purplepiepete

As a general query on the subject of track making has anyone tried the DCC Concepts products ? Are these a new idea or a rehash ? https://www.dccconcepts.com/product-category/track-and-track-making-parts/dccconcepts-track-and-track-making-parts/

I have tried cutting sheet into strips and would recommend anyone trying it to lie down in a darkened room first ! Unless you have industrial cutting equipment it's very hard going and impossible to get it consistent - and it creates a massive amount of fine dust.

Ah yes , I hadn't noticed that ! Not sure who manufactures the cut strip (maybe from China ?) but I am always 'gobsmacked' by the cost these days. Aware copper costs rocketed in recent years but bizarrely both RailRoom and Maplins sell a big sheet of PCB for a fraction of the cost of strip ?

RailRoom Electronics provide copper clad strip in bulk packs and have a very good order service. The only issue is that you would need to cut these with a guilottine into correct sleeper lengths. https://www.railroomelectronics.co.uk/Copper-Clad-Pcb-Board/Copper-Clad-Strips/Page1.aspx

Love to attend more shows John and meet our suppliers. Unfortunately my only 'local' show is Telford GOG, and, even though I attend most years, it's still nearly a 200 mile round trip ! Agree with all this and of course many specialist suppliers are still small mail order only operations. In todays 'instant business' world shows may seem a bit old school but it's the way it's always been done in this hobby. I am surprised that given the costs involved they are still as well supported as when I started modelling 50+ years ago. Pete.

This is true John. I doubt many of us would want our orders or problems discussed in 'public' on social media such as Twitter. The point was really that if you don't have phone messaging / voice mail or provide a mobile number it's quick and free to private message individuals if required - as per this forum. There is already a decent contact forum on the C&L site however I am not sure if this actually works or is being monitored. Resorting to phone chasing - or worse snail mail - doesn't make for great customer / supplier relations. I hope Phil resolves the issues he currently faces and no doubt still has many satisfied customers. Taking on a new business, particularly one that previously had a very 'slick' operation, and where service expectations are already set, can't be easy.

Hard to call someone when the business is closed for nearly 3 weeks (according to the website). Which re-iterates my point of having alternative communication available through free to access social media such as Facebook. Agree that everything business related comes at a cost, but it costs nothing other than a quick email to acknowledge your customers. As a whole the website works well for ordering and appears to show stock updates. However it's the communication that's at fault.

I am also clearly not the only one who is having ordering problems with C&L. It's obviously a bad time of year for postage and general business availability, however a priority should be basic communication at least. I have now waited a month for an order placed and paid for on the day with no idea if it's waiting, in progress or worse lost in the Xmas post ! For people like myself who live in a rural area of Wales the logistics of attending shows , most of which are London/South East based , makes collecting orders a non starter. Having a working website (even one which gives an update) is essential. All my orders are stuck in 'processing' status - even those from months ago. Clearly expecting the same level of service as the 'old' C&L who employed a number of staff would have been unrealistic. However an excellent website was handed over in the business transition. It's a shame this is not being maintained properly, even if it costs a few quid to employ e-commerce expertise to bring it back to professional standards again. I wish the new owner luck with the business, however poor communication is just going to exacerbate customer frustration. Clearly a one man business can't be available 24x7, however it's very easy nowadays to provide automated updates and social media interaction. For instance the C&L Facebook page hasn't been updates for years.

Agreed, and I suspect few were taken (other than 'officials') of what was just an every day subject to employees and visitors. I guess by the 50's when photography was more affordable to the public most PO wagons were gone anyway. I was looking through a book I have called the Lilleshall Company - A history 1764-1964 published by Moorland in 1979 and long out of print, however this doesn't have any further pics of wagons. At the time (1970s') we lived next door to the MD of the Lill Co. My Father sold him some land and the company built a bungalow for him and his family. By that time the building operation was all that was left of a great engineering company ! Pete.

Hi Dave, fascinating stuff ! Are you planning to model down to the Iron Works. I have a photo taken from over the canal towards a derelict works - probably early 50's - and shows an nearly empty canal and overgrown sidings. Can't remember where from but may have been from the Geograph website. You have probably seen this before but can send if not. Photos of the works seem pretty rare. Pete.

Hi, not sure if you have seen this one before ? Pete.

I am beginning to wonder if Donald Trump is involved somewhere in this blog as there is more fake news, rants and skullduggery that a presidential election ! Clearly however it is no joke for the staff involved or those (like myself) trying to buy C&L products or forward plan track builds. Let's all hope for a successful outcome.

Good point, and worth considering that the prospective purchaser should be undertaking a due diligence exercise just now. Any 'negative publicity' may deter person or persons concerned from concluding the deal.

That's good news Andy - I wonder if the other societies may follow this lead now. However I guess to make a viable business generating profit to reinvest in new products / R&D is going to be tough unless the customer base widens. This seems evident given the number of small kit suppliers (particularly notable in 7mm scale) who have ceased trading or scaled back recently.

Agreed - it would be good to see the various societies benefit however I still can't see how this would work in practise. Plastic moulding and wire drawing are not typical cottage industries so large scale suppliers still have to be involved somewhere in the chain to provide products to society re-sellers. I recall C&L having major problems a couple of years ago when a chair mould cracked and it cost Pete a fortune for a specialist repair - I guess from his own pocket. Anyway here's hoping that all's well ends well.....

my bet is on Timbertracks.........

I can't see how taking this 'back in house' could work as supplier costs are driven by economies of scale and I guess the same moulder, extruder etc supplies both 4mm and 7mm scale chair and rail components to C&L . Also I doubt any of the societies have the means or operations to scale up to provide this service, particularly as few if any appear to have on-line ordering and payment facilities. Difficult to see how a specialist like C&L goes beyond cottage industry status and ends up becoming another 'ebay shop' type operation. Shows were once bread and butter to small suppliers however reading between the lines on Pete's blog I doubt that much profit was ever generated from these given the costs involved these days.

There is nothing inherently wrong in small scale cottage industry, and as many have observed over recent years this country has done wonders for small businesses. Trouble is they were once big businesses ! To encourage vital sales to newer, tech savvy, modellers an online service is critical. To those under a certain age the days of phone calls and posting orders by snail mail are long gone.

Like many others I have enjoyed excellent service from C&L and seen the business change and grow over the years. Personally I think the business took a wrong turn trying to compete with the mainstream sellers on 'non core' business products, however I guess this was the direction Pete wanted to go in trying to build the business. It would appear that it's now returning back to it's origins as a cottage industry. Where this goes with prices and supply is difficult to predict however, and despite recent product increases, it will be difficult to match the current operation. As others have commented unfortunately it's the staff who are now the losers - but isn't that always the case. Wishing the new owners success and hope the excellent website and ordering process continues.

David, If you ever fancy a move to 7mm scale Slaters do a very nice Caley Pug kit The shed area would make a nice 'cameo' layout in O gauge (which I may try one day) but the whole of Trench Sidings might be a stretch ! Pete.

Hi again, yes have your book thanks plus the Oakwood one mentioned above. Also the excellent Railways and Locos of the Lilleshall Co by Bob Yate which must be the definitive history on the subject. I was too young to go spotting but we did occasionally use the train to Stafford and Wolverhampton in about 1962/3. Good to see that the line partially exists still to Donnington (COD as was) although on my last visit (my brother works at Hortonwood) the proposed freight terminal seemed mothballed just past Trench Crossing. Shame the rest has all disappeared under the new town and plethora of roads and roundabouts. Look forward to more pics and progress on the layout. Cheers Pete.

Hi Norton, fascinating idea and one I had also considered in 7mm scale as it's a compact shunting/shed type plan to fit in a small space. I lived down the road in Newport in the 1960's and used to travel the area as a child with my Father who was a railway enthusiast. My profile pic taken by him is me as a 6 year old standing on the buffer beam of 4178 at Wellington station on the last train to Much Wenlock . I just about remember Trench Lock as it was when we travelled on the road into Hadley and on to Wellington where he worked. Particularly remember the crossing at Donnington when stopped to allow trains up the Granville Colliery line. There are some really good local history photos in the Images Of England - North Telford - book by Powell and Vanns which I recently bought in the Town Centre at Telford on a rare visit. Is the Blue Pig pub still there near Trench Pool ? Use to drink there occasionally in the 70's.