railtec-models

Just as well I check the forums from time to time. I know for a fact that a number of modellers have used at least (1) to (4) of those 5 methods without any issues at all (I have no info on [5]), so it would lead me to believe that there's perhaps something unique to the prepartion method you're using. I think if there were issues with those methods then my Inbox would have been lighting up for the past 2-3 years for all the wrong reasons. As the instructions say - as with any waterslide transfers, building up light coats is preferred to flooding with a brush. Still, every day is a school day so if you could PM/email me details of the order number - which is always the preferred method as I can then check the info quickly - as well as some photographic evidence so I can see what's happening, that would be good. Railtec Community http://www.railtec-models.com/community.php

They will be in due course, yes. Railtec product also has numerous differentiators, the most notable being it is spot printed so you don't have to cut close to the print to minimise the carrier film from showing, as well as typically being unrivalled value for money. Excerpt from What Sets Railtec Apart Being spot printed, having no superfluous unsightly carrier film - and completely filmless where applicable. Therefore you don't need to cut as close as possible to the print to minimise any film that would otherwise be showing. This also minimises model preparation time. It withstands regular handling and the print does not scratch with a wayward fingernail. It has no join lines in the print. It has perfect print registration (so separate colour layers do not have slight mis-alignment). It arrives in hard-backed packaging to protect the contents.

Do you mean the latest Northern scheme, link below? http://www.railtec-models.com/catalog.php?search_str=northern%20spot&gauge=4mm This is what the 170 Turbostar pack looks like, for example: The earlier scheme is in design and will be released in due course (unveiling of any new liveries, last minute jobs from manufacturers, TOCs/FOCs/govt orgs/magazines notwithstanding).

It's perhaps inevitable that a niche product and method used successfully by one modeller may yield different results when used by another, particularly to begin with. I may know how to drive my car to my favourite photographic spot in record time, but it wouldn't be the same experience (or as quick) if I tried driving a different car the same way - until I got used to it. Naturally I may prefer the merits of one over the other, but the point is that I think there needs to be some consideration when we make blanket statements about X not working with Y, or simply saying X doesn't work at all - particularly if the manufacturer hasn't even been approached or given a chance to respond when the fact may simply be that we're either just not used to the product, not using it quite as directed, or there being something unique to our own method causing an undesired result. Case in point c.f. posts 5 & 7 above. I did try hand-braking the Bugatti round the hairpin bend near me (as that's what had worked well in my previous vehicle), but unfortunately stacked it on the first attempt into a cluster of OAPs at the bus stop. Naturally I went on to the Bugatti forum to let folks know that they should stick to driving Hondas I personally think Chris is asking a perfectly legitimate and brilliantly worded opening question btw, and it's exactly why we have forums, but my concern is when newcomers misinterpret negative individual experiences portrayed (intentionally or not) as fact, particularly if there's no explanation or info. There's a subtle but extremely significant difference between, "What am I doing wrong" vs "I had issues with product X [and therefore so will you]" - and the latter can have an impact on the very organisations that support our hobby. Chris - don't let it get you down. Hobbies are to be enjoyed. I'm delighted that you've been using Railtec bits to great effect and I'm sorry that the Great Western branding isn't something that's currently available, but hopefully with a little bit of practise and perseverance you'll be able to get a good result with one of the others for this piece.

Thanks Mick. 3d waterslide plates for both Colas 4mm locos are available here: Stella: http://www.railtec-models.com/showitem.php?id=2867 Charlotte: http://www.railtec-models.com/showitem.php?id=2866 Particularly since the 3d process was updated about a year ago, they've steadily been gaining popularity. Here's a photo of what they look like now (which is different to when they were first introduced). They're manufactured in such a way that they have some rigidity, so particularly with 66s and 67s as you can see in the image below, they sit on the loco just like the real thing.

Thanks Paul. Glad Royal Mail did their bit too to help achieve the <24hrs from order to delivery. Despite Warley being just a few days away there are custom runs taking place several times a day now, so slotting in custom-made loco numbers or complete loco packs w/ number of choice has gotten to be like clockwork. Now if only the pile of LNER, LBSCR and S&DJR research on my plate was as easy to tackle...

Thanks Mick. Will have to figure out whereabouts you are in the hall and strategically plan a flying visit past the stand to see what you've added this time round.

I agree David - I think real time stock levels and order automation should be a given. Without that, it risks being old school and puts a seamless customer experience at risk. I'm not sure if Shawplan stock levels are linked to the web site, or even if it's possible to place an order on the Shawplan web site. If it isn't, then somebody may want to diplomatically ask if it's been considered when they see him (we share a couple of shows but I scarcely get time to go to the loo, let alone socialise away from the stand). I'd hate to think what the fall-out might be if every single order had to be emailed or phoned in, and if it's not linked in then perhaps that could be the source of some of the frustration. But at the same time, there should be an understanding that implementing that technology and those processes can be expensive, not just in terms of making the technology work (particularly if you have to pay someone to do it), but equally in time. Also quite daunting too if somebody isn't technically minded. Ok it would be a short term investment to be recouped over time, but even so, it's a flip side to think about particularly if you're operating on small margins to boot. I think there could perhaps be one subtle difference though David in your line of products (which I understand a number of my customers enjoy using), and the likes of nameplates, transfers and other smaller detail, and it could be a signficant contributor to the endless crippling tides (or not) of incoming emails and phonecalls. I know little to nothing about kit manufacturing but by its very nature might it be reasonable to assume that the scope for new product is far smaller and hence far fewer people making contact along the lines of, "Can you do X", or "This new livery/name has just been released, can you do that?" Constant changes in the railway scene contribute to probably around 200 new product lines a year of the ~400 I release. If we were still in BR blue days then I'm sure there would be vastly fewer "can you do or will you be doing" type emails and it would free up so much more time to get stuck into some of the items from previous eras. It wouldn't surprise me if Brian got equally hounded with requests for newly named locos, the designs of which seem to be getting ever more ornate, requiring more time to design and test.

I have no idea of Brian's situation and so I won't speak on his behalf, but all I can offer is an insight of what it's like to establish, run and grow a similarly extremely niche business in the hope it may help shed some light on what some people are experiencing with Shawplan. It's good to see that there are some posts detailing positive experiences. Doing this isn't easy. Far from it. There are multiple moving parts that go on behind the scenes on a daily basis, and unless we've ever been in that exact boat ourselves then there's no reason why we would know what that looks like. I'm sure many of us in Brian's position pour every ounce of ourselves into what we do. The painstaking research, design, endless testing, manufacturing, replenishing of stock, preparing all the orders, the daily queueing at the post office counter to send them all out, the 24/7/365 barrage of emails (500+ a week isn't uncommon in Railtec's case), instant msgs, forum tags, social media tags, txt msgs, working with manufacturers both large and small, working with often very tight deadlines of magazines, TOCs/FOCs & govt organisations, prepping for shows, doing the shows, staying compliant with laws, administering the web site/database, advertising, even dealing with legal matters - it is a never ending hamster wheel. And that's before you even think about finding both the time and mental energy to navigate the inevitable handful of "enthusiastic" types, attention seekers, keyboard warriors and sometimes even venomous individuals that this hobby seems to attract. But we do it because railways and model railways are our true passion. It's the reason specialist suppliers even get started, and I'd say it's about the only reason they survive. (Money does not drive the consistent 80+hr weeks). At the end of most days the head is spinning and the body is exhausted, and chances are we've still not got through everything. If we're lucky we might get to see some rewarding comments for our work or somebody post us a photo of a finished model. Do fun stuff and spend quality time with loved ones? When we can. If somebody told my 18 year-old self that I had to make a living selling etched nameplates or transfers to the model railway industry at £4.50 a throw, I'd have had some serious concerns. Would you do it? Yes it's incredibly frustrating if we don't get a response or are unable to buy a product from a specialist supplier - or anyone for that matter. Strange way to run a business. Don't they want our money? But let's just back up a second and think about it. Specialist suppliers are not box shifters, nor have teams of support agents just waiting to take our calls. They're most likely beavering away working hours that junior doctors wouldn't touch, physically designing and making the product besides just selling it. If there's something that can be improved - tell them, preferably politely like a normal person to their face as that might carry more weight (chances are they may not have resource to monitor forum threads). Take someone on? For admin, maybe, but from my own experience admin is probably <10% of the workload, and if I hired a hot-shot graphic designer (costs passed on, regrettably) I can guarantee my phone would ring every 15 seconds with a question like, "Steve, this customer is asking if this class 37 pack for 1974 should have the early OHL flashes or later flashes... what's a 37?" Cue shotgun. That's what it comes down to. What I'm saying is that we should encourage awareness of just how a hugely versatile cross section of our hobby actually functions, just how thinly it is spread, how specialist products and services offered by so relatively few people constitutes a disproportionate volume and variety of what we consume, and it's the reason why when we go to shows that it's not just a string of box shifters. Anyone who's seen specialist supplier stands at Warley will get a good visual representation of what we're up against: a couple of us behind the stand and several thousand modellers in the hall. We want to help as many people as we possibly can but there's only so much we can physically do and when something doesn't work out as we might want it to, there's probably a very human reason why. Right, back to put my feet up after I've taken the Porsche for a spin. Or rather, had my chauffeur take me for a spin

With the kind permission of Andy, below are some of the new offerings to whet the potential modelling appetite. Given the high volume of new 7mm items hitting the market, the O gauge catalog is growing quickly. Packs to suit Dapol's brake van are currently in design, as a number have already asked. Meanwhile here's a lovely example kindly shared by Ian Godfrey of a 7mm GUV with a mixture of bespoke numbering and standard stock items. ...and another example in the form of BR blue 56076 Blyth Power in its heyday from Michael Doyle. Michael and others are available to help in the Railtec Community. Latest offerings 10mm-2002 Complete loco: DRS 20 (compass livery) w/ your number 4mm-5291 Complete unit: Northern spot class 150/2 4mm-5290 Complete unit: Northern spot class 150/1 7mm-1103 Complete loco: D7672 Tamworth Castle 2mm-2960 Nomix Chipman (c1990) weed killer coaches 4mm-1278 Bescot (BS) pack: BR / privatisation 2mm-2336 LNER London North Eastern Railway logos w/ red backing 4mm-7280 XKV Nuclear Flask 7mm-8301 1980s BR freightliner containers 7mm-8327 Bell shipping container: 40ft 7mm-6471 ECC China Clay CDA hoppers: pack A 7mm-6472 ECC China Clay CDA hoppers: pack B 4mm-47830-2 Complete loco incl nameplates: 47830 Beeching's Legacy 7mm-C5068 Complete loco w/ your number: Network SouthEast class 50 7mm-1574 Complete loco: Network SouthEast class 50 7mm-1251 Complete loco: BR blue pre-TOPS class 50 4mm-47749-4 Complete loco incl nameplates: GBRf 47749 City of Truro 4mm-2283 Complete loco: Caledonian Sleeper (Serco) class 67 4mm-1995 Complete locos: DRS class 20 blue/green rectangle livery 4mm-47641-3 Complete loco incl nameplates: BR 47641 Fife Region 2mm-66421-1 Complete loco incl nameplates: DRS 66421 Gresty Bridge TMD 4mm-86401-4 Complete loco incl nameplates: Caledonian Sleeper 86401 2mm-37043-1 Complete loco incl nameplates: 37043 Loch Lomond 4mm-2282 Complete loco: Caledonian Sleeper (Serco) class 73 4mm-C4709 Complete loco: BR Railfreight class 47 w/ your number 4mm-4555 GWR (1920-1936) Loco coal wagons 4mm-2299 GBRf ex-Colas class 60 branding & unofficial names 4mm-5732 CIE 071 class: grey livery locos 074/075/086 2mm-2911 Derby RTC Track Recording 950001 / Ultrasonic 975007/008 4mm-37108-1 Complete loco incl nameplates: 37108 Lanarkshire Steel 4mm-37111-1 Complete loco incl nameplates: 37111 Loch Eil Outward Bound 4mm-37413-1 Complete loco incl nameplates: 37413 Loch Eil Outward Bound 4mm-60039-3 Complete loco incl nameplates: 60039 Dove Holes 4mm-66413-1 Complete loco Freightliner 66413 4mm-1334 Complete loco: Eastfield Large Logo 37 (37111/401/403/404/413) 4mm-2106 Complete loco: DB 67015/028 Leading the next generation 7mm-60095-3 Complete loco: GBRf 60095 4mm-1344 Complete loco: Eastfield Large Logo 47 (47633/635/636) 4mm-47635-2 Complete loco incl nameplates: BR 47635 Jimmy Milne 4mm-47636-2 Complete loco incl nameplates: BR 47636 Sir John de Graeme 4mm-1343 Complete loco: Eastfield Large Logo 47 (47563/593/595/617) 2mm-2295 Complete locos: GBRf 60002/60085/60095 4mm-60095-3 Complete loco: GBRf 60095 4mm-47595-1 Complete loco incl plates: 47595 Confederation of British Indust 4mm-47562-1 Complete loco incl nameplates: 47562 Sir William Burrell 4mm-47470-1 Complete loco incl plates: BR blue 47470 University of Edinburgh 4mm-47593-1 Complete loco incl nameplates: BR blue 47593 Galloway Princess 4mm-47549-2 Renumber/rename: 47549 Royal Mail 4mm-1147 Complete loco: HS4000 Kestrel 2mm-1147 Complete loco: HS4000 Kestrel http://www.railtec-transfers.com/

Only just seen this Dan as RMWeb doesn't get checked that often. I recall doing these in 7mm for a customer some time back and to the best of my knowledge the sizes were suitable (as there was a question mark over some pieces due to it being such a unique vehicle), so I can re-use the artwork and scale down to 4mm for you. Please do bear with me though. The current workload continues to be chronic with the added workload of it being Bachmann catalog season...

Thanks Jerry, that'd be great. I'd love to offer something that would be useful to the majority/all - it's just a case of knowing what to make (and the omni-present enemy of time). There weren't too many S&DJR locos knocking around Manchester Victoria when I was a nipper watching the whistlers snake round the corner with the Red Bank parcels, so I'm heavily reliant on info being provided to be able to tackle some topics. Both breadth and depth of knowledge is the holy grail. Now if someone were to ask me where you can find a decent ale along the Manchester / Derbyshire corridor, they'd need to block off a good few hours

If I recall, there were a couple of different iterations of the S&DJR packs. Some folks got in touch asking for them to be made, so I obliged the best I could based on the info provided re typeface, shading, size etc. This info was provided by some who at least gave the impression that they had all the accurate data (as my knowledge of S&DJR is absolute minimal). Further down the line one or two others got in touch to query some of this info based on what they had purchased, at which point several discussions kicked off and as far as I can recall, nobody could tell me conclusively what I needed to print to make everyone happy, so it doesn't surprise me that there are discrepancies as because of the contradicting info being provided, it was always going to be a moving target. Put that in context of many multiple other topics on-the-go and consistent 80+hr weeks, it's just never been revisited. It's not that I don't want to have an offering, but hopefully there'll be an understanding that unless I can have some degree of confidence in the info with which I'm provided from the majority of modellers, there will inevitably always be posts like the above.

They're coming. The intent was to have a wider range by this point although other projects had got in the way (not helped by numerous new livery schemes emerging).

Few videos hold my interest to the very end, but these did. Absolutely love the sound of the rat working hard between the two 504s in the first vid. And hats off to the contributor(s) for getting a video camera out. Born/bred in Middleton and schooled in Bury, some of the stations along that corridor can get a bit tasty if you time it wrong. Many thanks for posting; it provided a welcome interlude to the endless hamster wheel of designing.

Let's not forget that without key ingredients of some drama and controversy, a show of this kind probably wouldn't hold much appeal to the mass audiences for which it's intended. The production company (Knickerbockerglory) have some good pedigree and a good ethos, by all accounts: https://www.knickerbockerglory.tv/about Did we expect that everybody gets along, everything works out as planned and then tootles off home for a cup of tea? That doesn't sell. Production companies are experts at editing footage to portray individuals or organisations in a particular light for maximum viewing impact, regardless of how much/little substance may be there. We all love a good story - overcoming adversity, a pantomime villan - whatever (God knows the Railtec story has a few of the latter!). It's what gets us talking; it's what gets the viewing figures; it's what makes TV. May be worth keeping in mind when figuring out what we think of what the editors decide to show us.

A show of this nature will inevitably have a primary goal of achieving maximum viewing figures rather than necessarily focusing on the substance of the hobby. I try to take it for what it's intended to be: a bit of fun. Entertainment for the masses; not a show aimed at modellers (how many shows do we see about weathering, or building base boards?). You could say these shows promote awareness, maybe even acceptance(?) of the hobby, though given how hugely popular the hobby is, it's surprising that there's still such a stigma around it particularly in a modern climate where embracing all things niche is evangelised. I think much of the frustration comes from the fact that the hobby doesn't (in my view) particularly have a great social status anyway, in which case if it did people might generally be open to having a bit of fun poked at it. But life's too short to let myself get bent out of shape. Heck, running Railtec you've got to keep a sense of humour. Still, always good to see Railtec product being used (IEP logos on opening credits). Makes a change to Crimewatch being the usual line of TV work

Some of you may have seen it by now but knowing how eager some beavers are, packs for GBRf's 60095 have been available at Railtec for the past couple of days. Of course these are spot printed for you so there's no superfluous unsightly carrier film, full solid colours with no join lines in the print, and at fantastic value. http://www.railtec-models.com/catalog.php?search_str=GBRf+60

Last time I checked the London Transport roundel and branding are Marks strictly protected by TfL (Transport for London), requiring a significant fee for a license. The branding is protected to such an extent that it would not even be possible to reproduce fictitious place names (e.g. for stations) inside the roundel, these largely being limited to the list of present and past stations only as well as a handful of other Marks. I also seem to recall seeing in the national news how an electricians' shop in Blackpool which had used the roundel for years in a sign hanging outside the premises had been threatened with legal action. Go figure. Link to news item: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3627078/Tiny-electrical-shop-David-Goliath-battle-TfL-transport-bosses-order-owner-change-tube-station-style-logo.html

Fantastic stuff; those are most helpful. Thank-you.

A number of folks have asked about it, although not all may have seen it, but packs in both 2mm and 4mm (as well as other scales on request) are available for the eye-catching 66780 in Cemex livery. http://www.railtec-models.com/catalog.php?search_str=66780 Of course these are spot printed so there's no superfluous unsightly carrier film to worry about, spares of absolutely everything are included, and all stock items get dispatched pretty much same-day in hard-backed packaging to protect the contents.

For those who have asked, pack(s) for brake vans are still in development. Given the mass variation in detail they obviously take a long time to design. Meanwhile, the most helpful Steven Clements has done a decent thing by recently uploading numerous reasonably hi-res images to Flickr for everyone to enjoy to their heart's content. The section on brake vans begins at the link below: https://www.flickr.com/photos/153712773@N08/43644553344/in/photostream/

Here you go Robin: http://www.railtec-models.com/catalog.php?&type=5&gauge=4mm&region=1&livery=105 These are all spot printed so have no superfluous carrier film to worry about, amongst numerous other benefits.

Didn't realise you were in Swad. If all else fails just open your window and holler - I'm only up the road :>)

Have you checked your Junk folder? It seems a lot of providers (Sky, BT, Virgin etc) filter emails from the Railtec web host into Junk. Also check that your Inbox isn't full. It's surprising how many bounce-backs I get with the system message, "Could not deliver because the recipient's inbox is full". If there's nothing in Junk, drop me a PM on here.