ruggedpeak

Thank you both. I think the B2B's are the problem on those loco's but need to get a gauge to check, so will look to pick one up at Warley. I have glued a thin piece of plastic from a Ratio kit packaging exactly as described and it works perfectly! Checked my Bachmann 66's and 40 and they no longer derail Not sure that the tail is required, and needs painting black or dirt in due course. But my Bachmann Saltburn by Sea Class 20 now runs straight through Thanks

The Renatus is quite pleasant, light and airy, and feels brighter than the 360's. It also has wifi They are a good effort, although for how long given the entire AGA stock is going to be replaced in a few years. The prototype they trialed was horrible, it stank of plastic leather chemicals - it was so bad I had to get off! The blue livery is ex-First Capital Connect stock that has been transferred in, and mostly smells of wee! Needs refit ASAP. IIRC hard seats are a fire issue - comfy foam is a fire risk so has been eliminated despite little evidence of serious in-carriage fires in recent times that I can think of. (Typos edited)

Having found some time the wiring has been completed, with droppers to each length of track and switching for the different lanes, so that each is operated independently. A single Gaugemaster Series E controller controls the whole layout, with each move being manually set up electrically so that other locos won't move. However one problem is point 2. This Hornby LH point makes some locos derail whilst others cross it with no problem at all. It is only in one direction, taking the LH fork. As posted earlier I have a 66 and a 40 that both lose their first axle each time they go over, but have others 66's that are fine. As the track is glued down, I am trying to understand the issue before I have to pull it up. It appears that the leading wheel hits the frog on some locos and tries to go straight on. I've videoed a 20 which skips each time it goes across to see if anyone has any ideas that avoid pulling the track up! Bizarrely I bought two Bachmann RF Class 20's and the other runs across as smooth as anything If anyone has any ideas do let me know!

Here's how I did DIY using rod and styrene tube http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/119429-modern-micro-layout/?p=2779408

You can buy a new H&P Peckett from Rails to go with it for £180 , and you can pay in instalments.... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hornby-OO-GAUGE-R3429-HUNTLEY-AND-PALMERS-PECKETT-W4-0-4-0-LOCO-NO-832-1R/202103434023?hash=item2f0e4dab27:g:tGgAAOSw~vpZ7xwg

I think the overall risk profile of reducing ridership, Government withdrawing funding for electrification etc and seemingly less keen on rail except in London & SE, uncertainty over Brexit (i.e. exchange rates, bureaucracy etc in managing money and a business outside an EU jurisdiction) plus the overall cluster%^&* that is our screwed up political system, stuffed full of degenerates and incompetents, put them off. Specific problems on the ground can be resolved if you have some stability and confidence in the future, but if you can't be sure who will be in power or Sec of State for Transport next week let alone next year, or if civil war break out in Spain, whether the EU will implode etc etc

Been up in Sheffield, Pacer/Skipper heaven! 142's run the Sheffield - Manchester Piccadilly stopping services and 143's do the Cleethorpes and other runs; Lovely trip to Edale and back in a 142 The non-rail enthusiasts in the group were a little surprised to find bench seating! Had to sit along side Hope Sidings whilst a 66 and EWS aggregate wagons reversed in. Sheffield-bound 142 entering Totley Tunnel from Grindleford Station.

I think there should be a modular category (I know categories aren't wanted) but it'd be like a 3d version of the board game Carcassonne!

That is modern business. Highly successful firms like ARM and Dyson have their high value R&D divisions in the UK and manufacrture overseas or outsource/licence. As indeed Oxford Diecast do. The key for Hornby is to make sure that the product development, R&D, distribution etc functions, as well as the management of the supply chain are world class and profitable. Peco is not in any way making the same products as Hornby - one is track and accessories with minimal labour inputm the other complex locos and rollling stock with significant labour input. Hornby is facing a significant increase in direct competition from new entrants which Peco is not. Rapido et al are not entering the low marging high volume track market, they are entering the quality rolling stock market using a variety of risk reducing approaches to avoid being stuck with stock, such as pre-ordering. With a precarious financial position and growing competition it makes little sense for Hornby to be carrying the burden of manufacturing facilities unless it provides a decisive competitive advantage. It may be that this is what Oxford can bring to the party.

If you compare it to your average Premier League footballer it's a pittance too! Anyway here's some data https://www.bdo.co.uk/en-gb/insights/industries/aim/bdo-aim-directors-remuneration-report

Andy, many thanks.

Thanks Huw. Was re-reading recent mags over the weekend as in bed with this year's seasonal man-flu so fired up the laptop to enter as something to do!

Just tried to enter the Western Power competition in this issue (closes 12 October) but it appears to have closed already

There are announcements this month on new Hornby commissions from NRM and Rails - November Hornby mag will have details. I'm not surprised Hornby have reduced the minimum quantity and are getting into commissions given the volumes Bachmann are doing, and Rapido etc. Reduces risk but still allows throughput. The market has changed and they are behind the curve. It makes a huge amount of sense to do lower volume commissions where there is no requirement for new tooling i.e. relivery jobs. After all, Bachmann is busy wearing out its 66 toolings!

Few close ups from DRS Open Day 2016. I couldn't get far enough back for my camera to get a full side on view, but they offer some useful detail.

That image is crying out for a caption competition!

‎ Oxford make money selling cheap and cheerful model cars and trucks etc that are shiny and colourful and at prices that means much of their range are impulse purchases ie £5. They also seem to flood the market with stock, presumably as they are so cheap to produce compared to a small wagon. ‎ ‎ I don't ever recall anyone rivet counting an Oxford 1:76 Mini or Fiesta. Fine for plonking on a layout as scenery but not subject to anything like the scrutiny of roling stock ‎ ‎ As Oxford are finding (in the media at least) the 'almost good enough'‎ may not cut it in the current rail market. The concern is that Hornby don't adopt the same 'almost good enough' approach. This seems to be one of Oxford"s core competences, producing okish models at prices below competitors. The road vehicles range was exploiting a gap in the market for decent, relevant vehicle models, however Oxford Rail is competing in a well established market with both incumbents and aggressive new entrants. A very different ballgame. We don't know if the Rail division is profitable so don't know if this strategy is working. My fear is Oxford's MO is more Northern Nellie than Peckett. Hopefully this new chap understands the difference. I also agree with the view that Hornby's lack of profitability is due to certain underperforming ranges and poor business decisions over the last few years.

My local shop is full of models more than 2 years old, and they don't update the prices. The label goes inside the clear bit of the box and stays there until it's sold. Have paid some very historic prices

As an aside I've just read in this month's Hornby mag that Hornby are also doing exclusives with NRM and Rails of Sheffield, details to be announced next month.

Bear in mind these days optimising value is seen as loading the company up with debt, charging extortionate 'management fees, separating out ownership of IP and assets and charging rent for them before driving the company into the ground to get rid of the problematic bits ie staff, customers etc. I hope this isn't the case here.

Exactly my point, which is what happened to indie computer shops. The retail landscape has changed dramatically, and running a large chain of stores based on current volumes and margins (plus increasing direct/crowdfund sales channels) makes this probably impossible to sustain. The Hattons/Rails model or the number of model shops in cheaper industrial units evidence this. But Hornby is a manufacturer and brand owner who should and needs to be showcasing its brands and ranges to the wider public, not just us existing enthusiasts. Hornby's brand and ranges need to be 'out there' to boost their sales as overall sales to enthusiasts are probably maxxed out at present and competition to Hornby from new manufacturers/commissioners selling to enthusiasts (as against the general public etc) such as Rapido, DJM, Locomotion, Revolution etc is increasing by the day. They are all exploiting the here and now for the existing crowd, but we need model businesses to work to expand the hobby as well. Of these newbies to the market, who is investing in trying to grow the hobby and attract new entrants, apart from Hornby?

Model Zone failed because they expanded too much, were carrying too many expensive retail properties and debt i.e. poor business model and business decisions: "A spokesperson for Modelzone admitted it was struggling in its most recent accounts filed with Companies House: "Trading performance for the year was disappointing ... Following a review of the business, it became clear that the business infrastructure and management capability was insufficient, not only to take the business forward and grow further, but also to deliver sustainable profitability." https://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/aug/28/modelzone-collapses-deloitte-fails-buyer That does not mean a well planned, carefully executed and limited risk trial of retail premises based upon the entire Hornby plc range will suffer the same fate. Model Zone and Beatties were both pure retail plays that struggled to adapt to the 21st century and growth of the internet, as did many other retailers in other sectors who went bust, yet their sectors remain perfectly healthy. Jessops is a good example, although they have scraped through. Hornby and my suggestion are a totally different proposition, and I would suggest more akin to a Lego/Games Workshop hybrid. Model Zone failed yet Hattons, Rails and others are going great guns. And as I've pointed out before, the model market is following exactly the same path as the indie computer games sector did about 20 years ago, which sadly involved a lot of indies closing However the opportunities are there.

I have to disagree about the cliche bit, based my anecdotal evidence from reading magazines and overhearing conversations at shows - many layout articles I read in the likes of BRM refer to the layout builder making a connection to their childhood in choice or type of layout. This is a recurring theme, and whilst one swallow doesn't make a summer, a good example is Heaton Lodge Junction (http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/110677-heaton-lodge-junction/ ). A recent article about it in BRM (? haven't time to look it up at present) even had a photo of the layout builder and his 2 brothers as young lads clinging onto a gate watching trains at the location he now models decades later. Loitering around layouts at shows it amazes me how many people discuss their connection with those layouts based upon real locations. I had no family or professional connection with trains (other than commuting via EMU's everyday :yawn: ) other than Thomas stories and then a Hornby HST set, plus early teens gricing, before a lull of 25 years and now I am spending [too much] on models again in early middle age. I think a battery train set is something that can potentially lead to an interest in railways even in this day and age.

It is a bargain and a fab model with considerable modelling potential given the range of things NR has done/tried with the MPV, from experimental timber (MPV plus OTA's) and container trains (covered in RE magazine) through to the OHL renewal train that is various MPV units and wagons joined together. https://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/dr98003/ And if you have the ability you can do some pretty good stuff with it: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/106497-big-jims-workbenchits-all-gone-a-bit-yellow/page-5

It's not about whether the photos and words are the same, as paying customers some (many?) of us don't want to see the same layout twice within a few months. Otherwise we feel we are not getting our money's worth from the mags. It's bad enough having to see endless multi-page reviews of Kernow's 4TC in every mag for a period of 2-3 months, let alone then see the same layouts over and over.