NCB

Think Hornby have got it right with their choice of models. The important thing at this stage is to get some eye-catching quality models capable of whizzing around track. As a hardened 3mm 14.2mm gauge modeller I must confess to being sorely tempted.

So, the first production Hornby sets have arrived. From pics and videos they seem superb. Well done Hornby.

Wheels look great with the flanges harddly visable. Valve gear is outstanding. Model has a presence difficult to achieve in a small scale. Hornby really has set a high standard.

Wow indeed. Finish superb.

Does Anyrail now include the Hornby TT-120 track?

Exactly. I asked Hornby about this few weeks ago; they said they realised that people could put in orders which were mixed available and preorder so could in the end paying multiple postage charges, so they decided to delay it until a wider selection of track was available.

Most station areas had a greater than 6 foot way.

Looks good doesn't it. I think this dispels the notion that this is simply enlarged N. It is better. Nigel

Copydex is fine and is better for sound deadening properties than more rigid PVA.

All of my 3 millimetre track is scratchbuilt built off board and loosely held in place with double sided tape to keep it in place and then ballasted using PVA or similar. Easily removable it is not. I'm looking for something where I can experiment with different formations and easily keep in place without taking it up in the very short term . I have just Googled the following which I think may do the trick. The idea is to just screw the track down lightly to avoid distortion and it should then be easily unscrewed. What do you think? https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1210462467/model-railway-track-screws-decent?click_key=28c65675dbca2af832c0d5d71cc3539ab09478fe%3A1210462467&click_sum=23c103b9&rec_type=ss&ref=pla_similar_listing_top-2&frs=1

What do you use for fixing set track down ? I'm looking for a means of doing it such that it's very easy to lift the track. I'm thinking of very small black self tapping screws. What do you think?

I've not seen the models in the flesh but judging by the pictures which have appeared recently these are very nice models indeed. I hope that Hornby get the success they deserve. If the couplings aren't to one's taste then there is always the option of replacing them by something different. Nigel

Love your drawings. Don't think you need worry about compatibility, as others have said. Quick tip about designing yourlayout. A Hornby point is 166mm long. So a crossover, as you have at each end of your loop, is about 330m, 660mm for the two. From the 1200mm total you've allowed, that leaves 540mm to play with, for the loop body and for the bits beyond each end of the loop. How do you use it? If you allowed 300 mm for the loop body, it would just take a couple of 57' coaches or around 6 wagons, leaving 240mm. Allow 150 on right for loco run around and buffer, catering for tanks and small 0--6-0s, leaving 90mm for the other end, not a lot. However, if you allowed for shorter coaches or 4 wagons in the loop you could reduce it to 200mm, and had only tank engines so reducing the right hand end to say 125mm, that would give you an extra 125mm for the left hand end, or 215mm total.

Nah! A GP7, box car and caboose would get them started nicely.

I think you're forgetting that, in an era where everything was sold through retailers, the thing which sank Triang TT was the reluctance of said retailers to stock it. Hornby, wisely, aren't making the same mistake again. By selling direct they can have much better control of costs.

Topsy turvy times. Ditto on company finances. Don't read too much into it.

Hornby quality wouldn't be another BB. Americans have space problems too.

American TT.

Preiser 1:100, Modelu

Finally... a new Hornby Dublo locomotive. 3-rail of course.

Hornby into American TT anyone?

Being a 3mm modeller I'd have preferred them to have gone 3mm, where there's a lot of kits and components to back up RTR. But I suspect Hornby thought about this very carefully. By stagnating I was thinking of user saturation rather than products. Is an 00 user more likely to dabble in a ccompact project in another scale rather than yet more 00?

I've some of that track. What I've never worked out is how the power leads are supposed to be connected.

Strange how mention of TT sparks outrage. It makes sense. Dapol and Bachmann have more experience of making quality models in small scales than Hornby. They' ve already have done the research for the sort of models which would sell well. 00 in a sense is stagnating. Hornby and Peco are committed to providing a good track range. If narrow gauge can succeed so can TT.

My free hobbist Fusion 360 licence expired recently and I'm trying to renew it but can't seem to find the right route; I always end up in the educational bit. I' m sure I found a different route before. Any ideas? Nigel EDIT... Solved. Google Fusion 360 free