nathan70000

Nice to see lots of interest in this thread, which by extension implies lots of interest in the NER! Some good suggestions have been made, although something no-one has mentioned yet is the distinctive Birdcage brake vans. Not sure if any made it in to BR but they seem to appear regularly in LNER period photographs. On the subject of coaching stock, I'm not terribly optimistic we'll see any NER coaches any time soon as pre-1930 coaching stock in general is neglected for all regions. There are no GWR 'Droplights', or LSWR mainline coaches, or accurate LMS P.Is- all of which I think we'll see before NER specific stock, unfortunately. I definitely think an NER 0-6-0 will be announced before 2020 is out though. My head knows it's likely to be a J21/Class C but my heart wants it to be a J27/P3.

Wasn't they an American manufacturer who had a profitable side-line in making dog food bowls? (Athearn I think) Just a thought!

Well that was disappointing. A few Peckett reliveries, an 800 with a bear on it and a few Triang scenery relics that were retired years ago. I was actually expecting at least one new tool. Hornby hyping this is seems a bit desperate.

It's a Saint. Timed to coincide with the launch of 2999 'Lady of Legend'. Seems too much of an open goal for Hornby to miss given the coming media firestorm over Britain's second standard gauge new build steam locomotive. 2999 will certainly be offered, probably in 'Railroad' spec in standard/20s GWR Green and as a overpriced "limited edition" in the original 1906 green/black/garter crest livery. Bear in mind that this theory hinges on the fact its been a while since they've done something GWR.

Hi I have been planning a US layout set somewhere in New England. I was struck by the diamond crossing at Whitefield, New Hampshire, location of the last remaining ball signal in the US. I was wondering how I could incorporate this feature in to a relatively small switching layout wired for DCC. I was hoping to do the layout so the period is 'flexible'. I have a Bachmann B&M 2-6-0 for steam era operations and I am considering the same company's Sound Value Rs3. I also have a Maine Central F3 in the post from America, and I'm looking at Bachmann's "bluebird" GP9. I'm a bit stuck for MEC motive power- I can't seem to find any of Atlas's RS11s anywhere. Aside from eBay does anyone know where I could find one? My other question is one of liveries. When were MEC locomotives repainted in the green scheme? When did they start using the large 'MEC' logo on rolling stock? I'm pretty up to speed on the B&M but MEC is harder to find information for. Thanks for any answers

When ordering from Japan in the past I have found that postage is very quick, reliable and efficient- until getting to Heathrow! I've never had a parcel take less than 48 hours from Japan to Heathrow but Heathrow to my house can take days! The eBay Global Shipping program uses Pitney Bowes (?), not a firm I'd heard of before but the great thing is you pay VAT when you order so no nasty charges! I've found their application to be inconsistent i.e sometimes a parcel slips through, sometimes I get charged more than I should and sometimes I get charged less.

Interesting! I guess growing up in more recent decades I'm just used to following a parcel obsessively on it's journey! What courier do they use? The VAT I don't mind- the rip off handling charges I do!

Hi I've ordered 2 Budd Metroliner MUs direct from Walthers in Milwaukee. What has been people's experience of them, if any? It has been a few days since I ordered and there hasn't been any emails about shipping via USPS etc. so I wonder if they use their own service which might help me about getting stung by customs! I'm aware I could have ordered them through an intermediate dealer in the UK but at a price of $80 or thereabouts it would have been much cheaper to order direct than through an intermediate that goes off the prices in the catalogue.

Good call! I have a Bachmann GG1 (US electric 4-6-6-4 locomotive for those not in the know!) and the cab steps are made out of a soft, flexible almost rubbery material so they won't break. But if they do they've provided spares in the box!

I do think steam appeals more than D&E for younger modellers; especially if brought up on a diet of Thomas! They'll probably want an 800 as well (fast, pointy and looks cool) but I suspect your average 10 year old modeller would get much, much more excited by an A4, a 'King' or even a pre-grouping loco than a 158 or a 66.

Some interesting replies to this topic- knew it would be controversial! I would never advocate Hornby stop doing super detail models, the ones I have are my favourites even above Bachmann locos. But I do think that a compromise should be reached between price and detail. A £500 loco would obviously be better than a £100 one, but I couldn't possibly afford it so unless there were alternatives available I wouldn't be able to have one. There are good and bad examples of design clever- personally I don't think there is anything wrong with the King and that's a better example of the concept (although there isn't a railroad version). The ex-Dapol County is another one- more RR models at this standard please! I have a 71000 and whilst it is rather tasty there is definitely something off about the front end. The smokebox being flush with the slanted running plate is what gives it it's character. And yes the Railroad range RRPs are too high but they can be found at decent prices. I don't believe the collector's market makes up 80% of Hornby's market; that's a ridiculous figure. Has Hornby ever clarified this one? I suspect it's closer to 20% or less. I've spent a lot of time in model shops, and I'd say the buyers can be broken down like this: 40% modeller 30% 'trainset'-type casual buyer 20% kids 10% collector At model shops associsted near heritage railways, the balance tips even further in favour of kids and trainset types whereas at exhibitions it is about 70% modeller to 30% kids and trainset. Very unscientific and based purely on observation but I'd like to see some evidence for the 80% collectors figure. Is that common to all manufacturers? If it is the case why don't they just make models without motors and in fancy glass cases with certificates for that segment of the market? Oh and one other thing- there are plenty of not-so-well off pensioners as well who also might not be able to spend £££ on models. On the Facebook group I mentioned in the OP there are plenty of over 60s.

I've noticed quite a lot of interest in Hornby's calamitous financial situation recently, which doesn't seem to be improving, despite the quality of models from Hornby getting better and better. How come, then, the financial situation isn't improving? Well, Hornby's current model would appear to be somewhat unsustainable. In a time when most people are rationing their non-essential purchases, Hornby prices are rocketing towards the £200 mark. That might not be a problem for companies like Rapido which cater to a very small section of the market and have low overheads, but it certainly is for Hornby, a vast multinational corporation with very high brand awareness, in this country at least. What's interesting is that share prices had plummeted whilst prices are going up, suggesting that Hornby is moving to a model of producing more expensive to develop products to sell to a smaller group of (well off!) people, particularly collectors. This is unsustainable, frankly as the vast majority of collectors and modellers are in the over 60s age bracket. The point is then, Hornby needs to sell to a larger group of people than just the elderly and/or well off (No offense!). A quick look on Facebook reveals that one of the biggest modelling-related groups on there is named 'Railway modellers on a limited income' or thereabouts. Now, Hornby has 'Railroad' but it seems to be a dumping ground for old models from the 80s like the D49 and the 14xx. Imagine if there was a way to tool up a model so it could fit in both the Railroad and 'super detail' ranges..oh wait. There is, design clever! It seems to have somewhat of a bad reputation on these forums, but it's definitely time to reconsider. In fact it should never have been dumped in the first place. I personally have saved a lot of money by simply buying the Railroad version of a model and adding detail as I see fit. Personally I can't see why people complain about the full fat versions not being up to spec, but then again I can easily forgive the odd molded handrail or detail part (especially as it makes them more durable- some of my super detail engines shed bits on the move!). Hornby have missed a serious trick by not doing the Class 800 to design clever standard as I suspect many a younger modeller will want one (I fit in that category but I don't do post-1985!). One of Hornby's biggest sellers, overall, is 'Tornado' which is an excellent example of Design Clever done well- the super detail ones are gorgeous and the Railroad one certainly has it's place in the budget market. So, my first suggestion to Hornby would be a design-clever 800 priced at around the 150 mark. They can definitely do a decent job at that price, the Pendolino looks fantastic and is quite competitively priced (I have one- and I don't do modern image!). The full fat one should probably be reduced too as I reckon they'll sell tons in the long term (think HST) so even if they put them up at say £290-320 and they make a loss initially they'll eventually recoup the costs. Additionally they should probably take more risks on items that are 'glamourous'. The P2 was and is a good seller in both forms. Further big ticket items could be done like the P2 with Railroad and super detail versions. Ideal candidates would include the original format W1, the streamline Duchesses, 'The Great Bear' and a retooled Battle of Britain/WC. I would have suggested a King over 111 but the existing model seems to be quite reasonable anyway in price and appearance. Finally I think Hornby needs to rethink prices overall, simply to avoid all their models going to collectors who will never take them out the box. I would suggest a £160 limit for super detail 'big' steam locos and £100/110 for freight locos. £80 for tank engines. Big diesels and leccys £120. Obviously some compromises will have to be made, but an excellent, super-detail model at a good price is definitely possible, as the King and the A3/A4/P2 prove.

Nope! With all due respect, £200+ is too much, for one locomotive. It's a great model but I suspect they'll be a fair few modellers upset at being priced out of this loco. I worry that these price increases are signs of desperation from Hornby. The gentleman proposing that he'd happily pay £300 should probably take a moment to consider the financial realities of the present time (for most people at least).

Hi I am after two very pretty GWR locos. The first is the County released in the Olympics set, with the improved decoration and correct (for the period I want) livery. It's not perfect but it is very nice. I've literally just been outbid on this set on eBay. The second is one of the 1906-liveried Singles. There are a few on eBay but personally I think £100 is too much to pay for a 50-year old tooling! I believe there was another 1906 single released in a set too. If anyone has and wants to flog any these locos (or the sets they were sold in) please PM!

Hi Japanese N is 1/150 which is very close to the British 1/148. British N-scale is slightly oversized (like 00) to fit mechanisms in to smaller bodies. What period are you looking at out of interest?

Thankyou very much for the NBR sides! I shall probably print them out tomorrow, I assume they'll come out right on A4 paper? I'm eyeing up a GBL Single-to-NBR 474 2-2-2 conversion too (they are nearly identical). I definitely have drawings for some LSWR locos stashed somewhere, I think they're for 0-6-0s though. I also wondered today whether it may be possible to 3D-print 'deep frames' to fit the Airfix City of Truro kit to allow other GWR classes such as the Birds and Bulldogs to be represented. I know there is a Branchlines conversion kit somewhere for this but I can't find it and it looks somewhat involved.

No, I'm not talking about the 'ski-jump' which is barely noticeable on my example. I received a gloss 'Firdaussi' (from R3500 set) today and although it is a superb model after a few minutes running I noticed the tender side frames had come loose and they eventually fell off. It was a simple fix (I just glued them back in to place) but has anyone else had this issue? Not really good on a quality model usually marketing for well over £100...

My first thought was...how bizarre! They claimed that their thinking was 'joined up' so I would have expected something like: A. Class 86 (for Mk3s) B. An LMS tank C. A Scottish pre-group to run with those 4 planks Instead they've come out with something I would never have predicted but I suppose it fits in with the Warwells and the Dean Goods. I would have thought most of the military modellers would have wanted a HO one so I worry the market for this one could be fairly small. Am I right in thinking these never ran on regular lines, at least with the gun fitted?

Hi I'd quite like a LNER W1 in my collection but I thought it was out of my reach as my only three options were: SE Finecast Kit (expensive, difficult to source and I will probably mess it ip) Buy a built one second hand (Very expensive) Or scratchbuild (nearly impossible with that shape) However recently I have learnt of another route, that at some point there was a resin kit produced for the Hornby A3 chassis. This seems well within my capabilities, so if anyone has one lying about (or even a built one!) PM me...

https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/N-KIT-OR-SCRATCH-BUILT-LNER-APPLE-GREEN-B17-5-2870-STREAMLINED-STEAM-LOCO-1Z/152686921180?hash=item238cd985dc:g:f~UAAOSwEfBZqXUx Bless.

I can't help but think this analysis is overly pessimistic. There are no K3s, P2s or J11s, Patriots or Unrebuilt Merchant Navys preserved but all have these have been done by the major manufacturers over the last few years. There is a factor of "if it can't wear BR livery it's not worth doing" but even this unfortunate affliction has been ebbing away lately. They say people model what they remember, but I don't think that's true and i think the people saying 'oh well Hornby should make a Class 375/180/91 because youngsters will want to buy what they see' have got it all wrong. I can't remember BR steam, I was born over 20 years after it finished and I don't really want to model the immediate post-privatisation period. I'd much rather model the period from about 1900 up to 1950, particularly pre-war in fact because that was when (personally) the railways were at their peak.

I should add that the D2 looks quite fine and with the boiler issues sorted it would make quite an appealing model I think. I do have a bit of a liking for the LBSCR...

As a beginner modeller whose greatest soldering achievement was a doorbell at high school (and iirc that took about three attempts!) I'm quite interested in this medium. I am willing to accept compromise on the chassis front- there are vast amounts of locos that can be built on say the Triang L1 with only a few mm difference that even the most seasoned modeller would struggle to notice unless he/her measured it up. If I want to model pre-grouping I've currently only got one option- a hugely expensive brass kit, and there is no RTR (J36, J72, D11 and J11 excepted) for my favourite companies- the NBR, GC, NER and H&BR. I've got some drawings for the locos of the latter, and they match RTR chassis quite well- the F2 tank for example is exactly the same as the Collett Goods; and the big Class A 0-8-0s fit the jinty chassis quite nicely too although obviously it'd have to be butchered in to an 0-8-0 chassis. Don't suppose you'd be interested in these types in the future? Summers may be sunnier in the south, but the grass is greener in the North... ...because it rains more...

RTR NER steam would be great- as far as I am aware Bachmann's upcoming J72 is the first (accurate) RTR available in pre-1923 condition. I would have thought Bachmann might be more likely to do the J21 (in fact I consider it a likely prospect for next year if J72 sales are strong) but I would like a J27 as well of course. A D20 or an Atlantic would be really nice but whatever they do I hope they do them in pre-1923 as well as LNER and BR liveries. The NER Green livery is simply gorgeous and oddly I find it looks better than LNER even though they are nearly identical.

Well I believe an announcement (on the 23rd?) has been confirmed, so I expect something- but what? Here's my wishlist: NER G5 tooled up for both NER and LNER/BR versions NER Birdcage Brake Van NER 20T Coal Hopper (you can see where my interests lie!) NBR Brake Van (they've done the wagons, Hornby are doing the locomotive albeit not in true NBR form, so why not?) GSWR Whitlegg 4-6-4T (yes I know that's never gonna happen RTR but we can dream, I bet the same was said about Kestrel, the LT BoBos and the P2 as well and look what's happened) However I suspect: LMS Stanier or Fowler tank engine(fits in to the pattern) Class 86 (seems obvious) Mk3 Sleepers Perhaps something industrial as it seems to be all the rage lately I think Hornby will keep Oxford Rail going, personally I feel they've been unfairly criticised with the Dean Goods in particular. It may be a few mm off in places but it looks like a Dean Goods to me and at around £80 it's a bargain for a modern, refined model. I think they need to find a niche...they could do for steam what Heljan do for diesels, Hornby can do the stuff that's bound to sell and Oxford can do the more unusual stuff. Edit - forgot Bachmann have already done the Johnson tank! Still don't think they'll do something from any of the Scottish pre-group companies or even the LNWR, it'll have to be something that can go BR Black!