating this..... Les