Loconuts

Smart meters not only send Data they also receive Data. As for criminals paying for the information, all they have to do is monitor the meter transmissions as they do at present in getting Data from your WiFi transmissions. Sit outside your house with a laptop and hack into your router.

A structure similar to that of Corfe Castle in Dorset would fit on that mound and look impressive. A lot of Castles fell into disuse after the Civil War and the invention of artillery. Others were converted into grand houses over the years. Many disused Castles were robbed of their stone by the locals to build their dwellings.

The Tories under Maggie came close to the Normans with trying to eliminate the miners and Poll Tax protesters!

Try Vodka

That reminds me of a Citroen 2CV, cheap and cheerful.

Swanage Railway?

Hear, hear that man. Loconuts

That's more like it Dave, trumpet blowing of I did this or that does not bode well. I also totally agree with your comments but what can we do as mere mortals apart from ganging together and taking the company over. I agree we need the brand to survive for the benefit for the hobby but we are not privy to the Hornby boardroom decisions. The decision is ours to decide, modelers tend to say they are going to buy many but only buy one. This gives the retailers wrong figures to feed back to the manufacturer. The people who can also change things are the shareholders, but I still say they need to get the marketing department sorted out and put in people who know the market. They also need to reduce the range and only concentrate on the items that sell well. .. Cheap models are the thing of the past and manufacturers have got to bite the bullet on this, true sales will drop but in the end it will be accepted. I feel that quality locos should be around the £300 pound for 4mm models and the quantity produced should be such that mass discounting by retailers is reduced. However do we know the answer as amateur CEO's, I think not.

Hi Chaz, Yes it is good, I tend to check out the index of each issue to see if anything catches my eye it is also bi-monthly so you do not need too spend to much time ploughing through irrelevent articles. The next issue is due in May. John

Hornby are producing the right models ie the Pecket, it is just getting the quantity of the batches right. Too many models for the market place result in fire sales and moans from the retailers. Regional requirements is another thing, Blue A4's and Green A3's do not sell well down here in the South, whereas Southern and GWR models do. Modern image units are just too big to run on the average layout and also too expensive. So it would appear the marketing needs looking at with smaller batches and higher prices to stop the market being flooded by cheap second hand models as in the case of the Bachmann 0n30 range. I fear that if Mr Anton gets his way will see the end of Hornby as a serious producer of model railway items and turn into a manufacturer of cheap plastic tat aimed at young children. Loconuts

Yep Chaz, it is a on-line magazine, totally free but does mainly deal with SG however they do come up with some really useful scenery tips plus new 'O' scale products. John

Hi Chaz Check out 'O' Scale Resources for May/June 2016, article on telegraph poles and the making of. John

We are all assuming that the Swanage Railway are just going to store is under a tarpaulin, they would be idiots to do that. To get that loco steaming again would be a big crowd draw in a tourist area. It will be well looked after and made the 'Star' of the line. People seem to forget that they have the M7 there. As to the politics of why this has happened we will never know, however putting out for loan would condemn the loco. I know of one NRM loco that has been on loan to the GWS at Didcot for a number of years. This loco needs a new boiler but the NRM will not pay for it. That loco is the Wantage Tramway 'Shannon' (Jane) which held the distinction of being the oldest working steam loco in the country. On my last visit to Didcot a year ago it was not even on display but stuffed in a shed. As to rotting coaches, this is a problem for a lot of preserved lines getting the volunteers to work on them. Everyone wants to work on the locos not the coaches so it takes longer to get a coach refurbished than a loco. The only coach that I know that was restored quickly was the GWR Steam Railmotor. However the coach body sat around from the 1970's with no work being done on it. Loconuts

Well it looks as though someone is going to do one.

Sorry Chaz, I was quoting a quick e-mail I had received from my friend in Canada a while ago. I did not read it correctly and he did put in the link that Don quoted in his post. As to a drawing, I might have one but will have to dig the book out if I remember where it is. John

Will all models come with a DVD showing how to remove it from the box?

Incidentally (and off topic) that's not the way I do removable signals. My plug in bases are not much bigger than the foot of the post. Sadly US ng lines had no signals that I can include on the FVRR. ​Not quite true Chaz, if you look at photos of the depot buildings you should see what looks like a double arm signal mounted on the building. This is a form of signal called a 'Train Order Board' and acted like a starter signal. Grandt Line make a moulding of this item if you want to include one. However you are right about no signals on the Narrow Gauge or on many of the SG lines, trains were worked on Train Orders. ​As for covering your tree base how about a fallen branch or even a stack of sawn logs, just some suggestions. ​John

Y You are talking to someone who use to live in Yorkshire!!!!!!! Loconuts

Hear hear that that man, far better to return it to its stomping ground where it will allow much interest rather being stuck away in the North East. As a local resident of Dorset I look forward to its arrival and I would be happy to help get it steaming again, it will look a treat running in the Purbeck Hills rather than the grime of the North East. Loconuts

Hi Chaz Can I suggest that you put a large circular base on the tree and then bury it in a recess. The same trick that is used on removable signals. This will allow the modeling of the roots and blend them into some ground cover. John

I think we are getting the wrong end of the stick over Martin's comments over Tony Wrights efforts, the point he was making that both he and Tony are aiming at the same thing. A dream project with the clock ticking against you of your time on this mortal coil. Nothing to do with gauge wars. I am following this thinking myself working on my last project and with a narrow vision of only that project. No side line projects, however tempting they are. I also know that the editor of this issue is following this way of thinking. Maybe a few more would do well to look at this rather than sitting around waiting for the next box to arrive from China. It does not have to be a big project, even small projects can provide years of entertainment as your modeling skills improve. Loconuts.

I did not know he had sound fitted locos. Loconuts

ARRIVED TODAY, all I can say is another cracking issue Grommet. Loconuts

Waitrose? yee gods you are posh. Morrison's for me.

I think the evidence is in front of your nose. Bearing in mind this is a new venture for Heljan it is obvious they would want to cover all bases over these models and the 009 market is not as big as the 00 and 0 market. I personally believe that these locos are going to prove popular like the Hornby Pecket, even at the higher price. No matter what caused the price change we the consumer have two choices, purchase them at the higher price or not purchase them, the choice is yours. But if I was a betting man I think the former will happen with the models selling out in days. Loconuts