Legend

I mean common sense wise that just can’t be right ! The mk2d with CDL is off the platform so you have to walk through the mk1 so that you presumably alight from the next mk2 . So an opening door next to a platform could be two coaches away at the extreme and one coach away at best . Can this be legal? Also even though the mk1s are not for passenger use surely folks going to the toilet must be considered “ passenger use “ . What is the ORR doing . I just get the feeling WCRC are sticking the two fingers of scorn up . Surely operators that have complied must be furious at these antics

I thought another pretty decent review even if the subject didn’t come out well . So again, slightly warped running plate Crank pin falling out Similar issue on tender-loco pick up but this time resolved using contact cleaner ( is that a permanent fix?) You step back and then consider this is a £204 model . Really!

Probably ideal with some of the pot holes we have round here

A good reminder of Eric Treacy . I’d bet he’d be thrilled there will be locos on his name whizzing round model railways - especially Lime St

He never got stuff to review from manufacturer. He buys the models himself which is why it’s an independent review . And frankly he’s equal handed when it comes to any manufacturer . So he had a model that had faulty tender connection and we now know he is not alone from another YouTuber above He had glue marks on a £200+ model that were clearly illustrated He stated the lights were glued in , which others have confirmed they are . I suppose it depends how much glue is used as to how removable they are So a verifiable review . Not exactly an unfounded “absolute kicking “

Not saying they’ve done it in past, although the much maligned BR did give us a pretty good Inter-City Railway . At one stage I think we had more 125mph trains than anywhere else . But I’m thinking not for profit co that plough any gains back into the business

Becsuse it extracts money from the railways . Yes as a pensioner with investments I take your pension scheme points. But surely for the benefit of railways and the travelling public as a whole it’s better to plough profits back into the railways . Benefits for the many not just those privileged enough to be shareholders , whether that’s direct or through pension funds . I’d also say Water , Gas and Electricity but that’s probably trampling into politics

Someone has tooled a 313 . It must turn up soon surely !

Just a bit of accounting here Mike . Goods can’t disappear between paying out money for it and receipt in stock . As soon as you pay for it it’s out of cash in your balance sheet , so the asset needs to be accounted for as “goods in transit” which will form part of their stock figure .

It would be interesting to find out exactly what this slow moving inventory is , remembering it could be Corgi/Airfix/Scalextric as well as Hornby . Standard accounting practice is that it should be valued at the lower of cost or Net Realisable Value (ie what you can get for it) - surely we must be on verge of some large write offs ? Agree with maximisation of tooling and getting as many liveries out as possible . The lack of blue/grey Mk1s this year and more liveries on the 50 (eg Banger blue) is an example . Also by having blue/grey mk1s they could have stopped valuable tooling costs of mk2e/fs as there would be something for blue diesels to run with .Introduce mk2s later when scale has settled in . Also , while it is early days , according to their 2024 TT120 catalogue they only intend launching Class 37s initially as era 6 (green?) and era 9 (EWS) . Surely if you want to maximise cash flow you would also go for standard and large logo blue ones . TT120 needs critical mass .They seemed to have figured this into their tooling yet won’t get the benefit of it till later . This is a company that needs cash ! it looks like they’ve decided to make too much of the wrong stuff in the past . But I still think a significant issue is lack of manufacturing capacity which is stopping the maximisation of their tools . They just can’t get the manufacturing slots .

I suspect the Swiss take vegetation removal much more seriously than the UK. Much tidier railway over there .

Wow . Learn something everyday . I assumed that drivers went round when train was stopped not when not was in motion . That would have given the ORR something to think about .

Yep , these box tops take me right back to my childhood . They could excite a person even before opening the box Happy Birthday Roy Cross

argh you know how to make a Scotsman cry . I paid £121 for mine . Quite happy though , it is a lovely smooth runner but at £102 it’s even better !

A nice interview. I really enjoy your chats . It’s like talking model railways down the pub .

I think a lot of people just need to “chill “ Take a “Helicopter view” and “run the flag up the pole and see who salutes” . Let’s see how it “feeds through to the bottom line” “at the end of the day” Recently retired and don’t miss the corporate spiel at all .

Good to know the transformation at the coal face . It just might take awhile to feed through to their figures

But I'll bet you are a sensible guy that doesn't stand at the edge of a platform when a train comes in . We seem to be designing rules that compensate for lack of common sense , whether that is the guy standing on the platform , who shouldn't be close to edge or the guy on the train that shouldn't be opening the door . Now don't get me wrong .There are rules in place and WCRC seem to be doing everything possible to circumvent them . Is this the type of organisation we want on our railway ? I also remember people falling out of trains , but from memory these were people in high speed trains and inter city trains before CDL where doors could appear to be shut but were on the latch . So yes these trains obviously needed them . I think that's different from mk1s puttering up and down to Mallaig . it's difficult to distinguish between rules on a heritage railway and the Jacobite . Yes I know one runs at 25mph and the other at 40mph . is that 15mph so significant? As I've said before , more people die going up Ben Nevis than are injured on the Jacobite , should we stop them going up the mountain , maybe put railings up ? There surely got to be a place for common sense somewhere . You can't legislate all lunacy out

Yes but revenue should follow costs . If you amortise something over 4 years it's because there is a value to it ie you are utilising that tooling in years 2/3/4 . So there should be revenue from using that tooling in these years . If you don't expect to use tooling again then you have to write it off as soon as you realise that . That is built into accounting principles . So maybe they are writing off tooling they don't expect to use again . Steampunk yes , but I can't imagine the cost of tooling that was huge .

I think the lack of 0-6-0s in bargain basement is that no one really has been releasing them recently . What was the last one J36? I know Rails still have the LMS Caley 812 available at £179 , so not exactly a bargain and it was a limited edition . You have to wonder how may CEPs TMC ordered as they are still there heavily discounted . Unless Bachmann use them as a sales channel to dispose slow moving stock . TMC rapidly becoming my go to supplier as they do seem to have some good bargains . To be honest the new Black 5 does look good , but I already have 3 . One dating from 1985 and the other two from the 2000s . They are good enough for me , so unless the price comes down I really don't have a lot of interest. And there are other models I'm similarly waiting to see if price drops ahead of any consideration of a Black 5 .

On immediate reading , doesn't look good . However, they do explain that sales are only 2% up because some high value containers that would have resulted in sales in March (and included in years figures) were delayed until April and therefore in new financial year . Margin explanation seems to be in increased amortisation of tooling , not sure I quite understand this one . Have they changed their policy ? To me this is a company still in turnaround . I know its always cream tomorrow , but hopefully in this case their policies will start paying off

There was a version after this , the S&DJR blue version that appeared in 1976 and I think ran through to 1977 . It was discontinued after this . It’s replacement was the GWR 101 Pocket Rocket that appeared in 1978 and the Caley pug that appeared in 1980, the last of which went onto be “Smokey Joe”

I think there are just too many variables at the moment , manufacturing capacity, longer transit times because of the Red Sea issues . It’s just difficult to predict when things will arrive

Surprised more people haven’t commented on the hour long Q&A session on TT120 with Martyn and Carl over on Peachys YouTube channel . Refreshingly open about some of the challenges and a couple of hints about what’s ahead , it really is very good . If you want more info on TT120 then it’s very informative

Yeah I’m looking at the sound fitted set perhaps as a way of kicking off a layout in this scale . My loft layout has lots of old OO locos which I enjoy running . As well as my first dabble in TT120 it would get me into DCC sound .