lochlongside

Oh well what the **** .....My 2 pennyworth for an optimistic year

Steam

New one of following - GER/LNER/BR J67/69, or GN/LNER/BR J6, but see OTW below

Updates one of following - LMS/MR 2P 4-4-0 with choice of tenders, or (less likely ) the J52, or SR L1. (latter dates me !!)

Modern

One of new(ish) EMUs/DMUs – e.g. Class 195/331 in 2/3 or 4 car sets as appropriate

Coaches

Restaurant 3^rd Open for Western Region

LMS/BR catering Car that was in common use throughout LMR and beyond to replace 12 wheel one - must be one !!

Or really pushing my luck here a set of LNER teak corridors which do not get the profilers so worked up that I can buy them w/o feeling guilty (may be that last should also be in OTW below)

Goods stock

Engineering wagon – New traditional one of  Catfish, Grampus, or Mermaid

Re-introduced Seacow

General use wagons – a traditional PO fuel tank wagon totally updated

More container types for use with the newer wagons

Off the wall

- A limited edition Wainwright D in conjunction with NRM in glorious Technicolor with an alternative top to cover the D1/E1 class in SR/BR days

–a load of reliveries and production slips with a subtle contraction of the catalogue which fools no-one.  (Got to have one Scrooge thought in a Xmas mix !! )

Hi,

 

The project has continued to make progress. We have been waiting for Bachmann to complete the design process which they have now almost done.

 

We are currently still negotiating the price and hope to have this confirmed very soon.

 

The project is on track however there has been a short delay due to the fact that Kader have commissioned new factories in China. 

 

The new expected date is 2020.

 

We are as eager as most to get the product and we will update with the latest news as soon as we have it.

 

Thanks 

Oliver

Hi Oliver,

Thanks for update - however do you now have a price - even a non-contractual non-binding for planning purposes only one or has that also gone back into melting pot with the delivery date due to the Bachmann delivery delay until 2020.

Even a target price would be helpful to some of us laggards who are sitting on the fence like poor old Macbeth  "letting I dare not ....etc .(it is a scottish loco after all !!)

 

Hi 

Had an email from them today about my order; 

Thanks for your order for our D600 Warship model(s). 

 

A

...................................etc etc

 

The deadline for responses to this email/letter is 30th November 2018.  If we have not heard from you by this date we will assume you no longer want the model and will cancel your order.  You will not be able to take advantage of this offer of 1500 Loyalty Points after we have cancelled your order.

Looks like it won't be long now,

Darren.

PS. Looks like there asking for full payment up front for this model and the payments has to be in by the end of this month, thing is i never seen the model in the flesh and how it runs, or have they got it right, and when i would likely see said model?.

 

Hi Darren01  (another ? )

no-one else has responded to your request in your final para  so.......

It would appear to me from your para appended at foot of the Kernow Darren's email I get the impression (possibly incorrectly so please don't take offence ) that you may not have a great deal of experience of dealing with Kernow models.

Personal experience of Track (sic) record of company is pretty important in my view in deciding what to do with advance payment orders and the Kernow record is very good in my view - if somewhat prone to production delay on occasion - but you have to make allowances as it is only a small company.

if it helps you decide what to do then from the point of view of a customer only - I have two of these on order paid for upfront in March 2017  (think I got points as well but it was 18months ago!!) and I have had other pre-ordered stuff off them in the past.

Price - It has on occasion been known for Kernow to revise the pre-order price during prolonged development and at the same time to offer the opportunity to fix this price with an incentive of points if you pay up front at key points in development which appears to be the case here. They did it with the 10203 diesel. I guess it helps their cashflow. Once paid up front though I have not so far known Kernow put the price again.

Quality - In terms of quality  (your second concern) - I had a wobble about them after DJMs class 71 top speed problem (DJM appeared to be involved in Kernow developments at the time) but was quickly re-assured when it became apparent neither these Warships nor the SR diesels would be powered the way the DJ class 71s were, and since then I have taken delivery of three really excellent SR Diesels and am looking to a fourth - really smooth powerful runners with a more than realistic top speed and good roadholding.

My own expectation is that these will probably run extremely well, will look the part, will be better than anything I can build  - and doubtless someone on here will identify the odd anomaly !! but not so significantly as to destroy my enjoyment.(that is my hope anyway !! )

Delivery It is not available yet but it appears to be in the latter throes of painted sample approval awaiting for full production authorisation - My best guess FWIW is that it is now about to go into production and you could probably expect it to be delivered around about May/June next year - but that is only a guess based on experience with the SR diesel

On the face of it if I was in your position I would take the offer up if you can afford to do so. - hope all that helps you. 

I

I'm sure you are not the only one. Having had good pre-orders, I'm sure there will be some back sliding, and likely further price rises, and my money is now 50/50 on whether this will see the light of day. Shame as in Jan 2018 it was so nearly there.

 

Also its only now (or rather the October update topic), that I hear about Bachmann's manufacturing problems. How did this pass me by? Where was it discussed? I might have been initially more sympathetic if I'd known.

I originally had two on order at about £100 each when first announced- I had even put in the siding for them - then I winced when they doubled in price especially as I had built 25% leeway into the price in first place but sort of bit the bullet and put some more money aside!! - however if there is further indeterminate delay then there is no guarantee (juuuust guessing here ) that there won't be yet another price rise - and even for one I think we could be looking at a discount price of around £250-£280 by the time they arrive (although we may get free P&P from one or two suppliers). Couple that with recent reallocation of the allocated siding to parcels traffic (no unproductive sidings on my test track ) I no longer have room and the desire has withered.. .

FYI: Email from Hattons this morning about the Bachman GWR black version: “Release information not available”...

 

(Edited for predictive text typos)

Yes me to  - I cancelled my order - had enough  of these delays  and I have a better use for the cash so rather than piggy-banking it for an indeterminate period - I think I'm off to buy a couple of Hattons 66s instead - better progress, same sort of price and they have sound and they move under their own wotsit - I might reconsider when someone actually does a review but there again!!

Absolutely not!! I’m an OAP and use / enjoy every piece of latest technology I can get my hands on. (I stopped buying paper books and magazines 10 years ago) I’ve been this way all my life. Luckily my wife is the same.

Reading various posts on this forum it is clear there are many, if not more, people decades younger who have a major aversion to any new technology, and refuse to even contemplate benefits.

 

No, its not generational, it is attitudinal. Nothing whatsoever to do with age.

My pennyworth - As a lifetime worker in advanced telecoms and IT projects development and implementation  (so possibly not a luddite? but a sceptic by experience!!) I am not averse  to a bit of digital in fact I use it on a daily basis, my train money is dependent on techy stuff and I certainly would not be without some of the personal tools e.g. mail/bank/Excel/Project/Access Open Office etc and of course Templot!! but I agree it is certainly not an age issue it is (non-judgementally) attitudinal and based on how you prefer to carry out some basic activities like absorbing information.

At the risk of getting a bit theoretical in my view what we are discussing here is merely a tool - a device for conveying information to the recipient, and the management of BRM are obviously looking at the best/most attractive way to convey that information to the recipient. I wish them well - they are ahead of the pack on innovation for delivery tools but at the end of the day people buy the content not the tool and BRM must never forget that (as in my view they did in the recent past - thank goodness it has now improved).

Reverting to the tool - I have used things like sticky notes, kindles tablets etc and for me nothing beats being able to turn the physical page - I can read something in a size I do not have to blow up to see but if I want to skim have to wind down or swipe thro to go back or forward. I like to refer back - book/document/whatever by keeping a finger post-it or receipt(!)  in the reference point, scribble notes on the page and then comparing/flicking or whatever - yes you can do it by digit expand/contract/swipe or on split screens or you can have multiple screens or you can electronically mark it for future reference but sure as eggs it won't be the thing you want to refer back to that's s**s law.  - I can flick back thro a book or magazine and quickly cover 100s of pages to get to where I thought I saw the cross-reference and if you drop a book/magazine while falling asleep in the bath it doesn't fizz or die -(even if it can be a b***** to dry out without the pages sticking together ) but each to their own and as an oldie in the words (sort of!!) of the poet "hope to die before (paper) magazines go cold !!".

Sadly not. Magazine sales across all sectors are down 7% this year (source) and this is a process that has been going on for a while. All the model railway magazines are losing sales, in this respect, BRM (and Garden Rail, smug face) is bucking the trend thanks to the inclusion of a DVD.  Everyone is seeing the problem, but BRM is better placed to deal with it thanks to all the different channels we have available to us. No-one else has an RMweb, or easy access to a film crew!

 

Print isn't dead, and won't be for some time. The expectation is that our sort of magazines will hang on longer than most, and Warners investments in print prove they aren't seeing the end yet either. 

 

BUT, if you look at people on trains, or other places you might expect to see magazine reading and it's smartphones and tablets. That's not our choice, it's the way the world is changing. Technology is always moving. Once our mags were tiny (compare a 70s model railway mag to today and see how much more editorial you get for relatively the same amount of money) and in monochrome. Taking photos was harder, as was reproduction. Colour was difficult and expensive.

 

Now you wouldn't think of skimping on photos, or colour. Digital mags offer more possibilities and readers expect us to take advantage of the technology. 

 

Magazines have to make money for everyone along the chain. Your newsagent won't give shelf space to publications not selling over a certain amount. Drop below that and you vanish from the shelves. Supermarkets are very aggressive and every product, including mags, have to fight for space. One day, many magazines might find that there are simply not enough sales to justify this. When that day comes, we need to be thinking about how people want to read about model railways.

 

If you have grown up with tablet computers, and that includes teenagers now, then do you see reading from paper as natural?

Phil, thanks for that - and an interesting article at the end of your source link. - Looks like you chaps have the right of it. I know you cannot extrapolate from one customer's experiences but my local little Sainsbury now stocks all 4 major MR mags - it never used to - I had to go to the big one 10mins away or to WHS - but then that might just be Sainsbury trying to hold back the retail versus online tide!!

On the reverse loop question/query front - following a practical test using Peco electrofrogs there is I believe there is an error in Howards 2nd reverse loop diagram on page 92 - he has one too many breaks - he needs   to remove the red rail loop break at insulate 1. I did and it then worked. I then tried moving the breaks around and nothing worked as well  (or at all !!) as keeping the live fishplate adjacent to the frog on the loop and insulating the other rail opposite the fishplate. An excellent solution though, ergonomic/intuitive to use and very neat... and locos run thro in either direction - now to build the board.

I also In a spirit of experimentation had a go at using Peco Unifrogs  on a reverse loop w/o switching - nightmare of insulating gaps and jumpers- I quickly lost interest - if I ever run out of electrofrogs I will revert to the DPDT switch method - now for that triangular junction as per Bournemouth West.!!.

But when I'm at shows, and not just Warners ones, people come up to me to say how much they love the DVDs. Should we drop them because one or two people don't like the idea of them? If you've not watched them, give a couple a go.

 

In the same way, some people really liked the Pendon photos. Holograms would have been better (I love a hologram, nearly as much as I love cake), but most people would have collapsed at the cover price!

Good day Phil,

I wasn't necessarily advocating leaving off the DVDs that would be your decision based on what the mass of your customers are saying.- I was just saying that having browsed a few I spend my time on other things  so I no longer open them unless there is something that (metaphorically!!) leaps out at me- It was just feedback for you and of course pointing out that the reason I buy the paper magazines is for the immediate printed content. (My dinosaur moment here )

I have actually been a buyer of BRM since the beginning and still have all the copies in the garage (sad that....). When you came on the market you were definitely a market leader but in my view you did go off the boil a few years ago and unlike the opposition seemed to me at least not to know quite which way to go and what market you were addressing. I emphasise this was 2-3 years ago - In my eyes at least you are re-establishing yourself now, and developing a presence/character which complements the other magazines (which all have their own characteristics/foibles) - so well done there. I have no complaint.

I was however interested in your comment about having to change or you would be dead in five years due to market changes. That does seem a bit apocalyptic - the other magazines do not (as yet) appear to see it that way. Can you expand?

Incidentally  looking to the future -Decades ago  I did once see a hologram of Jinty (think it was a scientific establishhment not sure where it was so long ago)  - it was static and horrible (a yuk green in colour - made your pendon edition look wonderful even without the glasses but you could put your hand through it - so just think in a few years (well decades !!) you could download your layout from BRM as railway of the month, play with it at Xmas whilst everyone else wanders through it to go to the drinks cupboard or whatever and no-one would be treading on the track, the cats would go demented chasing it (be like the laser spots on steroids - cat owners will know what I mean) .......... and then you could chuck it out with the trash when the next month's edition came out.without worrying about wrecking the track during the salvage phase - sounds win-win  

PS no-one has so far answered my query on the BRM reverse loops wiring - no hurry no worry - I am going to try a test this week.

With respect to differentiation between print and digital issues I can see where some are coming from. Maybe it's worth rewinding a little first and look at some of the evolution. We started to offer a DVD on a regular basis which has been a big distinguishing feature of the magazine from competitors and despite some initial adverse comments seems to be fairly well received and we get a lot of positive comments about it at shows. When we started focussing a little more on the digital version of the magazine we first of all introduced additional images, on its own that's probably not enough of an incentive to buy the product above the convenience aspect (for some) of the digital mag. Phil and I wanted to explore the potential for more video content to add value to it and it's at this point, with good marketing support, that sales have started to move forward very well, and not at the expense of the printed issue in sales terms. Whether the digital buyers are new customers altogether or converts from print who, in turn, are replaced by new print buyers it is impossible for us to tell.

 

As the main layout photographer for the mag I am in an ideal position to capture some video footage of some layouts and owners on my travels but I'm not a pro and continue to learn more about that aspect, it's a completely different skill set from the still photography. In most cases it wouldn't be viable to get the pro-video team who produce most of the DVD content out of the office and studio for such segments but it's better to get something rather than nothing.

 

An example is this.

 

 

Meanwhile Phil gets to a whole lot more places to even creating content as far as Toronto with Rapido.

 

 

Some months will see more minutes than others as we don't plan a set amount and occasionally the relevance comes together in one month which is why there's 2.5 hours of video content this month.

 

The content is intended to be complementary to the print content but would it be viable on its own? Probably not unless we then start to put more work into it and we're already working flat-out so something else would have to give. The time-consuming bit isn't getting the video, it's the editing and rendering.

 

It also gives us a chance to go off beat, Phil and I recently went to a 3D printing show at the NEC - on the page it would be dreadfully dull but it's really interesting stuff for video. Next month there's also the threat of Phil and I being a bit silly (but for a good reason) on a Christmas angle.

 

These are all things which don't even go straight to DVD as the schedule for that runs way ahead of even the print mag whilst these digital extras are often finished after the mag itself has gone to print.

 

We enjoy making the extra content and giving added value so the only way to bring the two products closer together is for us to do less. There isn't enough structure (yet) to create two distinct products on a sustainable basis but if the trend of growth that we are seeing in the digital sales continues who knows what the future may bring?

 

And just to chuck a spanner in the works there will be another product choice soon more tailored to RMweb members.

One point and one query on reverse loops....

First the Point - For what it is worth IMHO grovel abase abase etc etc - I get all 4 mainstream UK rly Mdlg mags - have done for years -  I am a longterm paper subscriber, but was seriously considering dumping this magazine in the last few years on lack of content/quality grounds regardless of gimmicks like DVDs and card kits until I compared what I was paying compared with its competitors - it was so cheap - I would guess that many of the people aggrieved by your marketing are not in quite my position and they are paying (close to) full price. You have been very generous to your long time subscribers - so thank you .......

However.... I am glad I stuck with it thro the doldrum years as It has improved significantly in the last few issues but the DVDs are still an irrelevance to me  - I haven't looked at them for years - I must have 15 or 20 or more tucked away for my dotage when I can no longer put trains on track, and anyway not sure in taking 4 mags if I have time to look at a DVD and play trains and (try to) do work!! More irritating was the Pendon issue - try casually using the 3-D coloured glasses with reading glasses - total turn-off.  Now if you had hologrammatical versions of the magazine that would be ground-breaking !!

Next the query - page 92 - not got a reversing loop yet and knew only the traditional solution but really intrigued  by the 2 point solution as I think I could fit it in but looking at the rail breaks I cannot for the life of me see how a circuit can be completed on the loop on the red rail  in the last diagram unless there is some external link - You state four breaks under Operation para (near top of page) but there are 5 in the diagram you have got two breaks on the red rail and no feed/link in - however theoretically I can see how it could work if you dumped the break on the red loop line adjacent to Link 1 thus mirroring the black rail. How does a loco on the loop not bridging any breaks complete a power circuit through the red rail? What am I missing (apart from grey cells )

at least with a relatively short wait (under 2 years) we havent had to endure subsequent year on year price increases over 4 or 5 years like we have seen with the Bachmann Mk2fs and the Class 90 (other examples probably available).  so I think the original pre-order prices on these 87s have been honoured in most cases.

 

a few on ebay  now at £157 and full RRP £171. I get my blue one next Wednesday.

I sat on my hands initially on this one but finally went for it a few days ago based on performance of Hornby Class 71 and very glad I did.

Got both mine at (discounted) pre-order price yesterday (Mr Smug here !! - or probably just lucky) - so many thanks to retailer (MRD - they're good)

Appearance wise I am no expert but I particularly liked the steps at each corner very neat and the underframe looks vey convincing to me -  and both come with sprung buffers (I needed those see later !!) and etched nameplates - the latter were not expected. There is a small pack of add-on pipes etc and couplings will need fitting before loading up...

The cross-arm pantograph is not 100% convincing and the High speed pantograph was something else (and not in an excellent way). It detached itself as I very carefully (honest!!) tried to get out the piece of white polyfoam packing under the arm but it did at last go back into place once I used tweezers and a magnifier to see how it all fitted together. This bit should come with a senior citizen warning as well as a U14 warning!!

Both are now run in on DC (minimum 30mins each way) and I am most impressed with the performance

Both run very smoothly at low speed - using std Gaugemaster Walkabout both start crawling slowly but steadily at just under 0.7v and at this speed they are virtually silent - there is more noise from the Gaugemaster PSU than the locos.

They are also relatively quiet at higher speeds particularly compared to some of my Heljans.

At around 12v both happily pull 32 coaches at a around a scale 93mph over a mix of Exactoscale BH and Peco code 75 electrofrog Curved and Large radius points and there is actually pulling power to spare (I am running out of space for more coaches for these modern locos ...and nerve, on speed front - you need better reactions than mine if a coach derails or a mid-train coupling comes undone at speed as I found out - my test track headway is only a couple of feet with this load - Thank goodness for sprung buffers!).

Regardless of pantograph comments It is highly recommended (by me 4WTIW !) and if the pantograph offends there are hi-spec replacements from the specialists

Question for you all... did any of the B4s with an open cab keep them til the end of the Grouping era at all? I am sure I have seen a photo of a B4 in the late grouping era with an open cab but not can't remember where I saw it...

 

Want to check before purchasing a Normandy and having it renamed.

Paraphrasing Cooper B4 Tanks monograph - p18 states all eight txfrd to docks in 1893/6 had fully cutout cabs but that most of those with cutouts at Southampton docks had front drivers side filled in (with a small square window ) in the 1920s, or earlier. and in 1930s the other front side was also filled in .... and at the same time (in 1930s) they started to acquire sidesheets that in many cases looked homemade and from photos appeared to be made of wood. He does advise on page 18 that 176 Guernsey was running with full cutaway cab until 1930s  However same book then includes a photo on back cover purporting to be of Guernsey (lettering indistinct) with open back but filled in front RHS of cab i.e. no front cutout on RHS (can't see left) and book says photo was taken around 1920s (hmmm go figure !!) . He then goes on to state that proper sidesheets made of metal appeared to be put on all  that had been sent to the docks during the war - possibly as a blackout measure.

Ditto p 21 has picture of Brittany with cutouts at back of cab but not front on 4 Sep 1937

Ditto page 20 same day has Havre with wooden sidesheets but still with rear cutouts

Ditto back cover Guernsey with no cab back but RHS front definitely has been filled in with square window in a photo dated apparently to the 1920s.

It would look like your best bet may be Guernsey but it might pay you to double check with an expert as opposed to just a reader (me!!) with a book.

I suspect they will all be shipped at the same time in order to make shipping/customs etc easier. We haven't seen any livery samples of the BR ones yet. There just happened to be a production slot available earlier than expected, and these J70s were ready to go. (CJL)

Oh no - not another November delivery (based on my record of USA tank history/timetable) - that is already such a bad month (J36/LN/BeachyHd/poss SLW24...aaargh!!...perhaps I will have to rely on Bachmann and Hornby to slide in another slip!!)

Good day chaps - got my No 1 today - on time, correctly addressed and right model - so not everyone was unfortunate... but sympathy to those who may be.

It is currently clogging round my test circuit running in as I write - at step 14/28 with 8 reasonably heavy Bachmann coaches (4xTPO and 4x Thompson brakes) at around a scale 50mph - it is certainly capable of taking more though and at a very significantly higher speed !!

So - first the good things - it is a beautiful model - and it looks so different - it was a smooth runner out of the box and I think a Johnson single in MR red would be an excellent contrast and a marvellous follow up !!

I changed to a sound model following a most impressive APT-E but to be honest this sound is ok but it is not as mind-blowing.

A few points on the sound...I am open to responses/suggestions on this - most of my sound has been infernal combustion related to date - steam is based on memory and preserved lines stuff..

1. There doesn't appear to be "coast" facility (e.g. when you back off the speed step by 1 or 2) - the closest I could get to that sort of drifting hissing as a loco goes down hill with the train comfortably in hand, eases back onto the coaches or slows as it comes into platforms was to put F4 on (blower) at slow speed and turn the "chuff" sound off.

2. The whistle appears to me to have quite long minimum standard length - I guess its a canadian thing for warning bison across the prairie (their operating notes are catching.... G** forbid   )

3. F10 - Heavy Load very good for simulating the noise that a steam train makes when going thro a cutting/under a bridge - it is a deeper note

and gives quite good reverberation effect)

Now the only bad thing - those safety chains at front - mine arrived in pieces in the bottom of the internal wrapper - they are a complete b***** to fix and being magnetic they cavort like nobody's business at the sight of a pair of pliers and needless to say when in tweezers they ping off into the undergrowth as soon as they can escape. By accident I found that they are easier to re-assemble (under a really high powered microscope ) once the fixing point on the front buffer beam has also dropped off  !! . Now to find the errant link!! - on the other hand I still have some "PC safety chains" (very fine ones if I remember and if I can find them) - from one of their screw link etches - I might have to think about that one.

So overall - I am extremely happy - and APC did their job (now that is provocative !! ...) ... and when can we have the Johnson Spinner!!

Pleased to report that all is now well - the loco was initially running slower than my earlier MSC version and had the distinct 'limp' mentioned, but 60 minutes going round and round and (despite all the grease) re-lubrication of all the usual points and it is now running very well indeed. Quite a relief - I don't like sending things back, but would have if it had not improved.

Interesting - I had the white grease problem on a couple of other locos (one not Hornby) but my black Peckett had virtually no grease that I noticed, but also tended to stop at irregular intervals but when nudged sideways took off again. As layout is all curves I looked at pickups - to find that they were not in constant contact with backs of wheels. When I moved the wheels from side to side there is quite a lot of sideplay to them.. Undoing 2 screws on underside holding plastic base plate on means you can get to the pickups very easily for adjustment outwards (pickup plate is a separate item connected to internal wiring by some very neat plungers so it comes away completely) . Once I had also sorted out a dodgy track connection (it was only locco so far to detect it !!)  it ran v well indeed will tow at least 8 coaches without complaint - very happy with it.

I was impressed by 10201/2 when they arrived but had had 10203 in green (and lurid yellow - don't remember that ) on order for even longer.

Putting it on test it walked off with my normal 16 coach test train so having a fairly eclectic set of coaches to hand I thought I would load it up until it slipped.... but failed.

My test track is a sort of continuous 4-5ft radius circle of Code 75 which includes (all Peco) 3 inside radius LR curved points, 3 outside radius curved and one straight point with approximately a 50% mix of facing and trailing points and with 8 baseboard joints. There is a slight just about perceptible gradient due to the floor which I have not measured but because the test track is a circle(ish) it balances out. .

This was a fairly non-scientific test. I simply added coaches as follows - Bachmann birdcagex3/RoyalMailx4/ThompsonBrakesx4/ObservationCar/4-TC (I said it was eclectic) Hornby LSWRx4/Collettx5/RailroadMk1x5. I loaded up with 30 coaches ( at which point the driver could see his own tail lights but with that load on probably could not stop in time without derailing the train even in 4mm) and the loco simply pulled away - no slipping no fuss.

The loco started taking up the coupling slack at around 3v and pulled the full 30 coaches away slowly and steadily at around 4.6v and 0.1Amp at any point around my circuit regardless of slight gradient.

Winding the voltage up to 12v (My controller will deliver 16v DC fullwave but since blowing the lighting cct on another loco I now have a self imposed limit of 12v approx ) and with 0.25Amps consumption the loco took the 30 coaches up to a scale 62mph and maintained this speed steadily and evenly for several circuits.

I would be extremely interested if someone with a bigger circuit could test the loco hauling capacity and the slipping point - my guess is it will take around 35-40 bogie coaches.

It was rock steady through all the pointwork (Peco code 75 livefrog), and across all the baseboard joints. Performance wise it is outstanding - very well done to Kernow they have done a brilliant job.

Now the (only) downside - probably peculiar to my layout situation but it is a b***** to put onto curved track  - even a railer is not a great deal of help.

This is probably due to the flexibility (floppiness) built into the bogie, however once properly on it is an immaculate road-holder- as I said above rock steady. (so swings and roundabouts) and something I can certainly live with - there is no way I would mark it down here because railing it on straight track is pretty ok..

Would I buy another well I certainly would if I hadn't already got 10201/2/and3  - perhaps if funds allow a black 10203 would be nice !!

Now to calm the roof down!! (and the white bogie front idler wheels - unlike with the black locos these idler wheels just seem a tad too visible and unbalance the front side view  - but that is probably only a personal perception).

My Bulleid Banana also arrived today. That yellow roof is going light grey very soon, as shown by the smidgin visible on the accompanying image.

 

ladybirdbulleiddiesel.jpg

A cracking little reference book  - I treasured mine from new and still have it. It is contemporary with the liveries it portrays and  it has colour pictures in it as well (on every loco portrayed !!) so no having to guess whether it is sunlight reflections or lining for example - life was so much simpler then   

I am almost loathe to mention this but shouldn't the toilet window be opaque/obscure glass? In the preserved vehicle the window is plain glass, presumably so people can see in - the exact opposite of what you would want when in use. Fairly easily rectified when you know.

There is a word for that ..... and you aren't loathe to do it all   !!

(and perhaps it was only at a 100 plus in a wagon (apologies coach) built before WW1 that it was occupied anyway    )

 

Features quite a bit in my little fillum

oh h**l I had quite convinced myself I didn't need one

(and now I need the trailer coach as well thank goodness this is v low on the kernow horizon)

..... would this be the same Phoenix which was involved at Rover Cars?

No !! and I think they might be a bit hurt to think you thought that

.........This is the car org - Phoenix Venture Asset holdings - they bought Rover for a tenner and then got a lot of money from HMG. before going under

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_Venture_Holdings - read and weep  !!

and this is an indication of who the train men (and S Gibbons stamp) are - Phoenix Asset Management

https://www.ft.com/content/75ec9b90-3188-11e8-b5bf-23cb17fd1498

If the FT is to be believed (yeah ok there have been occasions when..... !!) ...it might not be all bad news but it might also signal a longer term shift in emphasis - possibly to a collector market? - on reading the article your guess is probably as good as mine if not better.

P.S. Phoenix assurance, Phoenix Venture, Phoenix Asset etc Not sure why financiers are obsessed with Phoenixes given the associations/implication (see HMG defn of Phoenixing, ... plus risen from the ashes.... and ashes to ashes etc) not sure that inclusion in the title  inspires me to buy !!)

Good day Dave,

ref the HUO in 4mm - I expressed an interest in some

how close are you to your 3000 target?

Have the totals changed significantly since the announcement and introduction of the Accurascale model

In the nicest possible way don't want to be disloyal but it has been sometime since the wagon was announced - was not one of the last of the big spenders but even so  I could use the money elsewhere if it is unlikely to be called up here in the very near future !!

Ah, should soon find out if I preordered one zillions of years ago.....

I sympathise it is amazing what happens when we appreciably age whilst waiting but zillion is possibly a bit of an exaggeration  

however you could try 4+ years from when announced and which is the time many of us have been waiting since ordering this model.

To my surprise it has not gone up that much in price .£83 when announced now £93.50 (18%) 4 yrs later. Compared with the Bachmann rate of Inflation of 100% in 3 years that is v good . (.... and now to compare the play value of 2x B4s and some wagons versus a rtr crane  - I shall certainly reconsidering my order list - and perhaps Dapol could also consider a crane; no self-respecting range should be without! {oh hang on they do at £8.89 thus leaving £200+ in the bank ... now that is tempting} )

Been running my BR weathered one in for about 4 hrs in each direction now, it's better than it was but still very tight in places at low speeds......

 

Anyone else found this?

 

Probably just my luck to get a duffish one.

 

Ok at speed, but I only want it to run sllloowwwlllyyyyyy

Hi Black Rat,

I had 2x BR models one was fine, t'other was erratic particularly at slow speed (and v. noisy at high) despite a one hour running in session.

- I then spoke to Kernow who said they would exchange it, but in discussion confirmed that it was split chassis pickup from axles and that manufacturer had in some cases overdone the grease in the chassis and this presumably could/may interfere.

I looked at popping bottom plate off to expose gears  and do a clean up (it is apparently a snap on fitting - but given earlier comments I'm glad I ducked out)

In the end I waggled a really good dose of meths into the works, particularly around the axles, with a paintbrush  and then followed it up with a generous dose of electrolube  - like you I then ran it in for an age (a couple of hours) and the slow speed performance improved dramatically (it still runs like a bag of spanners at top speed but as that is well in excess of a scale 60-70 (subjective!) mph I felt I could live with that. you could try same before returning it.

Sad news from Kernow.

 

Good afternoon,

 

Re your DJ Models Class 74 order.

 

etc etc

I must admit that given the apparent stalling in progress I had half (sort of?) expected cancellation (nothing like a bit of hindsight!!); and in that case I would have expected to pay something towards the costs incurred to date (even though order conditions appeared to preclude this there is nothing like a bit of small print !!) as I was under the impression that that was the normal downside of crowd-funding.

so I must thank both DJM and Kernow for their generous solution to non-delivery... well done to both - I do hope you benefit in the longterm, and I guess that to demonstrate solidarity I will now need to invest is some DJM items from Kernow

Just out of interest has anyone bought a 800004 set and had no problems at all with the set, including no running and derailing issues? 

 

Thank you in advance. 

Yes... me...  (again !!)  it runs a treat in both directions at a scale 100mph plus - I would buy another tomorrow if I wasn't budgeting for everything else on my shopping list  but (possibly fortuitously) I cannot afford two (to ?)  and do the shopping list as well otherwise given the comments here it would probably show my first one up as the exception !! ...

Ah Saturday.....after a totally hectic and pretty unpleasant week I thought I'd have a 1970s classic running day on my layout. Planning it over some Harveys Old Ale last night I decided to run a rail tour with a Blue/ Grey rake of mk1s with double headed 31s to power it. I swapped over the more modern stock to 1970/80s stuff to suit the era

 

Well that's now gone right of of the window as I've just found that all four of my Hornby 31s have chassis expansion / crumble and resultant body splitting.

 

They have been stored away in a cupboard in our house for the last few years, in all the original packaging, along with a load of other models. 1 x 31110, 3 x 31270.

 

I am gutted. They were all ok when I bought them and all ran well straight out of the box. What makes it worse is I can't find the receipts.

 

Searching the internet I've come across several articles about Hornby replacing or offering a payment for this type of issue.

 

Is it possible that Hornby is still doing this? Does anyone know if this is the case or has anyone first hand experience of getting some kind of compensation?

If so how easy was it and what happened?

 

Sorry if this has all already been covered but I need a fairly quick response.

 

What a waste of time and product.

 In the nicest possible way this has actually been covered before  but as models continue to creep out blinking into the daylight from their storage cocoons it is a bit like the undead (mixing metaphors here!) - the b****** just won't die (or at least that what Hornby servicing must think!!).

Good luck with your approach to Hornby,!!! and in anticipation commiserations.....!! Let us know if you have any success there is probably quite a bit of pent-up demand

FYI I went to Hornby again in 2016 - having had a 2nd 31 (which was ok first time round) collapse in a welter of unravelling chemicals and given the elapsed time I even offered to pay for the parts so I could fit them myself.....

Hornby response as of 27 Oct 2016

was.....

Dear  xxxx

Kind Regards,

Simon Watkins

Customer Care Advisor

I guess I have written it off to experience - but I now keep a close eye on RMweb and if someone spots what looks like an intrinsic defect like this again then I would be inclined to leap on the band-wagon (even if I haven't actually spotted it in my own model )