Hobby

I don't understand the last two posts. Most cars these days are FWD, especially at the cheaper end of the market and it's accepted that for new drivers FWD is safer than RWD. Fine, if you want to learn how to power slide and have "fun" in poor conditions then a RWD will certainly give you that but a FWD is safer, even if you overcook it.

Against a total sold well into the tens of thousands (well less than 1%). So as I said the chances of your car, even a Zafira(!), setting on fire, is still extremely low. The issue with EV fires, even if they are rare (like IC car fires) is that they have to be handled differently. IC car fires are a known entity, so far EV ones aren't because they are even rarer as there's less EVs around.

I don't think so at the moment, I've asked Peco about if they'll do them (like they do in N), seemed they hadn't thought about it but are looking into it. That was about a month ago... I suppose the more people that email them and ask the more likely it'll happen... Hint, hint!

There's probably a logical reason, but why can't they graze sheep on fields used for solar panels, there seems to lots of grass underneath that I've seen people cutting, surely a few sheep would be more efficient?

OK, who the heck are the DNO and what do I have to do if I need to contact them? (My new system is 3.32kW).

We can take it he passed, then!! ;)

I'd not seen this before: https://classiccarcatalogue.com/HOME.html

He did and some people have made a lot of it, and with the current range a shunting layout is certainly possible and you only really need one loco! However it is clear from Hornby's marketing that they are aiming at the trainset market and not shelf layouts and the range plays nicely into that market which is far larger than shelf layouts. He was simply pointing out other possibilities and I feel its wrong to read any more into the comment.

I have just completed the order for our solar panels, eight of them for just over £5k. I'm giving the batteries a miss for the time being.

Not really. We've had this discussion before, it was all about launching the scale and who it was aimed at. New modellers aren't too fussed about picking up their loco and turning it round and tend to run roundy roundy's, not end to end layouts, i.e. train set ovals, where turning a loco isn't necessary (on that basis all my layouts have been train sets!)... Once it's established we'll see more suitable locos for end to ends.

And the chances of your car catching fire is even lower, I suspect most car fires are due to poor servicing/workmanship on modifications. Even the well publicised ones like the Vauxhall (?) ones recently only a very small number of cars actually went up in flames... Social Media and 24 hour news has a lot to answer for for exaggerating the risks.

Yes. If you read the TT120 thread on Lincoln bodies you will see an attempt to use a Continental chassis under a Class 33(?). Basically the larger loading gauge made the chassis very difficult to fit with heavy modifications and even a new frame.

There's this for the Japanese chassis, though I don't know of any for the European N scale manufacturers, it was raised in NG circles (mainly 009) as they use a lot as well, but no-one took it any further than the initial suggestion http://trainweb.org/tomix/chassis_dim.htm

Rather annoyingly I was in Poprad back in May and tried to visit the shop (and buy one!) but even with the help of the local Tourist Information Office we could get any sense out of the shop owner to find out when it was actually open! I have a feeling, though, that the SW1200s are rather small so may need the chassis lengthening, it is narrow, though, I have a couple of N scale ones for use under a Hungarian Mk45 in H0e!

Yes, we were at cross purposes, I had widened the comment thinking you meant there'd be an issue designating one. Might this be a fit: http://www.modelovazeleznicatt.sk/sw-1200-cn-7007-diesel-elektricky-rusen-americkych-zeleznic-mtb-tt-i54.html For you it's a "fact", for 99% of the rest of us it's not an issue. The danger of someone applying their standards to everyone!

Why would it be an issue? There's plenty of N scale locos with thinner bodies, not to mention Z, British TT will be larger! Luke's issue was using a chassiss from a larger loading gauge.

None of mine do and I have 7 so far.

Just out of interest I measured the ones I have, though as the battery has gone I can't give exact thicknesses, The Arnold and Hornby were exactly the same but the brand new Piko loco I got recently was slightly wider! The BTTB loco I have has (very) slightly wider wheels than the Piko (but not much). The worst part is probably the code 80 rail, though weathering should help and use of Peco code 55, I suppose to add to that N uses code 80 as well and most people ignore the even bigger discrepancy.

I doubt many of the buyers of Hornby TT120 will be too bothered about the wheels, they look fine to me and comparing them with a scale that's bigger seems a bit contrary! One of the main reasons for TT, just like N is to get more into a set space and longer trains than in 00 so who's going to be looking at the wheels, especially when in motion, other than finescale enthusiasts, and they won't be buying it anyhow.

True, though I'd still rather be an optimist, glass half full! But my point was that people with no interest in the scale seem to do negative posts every few pages, there's a lot less than there used to be but it's still there... Perhaps that's why SK was emphasising the "new entrants" aspect of their sales drive? I can't see it taking much from N, certainly not in the short term, and a poor excuse to knock the scale, perhaps John's pessimists are more widespread than we thought? :)

Though a lot has been made of the scale/gauge bit, as you mention John, it's not the gauge part of that which is important, it's the fact that you can put a British loco alongside it's Continental cousin and they are to the same scale, something that's not possible in N or 00 which both give false impressions of the size of British locos. As several heritage lines have Continental locos it does open up new possibilities. One thing that puzzles me about much of the negativity on this and some other TT120 threads is why some people feel the need to even comment on the scale when they have no interest in it nor will it affect their modelling. I could, perhaps, understand one comment, but some appeared regularly every few pages saying the same old, same old. As said in a post above it's rather sad that some people seem to have so many negative vibes, perhaps it's a consequence of Covid!! ;)

True, but as I said that earlier discussion was about locos not rolling stock, very different things. Pure speculation on my part but my take on it was that Heljan were looking for a way out, so as not to have a reason to spend lots of money on a speculative venture, the only "effect" Hornby's announcement had on them was to give them that excuse. Considering how far in the future Hornby's release date was for the 31 there was no real reason for Heljan to stop as they were much further ahead. Hornby didn't "do" anything to Heljan, it was Heljan's choice to stop.

Hornby did indeed say that they couldn't just downscale their 00 stuff, but the discussion at that time was about locos not rolling stock, and as someone else said they are very different to, say, a box van or open wagon which would be much easier to downsize (at least for the body). From what we've seen they didn't "do" anything to Heljan, they had a five year plan which was revealed at the launch and happened to include a loco that Heljan had also said they'd make. Sheer coincidence. Heljan could have continued with the loco as they were clearly further down the line than Hornby but chose not to. I feel it's wrong to suggest that it was a deliberate ploy by Hornby.

Just wondering how true that is when talking modern electric trams, not horse drawn ones. I've been in an emergency stop on a modern tram and it seems to stop pretty quickly, at least on a par with a bus or lorry, though not a modern car!

Not to mention Mercedes a title... It's one of those areas which really needs sorting, there should be no advantage gained with the SC except the bunching up, if they are to allow pit stops then everyone should be given one and then the grid restarted in the order they were when the SC was deployed.