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It’s seeking crowd funders first..

Agreed. On a locomotive the Big costs are the chassis / drive train... the rest of it is similar to a coach / wagon. That’s why it’s a ray of hope for a 74... or put differently it’s the only real use for it.

Class 71 chassis could form a basis for a class 74. given the “write offs” and “who controls what”.. a new body (a single piece body.. there wasnt any notable variations to tool afterall ) could actually make it viable. But I doubt anyone will make any more 71’s for a long time ! J94 could show up. Nothing wrong with it. Indeed I think this is the most likely one to show soonest. I dont know why DJ didnt get that second run out asap...it would have been easier money. I understand some initial metal may have been cut for a 92, I certainly think there was some angst expressed on this project, if you dig into that thread you may still find clues. Heres the early warning sign of where the rails seemed to become a bit shaky... https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/78681-n-gauge-class-17-clayton-locomotive/&do=findComment&comment=3161064 At this point a class 92 CAD existed an n gauge class 17 EP had been seen running...but DJ returned the crowdfunders money and split work between other factories instead..... I wonder if the original factory knew of that decision at that time or how long they had to wait to find out, or how they found out ? Manufacturers don't just scrap toolings, they know their value. China has accountants too.

your wish has been granted already, just not by Hornby, it also comes with an optional extra for those wanting more haulage capability,... I plan to have a Hornby metal Duchess join it soon though.

Not quite a bargain, but an opportunity.. several said they missed out on Hornbys Rocket, Rails has 6 for sale new at £295 (offers available), which considering theyve sold for upto £400 recently this is probably a last chance at a Triang boxed Rocket https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hornby-OO-GAUGE-R3809-CENTENARY-YEAR-STEPHENSONS-ROCKET-TRAIN-PACK/203010227446?epid=2308112932&hash=item2f445a3cf6:g:ebYAAOSwkF1e1nJs

why on earth do that ? if they turn out a lovely bunch of pantographs, many will fix their old ones lovingly, and decide maybe not to buy the new one as the older one always sets the benchmark... Therefore the older ones should look old and knarly... so its an easy choice to buy new... then after the excitement wears off a but, that few spare quid could be used to touch up the old. But a decent pantograph is OO is a much needed accessory

I will miss DJ models thread, Never a dull day back then, you’d turn up login and see what hand grenade had landed in the DJ thread that day. Of particular note I still remember the day the Chinese manufacturer rolled onto the forum, expressed his opinions of Dave publicly. Missed oppourtunity that was, as several chose to rubbish his language skill without waiting for his credentials So he withdrew... had they waited for his message.... He did reach out to several of us privately to express his position and the outcome he had already achieved, which was some months before DJ went, so several of us knew what was coming, and some of which is still to come. DJ has gone, but i’m pretty confident his tooling haven’t.

You must spend days on here then.

You mean “improved freightliner green”... its a very ugly colour in my mind.

if all else fails there’s a good supply of 26/27/33 chassis out there for £36. many of their spares are adjustable/transferable. If the spares situation turns bad, you will find the supply of knackers will increase on ebay.., obviously bad for Heljan reputation to have an increase of crank cases in bargain trays as it leads to brand devaluation. Comparatively very few Heljan knackers have ended up on ebay (Certain models excepted), as they are very easy to self repair and the spares were cheap, buying a sprue is less risky than each individual part.. you may break a second piece which is spare on the sprue, people have difficulties with spares lists and lead times increase if the wrong spare / extras are required, all which reduces the experience and increases the reluctance. But as times change, so does circumstance, people will dump them if repairing them becomes less straight forwards, even if it’s just down to admin processes making it more complicated, but it’s bargain opportunities for others who don’t mind boneyarding (which admittedly many of us do).

When I went on the last GWR HST from Paddington last year, I think we were the only ones not working on the railway, no wonder they ran a relief service for the normals.

I cant speak for Chris, but its a small industry, and the factory shops, assembly lines, wheel press, etching and motor shops of China are well known... Shinedew, Biomode, Regalway, Dongguan Shenzhen mould, SKMode etc etc. they are well known, even some of its individual characters operating them have even been known to frequent these pages. The days of “trade secret” are stuck back in the 1980’s i’m afraid. Fortunately they are savvy to ignoring chequebook wavers, and NDAs exist for good reason. Though some of their websites and portals, weibo etc can give away clues. it wouldnt take much to figure it out, if one really cared /be bothered to, though what an individual gains from it at a personal level is negligible. Personally though ive found it useful for identifying spare parts (western suppliers can change faster than the OEM).

Having an auto-reject is a real bonus for sellers. it can be very annoying to have vexacious low offers from buyers who are just trying it on and waste your time. I don't know how many times Ive had a £10-£30 offer for a £100+ loco. Similarly some buyers just play the game on price, its amazing how some reveal themselves early in the negotiation, then dance around a difference of £2 or £3, and its sweet justice when someone else enters the ring and just buys it. I had one this weekend, he was selling a loco ive been after for ages, rejected two of my offers, one less than 10% of his asking, so I messaged.. he responded saying he doesn't want to accept offers on this one. I added a few locos i want to move on that night, He later that night made an offer that was 40% less than was asking for a model I was selling... I responded saying he had earlier rejected my interest on his, he later tried haggling with me on his model as a partex (full price his vs what discount he wanted off mine)..hmm..., however someone else bought mine for full asking an hour later, so I stopped responding to his mails. ebay is full of chancers, though on balance in this lockdown i’m finding it a sellers market currently.. theres so little decent stuff out there, manufactuers havent made much new recently, and everyones at home modelling.. Though not sure how long it will last... good weather, end lockdown, supplies arriving and interesting economic times ahead could see a burst.

Its always worth a check at the bottom of the selling page to see if your listings are being deducted “used” / “left” from your total of the promotional listings... if the numbers not changing, the listing isnt qualifying..

Ive got an order for over a month now outstanding from Wizard for Markits stuff, I sent a follow up and got a diplomatic “waiting for markits” response. nice stuff, but I find its best bought in person at shows.

Stourbridge -Stourbridge Town... class 139 over the decades, theres not much chance of anything except 156 on Kyle, before that was 37’s, before that 26’s before that 24’s, but at each juncture it was a pretty solitary fleet. Oxted lines are a diet of 171’s, before that 205’s. Mersey Rail, London Overground Routes are a bit limited too.

No it reminds me too much of those dodgy “you know when you’ve been tangoed” ads from the 1990’s.., when I see the livery the impact is much the same.. the second ad is even at a train station with some guy in a G&W outfit !

Modellers are such a friendly bunch of like minded collective souls. Always happy to have a chat and share some wisdom

Thats not the entirety. theres never been an magnum opus model created. Everyone has some issue somewhere. maybe I am getting old, but in the past if a a defect was detected, it was usually accompanied with a way to rectify it. if someone admits defèat, then fair enough, thats their opinion and experience, but beyond agreeing / disagreeing / counter proposing ideas, with them, thats as far as anyone else can go, unless they have the same experience. Thats what modelling is afterall.

Theres a huge implication being made to suggestions above that any retailer could take very seriously. i’d be very cautious of making accusations of such nature. There does seem to be a growing trend of comments that are potentially damaging to a business and its revenues being freely banded about.. Whether its the desire to show the depth of ones brain, in contest of magnifying minute details as major faults, or a hidden wish to express opinion designed to stall sales and to drive a discount in the future... I know comments I have read here, have converted my mind against purchase several times, Terrier, 66, 33... come to mind... if you have just 10 like minded influenced souls then 5 figure sales are damaged. at some point someones going to get hurt...

pubs are closed, your going to need a headlight for the front, and if your doing a repaint any gap / residue will be covered anyway. 60 sheets isn't bad for this 31, if you dont want it i’ll take it.

Dont feel bad, the member has been here since 2012, and only made 2 posts (the first being Jan 2019). They may just prefer to read than contribute.

I thought the Doncaster Trial train was a grey painted rake with BRML on the side ? maybe ive confused the memory. Werent various weedkiller coaches converted from mk1’s, and electrification train coaches ? Then theres the exhibition train, barrier vehicles, shed stores coaches... pretty sure if you look round the network theres probably a few mk1’s in non-commercial use on the network.. A few months back I went past NL and saw a regional railways mk2, a 4 wheeled box van and more.

Gosh whatever it is, the control mechanism is very Jules Verne !

Really nice idea. I may look to see if I can put a real camera in the camera window at the top.