Godfrey Glyn

In the past Hornby used to inform their retailers and send them the new spares or ask them to be sent back for the modification to be done. When the first re-built Merchant Navies were released the smokebox door was incorrect. Bob at Alton was sent new ones which could be fitted by him or the customer. At other times I have sent back stock to Hornby via the shop and it has been returned fully repaired, often well after the warranty period. I have never been charged. I cannot see how Hornby would know that you had bought a Class 800, unless you bought it direct from them only the retailer would know that you had a set that needed the modification. Godfrey

Some nice photographs of the 66 straight out of the Eastleigh Works on Carl Watson's photo collection: - http://www.carlswatson.com/Trains/Galleries%202018/Galleries%20201802/20180227ArlingtonEastleighWorks/eastleighworks27thfebruary20183.html It was parked by the station itself for at least one day which allowed me to photograph it but Carl's photographs are better. I am not sure its the most successful of the new liveries being applied to the class. Hope they are of use to someone planning a repaint. Godfrey

Although I have seen some banners appearing on RMWeb I thought it was time to start a thread to remind you all that the Southampton Exhibition takes place this week-end at Barton Peveril College, Chestnut Avenue, Eastleigh - Sat Nav SO50 5BX. Full details can be found at https://southamptonmodelrailwaysociety.wordpress.com It is my local exhibition and I always find it worthwhile to go on both days as there is so much to see and admire. The layouts are of a very high standard and this year they have Burntisland 1883: 4mm P4 as their featured layout. Parking on the Sunday is particularly easy with lots of space in the side streets. all the very best Godfrey

Peco have put up a photo of their new cricket themed products on FB. I was impressed with the diorama that they exhibited at Warley - picture attached below. The guys in the shop at Beer told me that the figures were the result of the firm being able to do 3-D scanning and the figures were recognisable local cricketers. The screens and cricket hut that Peco have released alongside the figures are laser cut items, I gather that they are also produced in Beer. It looks like Peco have invested in some new kit (!) and expertise which cannot be bad for the hobby. Gave up any interest in the game when I was about 8 but it does make a nice little addition to a layout. BTW the track and points are from their new BH range. all the best Godfrey

I think this will be a bit of an acid test for Bachmann, having done the research on Bulleid coaches for the N gauge versions they should have the wind behind them in getting these to the shops. Hornby seem now to be able to get a very good model 'from flash to bang' within 12 months. If Bachmann cannot achieve the same then Hornby will take the hint that they themselves can safely announce a new item and get it out first. I still hope that Hornby will give us the Bulleid shorties next year, that should be a very easy win for them and I think they would sell well, even if they came out at the same time as the Bachmann's longer versions all the best Godfrey

According to some they would have to start planning another raid before they could afford one!

I suspect that anyone these days would pass for a 'very portly loco crew' when compared to the men who crewed them pre-WW2 let alone in pre-WW1 days! Adipose is alas very common in 2018. all the best Godfrey

It's is shown as an outline drawing on the Hornby Website and on Graham Muz's blog where he states that it will be a Q4 release. all the best Godfrey

Having seen the models at Warley and having had the opportunity to speak to one of the design team I am not surprised by the RRP. Bachmann clearly see this as a one-off prestige model. Most of us, if we buy one, will only buy one, I can't see that would change if even if the price was pitched at £150. I gathered that the packing itself will be a major problem in that it must arrive in the hands of the modeller with all the strands intact and in position - not an easy task in itself. Bachmann have said that it will be a one off production run and even if that policy changes I suggest it will be a long time before they would want to book another production run. They will want to cover the cost of this exceptional model with the first run so in all I am not surprised by the figure quoted. I just need now to decide upon which one I will buy and place my pre-order asap and save the money at pound level rather than at pennies level! all the best Godfrey

I note that the latest Rapido newsletter has some news regarding the much anticipated Class 142. I'm certainly looking forward to ordering the Skipper version and maybe more than one. http://www.rapidouk.com/class-142-dmu/ Happy news indeed. All the best Godfrey

Just received my replacement body for 68005 in the post, beautifully packed and the nameplates printed on both sides perfectly, etched plates included. It was only Thursday when I received an email from DCC saying that my card was out of date and could I contact them. I think that's pretty good service and I do not begrudge the £4.50 postage change, it came requiring a signature on delivery. Many thanks Dapol and the staff at DCC. all the best Godfrey

I was about to write in a similar vein to jjB1970 above but just wanted to check on the spelling of Paul Isles before posting and you have now saved me making almost the same point! I do think we need to remember that the senior management at Hornby have gone through a major turmoil in the recent weeks. In a situation where old and new senior staff have been dealing with that, I can imagine that a block could be put on all sorts of announcements and developments until the new team have completed their strategic planning and restructured and bedded their ideas into the company. It has probably happened at the worst time for any real announcements at Warley and hence their apparent decision to release the new catalogue and collectors club details in January. I certainly agree with jjB1970 that in recent times the jewel in the Hornby crown has been their development team, I have been spending quite a lot of money on their new products and have been very happy with everything I have bought. If the new management team do not see the real strengths developed over the recent years in that team and in the way the firm communicates with its customers then I would be concerned that the company will not escape its present unsatisfactory financial position. I found it interesting to see the next tranche of Bachmann products on display after its long 'quiet period' - there are some very beautiful products coming on offer, I have one of the cranes on order and I will certainly be buying it, provided I have sufficient cash in the kitty. Bachmann appear to be going along the direction of producing technically advanced and high end models. It will be interesting to see how Hornby now respond to the changes taking place in the hobby. I too hope that following the new management's review they continue to progress and give us the customers the confidence we need to pre-order their products. Interesting times. all the best Godfrey

Going back to the discussion on whether PECO should invest in the development of a set of 'super-long BH points' I dug out some long Tillig points and laid them out to see how they compare to these new PECO ones. In the photograph below from left to right: Tillig 85327 9.4deg 361mm Tillig 85354 12 deg 284 mm PECO SL-U1189 Large Radius 258 mm Tillig 85346 6.34 deg 388 mm It would be interesting to know how these very long Tillig points sell, anyone here on RMWeb tried them? They were some of the (many) things I bought which went into the 'may use one day box' and still remain there! All the best Godfrey

Another factor which is a positive one for Hornby relates to the 'new grey returners' to the hobby - they have little awareness of manufacturers other than Hornby. I am often surprised by hearing returners insisting on buying Hornby in preference to the products of other model railway companies. You could say that the most valuable item in the Hornby portfolio is the name. Godfrey

Mine arrived on Friday and I am delighted with them. Well worth the wait and now to paint the floors and fit some passengers. Many thanks to Chris and the team at Kernow for commissioning and sending them out so soon after they arrived in the UK. Looking forward to the Bulleids! all the very best Godfrey

I dropped into PECO yesterday and got the impression from some staff who happened to be in the shop that they were pleased with the response to their first set of points. I suspect that there will be much head scratching up in the management offices when deciding what to produce next. I am sure that all of us who have been impressed with these new points will have a view as to what we want to see next. We all have the ability to write to PECO and indeed let our normal retailer know our views, all model shops in the UK who sell PECO have a rep who calls regularly and will be an effective channel of communication of views back to the factory at Beer. When I picked up my first two at Alton Model Centre last week Paul had a good stock so if your local supplier has run out it might be worth giving him a ring. all the best Godfrey

Well the TIHAMA has been at anchor south east of Ventnor for most of the day; at present HMS Queen Elizabeth is also at anchor nearby. Not sure if there is any connection between these two observations but maybe the naval captain has a personal interest in ensuring that the Bullieds arrive safely in Southampton later tonight. The staff at Kernows are clearly going to be very busy in the coming weeks and then they have Warley to come. Not only do they have my money, they also have my sympathy! all the best Godfrey

Totally agree with you Coachman, they are indeed a very flexible point; having played around with one of mine I can see that with a bit of gentle persuasion you can turn one into a Y-point without cutting any of the links. Thank you PECO! all the best Godfrey

The latest Railway Modeller has just dropped through my letterbox with a very positive review of Kernow's Bulleid diesel. Apparently it ran around the Pecorama loft layout Peckwick Rye with 23 Hornby Pullman cars with no fuss at all and still capable of dealing with 2nd radius curves. Some nice pictures alongside the review. I must admit I am not surprised, I was very impressed with one of the engineering samples when Chris let us try it on the modular layout at the SWAG day at Staplegrove back in April. Quietly looking forward to receiving mine when they arrive, I do not want to give the impression that I am really impatient to receive these! all the best Godfrey

I am really looking forward to receiving mine. What i cannot understand is that although the ship docked in Southampton at 01.39 yesterday and its only a mere ten miles from there to Bishopstoke Junction, the coaches have not arrived yet. I find it incredible in this day and age when you can get anything delivered from one of the big retailers within an hour the model railway industry is so slow. I do not know how I will survive without them for a whole week or possibly more. I may be forced to do some modelling. Happy days everyone and to those who have ordered I hope you will enjoy them as much as me. all the best Godfrey PS thanks for the photos CAT Ford really excellent!

Picked up two from Alton Model Centre this afternoon, Paul has plenty in stock. Looking forward to constructing a module to see how they look when used. I for one hope they are successful and that Peco are confident enough to develop more in the range. Godfrey

I would agree with Dunsignalling that the lighting is uniquely good, when I ran mine in daylight in a south facing room I was hardly aware of it. It only becomes obvious in low light and even then not like the Blackpool illuminations level of lighting that seems to grace many recent 'lit' 4mm models. I would be interested to know if the driving cab of the Nos 8-17 batch, modelled by Dapol cars had the same arrangement as those in No 4. Looking through the pictures in Colin Judge's book the curtains, if fitted at all, were very small. Very happy with mine and looking forward to detailing and populating the inside, we need Alan at ModelU to do some seated passengers! all the best Godfrey

Here are some photos I took of No4 in the NRM a year ago. Quite different body to the version produced by Dapol. However I would be interested to know if AEC/GWR changed the bogie design or whether they were the same. The bogies on No 4 certainly have cut-outs and assuming that they are the same on the 10 later versions of the real things I would suggest that the model versions do lack a bit of depth with the same cut out design. The appearance could be enhanced with some careful weathering. I'm sure someone on here can tell me if the bogie design was the same, a quick scan through Colin Judge's book on them suggests that the bogies of the second tranche of ten were redesigned with longer side bearing springs and that the swing links were also considerably improved giving much better riding than the first seven. However though there are drawings of the bogies on the first batch and no 18 I can't see any relating to this batch 8-17. I look forward to hearing from someone with much greater knowledge of these interesting beasts. all the best Godfrey

Tony_S I have never made the progression to DCC, too many locos, so I can only quote some of what it says in the railcar's owner's guide: - "This model accepts a standard 21 pin NMRA DCC Decoder with a minimum of 3 functions." "Optionally install loudspeaker of maximum dimensions 17mm x 26mm with suitable impedance to suit your sound decoder." "DCC After fitting a DCC decoder lighting features can be controlled remotely via your DCC handset. F0 Front/rear directional running lamps (On/Off) F1 Leading cab light (On when leading or Off) F2 Interior lights (On/Off)" There are instructions for the fitting of a decoder and a loudspeaker. Hope that is of some use. All the best Godfrey

Picked up my crimson and cream version at Alton Model Centre this afternoon. It runs beautifully up and down my little module and looks, to my inexpert eye, beautiful. I think Dapol will do well with this and many of us will be trying to buy different versions, finances permitting! all the best Godfrey