john new

An update, although I have not had much time to devote to this today a bit of hand shunting suggests that the small couplings are OK at 2ft/610mm as they run through the one point that is not set track when running on to /off the straights only option route other than through the actual Y. Next step will be loco shunting on that back siding to check that 2ft seems an acceptable minimum. Final step will be dig a few in-stock PECO points out of the track spares box and fit up a test track with 2ft or greater curves. (I have a Tracksetta). The medium couplings size fitted to old Mainline and GRAFAR short wheelbase seem to run through the wiggly reverse curves section OK, as do all my vehicles with the larger, older, Triang/Hornby size whether long or short wheelbase. The two long wheelbase Bachman, Whisky hoppers with the medium size couplings retro fitted (and the from the same set Brake Van with the original tiny type) still derail other than through the 2ft radius point - their sister fitted with the larger recycled Triang/H size seems OK.

Agree yes that was the step 1 and too short a coupling (it is correctly mounted on the spiggots etc.). The other two tried and failed were the original and the alternative longer coupling both fail as although they extend past the buffers therefore curing buffer locking the hook swing arc exceeds the available loop space. The other identical wagon I successfully fitted with an old Tri-ang/Hornby pair from my scrap bin; fairly sure recycled from some old Mk1 coach bogies that had cracked and been replaced. That hook swing arc is why the new small one’s are useless on tight curves whereas all my old one’s are fine whether on long or short wheelbase stock.

The local prisons are keeping our rate high, both with staff and inmates.

Four full months on since I made this post and it is still outstanding. It is the modern way of things but extremely unsatisfactory from a customer perspective. There are acceptable delays and taking the p**s. The money is put aside, Jim if he ever does turn up will be welcomed, but I am not holding my breath for either this or the more recently announced Rowntree livery (also pre-ordered in hope rather than expectation). Hornby have gone down in my estimation through this prolonged failure to supply and failure to inform the customer. My Oxford & TMC pre-orders also long overdue but they have at least occasionally announced something on the progress (or lack of it) on the model. When I was working in IT this type of product was often called vapour ware or brochure ware! *Edit - I did have, but the pre-order got cancelled! I sometimes wonder why we bother with new stuff, so much hassle?

Unfortunately, after another testing tweaking session today, I think modern stock with the couplings as supplied is incompatible with 2nd radius reverse curves. I only managed to get the Bachman Whisky wagon to run through when retro fitted with a pair of very old T/Hornby riveted metal couplings from the stock box. See also this thread querying what is the minimum radius for the new style titchy couplings - the pointwork on PY may have to be replaced.

Although related to modern coupling fittings this NEM/Kadee debate raises other issues (Not modern t/ls) hence this separate thread. My question after trying, and failing, to get a set of three recently bought wagons to run through my shunting plank's reverse curves without derailing is what is the true minimum radius for modern r-t-r stock? Not the radius it will run through as a single vehicle but the radius it can go through hauled/ing and propelling if fitted with the modern style of titchy t/ls. (This post from 27 March in my layout thread has more). I think the current track will have to be ripped up as I now have several recently bought locos that run OK light engine but can't haul/push a train with their existing titchy couplings. (Bachman Cl 20, Model Rail USA tank, Dapol B4 & Hornby Sentinel diesel). Add to that at least another eight freight vehicles with the same coupling issue. Replacing the track now is cheaper than re-equiping every new item of rolling stock! The annoying thing is that all my older stock runs through everything just fine with their larger t/ls. I retro fitted one of my three new Bachman Whisky hoppers this morning with two old Hornby couplings it now works fine. Not so the other two I had a look at this morning, one size from my spares box was too short (buffer locked/derailed) the other long enough to avoid that issue but still too narrow in the loop to allow adequate hook swing. The related issue is the flimsy clip in hooks regularly fall off! I how have well over £500 worth of stock advertised as able to run through 2nd radius curves, which it will if l/engine but not if coupled to anything as it derails the attached stock! The photo shows original and two sizes from my spares box, none suitable for running reliably through 2nd radius reverse curves. This is a big backwards step. I have been dabbling with model trains for over 50 years and understand the issues, how is a newbie supposed to get absorbed by the hobby if the entry level items they buy in a packaged train set have an inherent fault?

A feminist I know recently said that it is because men treat their women as petable objects, boss them around despite adoring them, and regard themselves as genuinely in charge. (Not verbatim but as close as I can recall). I think even as a male the way so many men, until recently, have been very mysogenistic and sexist gives that viewpoint on the debate some credibility. Probably someone, somewhere, has published a PHD thesis on it; if they have it will be an interesting read.

Unless you count British (not UK as that is political rather than geographic and not the same thing at all) as all the British Isles, if not then several other island communities also get excluded. The IOM and CIs though didn’t have 4-6-0s.

Interestingly an art/craft show as non-essential retailing, therefore presumably assuming the items are all for sale, can open under step 2. (a model railway show/swap meet with no layouts in all but name) Model railways alone not until a later step. Not sure I would actually go to such an art event, even with a mask, this early even if I wanted to but useful to read the guidance.

There are many who, from my perspective, seem overly going-ho, example, the lack of social distancing in the street and public open spaces is worrying. There are several things I will continue to avoid/minimise for a while yet and the idea of vaccine passports for events might reduce my avoidance. The problem with them is the perception about civil liberties (I don’t support that for the same reasons Neil posted a few pages back) and that the getting to the XYZ passport protected event’s route will be in the open with the problems of the first sentence. At some point the risk of catching COVID will drop to a similar risk to catching flu, very serious to some, hence the flu jab programme, but a disease that has previously been broadly accepted by most as an acceptable risk. Will COVID have changed our attitude to both for the long term? IF we get to vaccine passports what disease should be recorded on them, just COVID, COVID + FLU, C+F+? Etc.

Yardley’s IIRC are/were the relevant company buying and supplying those lease fleet vehicles. Had one from them back in the day when I had an employer supplied lease car.

A great example of stupid short-termism was the UK National Government's decision circa 1970 (I don't know the exact details) to only specify a 25 year design life for public buildings. The hospital in the news in Norfolk is a classic example of the policy's lasting legacy of waste.

Some recent posts have been, in my personal opinion, extremely inappropriate. As the OP for this thread I am asking that we knock the religious and borderline racist posting on the head and get back to just discussing progress news about the incident, the future of the boat and delivery of the containers that are on it. Regarding the containers delayed, either on the EG or one of the other ships, is this the most unusual cargo element to be reported as delayed?

Concur but ideally from a BK not a Maccy D.

My sister (66) and one of my daughters (36), both migraine/flu like symptoms for about a day and a half. (Self, wife, elderly mother, 2nd daughter and bro-in-law all OK) Thinking about it it should actually be 2:(9)11 as I have just remembered that my wife's sister & husband (70 & 73) are also both no problem cases and they have now had both their jabs taking the jab total to 11. The others in the list one jab only so far.

Of the 7 family members I know of from having the jab the ratio is 2 after problems to 5 OK.

Not sure if that was a joke comment or not so answered seriously. They were the Terry's Choc Orange eggs straight out of the bag. Very nice they were when eaten later too.

The lift incident was definitely in the new stand. I was on tannoy with it switched to lifts only to try keep them calm with progress announcements without notifying everyone else other than the lift was out of service. IIRC it was a family with a child plus Mike when they were finally released. The power cuts were in the older stand that had all the escalators.

I remember it happening but not which year.

Like the rest of us I can't be at the show this year but I did at least have time this morning to get out my oval test track and give the Easter Egg Special a quick run. Has anyone else run trains today?

The Easter Egg special had to be run today whilst I had my test oval out for running in a new purchase. Bachmann wagon weathered by me watercolours over a PVA base layer. NB: This reinstated image is the full frame, when originally posted it was cropped. That saved copy has been lost.

Fully concur, because one of my regular meds may trigger a very rare serious reaction I am advised not to eat grapefruit. As a result I don't deliberately eat it, but I suspect I may have had the odd bit of cross-contamination in fruit salads. I am also allergic to Quorn, one that isn't generally known about, and have had the occasional adverse reaction after eating from a buffet when I forgot to ask if any of the nibbles were Quorn and it wasn't labelled as such. Why mention this - people with reactions to Quorn are a low % across the tonnes of it sold, not sure the packets even carry an allergy warning [they didn't].

Thanks for that, in line with (2) I will put it into a new sub-folder in the cloud. I have a set of several such in an umbrella railway modelling main folder. Edit - Files now on my one-drive folder, for some reason the i-cloud is not visible to DecoderPro. [Guessing that is due to the java interface or similar.] Will load JMRI onto the laptop tomorrow and then learn a bit more.

It was the year the stand was being modernised - Sunday when the kitchens turned the ovens on. Yes a very distant duty electrician on call out.

On the positive though that might suggest having an 'out-front' explainer which in turn allows the operators to get on with operating without distraction. The downside is it adds extra crew member(s) to the cost and logistics of getting to the show.