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They updated the motor bogie to match the upgraded motor, so they added nem at the same time. The rest of it looks unchanged since Lima. its not hard to cut off the big loops and replace with say a Roco 40344 NEM bracket/pocket and spring assembly mounted under the body. https://www.modellbahnshop-lippe.com/Accessories/Accessories/Roco-40344/gb/modell_22608.html

Highland clearance… 37409 and the mk3 dbso set is going home. https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U11109/2024-04-23/detailed You have to wonder what the point of it going in the first place was really all about. Doesnt get back to Crewe until 10pm, so a chance for Northern enthusiasts to get their cameras out.

I remember unfitted freights in the 1980’s, but not with green diesels, all blue then. I used to be surprised at oddities such as freights with multiple brake vans at the rear, sometimes 6 or more, though the guard was only in one of them… though my memory is 25 and 40’s on such work, and one occasion a 56… but I guess nothing stopped a 47.

Often you see in the 60’s era videos, the driver opens and closes the firebox door in sync with the fireman's rhythm for shovelling coal in, thus keeping the heat from the fire in, and the airflow restricted to a minimum whilst moving. Never saw a film of them getting out of sync and coal landing on the footplate floor but i’m sure it must have happened.

The debt pile increase maybe coming at much higher interest rates than they have been paying before. It almost feels like a credit card holder getting into too much debt… 25% of the annual revenue. That despite being told the debt pile last year was due to too much over stocking last year and would reduce this… (Page 3 2023 annual report) and only finding Every £1 of stock reduction has increased debt by c£3, i’d be expecting stock reductions to be improving the financial health unless theres some very big investments going on… but if it is, its a secret, and brave in this climate. I think we are to be prepared for a bad end of year report, even if its inline with their expectations. And the bright side… someone highlighted Airfix in a new US retailer which is a positive. New territories ? Theyve major Western markets covered (i think too much covered for the business they are doing in some regions), so I watch with interest. new product ranges ?… weve waited a year for the “capsule range” which hasnt yet broken cover, the 2024 announcements havent hit wide acclaim either… there has been suggestions of more spread out… I do wonder how much the debt is going to dictate the decisons moving forwards…. the caution I do have is statements like this… build up of expectations that bad news in the final quarter will lead to expectations of rebounds next quarter…. 1 month in, end of the traditional modelling season and start of vacation season, two bank holidays in May, half term holidays etc…. So far weve only got a Black 5 to show for the jam expected this quarter…

My fear is Hornby is becoming more like Lima by the day. out dated, over priced, out competed. Simons comment is a symbolic rock and hard place. Personally I think reinventing the business maybe in order… is it time to stop manufacturing some lines and focus on marketing and retailing using franchise and co-selling with partners, leveraging the brand name and market place ?

45407 is possibly going to join 45212 on thursday. https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U11065/2024-04-25/detailed looks like a second rake. Meanwhile 44871 looks to be staying in the south, whilst 34067 does Northern belle. 4 train operation with 4 locos…, no spare locos, what could possibly go wrong ?

If it were my child, they would be standing behind the yellow line like me… obeying the army of staff who tell bystanders, often quite forcefully, to be rightly standing behind that yellow line.

I cant imagine them, and their lawyers not watching every move. whats more theres a volunteeer army just waiting to tell tale on every move my wcrc too. I reckon its not are they aware, but how much info can they handle, pretty soon i’m expecting a dedicated snitch hotline for wcrc related incidents to be set up. “Hello welcome to the ORR hotline, if your call is in relation to wcrc, press 9, if its a major emergency not involving wcrc please hold for other options….”

oh, hello.. am I in the crosshairs? i’m not sticking up for them, i’m not going to defend them against safety, but that doesnt mean to say I have to agree with everyone on here… i’m trying to taking a balanced view against a mob that is quite definitely against them, and trying to see why they are doing what they are doing. As its 1 voice against an army, (I used to live near Millwall so you get used to it), its not surprising ive got more posts, but admittedly ive wandered OT for probably 50% of those posts. I have learned quite a lot from some contributors in this thread, and certainly respect some viewpoints, even if I might spar with them. Ive not been on a wcrc train in a decade, so I hardly care, though as this season maybe the final season the common man can get a decent priced ticket, I may give it one last hurrah. But the way I see it is mainline steam has been waning since 2012, before Wootton Bassett and were simply seeing those closer to the fire squirm as it gets hot, and its only time until the meteor hits carnforth. I felt this on Pathfinders tour with the western last week too, they were quite paranoid about social media seeing something, and theyve nothing to do with wcrc. oh look is that an unlocked cdl door, hanging off the platform end ? At Tame Bridge Parkway it got even more dangerous as its only a 4 coach platform, and CDL is not SDO….on a 12 coach train… but fortunately there was stewards to protect them… but stewards arent recognised as being required for CDL once its in place… phew it was lucky that someone thought to be safer than that… disaster avoided… could have been really ugly…. But nah its not a wcrc operated train so no one cares. it was nice an cool in the buffet car too… all those open windows, and droplights protected only by a latch but its ok because theirs a big green sign limiting liability/making compliance… is it ok for Pathfinder to put a non compliant mk1 in the rake but not wcrc on the Jacobite ? Maybe I see things differently, with a clearer head… because I can look at it from a commercial angle, rather than a subsidized unionised public sector money pit in all but name angle. I also see loads of hypocrisy in the thread. Ive also got no axe to grind against any TOC… I dont really care. I will say others are catching me up in posts as a combination of becoming a bit more disinterested, and summers coming attracting me to other things. My gut tells me the mainline is going to be a quieter place next year, and not just wcrc. Anyway As you chose to bait me, I would like to say this post…., full of top shelf hit em hard language… With this 1 line response to shut it all down, was for me the most entertaining, informative and symbolic one liner ive seem in this thread so far. 😀 A quite interesting solution, which if the case suggests a cdl power solution for mk1’s also ?

Comparing old and new is something I like doing. But unfortunately i’m not convinced and havent bought one. Looking over the pictures theres clear upgrades, to cylinders, boiler separate features, an improved cab back head, chimney detail, motion. The wheels look fantastic. The wheels particularly the axles, and tyres look good. I might be alone in liking the ability to change lamps, and illuminated firebox glow. (I was told at warley they were planning to glue them in for delivery, and my gut feel at Sams video hints they maybe. I suspect Hornby may get a number of returns of these broken). Hornby deserves credit for this innovation, and absolutely should continue imo, and credit for listening on being able to pose the lamps, but it may need a little more work… A suggestion for the lamps / lampirons for the future… under the light track fit a neo magnet, and make the lamps metal so they attract and hold but can be easy to move. If theres an after market supplier thinking of doing this, it may not be the worst approach… tbh I think the 3 leds is overkill anyway.. if the lamps there its on… so 1 led and a light track to all positions would suffice imo. What I see as the downside is the difficulty changing the lamps, width between loco and tender, lack of metal body to add weight. For DC users that flywheel is quite important for low speed and for rhythm.. you could see the jerkiness of the model in Sams trains review, even with the P2 tender. This will only bite harder if the track isnt clean, going back to the 1990’s this was why flywheels came to DC models in the pre DCC era… The presence of axle bearings, hall sensor all line up to a nice model. The snow ploughs look a nice touch too. I was wondering whether to buy a 5200, but the silver paint finish on the axles, cylinder head and smokebox are off putting what should really be metallic finish… knowing that is something I will have to change means It wont be an A-list purchase at over £200. A very nice looking model, I want one, but at the price it is, I feel its short comings outweigh its benefits.., which is a pity as theres definitely a lot of benefits there… the old black 5 will look poor next to it and the detail is there… £170 i’d probably move, indeed I’d probably buy in for a few, but >£200 i’m happy to sit out…the 9F, the 2MT this clearly is not, and the world has slightly changed since 2020. What would it take to get to a £220+ model.. metal body, easy to adjust lamps, flywheel.. all of which I think they could do. why ? The moment I put a dab of paint on that £200 model to suit my style, ive knocked £50 off its residual value…. And if in 6 months it price drops £50.. then ive laid waste to £100… or in old money models.. that was the cost for an entire loco ive just lost. This is no longer a game of buying a model as a “starting point to customize”… though if the price drops in 6 months I may have a dabble, and with a dozen Black 5’s already i’m not missing out, where as the £100 i just didnt lay waste to finds umpteen other uses. i’m just hoping the bent frame, glue marks, tender issue etc is just something in Sams unique instance, however I also fear that perennial issue of the drivers side wind shields getting damaged looks to have passed into the new model too… and I never found spares for the old model. Lets see what 45157 brings, but when I look at a Black 5, I see Black wheels, like this… not shiny rims like this… And really hope all the lamps are in the bag, and let me fit them myself.

maybe its time to look at the discount pattern from a new perspective… correct as at 21-Apr at 2100 Mostly rolling stock, and models by the traditional big three, whom arguably the ones with the higher price points.

The clue must be on the IRM site….. https://irishrailwaymodels.com/en-gb/collections/murphy-models-mark-2d-coaches/products/5224-irish-railways-mk-iid-cie-standard-coach the mk2c appeared there first, and the UK announcement followed. The mk2d is on the IRM site, seems a shame to waste the tooling not doing a UK spec one. A mk2d lets face it, is a tooling 40 years old for the Airfix one at this stage.

The first time i heard “Do me a solid” I genuinely thought they wanted me to goto the loo.

what a farce this was yesterday… it got to Streatham, waited 30 mins. Turns out no one forsaw that the Wimbledon to Sutton line was closed for engineeering works, and decided to also put a block on the P9 to Tooting section. But it seems no one thought to use the Carshalton line, or the Norbury slow lines either, both which were open and ahead of it. so … it waited 30 mins Reversed to Latchmere junction via Brixton, it just happened to be the last train over the points at Brixton before a points failure canceled a dozen services immediately behind it, and onto Wandsworth road, waited 20 mins, then sat on the Thames for 15 mins blocking 2L11 and 6V07, continued back to kenny o, reversed forwards to Clapham p5 and them reversed again to Queenstown road, (delaying 2C18) and at now 2+ hours down… it then reversed again before heading mainline to Wimbledon/Epsom (delaying 2F15, 2D15 and 2k15), and hence Horsham (delaying 2I12 for 20 mins) just .to start its tour now 2h06 late. Why it was routed via Ewell West (Wimbledon to Epsom) is beyond me in the first place, nothing ever goes that way (47830 went LE 2 years ago, 61306 in 2019), this might have been LSLs first ever run on that line. But the farce was odd in that at Streatham, whilst hanging about it could just have gone is a regular route for 61306 anyway, via Carshalton on to Cheam to Epsom, following 2I02 and been at Epsom for 0655 , saving 15 odd minutes of its planned route… or via Norbury, following 2B04, and just ahead of 9J05 from East Croydon to Horsham (which is the usual ecs path anyway, indeed was in rtt originally last week) , putting it on time at Horsham, both routes were open and available and both have been used by 61306 many many many times before, so avoiding any delay at all… Theoretically it could have followed 2B04 as far as Sutton via Wallington and on to Epsom, though steams hasnt been that way since 2016, and only one other occasion since the 1960’s… this is a rare line… so it had 2, potentially 3 viable options in front of it, none of which are a stranger to 61306.. it could even have reversed Tulse Hill and hence via Crystal Palace, or Balham and hence Selhurst… so many options…. And empty space at 6-7am, but instead they waited 30 mins and went backwards and did a 4 point reversal around the nations busiest junction, then send it down the SWML. But for some reason someone really wanted that Ewell West section for ecs steam mileage…and made everyone wait 2 hours for it to do so, whilst it clogged up all four compass points of Clapham at the businest time of saturday morning, delaying services for South Eastern, South Western and Southern.

I thought if you split the loco and tender an ftr is required before it can be used again? Wasnt that which ended 34067’s the use of its quick release tender gear, designed to use Swanage’s turntable back in the green train days, and resulted in two locos being used on those turns, one out, one back…? That was back in the days when London had nearly daily summer time steam that had a variety of destinations and locos*, rather than the diet of 61306 for the masses and 35028 for the rich… with the odd morsal of 34046/44871/45407 thrown in usually at christmas, mainline steam is almost exclusively a midlands/northern thing now. * who remembers the days of 4464/34046/34067/45305/46100/60163/70000/70013/71000 interspersed with occasional visits of 6201/6233/5029/5043/44932/45231/45407/44871/48151/46115/60007…. Weve lost so much down south since wootton bassett and dont believe its through lack of demand. it was interesting to watch the farce that was LSLs trip to Bristol yesterday with 61306… it got to Streatham, waited 30 mins. Reversed to Latchmere junction waited 20 mins, sat on the Thames for 15 mins blocking 2L11 and 6V07, continued back to kenny o, reversed forwards to Clapham p5 and reversed again off (delaying 2C18) to Vauxhall at now 2+ hours down… it then reversed again before heading mainline to Wimbledon/Epsom and hence Horsham, delaying 2I12 for 20 mins …just .to start its tour now 2h06 late. Why it was routed via Ewell West is beyond me in the first place, nothing ever goes that way (47830 went LE 2 years ago, 61306 in 2019), but the farce was odd in that at Streatham, whilst hanging about it could just have gone is a regular route for 61306 anyway, via Carshalton on to Cheam to Epsom, following 2I02 and been at Epsom for 0655 , saving 15 odd minutes of its planned route… or via Norbury, following 2B04, and just ahead of 9J05 from East Croydon to Horsham (which is the usual ecs path anyway), putting it on time at Horsham, both routes were open and available and both have been used by 61306 many many many times before, so avoiding any delay at all… for some reason someone really wanted that Ewell West section for ecs steam mileage… Even the magical mystery ecs tour could have saved a palava by going into the SL reception lines reverse and out to Clapham p15 hence south and avoided blocking Overground, and Waterloo approaches. Passengers were taken for suckers on that 2 hour late round trip, that ended up as steam only 1 way anyway…. If that was wcrc there would be 20 pages by now.

So.. locos modern image modellers.. weve got it all, the only road is duplication. steam modellers.. the 1960’s generation the good ones have all been done, whats left is risky 0-6-0’s. Where next ? Units… pricey, lots of toolings.. solve this you solve world hunger… but I feel post privatisation era demand exists, but only up a certain price point… Electrostar, 185, 442,455, PEP has interest. Steam.. pricey a tender engine is still multiple toolings, for a market where the prototypes left are increasingly niche. wagons… only so many before it becomes just another wagon. coaches… well tbh theres room here.. I didnt think the mk2b would hit the like it has, but theres no getting away from it, its very good. The Bachmann mk2f is good too. so the obvious one is a new mk1. (I dont believe that class 41 powercar will come alone)… Bachmann has 90’s and 47’s also needing a coach, so maybe a mk3 here too ? track ? Literally bedrock of the hobby hasnt had much evolution since the 1990’s.. could this be improved ? The industrial window is closing, still think a hudswell clarke canal tank is a miss, maybe an rsh ugly too, as well as a crane tank. Pre 1923… this I think is a hunting ground, some here have done quite well… lswr t3, Gordan Highlander, Caley 0-4-4T, but if appropriate pre 1923 coaches came about things like a Prince of Wales, Dreadnought have a place.. the GWR still has gaps with a Saint and a new County 4-6-0. enough for the hobby to feast on for a few years.

You could always put some dirt on the headlamp lenses… its not as if the lamps were spotlessly cleaned was it. That would tone down the brightness.

This might be a viable workaround for sealed doors and windows on railtours.

I’m surprised wcrc hasnt proposed DCC as an alternative to CDL, might even work off a mk1 dynamo. 😛

Is this the futuristic version of the real thing your forward planning for ? i’ll look out for a wcrc pullman set being released, a pair of met cam pullmans fitted with cdl, their names… pegasus, unicorn and the loco being 43106… 🤨

ive more than 2/3rds reduced pre orders, and am basically on a wait and see when stuff arrives. I dumped 59003 last night, originally ordered as I wanted to see the real thing in GbRF, The loco livery was updated June 2020 when it was running in this livery it was often a light engine bunny… then since Salisbury it was on jacks until just recently. now its gone Colas i’ll never see the real thing as the model is, plus as its spent most of the last 3 years out of service anyway its faded to irrelevance,… My wcrc mk1’s have just been charged, which is a good thing as they too are looking like they are likely to become history. Sounds like a worrying trend, if one or two cut back its low impact, if a lot of us are doing the same nd becoming discerning rather than sweeping our purchases, it could become an issue.

The real thing has colas diamonds on it now… large ones on the bodyside, gbrf branding removed. flickr url

I wonder where is this kid now.

I think they got it just right. Lots of different numbers, and one point of note…. No Brakes left. nearly everyone making coaches has brakes left over, which end up in bargain bins. so i think they called it right.