YT-1300

That is very true, they are regarded as the 'toy' train market supplier there, although their newer releases such as the ACS-64 and Siemens Charger loco's and Venture coaches are stunning models well worth their asking price. It's great to see they are reducing loss, I've always thought Bachmann UK's products are high-quality, very well finished and robust.

My local council give you a bin for garden waste, one for glass, plastics and tins, one for paper and card, and one for general waste. If you take plastics, tins, glass and paper to the recycling centre, you get told to put it in the general waste skips! Card goes in a separate skip and they wont accept garden waste!

It would need a complete new shell tooled, from what I notice the following parts look 'wrong' to me... Bodysides too deep Engine room windows too low Cab windows too large and too square Headcode panel too large and out of place Cab windows, but cant put my finger on what I think jars The infill for non-cutaway cab sides The engine access roof panels (2 on model, 4 in reality) With Bachmann's model being much better (in my eyes) I'm not sure HJ would get the return on a re-tooled shell as they would have with the 33 as they were the only player in town with that. I still think Lima got the shape100% right!

It would be good to see, would need complete new bogie frames tooled, although could use the inner bogies and gear train from the forthcoming 60

Apart from maybe some sharper tooling, what else is needed to be updated?

There are too many variables to give an accurate answer, the main ones being: Your own strength Your gait The route you'll need to carry the boards The baseboard kit components How much track you'll be laying How much ballast you'll be using Ultimately the only person who can judge how heavy something will be and how easy to move is yourself

I never understood why people sing the praises of the HJ 7mm 37, it's pretty poor between the cab doors, but as you say its the only rtr 37 available. Overall I think Heljan are really good, the 4mm 26 and 27 are brilliant, just needing the suspension modules moved inboard, the original 47 is really good too, despite being a bit stout. Their 35 is still one of the best models out there in 4mm scale. Its a shame they seem to be making so many basic mistakes these days

The guide is quite dated and references ModelMaster paints which have been phased out. However its worth signing up to the forum if modelling North American outline, there is a wealth of information on it

Mech-Models do some Badger Paints... https://mech-models.com/shop/ols/products/badger-acrylic-paint-airbrush-ready-colors-cnw-dark-green-cnw-new-zeto-yellow-cnw-old-yellow-milwaukee-orange-milwaukee-maroon-milwaukee-brown-milwaukee-grey-light-midwest-railroads-set-3-1709 This set includes the Milwaukee colours you have been asking about

Model Master Paints have been discontinued, but Badger and Tru-Color are available over here. I'm reading from your posts that you are new to painting etc, if so, practice using a range of acrylics, enamel and (if using Tru-Color, Cellulose) on old scrap bodyshells. I also read that you are aiming for a fine art approach, from my experience of spraying etc (over 40 years), aim lower otherwise you will be continually disappointed. The whole painting process is quite involved and takes a lot longer than you'd expect, so preparation is key, as is cleanliness. Use a matt basecoat, and experiment with different colours. For Milwaukee Road orange and yellows I'd go with a red and white base respectively. This will bring out the depth of colour which is then great for fading/weathering etc etc. Halfords and Hycote grey, white and red primers are brilliant and very cost effective. Good luck and share you progress!

Mech-Models sell Tru-Colour paints, I've had great service from them https://mech-models.com/shop/ols/search?keywords=tru-color&sortOption=descend_by_match They also sell some Badger paints too

Googling 10 function 21 pin dcc decoder turns up a few results

That is a very unfortunate accident, the blame, if any is to be directed, should be to the mother for not making her garden secure enough, not the railway for having a poorly maintained fence. A three year old is inquisitive and has no real perception of danger, and they will make a bee-line for anything that grabs their attention. If it was an adult, then they should know better. I agree with @adb968008 that exposing risk *should* make people think about their actions, at the end of the day everyone is responsible for their own actions. No one makes you climb a tall ladder, no-one makes you touch a live wire, no-one makes you open a door on a moving train. I read somewhere that goes along the lines of "whenever something is made idiot proof, the universe creates a better idiot".

What direction is the loco travelling in the photos, left or right? Does the Overload message appear when the first axle hits the next point? If so that would indicate that the polarity is reversed

If you do go for it, make sure the stock you want is available to buy either in kit or rtr form, and if kit, are you confident enough in your abilities to build them? If selling your stock on eBay, just start the auction at the minimum you are willing to accept after fees have been taken off. eBay is the cheapest way to sell, and has the largest audience.

Definitely higher and longer, and possibly less sharp angle on the roof?

I agree re the MDF, but 6mm ply is very suitable, and lightweight if the layout is to be moved around @tim3766 as stated further up thread, an inglenook type shunting layout might suit you, you can use any track you wish, most people plump for Peco. My layout, in the link below, is an Inglenook and a bit, I use Peco code 75 with Electrofrog points, although my points have been modified in appearance and electrically, it's DCC controlled. You are welcome to copy the track plan if you can fit it into your space.

There are quite a few differences from the Lima HST to the Midland Pullman thats running around the network. Lights and windows in the power cars and window configurations in the trailer cars

I hope you don't mind me commenting re the building size. I find that a lot of structures on layouts are too small to represent the industry they purport to be, I know that we need to compress to keep everything in check, but in reality some buildings that we don't really think are that big are huge when we are up close. A couple of layouts ago I deliberately incorporated large structures into my layout, which were met with encouraging comments from those who seen the layout at exhibitions... Photo copyright of Nigel Burkin Rather than dominate the scene, I think it added an extra element (I had people asking if they can copy the idea which is very humbling). The layout in the photo was 8ft by 2ft. My current layout is 9ft by 15 inches and has a 5ft long building which hides the fiddle yard... Whilst this dominates the seen on that board, it doesn't dominate the entire layout, it conveys the bulk of the type of building it represents. I think the size of building you are working on is just right, could even go a bit bigger without being too much Keep up the good work!

I cut lining transfers up into around 2" strips and apply that way. Takes a good while longer but I found I have more chance of keeping them straight

Sorry, couldn't resist it!

My first exhibition too, 1975 or 76, my Dad used to take me. I remember seeing push-pull 27's and mark 2's and being astounded as these were the trains I saw from my front window (and school windows!)

When I met my partner, I told her 2nd date that I had hobbies and she never batted an eyelid. She isn't interested but supports me 100%. She actively encourages me to go to exhibitions (as a punter and exhibitor), and encourages me to buy what I need/want. In her own words "its your money, you earned it, you can do what you want with it" When talking about buying a new house, she is adamant that I must have a decent space for a hobby room. If she was to try tell me how to spend my own money, she'd no longer be my partner!

Despite what I have said regards my experience with a z21, I would recommend it if you are wanting to use sound and modern lighting configurations, I'm not too sure of the differences between z21 and the Z21, and again it depends on what you want out of DCC now and in the future as to which Roco system will suit you. Be mindful that you might be best to get the Roco router (and code) on top of the basic system to get the best out of it ( @WIMorrison will be able to help further with that) Depending on your budget though, as per your first post, it may not be 'budget' enough

When it was working for me, I thought it was a fantastic system but unfortunately it wasn't reliable in my experience. I liked the fact that any smartphone or tablet could be used and trackplans etc could be emailed over to different devices. If I was looking to do what I was doing back in 2018, and using sound etc then I would look at the z21 again. For its price it seems the most capable and flexible system out there, at the moment though I'm sticking with my NCE as it does what I need it to do - driving a loco and switching lights on and off, when I remember!)