RFS

It has a 6-pin socket according to Hatton's.

I agree it looks green. If indeed the loco really is blue, then the trees in the background must be blue too as they're very much the same shade.

Peter's Spares have 6 in stock at less money - http://www.petersspares.com/Bachmann-30048-highland-tourer-digital-sound-train-set.ir

Almost everything this guy sells is either "rare item" or "super item" ....

I think your link is broken as it doesn't work ...

Well I feel reassured that no-one's reported a similar issue, despite there being many users of similar kit out there. So it means the problem can't be widespread and gives me confidence that it's not going to be an ongoing problem! Meanwhile all of my port 0s are either spares or are operating turnouts that are only ever trailing ones, hence if a problem arises there'll be an immediate halt via a short on the frog, rather than a fast-moving train careering off down the wrong road, with possibly damaging consequences! An extra 2-port Switch-IT might be a lot cheaper bypass if any more problems arise ...

And was available until last week for £59.99 post-free from Hornby's own online shop!

6 out of 7 were bought from Bromsgrove Models in 2011, so they're out of warranty and Bromsgrove Models are no longer in business. I think I'm just going to have to work round the problem. Simplest will be to buy another and for it do manage all the port 0 turnouts. Just strange I've had these for over 3 years now and two have decided to show this problem at the same time. I'll see how it goes.

Well it happened again today with one of the two that had this failure yesterday. I raised the issue with NCE and got this response: "You can send them in for repair if you like. But the shipping may be cost prohibitive. Maybe use it as Switch-7? If not send them in. It will only affect the first channel, and will probably keep reoccurring." So it looks to me like a known problem. Sending back to the US is going to be expensive and leave me without the railway for several weeks. I have 7 of these and currently 4 spare addresses, so I've rewired the 0 ports of 4 of the units onto the current spares, and on the other 3 I've changed things around so that port 0 is only a trailing turnout exiting the storage yard. So if the failure recurs on these, I'll just get a short, rather than a train careering off down the wrong track.

I was running the layout this afternoon when I got an unexpected short circuit. The layout was being operated at the time using RR&Co automation, with a Lenz set 100 DCC system. The short was due to a train leaving a storage road but its turnout was not set correctly, and hence the train had shorted on the frog. The turnout is operated by a Tortoise motor attached to an NCE Switch-8 with address 120, and the Switch-8 has 8 ports addressed 120-127. I was unable to operate the turnout with the Lenz throttle either, so it's not an automation problem. Checked all the wiring was OK and tried powering off and on, but still no joy. However, turnouts on addresses 121-127 were all OK. As a last resort I put the Switch-8 into setup mode and re-addressed 120, after which all was OK again. Well for another 5 minutes, that is, until another short occurred at the other end of the layout. Exactly the same symptoms, except that it was a different Switch-8 with addresses 150-157, and 150 was dead until re-addressed. Now these switch-8s were installed best part of a couple of years ago, and I've not seen this problem before. The DCC track is protected by a PSX but the NCE Switch-8s are on an accessory bus that bypasses the PSX so they should not be affected by track shorts. Any ideas?

A name shortened to alphanumeric * * * alphanumeric only gives 1296 possible combinations. These must be different bidders, given that they both have different feedback scores.

It's because you're viewing the item on ebay.com rather than ebay.co.uk.

Try here - http://chestermodelcentre.com/products/Hornby/00-Gauge/Coaches/Somerset-Dorset-Maunsell-Coaches-Triple-Pack-R4458 - seems like they still have one in stock at a reasonable price.

These sets were allocated to the S&D partly because their large luggage space (and hence reduced seating capacity) wasn't really needed elsewhere, but was not a problem on the lightly-loaded S&D trains. Set numbers 390-396 were allocated there and would have been crimson-and-cream in the early 1950s being repainted green later in the decade. Set 390 (the one modelled by Hornby) was withdrawn in November 1961 at a time when large numbers of Maunsell coaches were being scrapped due to newer Bulleid and MK1 stock becoming available following the 2-phase Kent Coast electrification scheme in 1959 and 1961. Suitable motive power, amongst other types, would have been BR standard 4MT locos, both 4-6-0 and 2-6-0 types.

Well it was a "special addition"!

Not the only thing he has for sale. Can you see what it is? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/zyxel-router-/161402363698?pt=UK_Computing_Wireless_Routers&hash=item2594549f32 He's had 4 listings of this so far with 99p start price and failed to sell - I wonder why!

The reason the Bachmann C class in full SECR livery flew off the shelves was because it looked fantastic - bright green livery, extremely intricate lining, copper dome etc. I feel sure the vast majority of people who bought one are not modelling the pre-WW1 SECR. The re-issue of this loco in the simplified livery is not as attractive and hence is not selling well. Many retailers have plenty in stock (Cheltenham Model Centre currently have 31). Whatever green livery the rebuilt 700s carried in their short LSWR career is always going to be very plain even compared to the re-issued C. Would it sell like the Bachmann C? I wouldn't have thought so.

There is a precedent of course, with Hornby's T9 having been produced in full LSWR livery despite the original engine having not been superheated until May 1927. But then they were just mirroring the preserved T9, which was painted in this livery at one time. However, there's no preserved 700 today to use as an excuse!

Unlikely, as it wouldn't be authentic. The locos were rebuilt with a superheater and stove-pipe chimney by Urie, starting with 316 in 1921, only a couple of years before the LSWR became part of the Southern Railway. Hornby's model is of the modified version which is very different in outline from the original.

Do not solder the joints! Otherwise track cannot expand in hot weather and will buckle. Use a metal rail joiner to ensure the rails remain aligned. However, it's not advisable to use an insulated rail joiner on a join on a curve as it's not strong enough to hold the rails together.

Whenever you curve flexible track, the inner rail will be longer than the outer and therefore needs to be trimmed. Best tool for this is a Xuron track cutter, plus you'll need a small file to clean up the ends afterwards so that you can slip a rail joiner on. For curves of fixed radius you can use Tracksettas, and these (and the Xuron track cutter) are both available from Hatton's and elsewhere.

Well yes is the answer if you look at his completed sales ...http://www.ebay.com/itm/LIONEL-NO-7-LOCO-AND-TENDER-THREE-RIVET-TRUCK-WITH-THIN-RIMS-EXTREMELY-RARE-/291161250468?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item43ca901aa4

It really is a question of how tight your curves are. I started with number 18s but found I was getting derailments at some places, especially curved points (all mine are code 75). So I've switched to number 19s instead and they're OK now. I would suggest a bit of trial and error on your own layout would be a good starting point.

It's a common practice: seller is out of stock temporarily, so bumps the price until new stock arrives. Saves cancelling the listing and having to relist.

It's not the Canadian version but the standard BR version. Plus it has no buffers so I've no idea why the seller thinks it's worth this money to collectors, but no doubt the market will decide. I once bought one of these brand-new, but that was a long time ago now and I think it cost me 49 shillings of my pocket money!