zigzag

My guess is that it may be the turn of the LMS to get some new/retools ( we have the turbomotive & black 5 in the pipeline) and I can foresee A retool 8F A new tool 2-6-2 tank and an outside bet on a Jubilee Could we also see a collector edition for each of big 4 to mark the centenary of the grouping, perhaps thses may be Dublo branded or possibly train packs with a few coaches Not much in the offing for BR diesel/electrics Im afraid, and BR Blue will continue to be ignored* * I get the impression that SK is not a rail enthusiast as such but is a model rail enthusiast/salesman, hence open goals are continue to be ignored/not expolited to the full

If anyone wants another Deltic it looks like a few models have been found down the back of the sofa at Accuracale HQ

Front windows are still a glaring error, probably due to lack of curvature at top of cab door, this makes the 'face' of the loco obviously incorrect. So infuriating given that these errors were pointed out many months ago and yet the manufacturer didnt correct them

I will hazard a guess it will be the year if the LMS and its constituents Retool of Black 5 and/or 8F New tool suburban tank New tool something large from Lancashire & Yorkshire Plus some obscure diesel liveries and again ignoring the open goal of BR Blue

Mine arrived and thanks to Parcelforce they have been dropped on a corner and dented However even with bent pages these 7 volumes are the finest books on steam ever produced

Give me an Aladins cave type shop over a chrome, glass and spotlights shop everyday of the week

Thanks again, some useful & thoughtful replies, which have helped me The layout will be just home operated, my fledgling modelling skills are no way up exhibiting It will be dc, with boards around 18"- 24" wide, so reach shouldnt be a problem I think I will go for B side, make a non scenic right angle board which could be reversed if B doesnt work, If I was to eventually switch to A then only backscenes & possibly some scenery modificatiosn would require to be re-done Next stage to draw out on some wall paper to size up, fine tune, etc, before bodging some boards together

Im impressed with this first issue ( though always aware that first issue should be good to attract new readers), and look forward to the next, if the standard is maintained for first 6 months or so I would subscribe Much better than Steam Railway which seems to have lost its way recently, and possibly no surprise that a number of ex Steam Railway names appear to be involved in contributing now and in future to Trackside

Thanks everyone I was leaning towards B as that does seem to be the more traditional with more track within easy reach The off scene turn through a right angle will be on a separate board, and at this stage not scenic, so its possible that it could be turned around if B proves to be unsatisfactory

Im planning a small terminus layout (station, small engine shed, small goods facilities/goods shed) which which will be L shaped with fiddle yard at right angles to scenic section. I have space to arrange this either right or left handed, with the operating side either by the station or by the goods facilities. Does anyone see any advantages/ disadvantages to either a station or goods side operating location. Simple sketch plan below may make things clearer, is operating from side A or B preferable.

How about 4 & 6 wheel milk tankers, long lifespan, ran behind express locos

I think 1 or 2 of the following would fill the large (-ish) steam loco for 2021 V2 Manor Saint Turbomotive A couple of these have been ripe for picking off the opposition for a few years, and by now development could be sufficiently advanced at Hornby for a 2021 release I expect a small tank loco from the North East or West And finally an LMS 2-6-2 tank could be a popular release Personally Id love to see an S160 & WD 2-10-0 but may have to wait on these Another industrial could be on the cards, but may wait until 2022 given lead times and the need to see how the 0-6-0 Peckett performed. For the similar reasons I feel Lion/Titfield Thunderbolt may not be seen until 2022, though we may see some more L&M rolling stock sooner Ist gen DMU have been touted but although a Cl124 would make my year I think the RRP on these may be too much for Hornby to take on D&E offers lots of scope for reliveries but Hornby often seem to miss the open goals, blue/large logo Cl56, blue Cl31 with headcode box, blue 08, instead going for rathe rmore niche liveries.

I'm putting my money behind Heljan on this one. Bachmann have had an open goal for years and have ignored it, for them to announce now as a spolier to Heljan is a tad underhand in my view and for that they do not have my support in this one.

Mine arrived today and Ive had a quick look through and even with such a cursory view I can confidently say these are the finest books in my railway library, quite simply wonderful.

My punt at the surprise item would be some form of DCC controllable uncoupling mechanism. Hits the technology spot and also a play value, as well as being extremely useful.

I saw proof copies of these volumes at the SVR this weekend and I have to say they are very very good, whether they are worth £130 is another matter, a sub £100 price ticket would be far more psychologically acceptable. I do wish the initial special offer was still valid now that proofs are available for inspection, £95 without seeing anything was alot to commit to a blind purchase (yes there were some images on the website but those could have been cherry picked).

Id like to see the main loco announcement being kept quiet until its almost ready to hit the shops, keep it all 'hush hush', is what I say. Id also like to see some form if dcc uncoupling. Would be useful and would bring back a play/action element that Hornby and Triang were so good at when I was a child.

Well its now 20th December and I STILL HAVENT HAD DELIVERY. Utterly ridculous. APC said they would return the parcel to Locomotion on 7th December, yet yesterday they have contacted me to see where/when I want it delivered to, they are an inept shambles of a company. Had they told me on the 7th they could deliver to another address then I could have arranged a delivery to work, now with the the Christmas shutdown looming that option is off the cards. Locomotion agreed a few weeks ago that APC could deliver to a neighbour, guess what - APC tried to deliver to me but didnt try the neighbours, and then said they had made too many failed deliveries and would now return the parcel to Locomotion. Yet they havent returned to Locomotion. All through this thread neighbours are taking delivery, but APC are inconsistent in their policies. All the depot advised that as they could only deliver to me and could not specify a time between 08.00 & 16.00 was for me to take a day off work to recieve the parcel. Its 2017, we are in the age of online shopping, who takes a days leave to have a parcel delivered. Poor service all round. Locomotion should have dealt with the courier and dispatched a replacement to me as soon as APC couldnt deliver.

Id love to see them announce the open goal that is the flush fronted peak which has been staring them in the face for years

That is so annoying, both neighbours of mine are retired and would happily take delivery for me, yet the depot were insistent that they wouldnt leave my parcel with them, nor deliver to my workplace, why do people use such archaic couriers. Given the total intransigence of the courier I cant see how Ill get my model (I cant go to depot to pick up even at weekends as have other commitments on Saturday mornings - kids football team, which I cant let down).

Doubt it. I had a card through the door from APC saying tried to deliver. Have spoken to APC to try to rearrange delivery - they will only deliver between 08.00 & 16.00 M-F, will not give a specific time for delivery, will not deliver to a neighbour as it has to be signed for, will not deliver to a different address (APC must be cheap because they certainly arent good). They suggested I go to the depot to pick up, thats miles away and why should I waste my time and petrol going to collect something I paid to be delivered. Even more annoying was the table full of models at Warley, could have got one there, be enjoying it now, and saved the £8.50 delivery charge. Really not sure how Ill get my model now. Not happy to say the least.

Saw the 3D print at Warley today, looks great, but I noticed the price is now £229 and Im sure it was eithr £189 or £199 when first announced, so that aa 15% increase before its even hit the shelves, probably down to Brexit :-)

Given such an open goal by Dave Id better have a shot, OO stuff for me. Firstly Ill look at what I think might make good sales for DJM, some long lived pregrouping Scottish locos and careful choice could give some beautiful pregroup livery right through to BR and would fill in an area of neglect in current rtr, secondly the GW railmotor could sell well given the popularity of the real life one and this may be a bandwagon to be jumped on in the near future to maximise sales, another area of neglect would be the ac electric locos, probably the cl87 with a wide choice of liveries to produce, would the already announced J94 chassis lend itself readily to another industrial type with mionr modifications - could be worth exploring, next up an Ivatt Atlantic, quirky but coudl be in demand from both ECML modellers and those who just like the look of it, as could my final choice a venture into pre-group locos, again as with the Scottish proposal careful choice could lead to a varity of liveroies and sales of the 'oooh I do like that even though it doesnt fit in with the rest of my stuff'. No coaches as I think these are more of a slow burner longer time frame sale than a loco and so would tie up cash in a developing buisness which isnt really good practice. Its been shown that attractive, niche, locos will sell, and there are still may prototypes there waiting to be ticked off. Secondly, my wish list and I would buy these Adams Radial Cl 124 Transpennine K1 Mk 2D coaches Ivatt Altantic

Thanks for the ECML info, looks like 2Ds were more prominent than 2Fs - which is how I remember it. As said above I too worry that a Hornby/Bachmann combo may highlight strengths & weaknesses in the models.

Very interesting thread, particularly with the recent Bachmann announcement. Could anyone help me with what wa steh ECML MK2 stock in the late 70s/early 80s. From riding behind the Deltics at the time a do remeber many 2Ds with the wood pannelling, but also many 2Fs (?) with the white pannelling. If anyone coudl link me to a resource which maybe shows formations or stock alloactions for this period I would greatly appreciate it.