Karl

A thought that just occurred would a 4079 and 4472 set be a candidate? Isn't 2024 100 years since the Great Western posed 4079 with its "Most powerful emgine" headboard alongside an A3? Its also 35 years since the pair were in Australia together so there could be a pair of them in 1924 condition and a pair in 1980 Aus condition. An obvious good seller and notable absentee as well is an Umber liveried Terrier. Hornby haven't done this in the new tooling and the Dapol/Rails one sold very quickly and from the odd one I've seen on ebay sell for high prices. 40 years since steam return to the West Highlands and the precursor to the Jacobite with 5407 in LMS, could use the new tooling. More Black 5s i think are likely to be announced (the second run of Std 2s were announced before the first arrived) and on the subject of the West Highlands could we get K1 2005 in LNER green, only a preservation era livery but I think it'd sell.

It must be the GWR year for a Hornby Dublo, we've had A4, Princess Coronation, Merchant Navy and Prototype Deltic. My guess would be a King as that'd be the 8Ps offered in each region. Other than that I really don't know. Something Scottish and 4-4-0 (D40/D34) would be lovely but have they cleared much of the backlog that 2023 was to catch up on? B17s haven't arrived yet, neither has the Deltic Black 5s, Coronation Stock, most of the 88ds. It could be that there's only one new tooling announced as they continue to catch up. On rolling stock the rebuilt beavertail is probably a fair shout.

Quick phone snap of the progress on the now named Porth Nadolig with the stone effect paper starting to appear on the main building.

Dry fitting of building for spacing out on the as yet unnamed next project... Phone photo with background removed.

With the resin water still drying on the other side but the station nameboard now in place and the water tower plumbed in 3 cruel phone photos of the first trial of a Double Fairlie through Tanyglaslyn. Hopefully this weather will break and I'll be able to get it outside again.

A possible difference is the tender. I don't know what 92134 ran with in service but it didn't have a tender when it entered preservation. I think the one it is running with is on hire from a standard 5 owning group.

With the ballast having to be patched up and drying the Dremel was used to extract the sections I want from the slate processing building for this next project. Some nasty phone snaps attached. The plan is a small Canal side wharf with the fiddle yard also on the same board but with potential for future expansion. It's another 22ltr baseboard build!

Plus starting the set up on this...

A little bit of work over the Christmas break but some unforgiving phone photos and room lighting.

Hopefully OK to put this here!

Thanks very much. This is my third Victory, already have the maroon one as "Francis" as it ran at Astley Green Colliery which you can almost see from the house and the grey one. I added the sandboxes, steps and one toolbox to this just so it was different as I haven't fitted them to the others. They are terrific little models, hopefully another engine is to follow in the not too distant future. That is a lovely weathering job!

No fancy editing on this but like others I succumbed to the offer and bought another, no dressed with bespoke transfers from Railtec. Away to be weathered for appearing on the colliery!

We have GWR autocoaches coming from Dapol and the Bachmann BR(W) version, Hornby did a SR push-pull set. An obvious omission here to me is an LMS one to go with the Bachmann PP fitted Ivatt 2 and 1p.

Another from a photo session yesterday afternoon outside when the sky turned nicely dramatic. BR Standard 2 No. 78054 waits to leave Loch Dochard, the fireman must've gone for the lamp as they're nowhere to be seen!

That's very kind Andrew. Progress on this has stalled since I put those last photos up but given the forecast for the Christmas break from work I may find plenty of time to add more to it.

Bachmann Dukedog No. 9018 crosses the trestle bridge at Cwm Bach at sunset. Not the best photoshop job of exhaust. And another in the late afternoon autumn sunlight charging across the bridge. (Again not the best of photoshop jobs)

I think the problem now for manufacturers in upgrading models like the Britainnia's or any model made since the early 2000s is simply how good the models are. When introduced they were much better models than what there was so say the old tooling had been £60 and the (then) new was £110 modellers views were that the new ones were £50 better than the old so bought them. We're now at a stage where new tooled model are pushing £230/£240 and any new tooled next year are likely to breach £250 so modellers will be thinking the 2000s tooling you can pick up for say £150 (or less, last week I got a Hornby standard 4 for £85) is the new one going to be £100 better...probably not. So may not buy it, its a question of value. More of the as yet never done models may be necessary for companies to look at simply to get enough of us parting with our cash.

That's an interesting point and your last sentence appears to be pertinent to the Std 2 particularly given the two that I have. My 78022 arrived yesterday and looks great and runs very nicely but unlike the standard releases (I have 78054) Hornby have pre-fitted the drain cocks to the Collectors club model which on mine (and in the photos in this thread of other peoples) have been bent by the blister packaging. Mine are quite firmly bent and so I am trying to think of a way to ease them straight without snapping them. It's interesting that different releases of the same basic model have this slight difference. Perhaps there is an assumption that collectors club members won't be running their models...

For anyone else who pre-ordered in 2021 for the 78022 Club exclusive I think the question of are they being honoured has been answered. I've been charged for it and the order updated to Processing from Pending. So looks like the original orders have been kept which is great!

A second batch of manors could be on the cards given the first batch appears all but sold at Accurascale.

I thought it looked like a maroon steam. Didn't they do the 8F in maroon as a club model in N... they do like to do the same in both gauges so maybe we're getting that! 😂

I think the comments on steam outline are more that since Bachmann switched to the quarterly announcements there hasn't been an all new 00 gauge steam loco announced rather than none released since the switch. From memory since the switch in terms of non commissions there's been 94xx, Midland 1p and the V2 which were all announced prior to the change in announcement system. Diesels I think there's been Class 20/24/25/37/47 announced and delivered since the move to quarterly annoucements and the 69 announced. So perhaps people (including myself) are hoping there's something coming for steam as it feels 00 steam is due a turn.

I was expecting the Penrhyn ladies as 2-4-0s but with those already done I think that makes the NG16s more likely or perhaps a single Fairlie 'Taliesin' but I don't know if there latter would generate enough sales as they're aren't many liveries. The Hunslet 4-6-0 would be a nice model alongside the Baldwin but again unlike the Baldwins only ran in black I think. It does feel long overdue for a 00 steam now so perhaps one of those. A L&Y A class would be a good shout with lots of liveries or could they go after something like an 8F. I agree a 45596 would be very nice!

Wasn't there a tease at the end of the Chaldron launch video that they were off to measure something else at Beamish? Could have just been a joke. Although I'm thinking this'll be rolling stock rather than engine.

I'm awaiting a 7812, 7810 and 7820 direct. So you can rest assured I think that the black ones and 7810 are in the set expected at accurascale towers next week. So hopefully they'll start arriving with customers from the week commencing 4th. I'm certainly not expecting them before the middle of that week anyway.