andyman7

The Margate ones were engineered like that but from 1998 the China Ringfield models had all-wheel pickups

Brake ends and 1st class, naturally....

Thanks, they prove the concept. Ideally what I want is a version that rather than having free wires can replicate the tabs that make contact with the connectors within the Bachmann pocket. I might try and have a play with these suggestions if I can justify the cost on experimental grounds

The cottage in the background is an amazing piece of work

I was wondering if/when Bachmann or perhaps a niche supplier might be able to offer an aftermarket substitute for the electrical NEM coupling bar as used on various Bachmann EMU and DMU models. The most recently tooled models such as the 158 and 117 have a multi pin coupling plug-and-socket which is fiddly but bearable - but I really dislike the fiddly and delicate 'bar' type used on the CEPs, the EPBs, the 150s and various other models. Four car consists are a nightmare to assemble and decouple. Given that these fit into a standard NEM socket with two electrical strips, I can't help thinking that is must be possible to make a magnetic coupling that fits the socket and is electrically conductive to allow vehicles to be easily set up and parted. I'm just putting this out there in case anyone has though of the idea, maybe tried to design something or indeed knows of an obscure provider!

The Southern ones adapted from the GWR ones vaguely represented Maunsells. Seen from nearly 50 years on you may call them hideous but they were a step forward from BR Mk1s painted in big 4 livery. In the 70s if you wanted scale models you built kits, simple as! Very quickly after that Airfix and Mainline began offering properly tooled pre-nationalisation coaches of various patterns, albeit you had to make do with a Brake 3rd and a Composite or similar. Then, 20 years ago or so we began to get superdetail models with enough variety to make up proper rakes, the odd vehicle excepted.

I also agree that earlier generation superdetail diesels with 'cold' white LEDs now bug me compared to the realistic warm white tones achieved on modern models.

I like the ''Given away free with each 3 -rail loco' list which was no doubt comprised of things that Norman had thousands of and was unlikely ever to clear through normal sales 🙂

It looks like the instructions aren't that clear. Although the mechanism has been amended the body/chassis looks unchanged from the original. Body removal is easy but you need to locate and ease back the extensions to the window glazing clips that actually secure the body to the underframe - there are slots in the chassis to facilitate this, bit that's obviously not as helpful if they don't point that out!

Over the Christmas period I finally managed a visit to Pendon museum. It really is spectacular...

Unfortunately I suspect that the constant escalation in overseas postage costs and bureaucracy was one of the reasons why their business model was becoming unsustainable.

First Class accommodation was situated in various parts of BR SR EMUs - CEPs had a CK in one of the centre coaches; VEPs and CIGs had sections at the inner ends of the driving coaches; the REPs had a BFK in one of the centre coaches. The 317s were built with a central 1st class section in one of the centre cars. So being at one end certainly wasn't the default

In the recent interview with Richard Davies, the subject of the Class 28 came up - it appears that Hattons still have an interest in this but as with their other assets, it is very likely that this will pass on to someone else as part of the disposal (possibly to Heljan themselves but this was not a given); however it will hopefully unlock a rerun

There are two different sizes of wheel used on the Lima power bogie but the Warship is fitted with the larger size as per class 26, 33 etc.

It seems to have become commonplace from the 1990s when such services as the Croxley Green branch and certain chords in the Clapham Junction area were substituted by buses. This seems to be contemporaneous with the 1993 Railways Act superseding previous legislation and making the closure process much more bureaucratic, so that running a bus was easier than going through the process. As you note, the original 'Parliamentary' trains were those required to be operated in Victorian times for the benefit of workers with fixed 3rd class rates. The current usage refers to the requirement for passenger routes on the network to maintain a minimum advertised service of one train per week unless formal consent for withdrawal is given after following the required statutory process.

On a different tangent of ebay madness, is anyone else getting fed up with the AI generated item description feature? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/285588752488?epid=18050629652&hash=item427e6a8868:g:5sUAAOSwdIVla7Ny&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA4PbaC3rTS1ynv2c%2FrAydxb%2Fj8OjGlEPO%2BPx16npjQPsB0uwqB0PWDRrrEWAVtwfrhY%2FvnacUIRlYdrYk8flEiY6euaUwnweqmkZ%2FA8jIX%2FrYiMdDZsG9wATJeKzIuuif4H%2FSfhAoh0wTuq7vpby%2F%2FjQW%2FhOqInWBa%2FUsuYQMBrpNyI%2B%2Bw3UgbTvvgW2IJOsV3gaLPx0GjKj2OdZKYHl9yS6LfguOli%2BbaGVBAZjU7mNkbuSz3WdJslmpjrFRTuA7%2BNqk%2FS%2Fai3rastV%2BGtCcNoxEOHTW%2FmzGVU8WXqB1uKqW|tkp%3ABk9SR466_7GkYw

No problem, I have sold on a couple of these in the past (I got a bit carried away buying them) and I had to explain the light functionality in the sales description to avoid the inevitable 'the lights don't work properly' challenge....

This question has been asked again and again since the 73 came out. The headcode lights are not directional - they are simply backlit blinds as on the real thing. The model is a few years old so lacks the separate control of lights at each end that the latest spec models from the likes of Accurascale and Bachmann - the blinds are simply 'on' or 'off'. Bicolour LEDs would allow directional display of red lighting but is not prototypical, on the actual loco a red blind is wound in front of the blindbox and on the model you basically have to choose a 'back' end and apply a red blind label.

I made the observation elsewhere that the illustrations of yesteryear were fabulous and the models rather less so, whereas modern publicity can be a bit dull the actual models themselves are generally superb

I think Peter's Spares do reproductions of the exhausts. Re the power bogie, are the Traction Tyres present. If one or both are missing you'll have wheels on one side with a groove and an outside flange, neither of which will help with staying on the rails. If that's not it then the back-to-back is likely to be out, you want the gap between the back of the flanges to be around 14.2mm, if it's less than that the wheels need easing out on the relevant axle - if its considerably more than that they might need easing together a bit. In theory there should be spare corridor connections around too, the green model shouldn't have them at all as the 117s were built without them and they weren't added until the 70s so they're likely to be removed and end up in spares boxes at least in some cases. I've probably got a couple stashed away somewhere,..

From a modelling point of view, the Class 08 was an enormous, ubiquitous class found virtually everywhere, whilst the 07s were a small class based around Southampton docks. So unless you have a very specific locale in mind the 08 is an obvious choice.

Sorry, can't resist

I have much more visceral recollections because I can remember that new Hornby coaches cost £4.75 in 1980, old stock red box ones were around £3.50 and I had about £2 so had to make do with 2nd hand unboxed. The modern equivalent are the Railroad coaches, loads available between £10 and £20 from secondhand to new so certainly no dearer in absolute terms and cheaper than many leisure items The reason the past so often feels better to people is because it's a time when they were young, all their mates were alive and healthy and life was new and exciting. I remember as a youth how I hated older folk going on about the 'good old days' as if somehow I had drawn an inferior life to them. My son and I have some fun and joking because the 'old' buses, aircraft and trains he chases are all from the 80s and 90s and replaced the things I was chasing when I was his age, but I am well aware that I am privileged to live in 'his' nostalgia of the future. My son has to navigate social media, but then again he isn't about to get drafted to fight a war in the far east (well at least I hope not...). It's pretty much impossible to provide any sort of objective comparison between the past and the present/future. Life is a personal experience and it is entirely understandable that some people prefer a time in the past because of colleagues and loved ones passed on or experiences that are no longer to be had. The thing to avoid is blanket condemnation of 'youth' today or 'society' today - the young still have that innocence and enthusiasm for life, I don't want to be one of those that rains on it.

Having been out and about in the past few years at my son's behest, you'd be amazed at the diverse range of young people interested in today's railway. TBH the biggest issue when grabbing their attention modelwise is the preponderance of BR 50s and 60s era layouts that don't necessarily speak to them. That's why Pete Waterman's Making Tracks is such a big hit. This - absolutely! The numbers of younger people chasing Class 313, 315s, 319s etc in their last months of service was quite eye-opening.

For any of us of a certain age its easy to reel off a list of shops and suppliers that have gone - but all to easy to ignore the ones that have emerged since then. Look at a Railway Modeller from the early 80s and there's no Kernow Models or TMC, no Rapido or Accurascale (or even Bachmann Branchline except in its embryonic Mainline Railways guise). Similarly with prices, there's now 70 years' worth of 2 rail model railways out there and plenty of unboxed pre-90s items have pretty much achieved 'junk' status in used and abused condition, i.e. perfect for some actual modelling. Some will have followed the MTK kits thread in the 'collectable' forum area, which has become by far the longest running active thread I've started in my time on RMWeb - some of the best fun I have is mucking around with kits and bits picked up for a song that when I was a child would have been totally out of my reach from either a skill or financial aspect. In absolute numbers we may have passed the peak but through my son and my involvement at club level I can tell you that there are many enthusiastic and passionate youths out there and the hobby isn't going to die because a few less RTR models are made. As for shows, yes, Warley was an event but 2024 is still giving us several big shows, many more medium sized ones (including the welcome return of the Chatham show) and countless local events.