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Diano Marina for those asking for layout pictures... Although mine don't do it justice

Pluses... some great layouts, especially Uppingham and the delightful Ligurian coastal railway that was truly inspired and atmospheric. Negatives... fewer traders, especially those offering secondhand. This is always a show with lots of youngsters and teenagers so the lack of traders at the more "affordable" end of the hobby was a shame.

The jury is certainly out on TT but don't assume detail and fidelity is what sells - good running and fun sells too. Kato N is now getting a bigger following in the UK - some of it is slightly crude by Farish standards but it is a complete system, it runs well and things rarely break. Everything is plug and play - very important for the modern market. And it's fun. If Hornby can build a mass market around TT by offering a complete system and range (doing what Kato have done in N) they will be successful. Yes I know Japan is a much bigger market but that market has been built on a record of great products at sensible prices from the major Japanese N gauge manufacturers. Hornby can't afford TT to fail. They aren't investing that amount of money in TT without having done a lot of market research. Let's hope Farish benefit from the competition rather than retract even further into a specialist niche collector market.

Of course we have to remember that limiting supply helps raise margins as hard-core modellers will now pay anything for a new TSO. Don't be surprised if a coach that had an RRP of £40 just a few years ago is £80 in the next batch... Farish know there are desperate people who will pay the price - almost any price it seems if one looks at auction sites But also don't be surprised if very few new people buy N gauge and go to TT instead, especially if Hornby price TT aggressively in the first couple of years to attract customers from N where they have no UK interest. TT has novelty value - don't underestimate the importance of that. 0 gauge benefitted from that novelty value when Dapol launched a much smaller range a few years ago and far more people can house TT than can house 0 gauge.

I don't think anyone expected hoarding but I thought their own shop might try to keep a representative sample of current and recently issued models. Turns out they have a high street shop with very little of their own N gauge to sell. It's rather like the old joke about the Soviet Spud-u-like that opened without having any potatoes....

A few weeks ago I went into Farish's official outlet in Hinckley, Leicestershire hoping they might have some modern image coaching stock - there was almost nothing and from what the staff said they couldn't get any either...

Love the 31/1 Cricklewood and 31/4 but what are they going to pull? Fresh air? Come on guys let's see some Blue/Grey and Regional Railways coaching stock. And still no 158?

Trouble is there aren't huge numbers of interesting post-2000 diesel locos on regular hauled passenger trains so what LHCS is wanted? The 67s and 68s are being done by Dapol with bookcase sets planned. Almost everything that remains in the 2020s is fixed formations which are far less interesting. A 37 Colas on a Riviera trains blue grey short rake would be good, but it wouldn't be seen outside South Wales. Is there much else? Maybe a 37 on a Network rail test train? In the early 2000s there were some 47s on interesting North Wales coast rakes, 31s to Minehead and 37s on Weymouth trains, but that was almost twenty years ago...

Very sad news - the greatest model railway author in my view and someone who was unusual in being very influential on both sides of the Atlantic. I hope he was aware of how much pleasure his work brought. His book on Light Railway designs is the most thumbed work in my library, although it will be a sadder read knowing Iain is no longer with us. His work on American shortlines was also inspirational - here's hoping he's having a drink with Lucius Beebe and Charles Clegg...

Really enjoying this and an excellent read! Thoroughly recommended. Another essential buy in what's been an excellent series. (My only slight criticism is there could be a little more detail on the last sub sector survivors for each class in the privatisation era. A lot of people like to see this info when buying locos for their chosen period).

I was at the Gaydon show today and it was very noticeable that there was little Farish or Dapol modern image coaching available, although there were plenty of shiny new locos. I wonder how many new modellers will be tempted to buy new N gauge locos if they can't find appropriate coaching stock to haul?

I agree Chris - I think almost all my 70s era vans and minerals are Peco and look absolutely fine in a long train. They work out about half the Farish price suggesting British production in the right circumstances can be competitive. Dapol have also produced good and affordable products in Britain in recent memory - indeed their Voyager produced in Britain was better quality than recent products from China.

I enjoyed it but the venue is too small for an exhibition and crowds of this size. It was VERY crowded and I didn't really get a proper look at layouts until about 3.30 when spaces started to appear. It couldn't have been much fun fighting through the crowds if you had children or were disabled. It was a massive contrast to the wide open space of the Stafford show.

I'm not sure Farish Mk1s (or Mk2s) are competing with anyone as they aren't available in most model shops - at least not in the variety, liveries and number required. I've seen unboxed DRS brakes and blue / grey Mk2s TSOs going for over £70 on the second hand market. With these prices and obvious demand, if Farish don't make them someone else will eventually take a punt.

Does anyone know what has happened with the faulty GWR 153s? The Gaugemaster rep at TINGS was very guarded but said another corrected run might not be possible. This seemed odd as surely a distributor is allowed compensation for faulty products, even in China?. Has the tooling failed and does that mean no more 153s? Or has Gaugemaster and Dapol had a fall out over these? Really wanted a Green GWR 153. Disappointing several retailers at TINGS were still trying to sell obviously faulty models and at full price. They either hadn't inspected them or didn't care. Really not good form in my book...

Good news! My only request is PLEASE make sure they run well. There have been some real disappointments in the past with the 48xx and the old prairies.

Good to see a retailer checking stock before despatch. The question is why don't manufacturers do their own quality control?

I've been doing a little bashing in Liguria the last few days and clocked a couple of Caimanos in the large yard west of Savona. They were with a group of other freight locos so they may possibly still be in service. It is hard to get up to date information and I was on a passing train so couldn't get a picture. The new grey Trenitalia livery is now taking over on the coast but many 464s are still in the old livery. The new EMUs are now to be found on many La Spezia service. Sorry for hijacking the thread a little but you might find it interesting if you don't get to Liguria that often!

A couple more... one looking towards the tram shed at Genoa from the platform end... another of a driving cab of the 1929 tram

The terminus as Genova is very compact and would make a great subject for modelling. There are three platforms, a parallel siding and a loop just outside the station that feeds back to a tram shed - all on a very narrow ledge!

It's a very characterful route and there are lots of opportunities to go hiking from the many halts and stations. The journey takes around an hour to cover about 20km.

I very much recommend a trip on this route. I did it for the first time yesterday and the scenery is superb. The staff seem to know the passengers by first name and trams of 1929 vintage are in regular service. One was on the 10.30 Genova Casella this week.

Needs to be accompanied by a queue of bashers who have just bailed off the Inverness sleeper in the early hours...!

Very welcome news! Hopefully we'll get some Intercity and Virgin coaching stock too or these locos will be pretty lonely. With all this electric stock coming out, what are people using for catenary? (I know Kato is cheap and readily available, but it takes work and imagination to Anglicise it.)

£224 for a class 60 analogue locomotive and a piece of paper? No, I really don't get this "collector's edition" business... has any collector's edition ever gone up significantly in value? Now a standard blue and grey Mk 2 TSO on the other hand... they are going for serious money because people actually need them to run their railway!