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Mine Mount Models announces new craftsman structure kit, Palzer's Plumbing Supply, priced at $175, with shipping beginning the end of this month. https://minemountmodels.com/shop?olsPage=products%2Fpalzers-plumbing-supply-ho-scale-kit-advanced-ordering-starts-april-3

Bowser - preorders due May 30th, eta April 2020 N5 / N5C / N8 cabooses N5 - http://www.bowser-trains.com/new/n52019.html N5C - http://www.bowser-trains.com/new/n5c2019.html N8 - http://www.bowser-trains.com/new/n82019.html 70 Ton 14 Panel Hoppers - http://www.bowser-trains.com/new/14panel2019.html

Bowser N5 / N5C cabooses. With antenna $35, without antenna $27 Preorders due May 30th, eta April 2020 N5C - Conrail, PC, Conrail Brown PP&L Coal service, PC Brown PP&L Coal service, PRR Early NY zone, PRR early Pittsburgh zone, PRR early western region, PRR KS Focal Orange, PRR Shadow Keyone/yellow cupola, PRR Shadow Keystone Buckeye region, PRR Shadow Keystone northern region. http://www.bowser-trains.com/new/nscalen5c2019.html N5 - B&M Minute Man, Conrail MOW, Conrail, PC, PRR early black roof, PRR early brown roof, PRR KS Focal Orange, PRR KS yellow cupola, PRR Keystone, PRR SK Lake Region, PRR SK REA, PRSL, Reading & Northern. http://www.bowser-trains.com/new/nscalen52019.html

Walthers have a new Mainline 60' NSC 5150 3-Bay Covered Hopper, $29.98, eta August 2019 Acher-Daniels-Midland, BNSF, CP-SOO, Illionois Cereal Mills, UP https://www.walthers.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=910-76**

Atlas April - preorder June 7th eta 4Q 2019 *New* - code 80 turnouts - #8 left / right - manual / remote / CUSTOMLINE *New* - Master 50' Single Sheathed Box Car - GN< SF, Akron Canton & Youngstown, MP, Classic U23B - Conway Scenic, D&H, Chessie (C&O), LV, MP, PC, WP, Texas & Pacific Master 45' Container - NYK Logistics, One, P&O Nedlloyd, Safmarine Trainman 60' Passenger Cars (Coach/Combine/RPO/Baggage : not offered in all roadnames) - Conway Scenic, Chicage Great Western, Lackawanna, Burlington, Conrail Police Training, Monon, N&W, Trainman Beer Can Shorty Tank Car - Hercules, General Molasses, Monsanto, UTLX, San Angelo Tank Car, Canadian General, Standard Chemical, Hooker, Wyandotte Chemicals Handcrafted Lighting System - assorted street lights and other lights http://download.atlasrr.com/0419MCPDF/April2019MSRPOnly.pdf

Atlas April - preorder June 7 eta 4Q 2019 New and Improved - Operating Oil Pump - Orange/Black, Red Bird, Blue/White, Black - $89.95 Master 53' Evens Double Plug Box Car - UP (tool car), GTW, C&NW, BCR, Weyerhaeuser, UP Master 40' Wood Reefer - Brink's and Sons, ART Ice Service, MKT, Rath's Black Hawk Bacon, Producers Produce, Milwaukee Road Ice Car, Marshall Kirby Frozen Eggs 2-Rail trucks - 50 ton barber-bettendorf, 70 ton roller-bearing, 100 ton roller-bearing, andrews, friction bearing caboose http://download.atlasrr.com/0419MCPDF/April2019MSRPOnly.pdf

Atlas April releases - preorder June 7th eta 4Q 2019 Master U23B - Southern, Chessie (C&O), D&H, SF, Lehigh Valley, Conrail Express, MP Master REA Steel Express Reefer - REA (mid 1950s scheme 2), REA (Early 1960s Scheme 1), REA (Early 1960s Scheme 2 X-logo), SF, SCL, US DOT support car, REA (1947 as delivered) Master 45' Container - Safmarine, P&O Nedlloyd, One, NYK Logistics Trainman Aluminum Coal Gondola - Reading & Northern, CSX, EGSX, CN, BN, NS Handcrafted Lighting System - assorted types of lights http://download.atlasrr.com/0419MCPDF/April2019MSRPOnly.pdf

Walthers named train for this year is the Twin Cities Hiawatha https://www.walthers.com/products/name-trains/twin-cities-hiawatha

Seems to me to be a significant waste of space, and would require you to have a room that is at least 17'x17' and then the associated waste of much of that space requiring a walkway around the layout. Far better would be to build around the walls and just put the O track below the N layout, perhaps hiding it with a curtain if you don't want it to distract from the N layout.

As seen on Facebook, an interesting alternative to an industry for a layout - a Training Center. Norfolk Southern's training center - https://www.google.com/maps/place/Norfolk+Southern+Training+Center/@33.4035167,-84.1685275,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x3f1f8383ccc4cf69!8m2!3d33.4035167!4d-84.1685275 And a bit of an overview from a press release - http://www.nscorp.com/content/nscorp/en/news/norfolk-southernexpandsitsrailroaduniversityoperationstrainingce.html Could be an opportunity to use some of the odd rolling stock we all seem to end up with.

Have read on here that the use of a banker was frequent to get from Torquay to Torre in the steam era, but nothing about assistance being needed elsewhere on the Kingswear line. But have just seen a picture on Facebook of what is said to be 2 locos taking a train from Goodrington towards Churston in the 1950s. Would this have been necessary, and hence common? Or maybe just the use of 2 local Newton Abbot branch engines to replace a larger loco (again, how common vs using a larger loco which is usually what is indicated) on the assumption that this wasn't a very long local train?

Another exclusive hobby retailer edition of Rapido's upcoming CPR D10 has been announced, this time #1057 in CP paint (offered alongside their exclusive edition of #1057 lettered "Credit Valley"): http://www.cvrco.ca/Whats_Coming/RapsteamD10

Don't know if this sort of thing interests the N scale people on here, but a hobby shop in Canada is offering a limited run craftsman laser-cut kit of an industrial building: http://www.cvrco.ca/Whats_New/n#ITLAcvr The kits (this is the first in a range of building in N and HO) are being done by ITLA Scale Models https://itlascalemodels.com/

#110 - https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Rapido-News-110---New-LRC--New-Hoppers--New-NP-Boxcars--New-Video-.html?soid=1101318906379&aid=I4ag6HlTnuk Includes news of new staff members, and a promotion for within.

Rapido has some more announcements. LRC Coaches and Business Class Cars - Business class cars are new / modified tooling and include the 2+1 seating that matches the cars rebuilt in 2013. Paint schemes include Delivery (1981-1998), Canada (1998-present), "Green" rebuilds (2010-present). Also available, subject to sufficient pre-orders, are Canada150 (3 different city name groups) and VIA40. Order deadline is June 24th, and if tooling rebuild is successful delivery expected before end of 2019. https://www.rapidotrains.com/products/ho-scale/passenger-cars/ho-scale-lrc-coaches 3800 cu.ft. Cylindrical Hoppers - tooling changes to improve the model and trucks - CN, CN "Environmental Mode", CP "Script", CP "Multimark", CGLX "Potocan", UNPX "Indusmin", PETX "Canpotex", Roberval & Saguenay, NCHX, PCSX "Potash Corp of Saskatchewan", UNPX "Alcan Yellow" Order deadline is August 12th https://www.rapidotrains.com/products/freight-cars/3800-cu-ft-covered-hoppers/ho-scale-3800-cu-ft-covered-hopper Northern Pacific Boxcars - new run only built to fill preorders. https://www.rapidotrains.com/products/ho-scale/freight-cars/ho-scale-np-10000-series-boxcar Order deadline is August 12th

The problem is that things like trains are only sort of using a PC. In addition to the problem of the software making assumptions that later generations of hardware make false, there is the problem of all the interface hardware that connects the "PC" to the rest of the train, and more than anything it is that hardware that has become obsolete (the hardware isn't make anymore, the drivers that allow the OS to speak to it haven't been updated to new OS versions and never will, etc.). Then, on the software and hardware side, because of the nature of what these do - brakes, etc - means the specification is tightly locked down and tested. What this means is that the "system" is only certified for use with specific hardware - down to a specific CPU, specific hardware, specific memory (not just size, but down to the manufacturer and performance specs), specific version of the OS, specific version of the compiler, etc. If you are forced to change any of those items, then you need to restart the testing/certification process...

Part of the problem is that the hardware underneath is no longer available (or at least not for the 20+ years starting from bid time) that the software runs on. Then add in that the owners/operators want more features from the hardware/software and offering a "mature" platform is neither cost effective nor liable to produce a winning bid.

It all depends. Ideally yes you would use US track, but: 1) what is your budget (no specific answer required, more of a concept question)? If you have the budget to buy all new track then it can be a non-issue to switch, but for most of us it would likely come down to a combination of delaying the layout / delaying or not buying other items like more engines or rolling stock. 2) is this a long term layout, or more of a short term/quick learning experience and seeing if US modelling really holds your interest. For a short term layout then the cost of switching may not be worth it, for a longer term layout you may decide it is worth it. From a practical standpoint anything made in the last 30 years or so won't care about it being code 75 in turn of running on it, as others have mentioned the bigger issue can simply be short turnouts / tight curves. Peco's US line of track is considered by many to be the best available track and their announcement of a code 70 line was welcomed. Going to depend on what you are modelling, but I suspect it is still quite rare for most of what would be modeled. Need to remember that US/Canadian railroads are profit making businesses so they don't spend money unless they have to or it will increase profits (and freight doesn't complain about getting bounced around like passengers do). Thus there will still be a very large amount to wooden ties used because it's either cheaper or because replacement can't be justified on a cost basis.

Latest Rapido factory video - featuring the Royal Hudson, Tempo coaches, 3800 coverd hoppers, and the N scale GMD-1

To quote you from Friday: Paint wearing off is weathering, just as is paint fading, getting chipped/scratched/etc is.

ScaleTrains has announced an another run of several of their models, preorder due April 29th: Rivet Counter Thrall Carbon Black Covered Hoppers - https://www.scaletrains.com/collections/rivet-counter-ho-scale-carbon-black-covered-hopper-2nd-run River Counter UP Excursion Water Tenders - now available individually - https://www.scaletrains.com/collections/tenders Rivet Counter UP "Big Blow" Turbine - now with operating tri-color class lights - https://www.scaletrains.com/collections/rivet-counter-gtel-8500-hp-big-blow-turbine-1 Museum Quality UP "Big Blow" Turbine - https://www.scaletrains.com/collections/museum-quality-gtel-8500-hp-big-blow-turbine

DJM models is at a point where he needs to think carefully about what he says publicly given the unfortunate track record the company has developed. In his announcement that he would be attending the show he had the following sentence: Unless it is being held secret by anyone who gave him money on the weekend, there doesn't appear to have been anything significant, surprise or otherwise, at the show.

There are 2 main segments to the hobby, those that are price driven, and those who want detailed models. The fact that the segment worried about price are excited about the Hornby 66 doesn't mean there isn't an equal market for the Hattons 66, though the fact that it is a Hattons model may make it more difficult to judge how successful it is or not.

It's on the website dated April 3rd - https://www.railwaymagazine.co.uk/former-scotrail-class-314s-heading-for-goblin-work/

It is difficult to impossible to predict the future, thus few companies will attempt that in the decision making process. They also typically have the money to fight laws that are applied retroactively, thus it is a reasonable assumption that any diesel locos will be grandfathered out of any newer emission laws. What it comes down to is if you really want to force these companies to go through the added expense of changing to a different engine family (either the GE, the EMD 1010, or others) then you need to either directly through emissions regulations or indirectly through taxation on fuel (to change the cost/benefit pendulum).