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Interestingly a map in a one of the current guidebooks to Egypt shows all the Fayoum lines in situ even though they were ripped up over 60 years ago! The only line operational is the standard gauge branch to Fayoum town. Usually a good thrash behind a Henschel diesel!

Good to see some different traction on the Barny line. Incidentally, a friend of mine saw Bude on the Exeter St Davids departure board and asked me if they had reopened the station at Bude. Oh, if only...

Expect it shortly after Dapol's n gauge Pacer and 50... Love Dapol's products, Not so keen on their comms strategy!

When I lived in Egypt I started modelling a private cotton estate line that interchanged with the EDLR. I used Roco feldbahn stock as the starting point. Then it was abandoned in a move... Baldwin WW1 locos made it to Egypt on military railways - it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to imagine Bachmann's new model ending up on the Delta system or one of the similar French owned lines in Egypt.

Would love to find out more about the Delta system. There is very little in the ESR archive in Cairo - I checked last year. Apart from a few annual reports, a map and a rule book I have found very little - and I found all that stuff in the UK. Amazing that such an extensive system left such a limited record. A couple of sugar cane railways still operate near Luxor. There is no railway at Tanis in case anyone is wondering. Just about the only other narrow gauge left is a very short stretch of the Heliopolis Tramway - and I'm not sure that sees any public services although I saw a tram moving earlier this year.

Some top info and gen there lads - thanks. Gdynia seems a bit of a hotpot as well as the steam at Wolsztyn. Probably need to get on the Yahoo group.

Poznan - but have car and very happy to drive long distances for anything interesting.

I am off to Poland for a few weeks with work. Does anyone have any suggestions for decent diesel hauled routes? Is there any surviving narrow gauge that is a must see? Finding it difficult to get up to date info in English... Thanks for any help.

The bigger question is what's the point of a traditional model shop? Do they add any value to the customer experience? In most cases big online retailers have a better range, are more knowledgeable, more customer-service orientated - as well as being cheaper. So I don't have much sympathy for traditional shops who raise prices on old stock. That is not going to build local customer loyalty.

Much depends on your business model. Our family took the view that if it's not selling its not making us money and priced according. Some model shops seem to think they are museums...

Bachmann must work to a business plan that has specific cash flow projections and revenue targets. Why then are so many production targets missed? It must produce massive accounting problems, extra logistical costs and lost revenue. Perhaps some products are deliberately delayed for marketing purposes. However, from an outsider's perspective, the business looks a bit of a mess...

Of course if you choose carefully you can have big engines on short trains - even in the diesel era. I'm modelling the Barnstaple branch 1989 - 1992 so plenty of justification for a 50 or 47 on two coaches or a 37 hauling a 2 car dmu.

Why is it that companies that fail to comply with contractual commitments and have to be to be bailed out by the state then allowed to bid for more franchises? It's socialism for the rich.

I read that as them struggling to raise investment. When you have to devalue shares to raise cash you can easily end up in ever decreasing circles. Unless your new investments improve yields of course but recent products don't inspire confidence. Okay they produce some good products but the range is very limited. For example the 31 is great but there are no pre-privatisation ones available - and the little older stock hanging around often has the mazak rot problem.

The basic problem is they are largely relying on selling tarted up outdated models. In Business Studies it is called the 'Austin Rover' business model - and for a reason! The poor recent results don't inspire investor confidence - and it probably means they are struggling to make a case for investment in new product lines.

It says black weathered on the box. There are water stains on the front the front near the filler caps but otherwise it seems fairly plain. Runs well generally but doesn't like uneven bits of track - probably due to small wheels and light weight.

Are all the Dutch 50s affected? Mine is OK at the moment but now I am seriously worried. I knew the 31s were duds but didn't realise it affected Hoovers.

Sadly a lot of Brunelian structures went as traffic levels increased - my favourite example was the original 1848 station in Florence. Looked like a GWR branch line terminus in Italy!

Looking forward to seeing this! How about the Gcr model event? They should be begging you to go!

Just wanted to say I am loving this thread and the Facebook page. I just love the 'what if' GCR scenarios. I'm modelling the London Extension in 2002-3 (N gauge). Therefore for me its Central-liveried 170s and 158s on the London semi-fasts and Central 156s and 153s on the local stoppers. There is also the occasional diverted Virgin cross-country service with a tatty 47 and even a Voyager. The windcutters are rostered to the last of the 58s - but EWS 66s are rapidly taking over. The great thing about modelling the Central Trains era is that I don't even have to repaint the Farish station as GCR Green and Central Trains Green aren't that different! I just need more space - I've managed to get two GCR stations and a fuel point on a wide door but that doesn't leave much for stock storage! Makes you wonder what the London Extension would have looked like the 1980s - probably much like the Salisbury-Exeter route with lots of singling and rationalisation. But that might have meant 50s lasted a bit longer! Maybe the 37s would have lasted on the through Banbury route? There's also the intriguing possibility of Deltics being transferred to the route as the older cross-country intercity DMUs were phased out. Maybe a large-logo Deltic wouldn't be out of place in 1985...! Will continue to follow progress. Will there be a future public exhibition?

I am happy to wait a bit longer for a really good model. It does seem rather odd however that a tiny outfit like Minerva can get a model to market in little over a year, while it has taken Bachmann over five to get to the CAD stage for a 158. This is hardly an obscure pregrouping prototype!

I think the main problem is Hornby are the WH Smith of model manufacturers - they bumble along but don't really concentrate on any one market and don't do anything particularly well. A friend of mine returning to the hobby was astonished they were still churning out 1990s Lima - even his young son steered well clear of that. Kids are much better informed and demanding these days. They have produced some great models but there is little consistency in the quality of even their premium products. Mazak rot on my 31s and 50 make me cautious about new purchases while glaring mistakes on otherwise really good models (J15) must also hurt sales. You only have to look at how long some stock hangs around...

There is a photo of the Selsey line with the loco propelling a wagon in front and hauling a coach behind. It may have been a one-off but that's one way to deal with facing connections to goods sidings when no loop is available!

Arrgg... all three of my peaks have now split gears and one has now been repaired twice. I love n gauge but these reliability issues mean that I'm spending increasing time in 0. Constant failures are so frustrating.