Mel_H

Err, actually, most of the stations on the London Extension were small, with the exception of Nottingham, Loughborough and Leicester. They used a standard design of buildings, and island platforms. The main difference being that some were accessed from an overbridge (such as Quorn, Rothley, Birstall, Ruddington) or an under-bridge (Swithland, East Leake, Lutterworth etc). There are exceptions, of course, and 'RULE 1' always applies.... There are some good books on the subject for those who wish to know more. Finally, there were the oddities, just for variety. PS The station at Swithland was proposed by never built. However, the steps from the road up to the proposed platform, were built and then infilled for later use. They are still there, along with the bricked-up arch.

When you have run out of TSOs for your HST, just bung in an FO and re-letter the coach... seen at Peterborough this morning. It also contributed to the standing load (although no coach C at allwould have been worse ). Me? I waited 10 mins for the following MK4 and got a seat

When your new RTR loco has a warped running plate, remember this...

I don't know about 'stocking fillers', but for me the MRC Annual and Railway World Annual were the top two items on my list (my parents didn't have much money at all, and there were three of us). Like so many other posts in this thread, I must have been around 12 or so when I chanced on a copy of MRC (in those days I was building Airfix aircraft kits) and ordered it from my newsagent. It was the only mag I could afford, but my Sunday paper-round (£1.20 I think) helped pay for it. After SWS left and CJL took over I continued to enjoy it (apart from the North American content which I didn't understand at the time) especially with his interest in DMUs - but it also covered pre-grouping, another interest of mine. I never did get on with the 'Modeller', it just wasn't for me, and in fact, still don't. I always found MRC inspirational, and that was the aim of Model Rail when it started.

And what about Bachmann as it watches its range being cherry picked (66, Deltic - 37 next?), and is stuck with similar problems of not enough new product, and very long lead times. PS, and of course Hornby again, with the new 92(s)

And of course, Hornby is still supplying both Hattons and Rails (other box shifters erm, mail order model shops are available), whereas Bachmann no longer supplies Hattons. I think Hattons (at least in the broadcast) missed the point and it's Bachmann their 66 competes with, but I guess they knew that?

Gosh! That would straighten all the curves in the colliery...

That's 818 being cut up around the back at Swindon (not in the usual place). I have a colour photo of it in the same condition, with the cut lines in the same place. The guide didn't want us to take pictures and hurried us past.

Yes, that grille is gently tapered in real life. To be able to make any sort of helpful comments, we really need to see head on/side on views of the 3D print, unlike the three-quarters ones in the newsletter that Dave's put out. I'm sure that Dave will do his best, and however it turns out it will be a very good model, which should please most people.

I'm looking to build a layout using exclusively Peco's new OO 'finescale' Bullhead track range. Currently it comprises a large LH/RH turnout and flexi track, although I understand that a long diamond crossing, single and double slips will be added later this year. My baseboard is 1,200mm x 600mm, and can have a fiddle yard at either (or both) ends. It will be DCC and I hope to take it to a small number of local exhibitions. I'm thinking of 1960s onwards, timewise, with some sort of shuttle using short trains (DMUs probably) to run automatically, and some shunting in a yard for viewer interest. I've sketched out a few ideas, but all are rubbish (I'm also rubbish at Templot too). Can anyone sketch out some suggestions? Multi-level could add to the interest perhaps, with something industrial?

Elite Baseboards has now closed, according to its website. No reason stated and I’m not sure when it shut. It says that it is completing orders already placed and paid for , but is not taking on any new work. I was contemplating using them as they can do an adapter piece to connect to Brilliant Baseboards products, also now defunct after the sad death of its proprietor. Does anyone know of a firm that could help out?

For a long time I've thought it would be handy if someone was able to 'editorialise' threads to sum up the cogent posts for those who like to dip in and out. Hey, maybe that could happen once a week and all be posted together to see the most interesting things going on, and call it something like MREmag!

No, bullhead was never LWR, as you need heavy sleepers and deep ballast to stop it buckling. However, a number of sidings did get 60ft sections welded into longer ones to save on maintenance etc. I recall reading somewhere that in BR days an Area Manager said that if his man in charge of track had his way, he would have welded all the the sidings!@

Enjoyed this thread and the pictures; they look even better colour corrected. It's interesting that a number of posters have mentioned '16 in purple as the first time they'd seen a mainline Deltic; it's good to see that there are new people in the hobby, and not just us old f*rts!

And, that is how deflation happens. People put off buying expecting the price to be less; if enough people do this then businesses have to drop the price further to sell stuff. When that happens across a whole economy, then inflation can turn into deflation. That's bad news for businesses and their employees. Therefore, do you wait until the 'January' sale in the hope that things might be even cheaper? That's one reason why most companies* put their prices up in January, to encourage people to buy, rather than hold out for a further sales period *I'm talking of general (non-model railway) comapnies

Pop Pop into the timeline the Hattons Class 66 announcements - almost certainly part of the issue - and that might add further flavour...

There are journalists out there writing for magazines - RMweb is only a chat/information distribution forum - and if they so wish, they could write a news story about the situation as it passes the 'tests'. The facts are simple to establish, and it's an easy job. Whether the magazines would want to publish, given that both Bachmann and Hattons are large advertising customers is another matter. Given the time elapsed with this impasse, and how clear Bachmann's T&Cs are regarding 'competition' I'd be surprised if things will return to how they are. There are a number of possible ways out, and examination of various areas shows this might be possible, although I doubt most would be acceptable to Bachmann, or indeed Hattons, as someone will have to give ground. There is a third way, but I can't see this being acceptable to Bachmann either. Most of mags will be going to press very soon (early for the Christmas printing shutdown) so if anyone's asked questions, we'll find out in three or so weeks. Finally, we are all customers, and that means we can take our 'custom' elsewhere, as other posters have observed, if we are worried that items will sell out, before Hattons is able (if ever) to fulfil orders. I do agree that given the time elapsed, Hattons really ought to have a better comms position than 'expected soon'

I made the same decision some time ago, and for similar reasons to Gwiwer. We are all customers and have the opportunity to place our custom where we wish.

Yes, it is. Probably bandwidth issues due to so many people hitting it at the moment.

Now, that didn't hurt did it? From a similar thought process, the two-tone BR green version was an interesting creation. And, of course Loadhaul still looks good an anything.... Good to see that Rule No. 1 applies in 4mm and 1:1

An expected 18 months delivery means it might just arrive for the 2020 date (assuming it doesn't keel over before then).... It's curious, given that Bachmann (David Haahouse) previously said they would not be doing any more commissions in the future, with the last one being Kernow's 4TC. Does this mean that TMC (G5) and Rails (Caley 0-6-0) are putting up some development cash? One would not of thought that was needed, given both have been high in wish lists, or is it a way of keeping prices up and preventing discounting (only being cynical, I know). Obvs the announcements are good news for 2020.... Plenty of time to save our pennies/beer money

It's curious, given that Bachmann (David Haahouse) previously said they would not be doing any more commissions in the future, with the last one being Kernow's 4TC. Does this mean that TMC (G5) and Rails (Caley 0-6-0) are putting up some development cash? One would not of thought that was needed, given both have been high in wish lists, or is it a way of keeping prices up and preventing discounting (only being cynical, I know). Obvs the announcement are good news for 2020....

Given that the real loco was on display in the NRM for a number of weeks (and therefore easily accessible by Locomotion Models), it's a shame that the bell and support bracket were not measured at the time for a more accurate shape for the limited edition version. Maybe these pictures will help? Of interest is that 'GBRf 66779' is very fainted etched onto the front of the bell, if you look closely. Naturally, if anyone has access to drawings for the bell/bracket, then please message me. I have a cunning plan...

For those who were/are wondering, apart from the gloss finish, what else you get* on the NRM edition for the extra £33 compared with Bachmann's standard item, it has finally been revealed that you get a bell, which looks like turned brass. And some very odd 'curly covered' air brake hoses (real ones are smooth). Those with an eye for detail might notice that the model bell is a very different shape to what's on the loco. The NRM says the bell is a customer fitment, so stand by with your superglue! Other than that, there remains silence on the subject, so we must assume that's it. And, before anyone asks, yes I did e-mail asking these questions around Christmas, but never had a reply. Hopefully this might help for anyone trying to decide which one to buy? * Obviously the warm glow of helping to fund the NRM, a little.

Hornby has issued a trading update to the Stock Exchange this morning - the financial media will report this as a profits warning. Trading updates are normally issued when the directors become aware of a change, or impact on the business, that will affect their previous statements. The shares fell by 2.7p (11%) on the news. Please remember that Hornby is not just model railways, and that the statement about retail partners might relate to non-railway retail, but it might not... The announcement is below: Trading Update Hornby Plc, the international hobby products group, provides an update to shareholders on the progress of the new strategy. Current Trading As announced on 17 October 2017, the Board has determined that to maximise the value of its brands over the long term, the Group will no longer offer for sale large quantities of stock at a discount. There has been overwhelming support for this change, especially in our largest channel, the independent retailers. However, rebuilding the trust in the pricing architecture takes time and some of our retail partners are taking longer than others to accept the new approach. As a result of the reduction in discounting and a continuation of late product deliveries in the international segment; the sales performance over the key Christmas trading period was below management expectations. Both of these factors had an equal impact up on the under performance of the business. We now have some visibility into the outcome for the full year and because of the revenue shortfall, the underlying loss after tax is likely to be larger than the board's expectations. Cost Savings The new management team have made a significant impact on the ongoing cost base. They have reduced the fixed overheads by £1.7m since joining and the Board believes that there are further procurement efficiencies to come as we reorganise our supply chain towards mutually beneficial partnerships. Lyndon Davies, Interim Chairman and CEO, commented: "We remain committed to the strategy that was outlined in the half year results. We are already starting to see evidence of positive momentum in the pre-orders for our new product ranges that were announced at the beginning of the year as well as old retail partners re-engaging following the end of the discount-era. The design and production cycles are long in this business and whilst we are excited about the products we have in the pipeline, it will take time for the new products to come through and for the trust with our customers to be fully rebuilt. The change in strategy has meant that the Christmas trading period was tough and there is likely to be some more volatility as we find out how off-peak trading performs for the first time in years without discounting. Despite this, we are determined to weather the storm and come out the other side with stronger brands, loyal customers, a leaner cost base and a better foundation from which to build a profitable and growing business." The board intends to provide a more comprehensive review of the year in the final results in June.