Binky

Thanks for the advice. I certainly think it could do with a wheel upgrade. I wasn't sure if finding wheelsets to fit those H/D axleboxes was an issue or if modern replacements should fit straight in.

Apologies for the newbie question, I have some Dapol blue spot fish vans that I'd like to repaint as parcels SPVs, just like the prototype. I have some Humbrol acrylic BR blue that I plan on brush painting on and I plan on going for a well weathered look if that makes a difference. Will I be ok without a primer as I'll be painting onto existing paint with a dark colour? Thanks

This is something I've considered doing, well maybe picking up a few locos etc for old times sake. My earlierst memories of railway modelling were my dad's 70s and 80s stuff and looking at BR blue in 1980s Hornby catalogues so I'd be doing the whole "buying the things I had/wanted as a kid" thing that people do with old computers and Raleigh Choppers.

I'd take a guess that under non covid circumstances their largest market is craft materials for school projects.

A search on Hobbycraft's site brings up woodland scenics materials but the only Hornby railway item is a single hogwarts express set. I seem to remember last time I visited a store the woodland scenics range was on display next to the wargames stuff so maybe that's who the bigger market is now.

I'd like to revive this Hornby Dublo van which was my father's, to use on a layout I'm planning using Peco code 100 track. It has a broken buffer and the chassis with the metal brake shoes, I'm not sure if the wheels are original. The couplings will be getting replaced but I could do with some advice on more realistic wheels and suitable buffers. Can anyone please recommend some suitable replacement wheels and buffers for this van? Thanks.

Yes. Thanks to the internet it's easier than ever to be inspired by much more than the current trains we see at our local station. Information and inspiration from all areas and eras is only a click away (personally I have various railway interests from US railroading to narrow gauge and industrial minimum gauge) so it would be hard for one manufacturer to cover all of these bases with a beginner's range. I wonder how many newcomers start off with an interest in overseas/narrow gauge etc though, or do people tend to discover some form of their country's standard gauge first (historical or present day) then develop an interest in other prototypes as they delve deeper into their hobby?

Great idea, allow people to choose the type of layout they want, the style of rolling stock that interests them, (different eras, passenger or freight etc) and some relevant flat packed scenery. Make a standard sized, fold in half baseboard that doubles as the box (a bit like some board games), include a paper template to lay on it and mark where track/electrics go. Give people the oppurtunity to get everything they need in one kit.

Perhaps a "starter set" which contains enough track and various diagrams of options to build a small shelf layout (station, shunting puzzle etc) would encourage newcomers to get started. Maybe include low relief card buildings in the kit too so that everything is there to allow someone to build a good looking starter layout.

Is that a shunter's pole or one of his bill hooks?

Some great info here. Thanks everyone. So far I've got myself 3x SPVs, a Vanfit and an ex-SR CCT. Can anyone suggest other small parcels stock that wouldn't look out of place on a blue era layout?

I've found 3 publications with various photographs of the mill buildings over the years. If anyone wants to see scans please let me know and I can e-mail them.

Great to see this fantastic range of kits returning. I look forward to seeing the O-16.5 range become available.

I went in to my local pet shop to buy a spider, they wanted £100. I like to support local businesses but £100 for a spider is a bit much! I'll see if I can find one on the web.

Agreed. Thanks to the wonders of the internet I can't see railway modelling dying out, even if the OO starter set market shrinks. There are plenty of "non mainstream" hobbies that are doing quite well despite never appearing in an Argos catalogue or high street stores. We have websites, forums, videos etc sharing information, 3D print designers and small scale manufacturers who can advertise and sell all over the world. I can think of a few hobbies that have very healthy communities now thanks to social media and a few one person operations dotted around the world sourcing and supplying the items that the community needs from which the hobby grows. We can discover an interest, get advice online and order things we need, even if it's from one person on the other side of the world, all in one evening without leaving our computer. Railway modelling doesn't need crowds of spotters on the end of each platform and everyone getting a train set for christmas to survive, as long as those who have an interest can connect with the community that's out there and be pointed towards the resources they need to participate.

I can probably reply to both these comments by saying that the vast majority of RC modellers I encountered did it because they were replicating something they were already interested in (a certain motorsport formula or type of car). Although it's slightly off subject I think most people will be attracted to railway modelling because they actually have an interest in railways, those who just like building things may buy the odd train kit or two among the other kits they buy but won't necessarily become full on railway modellers.

Don't worry, I didn't take it as a criticism, just thinking that if the interest was there, transport would probably not be a problem for a significant number of the participants, however making the modules easily transportable as a case would make a module system like this accessible to even more people. Depending on the formula of RC racing time between meets was usually passed with preparing/repairing cars (it was quite common to cut out and paint a new vacuum formed body shell if the old one got damaged, and most chassies had many different designs of shell that would fit, sound familiar?) or for some parts of the hobby like 4x4 Land Rovers, Hiluxes etc they could be taken for a solitary drive when not being used at a miniature 4x4 competition. I'm not a member of a model railway club so I'm sure someone who is will tell me if this is the case or not, but can people not join a club then run their models on a club layout? I can certainly see the appeal of building/buying trains then being able to to take them somewhere to run them or watch them go by, take photos etc. This is the sort of system I was imagining too, perhaps a baseboard/case that folds in half to the size of your average train set/scalextric box and acting as part of the trainset box itself, carryable like a suitcase, with one common "mainline" running across the front edge already, to which purchasers can add the rest of their track and customise as they like. Like all module systems as long as the in/out of the main line stays the same and all the interfaces are compatible there is plenty of scope for modellers to modify and customise the rest of their layout (and even allowing people to build their own compatible baseboard).

When I raced radio controlled cars (another "social" hobby that can be set up in a vilage hall and packed away again) the majority of young participants came by car with a parent but there's nothing to say modules couldn't be designed to be folded in on themselves for easy transport if the builder used removable buildings or low profile senery.

Imagine if Hornby produed a standard size baseboard that could fit in the back of the average car, perhaps sold in pieces to make the packaging smaller (the way board game boards are twice the size of the box) or to allow more than one to be added together. They already have a forum and community so meets could be arranged (post covid, fingers crossed), either at exhibitions or as seperate modular meetings. Though it would depend on critical mass being achieved for it to take off.

Make it a micro inglenook with 5 wagons and a loco.

Going by the popularity of inglenook and shelf style layouts I think this might be a good idea. When people think of train sets they think of needing enough room for an oval and there can be a concern about space. If there was a diagram showing the different track patterns that could be made with the set (like Scalextric) potential buyers could see what spaces they really could fit a model railway into, and could build a shunting puzzle, goods yard, small station etc for different operating and prototype following oppurtunities. On a similar note I'd been wondering that if a UK standard module system was adopted (and train sets produced that allowed them to be built) would there be an interest for small layouts that could be used on their own at home but joined together at a local club to allow participants to run their longer trains in a way they don't have the space to at home? I'm thinking something like a micro inglenook with an extra through track that would connect to others, and built on a small baseboard or box like the Ikea box module idea that was disussed in the Gn15 community a few years back.

I see Hornby have a website with a forum, collectors club, kids section, blog etc. Do they slip a leaflet in advising people to check out their online community at least?

People buy on the internet these days. If a manufacturer wanted to push a certain range of model railway sets they'd just have to make sure it gets an online presence (youtube, social media, perhaps some reviews on modelling websites, available on ebay, amazon etc) and if people are interested in railways/train sets and researching their interest online they will find them. I see Argos and John Lewis list Hornby train sets, as do Aldi at the moment but I presume that's only for a few weeks of the year as is their modus operandi.

This would depend on an individual's budget and expectation of level of detail. I modelled HO American railways for a while as a youngster and when starting out I was happy with the cheaper toy like Bachmann and LifeLike RTR ranges available at the time because I could get 2 or more pieces of rolling stock for the price of a more detailed "Shake the box" kit such as Athearn. I progressed to these more expensive and detailed models as I got older.