Andy Hayter

Actually not just for the UK modeller - outside of DACH (D=Deutschland/Germany; A = Austria; CH = Switzerland) - the European coverage is pretty poor as well. Sommerfeld and Viessmann cover these countries well. After that? In fact the major model producers (by which I mean companies that produce rolling stock, locomotives and accessories) almost to a man ignore the overhead supply system. I have seen the prices for bespoke etched and printed catenary items (almost all 1500V DC which does add some complication) and the prices would invite any railway modeller to move to knitting!! A length of double track catenary could well be more expensive than the train sitting on it! Perversely there is one major producer who does at least make OH wires and catenary masts - Hornby. Formerly Electrotren some of the Hornby International masts could pass for 25KV although I have not checked the mast height for 00. Is this perhaps a solution? http://www.hornbyinternational.com/en/62-catenary

My tuppence worth as someone who has considered buying UK overhead electrics, but has not - but has bought and run continental versions. The collector will buy these models - just because they are there. The train set purchaser might buy them. They will note the lack of overhead supply equipment, but probably ignore it. If it were available off the shelf they would then curse it, since each derailment (which are probably frequent) becomes a logistics nightmare extricating stock from under the wire and getting it back on the track again (I know - an 8 coach articulated TGV set is an absolute nightmare). However they are only likely to buy if they see, or have seen, such locomotives in operation - not necessarily the same class, just overhead electrics. This will create a geographic isolation for many train set operators and means models will not sell perhaps so well. The semi serious modeller would buy but will be concerned about the lack of overhead supply equipment and will wait (forever) for it to appear as a plug and play item from their model shop. The serious modeller will not be worried by the lack of overhead power supply, he can build it himself. However the lack of breadth in the locomotive range will put him off starting perhaps. So from 4 groups (and I do realise that in the real world there is a continuum and not just simple pigeon holes) 1 will buy, 1 may buy depending on where they live and 2 will probably not buy - for very different reasons. And yes, I am sure in every group there will be exceptions. The potential market is therefore potentially halved compared with a steam or diesel locomotive. That I think is the challenge for a model manufacturer. The question is how to break the circle? Making more models available against a background of slower sales than other types, would take a very brave marketing manager - and could easily be a career limiting move. Making overhead catenary and masts (easy to write but would be a nightmare to do) might seem attractive but could alienate the train setters, will probably not be of interest to the collector and unless of high quality would be rejected by the serious modeller.

Dana In a word, no. Although there are a number of stores that have gone into receivership if that is what you meant by like Modelzone. If you say where you will be going, a number of us can probably suggest which is the local model store - but local could be a long way away - even by UK standards. I end up buying nearly everything by mail order or at the occasional local show.

pure speculation

I don't believe it does Clive - for the simple reason that unlike most of the rest of Europe to the east (Germany and Switzerland eastwards) track gauges of 700mm to 800mm (which could be represented by 9mm track in HO) were virtually unknown in France. Effectively gauges were restricted to 600mm or metre - although before others come in and say what about.... - there were some exceptions but these were rare. Peco HOm track does seem to sell reasonably well from what I can tell.

Does that mean that the Bachmann livery will be fictional? Or just that said model should not carry a name?

A further snippet from another Jose Banaudo book - Sur les rails des Causses et des Cevennes - pub. Editions Cabri: In discussing Bedarieux station, states that in the early 1870s the Cie du Midi planned a transverse route between Montpellier and Montauban via Paulhan, Bedarieux, Mazamet, Castres and St. Sulpice. So although Bedarieux certainly owes its railway prominence due to the local mines, it looks as if this line was planned for a different purpose.

Not sure about the UK but Lidl in Germany and Lidl in France would tranship from one store to another if they ran out of stock and another still had some of their WIGIGs*. WIGIG = when it's gone it's gone. EDIT: to make clear. The stores will do this on request. So if you ask for a display cabinet and they have none, they will tranship one for you (if available).

Yes Twice a year 302mm to the foot

Roger 5591 Just how do we make these part more flexible unless they are a separate moulding that has to be added later??? Which kind of defeats many objects Sorry no quotes - Microsh1t 8.1 is not compatible with the quotes function on this site.

While I agree that it a shame that some have bought this only for profit and have denied "real" modellers of the chance of having one at a sensible price, on what basis do we really condemn them?? I would also have fancied one of these, although I have no layout on which to run one and no LYR stock to run with it. Would that have made me a hoarder? Waiting for the time when I (or more likely my heirs) chose to downsize and dispose of said model (at I suppose a profit). Would that have made me a dreaded collector and so also deprive the modeller from his just rights? And why is this model so popular? I recently bought the GCR Butler Henderson model several months after release - and still available. My motivation - again a model I like as a model, but in this case I can at least claim a short rake if scratch built GCR coaches to go with it - but still no layout. Hence the priority to buy this and not the LYR tank. (Bu@@er, Bu@@er, Bu@@er). Why do some models sell out in weeks (and offer the model speculator the chance to make fine profit) while others seem to sell more slowly? What makes the LYR tank and the SECR C2 so popular and seemingly the GCR model less so? Do these speculators actually have a stock of models like the D11 that they cannot (yet) offer to market, that balances the C2s and LYR tanks? So many questions, but can we, should we, condemn people who spot a chance and take it?

Quite right, but at the same time so wrong. Design cheap - yes because that is what keeps our models affordable. But cheap as in in tatty - well lets see. Am I alone in being a bit surprised by reactions. We see some quite nice pre-production shots and they seem a bit tempting. Someone asks (quite legitimately) if the tender and cab hand rails are moulded on. In other words they cannot tell from the picture - and neither could I. On being told yes they are moulded and have some clever undercutting to make them seem less so, the model then becomes a disaster. Instead of saying, maybe there is something in this design clever - that makes it difficult to distinguish them from separately applied ones - and we should at least wait to see one in the flesh before reaching a conclusion, we all rush to say this is just rubbish. That would be rubbish we could not see in quite large detailed pictures when presented at what would be a close viewing distance for most models. Personally I would be much more worried by the bend in the rotary valve gear, which has been pointed out but seems to have not attracted the same negative attention. I rather fear we are suffering some form of model snobbery here.

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Good source of information will be: trains Oublies (sorry this pane does not accept accents) by J Banaudo pub Editions du Cabri. Volume ?? covering the Midi. Unfortunately the series is long out of print and second hand copies are as rare as hen's teeth. A library might be able to source a copy for you. I now regret only buying the PLM volume (Volume2).

You may well be right, but I am surprised that while Hornby get all sorts of flak for this there is no such flak for Bachmann. I do not blame either of them but the different levels of expectation seems strange to me as a recently returned to UK prototype modeller. In France I am used to adding a year or two to an anticipated delivery date.

As far s I can see there is not even a hint of a delivery date, so I think we can expect them sometime in 2014. I am not even sure that a RRP has yet been set. As someone else who missed the C Class, the best I can suggest is to pre-order with your local supplier. Normally they will not take any money until the models arrive.

Returning to the topic and having lambasted the general council of Isere, I now have to eat humble pie, since - according to RMF - they are asking for tenders to operate the line from La Mure down to the Grand Balcon, just above the point of the landslide. Operation would restart in 2015.

To the Fat controller Not sure when you were visiting, in all the years I have visited there has been a 14:00 (or similar) train from St Georges with return. Timetables tended to change a little every year. The nature of many French preserved lines is that they offer very restricted timetables compared to the UK. La Mure was one of the more flexible/frequent - at least during the summer months

I wish I shared your optimism Jeff. The rock fall - someone estimated 30000 tons - is in the most exposed an inaccessible part of the line perched several hundred metres above the reservoir. Further the remain rock face has been deemed unstable and would require some major stabilisation work. Connex (who were operating the line) have withdrawn and the departemental council are unwilling to provide any funds. Without their support the region is unlikely to stump up anything by way of support. What it needs is a very rich benefactor - one who is prepared to become very poor.

Most cardboard packaging is twin wall with a wavy layer separating the two outer faces. It is very strong across the waves but relatively weak in the direction in which the waves lie. In boxes the waves are almost always in the verticle direction so that the boxes can be stored one above another. To get over the weakness in the other direction there are two (maybe more) possibilities: 1. Find a source of industrial tri-wall - outer face, wavy layer, middle face, wavy layer, inner face. The extra wavy layer and face help distortion in the weak direction and will probably give enough strength. 2. Glue two twin layer cards together. This can be done to give all the wavy sections in the same direction - like the tri-wall above. However I would recommend that you glue them so that the wavy layers are at right angles to one another to maximise the strength in all directions. Triwalls are specially constructed and usually the pitch of the 2 wavy layers is very different so that you minimise weakness along the waves. Doing the same at home will be a lot more hit and miss. Shellac - available dry on ebay (cheaply) and should be dissolved in meths (expensive) or if you know someone nipping over to France on a booze cruise, get then to go to the hypermarket and buy 5l alcool à brulé (much cheaper)

Cannot comment if they are the best, but I am happily using FB Systems - www.fbsystems.com Also a satisfied user of Pierre Dominique