Ron Ron Ron

Ryanair B737-800 airstrip deployment.

If it was Ryanair, they'd also fit a big pusher that forced the passengers down the isle and out of the door in a couple of minutes. A bit like squirting toothpaste out. Michael O'Leary voice... "Yuz 'ad you floight. Now **** o**. .......NEXT !! " On a serious note, as pointed out already, why no folding handrail on these emergency stairs? .

....just as annoying that they refer to all air passengers as "holiday makers". Apart from travelling for business or work purposes, a lot of personal travel is for non-holiday purposes. .

Well that's a big improvement on the Pacer ! .

Passenger sounds? "Eeeh Mildred, these seats are a bit 'ard !" "Aye, but yuh can stretch y'legs out nicely" "When's trolly cummin' round. I'm parched". .

This is an out of date question. WiFi equipped decoders are already commercially available, as are Bluetooth equipped decoders. WiFi Trax BlueRail Trains Ring RailPro p.s. Most of these are currently, or soon will be, compatible with DCC. Not WiFi as such, but pre-dating all that, wireless transmission of DCC signals has been available and in use for many years. US DCC manufacturer CVP, makers of the EasyDCC systems, have been selling their AirWire wireless DCC systems, for use in battery powered large scale trains, for at least a decade. NCE also used to sell the G-Wire cab, which they stopped making a few years ago. WiFi is also available as an add-on to be used with existing DCC control systems and standard DCC decoders. Tam Valley Depot's DRS system can be added to almost any DCC system, allowing the full range of DCC operating features (except RailCom) to used wirelessly to control trains (aimed at battery power Dead Rail applications). This would allow a standard MRC/Gaugemaster, NCE, Lenz , ESU, Roco, etc, etc, DCC system to operate battery powered trains. However, there are different variations and permutations in the way that wireless comms can be applied to model train control. Examples.... WiFi or Bluetooth to support a non-DCC control protocol. WiFi to transmit NMRA DCC signals to suitably equipped decoders. Track power with wireless transmission of control signals. On-board battery power with wireless transmission of control signals. It's also important not to conflate direct wireless control with dead rail (battery power). They are two different things. .

Edward, you say two power districts. Are these.... 1. each powered by their own booster, the PowerCab being one of those boosters; 2. ...or are they sub-districts, powered from the single PowerCab handset's booster and divided by a power management device(s) (e.g. circuit breaker). 3. Otherwise, is it just a single power district (powered by the PowerCab, with the power bus split into two by the 3 pole switch? If you could clarify that, it might help. .

I don't think it's so much sneering Phil. Rather more of a recognition that toy trains for kids has virtually nothing to do with the model railway hobby, other than the subject matter being the same and that both involve imaginary play, albeit in entirely different contexts. Many adults will know the name and associate it with children's toy trains; but as the toy train set (of the Hornby type) has largely vanished from the popularity stakes, many younger parents and adults may only be vaguely aware of the name, if at all. How many of those adults getting into the hobby are "returning"? More likely they are beginning, not returning, possibly with memories of having a toy train set as a child. There's only a need for Hornby to continue a presence in the toy sector, if it's a profitable enterprise for them. The notion that it could possibly be of benefit to them in 20, 30 or 40 years time is plainly fanciful nonsense. These sort of toys are now bought and aimed at a very young audience. Hence the prevalence of plastic and wooden toy trains for the pre-school and infant school age groups. Like many toys, they'll be abandoned, thrown in the bin, donated to a charity sale or flogged of at a car boot sale within a year or two. The "traditional" 00 electric train set doesn't really fit in too well, with todays market. .

That will be Rustins , who I seem to recall are one of the (possibly two) manufacturers, who supply the Humbrol paints. Someone else may have more knowledge , but I think there is another supplier based in the Greater Manchester area. .

I think you'll find Hornby trains are even more niche. There is virtually no toy shop or High St. presence for the brand. Not stocked by the leading toy retail chains like Smyths, or in the major department stores, like John Lewis or Debenhams. Argos is one of the few places they can be found, outside of the specialist model railway and hobby shops. I'm sorry, but it seems to me that quite a few people on here are rather deluded if they think it's a "mainstream" brand name. Recognisable by many, but increasingly less so among younger adults. That equally applies to all the other train sets, Hornby or otherwise, bought as toys for young children. It's nothing to do with the model railway hobby. It's just kids, playing with toys. Nothing wrong with that and brilliant to boot, but being part of this hobby, it is not. . .

A bit of a coincidence though? DLR.....PLA. !!!! "Keep your ears to the ground and eyes peeled" Aha !! I've just twigged it. Listen out and keep you eyes peeled for some Hornby will be digging up from the grave. .

Hornby haven't yet produced the driving vehicles, or any part of an 800, in Virgin livery. The driving ends you are talking about, are from the test train pack. One driving car in plain, pre-delivery white and the other in a Hitachi promotional livery. It's not a Virgin livery. .

If Paul is still around, maybe he can enlighten us? .

While it's true that the Bachmann 66 is showing its age against more recent D&E offerings done to higher standards, it should be pointed out that it's light years ahead of Hornby's cheaper, re-hashed ex-Lima 66, despite achieving much better paint jobs than on the Lima original. as someone said on the Hattonss 66 thread, an open goal missed by the "big 2" and a licence to print money for Hattons. It's not only the LE commissions. They churn out lots of standard livery variants every year, with new ones added almost every year. The standard release 66's have been a steady earner for Bachmann for more than a decade. Bachmann are now faced with having a less well detailed model, with fewer operating features, than a new competitor is offering for around the same price. Hornby's inferior and cheaper model becomes more dated and even less appealing in the process. .

Already pointed out by a few people, today's announcement from Hattons totally shows up Hornby's poor showing and the dire predicament they find themselves in. Modern diesels may not be "your thing", but in case anyone hasn't had seen it, take a look...... http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/133954-class-66-in-oo-gauge-new-announcement/page-1 30 different versions of this high spec model. That's just the first run. At a decent price too. .

Now, how do I sneak £8k's worth of sound fitted 66's past an increasingly suspicious SWMBO ?

What folk in Margate? If it's the one's I think you mean, they moved elsewhere a few years ago. .

It was possibly a clue? Docklands............... Port of London Authority Peckett ?????? .

This was covered a while back. Automated fiddle yard using Lenz ABC (or similar). No need for any computer software control. The topic had a link to such a project carried out by Julian Coles, implemented on a DCC controlled, vintage Hornby Dublo layout. Video here.....

He said that already.

In reality, just what proportion of passengers notice the Yellow stripe, or know what it means? Having drinks with friends yesterday, I randomly asked my wife and the other couple (husband and wife) and non of them knew what a Yellow stripe meant, or even remember seeing one painted on a train. The other chap used to travel 1st class all the time, when he had to resort to rail for business trips. .

No, that was the EU's Sheep farming subsidy. . EU's...geddit? .

I thought the answer was 42............not 69 ??? .

Well, at the very least, it does highlight that the "ill informed" comments you noted in the Guardian, are coming from the very same sort of self-important people who have been bombarding the comments sections with accusations that the ill-educated lower orders are thick and also don't deserve the vote (regards Brexit). The well educated and well read can equally be as t'ick as shoit, when it comes to pontificating on matters they have little understanding of. .