fezza

You can't operate a serious model railway without slow speed and crawl control. All trains need to stop at stations, signals or switch into loops or sidings. Even the ECML has low speed limits at station approaches and on diverging tracks. To me, having locos that run at realistic speeds is the fundamental difference between a model railway and a train set (and there's nothing wrong with train sets, but most adult enthusiasts want something more sophisticated as they grow to understand more about how real railways operate). But each to his own, of course. I do think N gauge has suffered in the past because slow speed operation has not been possible until quite recently. Even today, how many N gauge (as opposed to 2mm finescale) shunting layouts do you see at exhibitions?

I had a contact at Dapol that said these features allowed higher prices and bigger margins - that's not to say huge margins, but bigger margins than they would be otherwise. I suspect the market is quite varied and that's maybe the problem? A lot of 00 modellers are happy with Railroad and LIma, other won't touch anything that is not the latest DCC sound - and there are probably many in between. I have some sympathy for manufacturers trying to navigate this minefield. I suspect many manufacturers actively try to push modellers into the areas that have the most profit and appeal to middle age modellers with the disposable income to spend on top of the range material.

Almost all the Model Railroader reviews talk about minimum speed - they actually calculate the starting and crawl speed! We need something like this... On the track question, the Kader business model is buy up an existing provider and improve the products with new ranges. I have no idea if Peco would be attractive to them - probably not. My own view is that Peco survives because it has always been there, has name recognition and controls the Toddler - a lot of its products are little different from those of thirty years ago. It has contributed practically no real innovations to the hobby since the 1980s.

I could be wrong Paddy, but I think the reason why Farish went down the more detail, more lights and sound route is that these are now relatively cheap to fit, but can command a much higher mark-up price and therefore better profit margins. Personally, I favour good running over detail, but I suspect it is detail that often sells the products. In the UK the modelling magazines obsess about detail. In the US, running quality is more important as there is a greater emphasis on operation. I sometimes wonder how many UK models are destined for the box or display cabinet rather than the layout

You maybe right about the startup costs, but the market would be global. (Peco is not so strong in the US because there are alternatives stocked in ordinary model shops). If newcomers got used to buying Farish rolling stock, surely they might also buy Farish track, especially if they were bundled together. There are plenty of people out there in 00 who still use Hornby track because it was in their first Hornby train set and was what they grew up with...

If I was a manufacturer I would focus on a consistent range, not simply rely on producing a few products here and there. If I was Farish or Dapol I would certainly look at a better track range - the basis of any reliable operation. Peco have dominated the track market for so long, but goodness knows why. Code 55 is neither realistic or robust. Different batches actually have slightly different rail heights or sleeper depths. Switch blades are often misshaped even when new and quickly distort. Rail joiners are often too tight to be fitted effectively, but then distort in use so they become useless. Half a millimetre in 2mm scale makes a massive difference to reliable operation. It is difficult for experienced modellers who know how to fix these things - but no wonder newcomers leave N when this stuff is the only thing that is widely available in shops. I actually think the potential market for British N is still considerable, particularly in modern image where you can run long realistic trains. But it does need the new products to sustain it. I have to confess, I have begun to go over to the dark side and mess with other scales...

Just had some 'intermediate' Mk1s out of storage... Bought in 2004 - blimey I only paid £10-99 for them new. Price must be a factor in a dwindling market. Maybe unreliability is too? Too many split gears, 47s that stall on points, 156s that derail on reverse curves... I dread to think how much time I've wasted on these things. Once a scale gets a reputation it is hard to shake off, even when most new products are outstanding.

I have tried to do some basic upgrades on my Mk2s, darkening the wheels and trying to add a bit of detail. I find that if you keep all the old Farish Mk2s in a single rake, their obvious limitations don't stand out so much. The problem comes when you insert a new Mk1 buffet car in the rake - the limitations of the old stock then become obvious. My other worry is the price increase - assuming they are about £40 each, that's £320 for an 8 coach full take - and some Western region expresses were a lot longer. Even if one could get the supply (I bet they won't produce enough TSOs), that's a big hole in the wallet. The bigger problem in N is 'first generation' DMUs. Will will ever get new 101s or 108s, let alone a 117 or a 105? Is it possible that a new supplier will step into the breach? Even in the 1980s in most locations half the passenger trains were DMUs, although they don't always appear as much in photos and videos of the time...

It just seems odd from a business point of view. Having spent hundreds of thousands on design and tooling, surely the company bosses would want to see new liveries and numbers come out to get more returns on the investment? At least that's what you would expect with popular models that are bound to sell (31, 37, 47, Mk1s etc) . You don't want to flood the market (see Lima in the 1990s...), but I don't see the logic in spending lots of money in fixed cost development and then practically halting production? Surely they have enough capacity to produce the relatively small amount of N gauge that the British market demands? Meanwhile, my modest amount of railway disposable income is going to Dapol...

One thing that I find odd is that new models that are simply reissues of old models (but in a different livery) take so long to appear. Class 31s, 37s, 47s are all staples for most traction fans, yet it take years for new variants to come out. There is almost nothing in BR blue available right now, let alone other common liveries such as Intercity (old and Swallow), Dutch, RES, large logo, RR etc. Even the supply of basic Mk1 and Mk2 TSO coaches has dried up. Similarly, there are no modern staples such as the 158 or 170. The modern range is now so small it is almost impossible to plan a balanced layout for any time post 1970. These supply problems existed long before the current health crisis. I don't know how Bachmann/Farish expect the N gauge market to grow if the supply is so limited. Maybe they assume that the British N market is now so small that they are better to limit supply to the remaining buyers so to push up the price on the few products that do come out. Maybe that's why we are now paying £40 for an N gauge coach...? Dapol aren't much better. There is still no sign of a revised NSE 50, a Dutch 50, a railfreight 50, let alone the more recent liveries - and 50s are probably the most popular loco of the last 30 years. Fortunately I've been into modern N gauge since the 1990s so have built a reasonable range of stock these days. I've tried to upgrade some older stock to more recent standards and some of it looks passable. But for someone thinking about starting out in modern or contemporary N gauge today, why would you even try?

For some reason certain recent batches of Peco 009/ n connectors are utter shite. They are too tight to fit the rails. If you do manage to get one to fit the metal is so soft that the connector quickly distorts and becomes loose and useless. I don't know what has happened to this production run. I have old Peco connectors from my old layout and they are so much better.

The real Miramare boasts a castle built by the Habsburgs in the mid nineteenth century. For a short while in 1914 it was the residence of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (the man whose death sparked the Great War). The castle is now open to the public - well worth a visit. I don't think I will ever build a castle in this space (!) but the plan is designed to allow future expansion. The bottom lead to the right is the 'main line' to Trieste'. The top may feed a possible extension of the branch to a more spacious terminus. The line can operate as a self-contained system or as part of a (future) larger network. The return track on the right can operate as two end on sidings when the layout operates as an end-to-end layout. The lower part will serve the station with the loop. The upper part will serve the station at the top of the photograph. This means there are effectively three sidings at each station. There is not a huge amount of siding capacity, but plenty of different places to spot individual wagons. Trains will invariably be short, usually a four wheel passenger coach and two or three vans. Any comments and advice are very welcome.

This is a quick coronovirus lock down project on a coffee table board 20" by about 45". It uses materials I already have in store. I set myself the challenge of an interesting to operate line with two stations and a mainline in a small space, while allowing continuous running when desired. The plan below deliberately omits a run round loop at one terminus station creating an operational challenge requiring a second locomotive (let's assume the line was cut back at some point from its original terminus). Traffic will mainly be agricultural products (wine, olives and pine nuts) and a little post war holiday traffic. Features will include Italian buildings, stone pine trees, palm trees, a vineyard and a small rocky beach! It is based on a northern extension of the Parenzana from Trieste - this allows use of patched out Austrian Roco stock on a 750mm gauge line in land whchbecame part of Italy after 1919. There is a real Miramare north of Trieste - it even has a standard gauge station. Track laid... Lots more to do!

Stay safe chaps - and many thanks for the new 48xx and 58xx. They are fantastic products.

One more... runs vey well too.

Finally arrived - some shots of the new loco on track.. excuse the dodgy ballasting on the shelf layout.

No I didn't believe at the time - although that is what the proponents of privatisation claimed. I'm not sure the PSBR argument works any more either as the Central Banks and IMF have got wise to the tactic and realised that governments have to effectively underwrite the debt of privatised core utilities.

A key reason for the privatisation programmes was to take financial risk away from the taxpayer. What we have discovered since is that this is an illusion in the utility industries as governments cannot allow them to fail. Once again, profits are privatised, losses are nationalised. Socialism for owners and shareholders. Capitalism for workers.

Don't know if this is the "stuff to do during the lock down" thread but here's my three for starters: 1.Go on holiday using Google Street View - it is amazing what you discover (and plenty of railways to investigate...) 2. No sport? Dig out your old subbuteo. As we discovered today it is a hell of a game for all ages. Should take a few weeks to play out a season... 3. Learn a language online. There is so much material on the web and it will help you look forward to your next holiday when the time comes. Stay safe chaps.

These really look fantastic and an absolute steal at anything less than £200. It will look great with my two Panniers any my E class. My 58xx was ordered last Thursday but I have heard it has only just been dispatched (won't mention names) so I still haven't seen one live yet. It seems a bit churlish to complain in the current circumstances but messing around with small railways is one of the few pleasures left in these troubled times. If anyone is in a hurry for one it might be worth asking when it will be sent when ordering. I will probably go back to Tower in future as they seem most reliable. Stay safe and do post some pictures / videos of these in action for those of us who don't have one yet!

Looks great - I was going to stick with four wheel coaches on my settrack but the autocoach looks fine on tighter curves. Does it run okay?

One thing to remember - if the isolation finally ends in mid August (my personal guesstimate) those still in work will have accumulated savings and will be desperate for travel and holidays. Expect a massive boom until the next round of restrictions sometime in November. Things aren't good but if railways can borrow from government backed schemes most should see it through.

My mate is involved with the York conference and they were expecting 2000 people. Conferences are a massive fundraiser for the parties and wouldn't be cancelled unless there is a very pressing reason. Not sure a railway show however brilliant can go ahead in these circumstances - especially when you consider the demographic of those attending.

Yes I have lost patience with the ongoing problems. You don't realise how poor these are until you dig out your Roco stock and compare. Heljan quality may have been acceptable in the 1970s but not now.

The government is about to make a further announcement this afternoon. Interestingly the Liberal Democrats have cancelled their national conference at York this weekend. I suspect that decision was based on expectations of restrictions likely to be introduced.