Geep7

I'd quite like one in the Regional livery, I.e Danone with the orange stripe, as I have a photo of a 444 taken at Sants Station. I'd definitely love them to do one as a 448 in the most recent livery, as I have plenty of photos of them, and I took a ride from Barcelona to Torredembarra on one too....

Yes, I saw that too..... As a "lapsed" American HO C&O modeller, it's definitely tempting for that next Appalachian based layout.

Well, the new Electrotren releases are now live on their website..... https://uk.electrotren.com/range-launch-2024?langPath=electrotren-uk&filters[mandatory_filter_by][product_group]=Electrotren Range Launch 2024&page_id=141992&sort-by=8&page=1 Now, which 444 do I pre-order? Red-Yellow or Danone, or both?

I'll just echo the sentiment of most, and say I'm completely shocked at this news. My sympathies to all the staff at Hatton's, and really wish them well for the future.

Yes, they definitely do improve the appearance of these older models. Whilst you're at it, and if you feel confident to do so, you can paint the thick edges of the windows openings in a dark shade.... A black sharpie would do the trick. One thing to bear in mind though, is that the flush-glazing does tend to yellow a bit after a while.

It's definitely been in my experience so far that there is much more tendency to have below layout staging yards access via rather tight helixes (helices?). I guess the smaller apartment sizes that seem prevalent Europe seem to have driven this. All of my Spanish outline stock has traction tyres, and it doesn't seem to affect them pickup wise. Mind you, it does help that they are all wheel pickup with central can motors and flywheels, even the earlier stuff. And they also seem to be much heavier than our British outline stuff, which obviously will help.

I've been using a PowerCab since around 2004, and not once have I felt the need to change system. I may, at some point, upgrade to the 5 Amp booster, just in case I built a larger layout in future, but so far the 2 Amp system is ample enough, even with half a dozen sound fitted locomotives on the go at once (not that I tend to have the sound turned on for more than 2 or 3 at the same time).

I read about this sad news last week. I only own 3 items of Mabar HO stock, a 319, 308 and a Class 432 Bishop EMU, but they are all great quality models, and it's a shame that they may never be available again, as I was hoping that the 308 might get re-released in the Grey/Red scheme at some point. I'm not sure who would own the moulds (possibly the factory in China?), so perhaps they could get bought by another company? It would just be a shame for the range to just disappear.

Now they've spread their wings a bit from the Thames Valley, perhaps a re-tooled 165. 165/1 and 166 for OO, and newly tooled for N? I think Bachmann really would be the natural people to do the 4-Cig, considering the pig ears Hornby have made of the Vep (i'm still not convinced the re-tool is 100% correct). A Class 119 and 120 would be great for Southern/Western region layouts from the late 50's onwards. And why no Class 117 in Blue or Green small yellow panels yet?

So not a huge amount of progress to report on since my last update. However, before I put the layout away for Christmas I did manage to get the fascia panels for the lighting made. You'll have to excuse the mess on the layout itself, as when I took the picture, I was in the middle of tidying up. In the new year, the plan is to get the lighting fitted. These will be 3 x 2ft fluorescent units fitted with daylight tubes, which i've had since my first exhibition layout. As they are still working, and I have spare tubes, it would be a waste to dispose of them for LED's. In the meantime, if I get any spare time between work and family commitments, i'll probably work on some of my wagon kits, and try to finish my BR.41 locomotive kit, which was bought for me as a present last Christmas.

I have a Southern Pride Blue & Grey 4-Cig Kit and a set of MJT sides, plus the Replica coach bodies to do another 4-Cig (most likely a phase 1 in Green). However the motivation to make them at the moment is tempered by the fact I don't have a layout large enough to run them on. My previous 4mm layout, West Sands, could run up to 6-car MU sets, but the whole layout was nearly 18 feet in length (16ft6 long with the fiddle yard on a curve), built in the master bedroom (yes, you read that right. My wife is generally very understanding and supportive of my hobby). However, I came to the realisation that it was just way too big for my home, so it's been dismantled. So, back on topic. My young nephew is very much into the more modern scene, liking IET's, HSTs (In GWR livery), Class 66's etc. For him to have any chance of modelling that, he's gone for N gauge, having one of the simply superb Kato Class 800's. My father and I originally built him a roundy-roundy on a 4x2 board, but recently we have started building a Cornish modern era branch terminus, inspired by Newquay, in a little over 9ft x 1ft. For the longer length stock that now seems to be the norm, N gauge seems to be much more suitable. I certainly wouldn't be contemplating modelling the modern era in 4mm. There i'm happy modelling the late 60's/early 70's, with short 2 coach MU's, and 4-wheeled (mostly) freight stock. Even most of the loco's are shorter, Class 33, 73 are only about 8" in length, with my longest loco, a Western, being the only one almost a foot in length.

I still don't understand why a 4-Cig hasn't been done yet RTR. The Phase 1 stock was introduced in Green in 1963, the Phase 2 stock in Blue & Grey in 1972/3. Since then, i'm pretty sure they've carried every livery there ever was in the south until they were withdrawn. Some were reduced to 3-car sets in their final years, including the 2 units (in Blue & Grey and Green) that worked the Lymington branch. Please Bachmann, if you're reading this.....

Well worth a punt for this one. Just enter your name and email address for a chance. You also have to have a hobby rewards account to receive the points. Worth it, just for the 5000 points tbh. Mind you, I never win anything, so hey ho......

Agreed. Electrotren is THE Spanish HO model railway brand. Yes, there is also Roco, who do the odd locomotive, and some freight wagons, and there are a couple of other smaller manufacturers, but if you want anything Spanish outline in HO, you pretty much have to go to Electrotren. Electrotren was founded and based in Spain until Hornby bought the brand and tooling. Frequenting a couple of Spanish model railway forums myself, I think there would be a few unhappy Spaniards if it was renamed as Hornby International.

I've just started back doing some n gauge (as an aside to my main 4mm OO and 3.5mm HO stuff) using code 55. I used to swear that I would never go back to N, as my eyesight has gotten worse over the years, but, as i've started to use a magnifier for 4mm, it's isn't much different for N. And tbh, it's been not a lot different wiring and laying track, just a need to be a bit quicker in and out with the soldering iron, but that's about it. All frogs wired up to polarity switches, so hopefully that should cause a problem. I haven't fully wired it up to test yet, but something that's a job for tomorrow evening. One thing that has tempted me back to do some N gauge is my nephew. As he's more a fan of the contemporary scene, it's so much easier to fit the longer train and wagon lengths in in N gauge. He has a Kato Class 800 IET, and we've managed to fit a terminus to fiddle yard layout in just over 9 feet length. It also allows for reasonably long modern freight trains, for instance, a Class 66 + 6 JIA China Clay hoppers. I'm rather tempted to build a small shunting layout with some china clay dries.

Except on the Great Western Main Line, where they are paired by use.

So i've made some progress over the past week or so. Here is the underside of the bridge, which i've added the extra cross pieces to. It's not meant to be 100% prototypical, but it at least will look better than just a huge void. I've also done some work on the abutments and parapets. The centre abutments have been joined into one piece, and I just need to add a small piece of wall on each side. And here is the entire bridge back on the layout, after I had given the deck and girders a coat of acrylic primer. I'm not sure what colour to paint the girders, or whether to leave them in the grey primer and just weather them from this. Also you can see i've start planning out the embankment wall along the backscene. I'm not sure whether to leave it at full height for a bit, and then slowly drop it down, or start to drop it down straight away. Perhaps I could have a low relief building at the top of the embankment (the former station building?), but I don't want to have too many buildings on the layout, as it's meant to be deep out in the countryside. Progress will probably be a lot slower from now until the new year. Not only is the festive season fast approaching, so the layout will need to be put away. But work pressures may see me having to do some weekend work, so eating into my already scarce modelling time. Oh, and then there is the N gauge layout that my father and I are building. I may have done something silly and bought myself an N gauge Class 66 and some china clay JIA hopper wagons..... a small N gauge china clay works micro layout is tempting. But not until Sotherington Lane is mostly finished.

I've just ordered myself a couple of these, including one of the heavily weathered examples. Has anyone tried to take back the heavy weathering a bit, and if so, how much success have you had?

Hi Rob, i've noticed you've got Ewe on a 3x4 and Sheep Dip on a 4x4 Kallax. As i'm looking at getting a Kallax myself, i'd be interested to know which you prefer from an operating height perspective?

So I finally got around to purchasing something from Zetland, and it was one of the best online purchasing experiences i've had. As mentioned in the previous post, nice friendly emails keeping me up to date with everything I would not hesitate to use them again in the future and would certainly recommend them.

Thanks @Chris M, I saw your layout at the Farnham show, and was rather impressed with, not just the running, but the layout as a whole. It really does look like Dawlish Warren, and reminded me of when I sat on the wall alongside Langstone Rock watching trains during the 1999 solar eclipse, as the trains weren't being obscured by a load of grey cloud. I'm also rather partial to the Hydraulics. I'm not old enough to have seen them running, but as a child I used to keep looking through my father's copy of Railway Elegance, so something must have stuck. I've already started down that slippery slope in 4mm, but i'm trying not to be tempted in N. The N layout is going to be post privatisation, almost current era, 2016 onwards. So mostly Class 66's, 70's, IET's, HST's...... maybe Western Champion on a railtour.... no, that's naughty thinking there.....

Does anyone know if these would be reasonably OK to represent PCA cement wagons, such as the non-depressed centre ones that i've seen used on the Moorswater branch? They seem fairly close, and quite cheap to make a rake, but i'm not sure how accurate they would be.

I had wondered whether Farish/Bachmann had produced one in GWR green.... I may just settle with an old FGW purple one, but I think I'm going with just freight stock for myself for now. Unless I see one for a good price. A cross-country Voyager is also a must at some point, but they are a bit pricey, although no much more than the equivalent in 4mm. We used the plain turnouts on the previous layout, and didn't seem to have any issues, but we'll be using a double-slip on the new layout. I was sorry to read in your posts about the issues you've been having with the code 55 track, especially the double-slip. Most of our stock is going to be all wheel drive, multi-axle locos and units, so hopefully we should be OK. The smallest loco is a Bachmann 08, so will be interesting to see if we get any issues. Unlike my 4mm and HO stuff, I'll be sticking strictly to DC with the N gauge, mainly as it would be unfair to expect my nephew to get DCC.

I'm not sure if this is of much help, or inspiration, but this is the track-plan i've come up with for an n-gauge layout that my father and I are building for my nephew. It's loosely based on Newquay, and as such, is a single track branch line terminus, but will take at least a 5 car IET, or a 2+4 Castle Class HST. There are a few freight sidings, but also a separate branch line, which, as the layout will be set in Cornwall, goes to a china clay works. The layout is just over 9ft long x 14 inches wide. This is using Peco Code 55 track.

I had exactly the same happen to me too. But I think I was trying to use them to cut some brass that was a bit too strong for them. So another lesson, use the correct tool for the job.