Hobby

If they are using the same rail as the H0e and m which is probable then that's exactly what you can do, the Peco insulated joiners are a little easier as they have some "give" in them.

A shim of thin card will bring them level, the Tillig is code 83 so a slight file of the edge of the rail, if you want to, will make for smooth transition, I'm assuming that's what this "transition track" will do, only for more money! I've been using code 80 and 83 rail together for decades without any issues, though.

They'll find a way, and big fines if you don't, the more dubious people will still try and dodge, but most won't.

Which is what the converter rail will do, the rest of us will use some card! The only possible issue is who's rail joiner to use. I've used Peco code 80, Roco code 83 and Tillig code 83, all three have a slightly different foot so I found using the rail joiners for the widest foot worked on all three. Though why people can't just be patient and wait for the Hornby track rather than indulge in endless useless speculation is beyond me, though most of this thread is full of such rubbish.

I suspect road pricing initially, there's enough stuff in modern cars to make it feasible.

They are in a Catch 22 at the moment, they want to encourage EVs but can't afford the massive black hole of lost tax revenue EVs will generate, whilst EVs are in the minority then they'll be fairly safe as the tax from ic vehicles will compensate, but when they reach parity then expect to see EVs hit hard. Make the most of it while the sun shines!

Except that if Merc's progress continues he's going to find that some drivers won't back off, Lewis has already shown that last season and this and I expect George will do the same. I'm glad that some drivers are willing to take on the bully.

I had to do that recently to get a Bemo H0m chassis to fit into a smaller Bulgarian Class 75 H0e body and the same to get a Russian Tu2 body onto a Liliput 2095 chassis... All good fun!

The VED is based on emissions, not mpg, and always has been inaccurate as they compare all cars under laboratory conditions so we can compare like with like. I don't know anyone who actually believes that they are the truth! Nice to see EVs carrying on that tradition.

You could ask Bottas?! ;)

Yes and no, that diesel and petrol (which should also have been mentioned!) owner pays far more in fuel taxes than the EV owner, the low tax bands have reduced Gov income considerably over recent years with the push for more economical cars and it looks like the move to EVs isn't going to reduce the number of cars on the road so they have to get that lost revenue back somehow. It's been predicted for ages that EVs will have to start paying some sort of tax, though I was expecting road pricing rather than VED.

There is a mention of an "electric" Pullman in one of the early phases, as they aren't doing any electric locos could that be a Southern three rail version?

XC Voyagers and HSTs.

Wow! Even my welding was better than that!!

There was a list somewhere on social media, I remember seeing it, though I've not been able to find it since, it had a lot of interesting stuff... Perhaps one of the Hornby TT-ers (SK?) put it up early on then was told to delete it quick or just someone made up to look like it was official!! 😄

As you say the compartments are big enough for the size of scooters that are allowed on board. The majority of genuinely disabled people who use an electric wheelchair or scooter are well aware of the restrictions and their devices are within the size limitations which are well publicised on the various TOC websites. I feel you are confusing those people with the much larger group of people who use "mobility" scooters and are not registered disabled. I agree that many of those scooters are extremely large and shouldn't be allowed on pavements, let alone trains or buses! Luckily we don't have to pander to their needs and they can be turned away without us breaking the disability laws which as always with these things are a sensible compromise. With regard to buttons vs sliding/opening doors as someone who has to use disabled loos when taking my wife who is wheelchair bound outdoors let me give you two scenarios. First is the manual door, first we have to position the wheelchair where we can open the door and not get it in the way when opening the door, not easy in corridors where many disabled loos are placed, once the door is open and we've got in we have to close it behind us, usually easy enough for me (if a little cramped as there's not much room in there) but just think if the wheelchair user was solo and had to turn or stretch to reach the door handle and pull it shut. Second scenario, we push a button, the door slides open, we go in, push another button and the door slides shut and press a third and it locks. Think which is best for the wheelchair user! As for the time for it to close, it's a matter of seconds, if you are really that desperate to go perhaps go a little earlier! ;) I would agree with you about having "ordinary" loos on trains where there is no disabled space, from what I can gather when the Voyagers were designed someone misread the disability laws and thought they had to have a disabled loo in every coach that had a loo in it, note that the slightly later Pendos don't have the same, lesson learned although I've never been on an IET so can't comment on them? I hope the above helps to see it from the disabled perspective, whilst I'm not disabled having a disabled wife has opened up just how poor facilities are for such people and allows me to try to see things from both angles. I apologies to the OP for going so far OT.

Coincidence I'm sure, he'd have been planning and writing it before Hugh first showed it, though I'm sure Hugh would be honoured to think he might have inspired it!!

It's also narrow gauge, though I've always had the impression that the book's railway was more based on standard gauge rather than 2ft 3ins because its mirroring the start of railway steam haulage. I don't think he says so we'll probably never know!

The buttons on all our doors are the mushroom type and are more suitable for disabled people than old style door handles seen on outer doors on old BR stock or the swivel handles on the toilets in those trains. Just out of interest can someone enlighten me which disabled groups are campaigning for a return to the old style stuff as someone has claimed?

I don't see any resemblance between TP's works and JK's other than they both have wizards and witches! The two are poles apart and aimed at very different audiences, though some of us like both! Hugh Norwood has made an 009 model based on Ankh-Morpork which still appears at exhibitions. There may be a small number that notice the name change, though I suspect its name will also appeal to many! I wonder if it is to do with a combination of licence fees and the fact that they'll get another sale for the real FS! All in all most of the intended audience won't notice that, or the lack of lights, both of which if included would probably have increased the cost of the set, another point to note?

I've ordered the Easterner set but I don't mind waiting a couple if weeks more!

Hence the use of buttons which can be used by everyone. These seem to be the current regulations, note both manual and power doors/locks, they have to cater for blind/partially sighted people as well: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/432/pdfs/uksi_20100432_en.pdf

I'd agree, Tom, which is why most new disabled toilets tend to have buttons rather than manual locks. I don't know which disabled groups have been campaigning for manual locks, though, none that I know of? Often the buttons for operating the doors can be found near to the toilet itself rather than by the door, it all depends on the design of the toilet space itself. The biggest issue we find with disabled loos is there "secondary use" as storage places, especially in pubs and hotels, and them not being locked allowing non disabled people to use them which invariably results in them being misused, again pubs and hotels being the worst culprits.

They can, and do, by looking at the telemetry information the teams use to check what the car's doing, that tells them what the driver was doing, and it also told them Max was behaving badly and Lewis's wasn't as bad in the two incidents... Think what that Sky reporter did a few pages ago but with even more information than he had about what Max was doing in the car. As for the second sentence, you know as well as the rest of us that that rumour was spread by that equally nasty piece of work Horner, to try and make Hamilton's penalty as bad as possible, conveniently ignoring that his pet driver has done a lot worse than that and often got away with it!

Going slightly OT, many years ago I was speaking to one of the fitters and a control bod and it seems that pre covid the Voyagers were knocking up between 800/1000 miles per day and would go in for a "service" every 10 days, that's one heck of a mileage per year! The diagram for the Aberdeen to Penzance was over 960miles. I found that once people realised just how intensively we used them they tended to be a little more tolerant of the odd failure, most were comparing them to their car until they realised that the train could knock up a "car years" mileage in a couple of weeks!