john new

Carlton was the nearest we found. They have a Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/carltonrailwaysociety/

Agree with most above but not the challenge to my statement re shrivelling slowly. The central spine of our hobby will be strong until it is the last man/woman standing. That will disguise decline in the periphery. I hope I am wrong, and that GMRC is a catalyst for change.

Whilst I can see your point, and it has some merit, there is a saying in business (Henry Ford's?) "that if you do what you always do, you get what you've always got." Whichever bit of the railway scene, full size or model, most interests you/me/us Is irrelevant; we can't hide the fact the traditional structure of the railway interest group is slowly shrivelling from the bottom up. We have to adapt to survive. This may be a way to adapt and evolve. I am certainly thinking of ways to make our Society stand build on the GMRC, possibly not time for anything significant before Warley but in time for Alexandra Palace. As I posted previously, the pyramid is shrinking from the bottom up not the top, we have to attract the newbies of any age. Talking to a fellow enthusiast in the model shop yesterday suggests that target is middle aged retirees not necessarily youngsters. What matters is we grip the attention of today's prospective modeller. If the animations and 'off the wall' ideas do that in the same way Tri-Ang's giraffe car, helicopter and rocket wagon did for my generation then it is good. It does happen. When I was ten all those years ago boys didn't do Barbie dolls, then someone thought differently and introduced Action Man! My younger cousin and his mates were hooked on dolls for boys. The right thing at the right time can change things - I may never choose to model a space port, but remember the Tracey Island phenomenum, equally I will never model the LNWR in P4. I am however part owner of an LNWR live steam locomotive. This is something different, for mass entertainment, that the hobby may well benefit from.

Although I think we do need good modellers to show the examples I do concur with your view too - it is why the end of my post reads ".....It is how to get our 6-7 year olds to keep interested and progress from something simple like this to something less like a train-set. However, even if they only ever get a bigger train set does that matter if they stay with running trains?"

Despite my personal research projects being somewhat detailed and esoteric and being on the SLS Board (another group at the serious end) we have to embrace the lower end of the hobby and bring on beginners. Where I am now with knowledge was not where I started. If I take three of my childhood hobbies model trains, real trains and football - Football - never progressed beyond weekend village league standard but enjoyed myself. Model trains - improved a lot, certainly knowledge of what to do is there even where skills are rusty or inadequate. Real trains - in my own area of expertise probably at least Championship (Old Div 2) standard. I think some railway modellers forget two things - that to progress from Sunday league upwards takes a blend of skill and practice and that Sunday league football still has its place for those playing it. Some layouts out there are crap, you only have to look at YouTube to see that but crucially the people who made them enjoyed it and are proud enough of what they have achieved to put them on YT. We need to encourage this not decry. Hopefully, they will see the better stuff on YT and try to emulate it. 2fs, P4, S7 et al have their place, so does a set-track oval and some home made cardboard buildings. The world has changed but luckily there are still plenty of old, robust, affordable, trains out there. If we can't get new modellers, of any age, in at the bottom to enjoy making things (Sunday Pub league equivalents) we won't get the next generation of top-line modellers either. It is a pyramid, sadly the current pyramid is shrinking upwards with a steadily narrowing base. It is how to get our 6-7 year olds to keep interested and progress from something simple like this to something less like a train-set. However, even if they only ever get a bigger train set, does that matter if they stay with running trains? Layout made for my grandsons.

But they did at least watch it to the end.

OS Grid squares IIRC are 1km.

Why no trams?

There is a wonderful Les Barker poem about three dogs - "Stay, Go & Fetch". If you get the chance to see him live anywhere well worth the fee.

Could you add a link please of where to get one from. Don't need one now but if I start showing my H-Dublo again in the future might buy if it is affordable.

Thanks Phil.

Liked the TfL stock on the Walford layout. Are they kits or an r-t-r item I've missed seeing advertised?

Good tip for any scale, thanks.

Had same problem a few years back when I ran them on an exhibition layout - IIRC weak magnet is the issue. Back then I had access to a local shop that did re-mags (The model shop in Poole, Dorset), however, several websites have the tip these days of adding new small magnets either side of the existing magnet. Hope this helps.

Won't it partly depend on the day's ordering cut off time? (Was one specified by the vendor?) I mail out book sales for the SLS, although we don't sell on e-bay, however, if I/we did then around 3pm would be a cut off for that day's mailings as the last collection from our local PO is 4pm and I'd have to package the item up and get it there hence the 3pm statement. Example - An order received 15:30 Monday, would be in post for Tuesday's collections, delivered Wednesday which would be the correct timeline viewed from my end but perceived as 24 hours late from the customer's perspective. Converse applied for me this week ordered on line, paid first class R Mail post option (No longer officially regarded as a next day delivery target) and it actually arrived a day earlier than I thought it would. Well done FMW & Royal Mail.

Hi Clive. Your call and girder bridges over station throats existed (Paddington and York for just two). I preferred your flat style mock up as they are so much more common, a Yorkshire prototype would be the bridge(s) over the approaches to Bradford Forster Sq with all the goods sidings. Further away, but one I used to stand on to watch trains from, was across the approaches to the former Southampton Terminus Station throat. They differed in construction but both spanned several tracks.

Some here will disagree with this comment but all of those items were relevant, and contextually appropriate, in the week shown. The contestants were given a broad theme within which to construct a layout - the specific interpretation of that theme then being theirs.

Are we allowed to know the coming topics outline themes to go with the heats order info' above? Not a problem if it is embargoed info' but it would be nice to know. (Apologies if that has been posted and I missed it.)

On YouTube - see https://www.youtube.com/user/railwaychannel

Inspired by your box opening I have brought my stored boxes in from the garage and am running them on a test track set-up on the spare bed (No visitors due for a a couple of months). Have already found a loco I'd completely forgotten I'd bought, a Bachmann 2-6-2T, which got a quick lap or two tonight.

I have had the same issue with the Huntingdon Beaumont/Wollaton Waggonway related pages on Wikipedia, I gave up bothering to edit out the changes putting back the errors on a regular basis.

Read and enjoyed most of the series. Not yet seen the Christmas one.

Thank you. A modern form of TV Suppressor had been my guess as on my collectable H Dublo 3 rail and some other old locomotives there is one wired across the brush leads etc., on the motors but they aren't there on modern one's. I will leave it on this but won't bother elsewhere unless I note any interference on our radio and TV etc. I don't normally use the power clip type set-up but this is a temporary rig so I can get everything out of the storage boxes, test it and see what needs repairs.

Embarrassed to ask this but - I have just laid a circle of Hornby train set track to do some winter indoor testing. On the power feed rail there is a plastic clip over the copper power connections which some of the wheels were catching on and derailing*. I removed it as the quick fix to find a white electrical thingy underneath across the feeds. Firstly what is it; secondly what does it do and thirdly, more seriously, on other layouts with standard, analogue wiring and lots of switched individual sections is it worth adding a whatever it is across the outputs from the controllers? * the wagon in question brand new, first running session. Back to back to be checked.

New teams each week until the final.