Ha_Charade_UR

A quick snap of two of the boxes with codes. So, any thoughts on how to get rid of the dust on the flexitrack?

I suspect that they're not electrofrog but I'll have a look next time I'm there and let you know, along with the product code.

I've just been able to have a quick look at the stash of stuff and the sections of flexitrack seem pretty good given their age (although as I said they've literally just been stored since I bought them). They appear to be rather dusty in places...is there an approved method of de-dusting track which you could recommend, please? There are also four sets of points (two left hand, two right), which are still in their original packaging, unused, and are apparently Peco Streamline Medium Radius. According to the price label, it seems I paid £3.25 for each one of these...those were the days! Except, of course, that nearly forty years ago and at the age of fourteen, it probably felt like a lot more; I remember leaving the shop with not exactly buyer's remorse but a slight sense of "Oh God, how much did I just spend?!!" (which probably would have been compounded had I known that it was just going to lie in wait for all those years).

Thank you, that's very reassuring. ...and which means I now have virtual money from what I haven't had to spend on track to put towards other stuff...hey, it's a logic which works for me!

I need some wisdom about how Peco N gauge flexitrack has changed over the last forty years, please. Let me explain...back in 1986, I was 14 and about to embark on a new layout and went off to the local model shop, armed with my cheque book (yes, together with my 'cheque guarantee card'). I bought a reasonable quantity of Peco flexitrack and quite a lot of other stuff, which my memory can't recall off-hand. And then I went on holiday for a fortnight, came home, discovered girls, alcohol and the joys of playing in a band, three things which have a knock-on effect on one another...suddenly, the pleasure of creating a miniature world in 2mm scale had less appeal. My brother took custody of my railway-related purchases and they remained in storage for the following few decades. Until now, when I find myself a bit rock'n'rolled out, (tee)totally on the wagon and contemplating finally doing another N gauge layout. "Ah," said my brother, "don't forget I've still got all that stuff you bought back in the '80s!" So the thing is, I know at the time the track was the best I could get hold of but I suspect, rather like my now grey hair, the track available now is a bit different from what was around then. The question is how much has it changed and improved in the intervening 37 (ouch) years? Is it worth using it or would it be a culture clash with any new components I add? Also, at the same time I bought a Farish loco which had the then dog's proverbials 5-pole motor, which I assume is the equivalent now of boasting about having a Pentium processor on a laptop...still boxed, un-run (hopefully not seized-up)...was the spec on models manufactured in this period suitable for more recently made track? I'm not so nostalgic that I want to flog a dead horse but equally I don't want to waste bits that could be perfectly viable. Your views would be very gratefully received!

I bet the majority of model railway enthusiasts started with a train set that was either a birthday or Christmas present (although I suspect there were also some miserable who splattered out of the womb bemoaning the lack of weathering and out-of-scale moulded coal on their first wind-up 0-4-0), so it makes perfect sense for all the manufacturers to tap into this (subconscious?) association of trains and the yuletide season. Am I going to splash the cash? No. But what an option for festive family fun if you had kids of a suitable (ie, any) age...

I'm late to this discussion (ironically due to my own employment issues) but my meagre contribution is that I became aware of Montana through 'Hornby: A Model World' and found her and Simon to be two of the two most engaging people on there. I wish them both well but from a selfish perspective I will miss their presence on the show (assuming there's another series in the offing); given that the television coverage kicked me up the backside to re-engage with a dormant hobby, I hope that this change doesn't dent the company's prospects. I know it's a big machine but each cog has its value (that's as technical as I get...).

Don't worry, I've got none of it in the house! I shall be proceeding with caution and a hopefully more enlightened approach...

Thank you, I will give that a try.

Hi, I'd be really grateful for some help. I've just got back into model railways after nearly forty years and a lot has changed in that time, as I'm sure you all know better than I do. I recently acquired a (new) OO Bachmann Class 416 and yesterday got the chance to do the 'running in' session on someone else's layout (as mine has yet to be built). The first half hour with the power car (solo) going forward was fine, so we duly went into reverse, which was also fine until about fifteen minutes in, when a squeaking started to occur, initially after it came out of a bend. The noise seemed to be coming from the power bogie. It continued for the rest of the running in period. Is this a usual occurrence? Does it just need lubrication of some kind, like Peco Power-Lube? As you can appreciate, my old Hornby models from the late '70s were somewhat less sophisticated and most things were solved with a bit of 3-in-1! Or is there likely to be something else amiss? Your expertise would be extremely welcome.

I've just had the magazine arrive. Not had a chance to read it yet but I'm sure it will keep me entertained for bit until the rest of the membership pack gets here. As for Mr Kohler's comment, they may not have been the best chosen words but in my limited time back in the realm of model railway discussion I have gained the impression that almost anything he says will be scrutinised, analysed and interpreted in a negative light if at all possible. I'm not quite sure what crime he committed in either this or a past life but it must have been pretty bad!

Hi all, this is my first post on the forum. I've been following this discussion for the last week or so with interest. Someone asked who TT120 is aimed at; well, it's the reason I'm here, so maybe I'm part of the intended demographic. I last bought something in a model shop in 1986...up until that point, I'd had OO, N and had dipped my toe into the elusive world of TT (I think I joined the 3mm Society too). However, as my mid-teenager-isms took hold, my other interests got the upper hand and that last purchase from the model shop lay dormant, boxed and in the custody of my brother. Speaking of whom, my brother never lost his interest in railways and it was partly because of him that I was on the net, looking at various model retailers' websites. I ordered him a present and as a consequence was on their mailing list. Every now and then an interestingly titled email would appear and I would have a look. And then, a couple of weeks or so ago, something alerted me to this TT120 thing. Well, that did make me look! The scale (and now actually it is to scale, woo!) which had been a bit of a cult thing to me as a kid was suddenly being given a proper shot...I had to find out more! And so I did...I watched the Hornby promo stuff, read various stuff on the web, watched more videos...went to the Hornby website and signed up (hey, free for a year, 15% discount...what's not to like?). At which point I've got to digress...I feel a bit like I've got out of a time machine. I knew the prices of my old hobby had increased rather a lot but it's like I was asleep and missed some kind of revolution! And for some reason I've yet to discover, rather a lot of people seem to dislike Hornby; I'll probably find the reason for that on the web, too. But back to my main point...TT120 has dragged me back in and may well get me to part with some loot. I've looked at OO and N and now that I'm adjusting to being out of the metaphorical time machine, I'm thinking, yes, the models look more sophisticated but they ought to for the prices they command! And then I'm looking at the TT sets (and here comes the nostalgia angle...we all love a train set if we're honest, because it takes us back to the time when our respective worlds were less messed up) and doing the maths: loco, track and the necessary starter gubbins for less than the price of (many) single locos in the other scales...even more enticing with the 15% discount...well, I mean, it's got to be worth a go, hasn't it? So there you are. This is my perspective as an outsider, no dog in the fight and other such cliches. I can only speak for myself but I'm pretty gripped by this move of Hornby's!