Hitchin Junction

This is a marvelous product, mostly because it bypasses the traditional high tooling costs and design inflexibility of injection moulding to allow for a very wide range of items. But as that manufacturing technology can be purchased, I would think that PECO and soon after, Bachmann, are going to be major competitors, and very quickly. Or it will be another case like Facebook vs. Instagram. Tim

Have you looked at JMRI at all? It has a huge following and support group. Pretty much all aspects of model railway control are already covered. Tim

The free CAD program GIMP may have that feature. Others here may know more. I thought my long ago TurboCAD SW had such a function , but I haven't used it for a decade or more, as it became quite expensive to keep up to date. So I never tried it. Any CAD program that can download a .jpg picture into its workspace and scale it, will give you a head start. Then you can use geometry to make frames you can measure. Tim

No apology needed. It was my mistake in the first place and I should have been paying more attention. I was looking for a close up of the new point blades and point hinging. Tim

Those pictures are of the new UK code 70 Bullhead track. Tim

I think the idea of taking a typical RTR model out of its box and displaying it on the mantelpiece as a "scale model" is rather missing the point of what is scale modelling. Tim

I'm still not sure what this thread is about. :( Tim

The field and range of model railway products has expanded dramatically over the past few decades. For a bricks and mortar only model shop to survive, it needs to hold a ready to supply, stock of all the products it knows it can sell to a walk-in customer. That implies (actually requires) a massively larger inventory to store and finance than it needed in 1970. Just look at the livery and number/name options of even the simplest big two RTR products. The only way to start a B&M model shop today is with a huge monetary investment. Hence the rise of build to order technology, only sold direct, from a single central facility, or near monopoly, huge on-line suppliers, or smaller on-line specialists suppliers with a unique, legally or economically, protected product line. They are the only economically viable solutions now. Tim

Using a calendar based on crowdfunding actual delivery dates would be entertaining. Tim

I had been waiting for the N7 to be RTR modeled since 1956. But Hornby Dublo already had one even then, and others since. So no sympathy from me Tim

If you don't want to caught out by model trains and model track not being compatible, it's a good idea to spend a little time finding out out how wheels and track work together to be problem free. The US NMRA website has a brief description that is easy to read and understand. Tim

Sawing through wood isn't difficult for me. It's where the cut wanders off to that is the problem. Tim

What does 2 different wheelsets mean? Tim

Strangely, I don't notice the gauge error of 00. Most of the time I'm only seeing models from the side, so it's not a big deal to me. And 16.5 mm track is plentiful and readily available for quick construction of even complex layouts. Tim

I find the valve gear errors, if any, are eclipsed by the thickness of the steam loco model wheels and deep flanges. They just shout "model" rather than "real" to me. I know it's been very difficult to scale down wheels in the past, but with today's manufacturing technology, it should be pretty straightforward now. Tim

Given the transport layer is basically uni-directional, I don't see much future improvement possible without a complete redesign. Driving trains via cab-view and/or robot drivers would be a tough fit. Tim

1) Because you can usually repair or rebuild a brass loco if only moderately damaged; 2) There are no ridiculously delicate plastic super details that fall off (for ever) if you pick it up with the wrong fingers; 3) There is a good chance you can bequeath it to a grandchild as: a) still in one piece, b) with bearings and gears that are not plastic and worn out. c) as something far more likely to be (somewhat) unique and worth remembering you for Tim (contemplating mortality)

I think a "Grantham, Crawley and Downton Abbey Railway" livery would be a terrific seller. Blue Blood with gold trim. Tim

I was looking at the boiler handrail/s of the B1 and it suddenly struck me that they appear to be continuous from one side, past the smokebox to the other side. How (and why) did they manufacture and assemble that as one piece. Or is there a join somewhere I can't see. Tim

Some off the wall thinking. . . One does have to ask why so many RM WEB posters seem to want solely to build their own exhibition layouts, no matter how short and/or simple. Whereas parents/children who buy train sets for home use usually want to expand them to be as as complicated as possible in the space available. Also why are most exhibition layouts short? Surely someone would want to have something more like a long straight run the length of the exhibition hall, that trains could run along stopping at various stations along the way. Even it was beyond the resources of most individuals, some sort of co-operative could easily cook it up as a joint project. I suspect operating for fun and exhibiting for the viewers would then be substantially the same activity and interest. Tim

You need to explain how you can handle feedback (back emf) control purely from the transmitter if you don't have that capability built into a "smart" receiver chip that's probably then going be almost as complex as a DCC chip. Or bi-directional R/C. Also the bemf detection is going to need to be 4 times as sensitive for a 3 volt motor, as it is for 12 v motor. But the motor electrical noise will be much the same. Tim

A 3v motor will take 4 times the starting and running current of a 12 v motor. So the output silicon power bridge will have to be a much higher current rating ( i.e. bigger) than the ones in the current DCC chips, I doubt the power needed to overcome the friction of the loco and train will be less. Charging by inductance won't help if you have 20 locos and 50 lighted carriages to charge at once. So you'd need a fair length of charging track to keep a larger layout operational. It may happen, but I don't see it as any kind of "killer ap". Just adding a small "keep alive" cap to DCC seems like a much simpler, smaller and far cheaper way to go. Tim

I quite like watching the variety of the 60's SR EMUS. However I'm not sure I'd enjoy watching them, or their successors, bend through the 18" radius corner. But it's your layout and your choices, whereas I have mine (occasionally, in between house moves) and my choices. One shouldn't affect the other. And no-one should expect their own choices to be demeaned by others. Tim

Ah. The Waterloo and City line. Don't forget the lifting crane. Tim

I think you seem to be telling me what I should like using negative words that I didn't post . And it should only be what you like. . . . Tim