leavesontheline

For info, Hattons showing 'more than 10' in stock again, but at RRP!

Bachmann decorate the solebar on some of their private owner wagons but not all. Of the number I own I'd say it is the exception rather than the rule. I just feel that Hornby have the edge in terms of decoration even if the running gear and couplings are showing their age now. For me though, at the moment, Oxford Rail's efforts are coming out on top as they are beautifully decorated, more modern toolings AND represent great value compared to Bachmann and Hornby, being similar to Dapol pricing.

A great little show which I only just found out about in time! Glad I did! Do we have to wait 30 years for the next one? (150 year anniversary!) It was great to see Ullypug's two WC&PR layouts together. The possibilities are endless for building up the rest of the line in modular form!!

I quite like Hornby's PO wagons, even the older moulds. The couplings are easily removed and replaced with something more appropriate, which is what I always do, and the standard of decoration is always top notch, including the sole bar, which most manufacturers ignore (except for Oxford maybe?) Getting back to the topic at hand, and apologies if this has already been mentioned, but if I was the new boss, and was keen to shift a load of discounted stock that has been cluttering up the warehouse/retailers for a while, the first thing I'd do is announce that there will be no more discounting for the foreseeable future!

Saw Andy Y's excellent photos of R3555 plus the review in Hornby Mag and thought hmmm, wonder how much they will be going for out on the streets, anyway it seems that most places have already sold out their pre-order allocation, including Hornby! I guess there must still be many that will be on their way to smaller retailers that I haven't found via a quick Web search but it must say something of the popularity of Hornby's new releases (or the quantity of their initial production runs?). It's like the Pecketts all over again!

It was great to finally see Much Murkle in the flesh for the first time, at the Taunton show today. It was bigger than I had expected but the modelling was every bit as good as I had expected from following this thread over the years, not to mention the odd magazine review too!

So I'm confused, is this topic just for the poll for the other topic, or is it a discussion topic for the poll for the other topic and whether or not to include discussion in that topic?

Some amazing modelling/photography. I particularly like the top two/bottom two shots. On first seeing the top two I had to do a double take when I realised the rest of the photos were of your models!

Great to see the 8F making a re-appearance. It must be longer than the seven years they are quoting for the Q1 since there was an 8F in the range?

Rails Exclusive - not to be confused with the existing Rail Exclusive!

Agree with Dunsignalling and others above. Its always going to be a compromise - the model manufacturer either makes an 'as realistic as possible looking' model but that will only travel around trainset/setrack tight radius curves minus the flanges on the pony truck wheels OR they compromise slightly on the accuracy and detail under the cab and allow for a moving pony truck and flanged wheels. They have to try and please everyone from a child who just wants to play trains without his model derailing every few moments to an out and out collector who just wants to display his model in a cabinet, never to turn a wheel. I recall when Hornby bought out the rebuilt BoB's and WC's and the fixed pony truck being a point for discussion, particularly when the similar but slightly earlier (model-wise) MN had a moving pony truck, as did the also slightly earlier (I think I am correct in saying, again model-wise) rebuilt BoB's and WC's. I personally don't mind either solution. If I am running a fixed pony truck model with flangeless wheels around tight curves then the fact that these wheels overhang slightly is going to be the least of my worries in terms of overall 'accuracy' as the tight radius of the curve itself looks so wrong to me anyway! This overhang is much less noticeable on more realistic curves. Obviously we don't all have space for completely realistic scale curves but there is a happy compromise in the middle there somewhere between 'setrack' radius 3 or 4 and even the tightest prototype curve, where these fixed pony trucks and flangeless wheels just won't be noticeable. On the other hand, do I really notice the loss of detail on my moving pony truck models? Probably not! At least not at normal viewing distances and angles. I took a few photos (below) of two moving pony truck models (Original BoB 34081 and Rebuilt MN 35011) and two fixed pony truck/flangeless models (Original MN 21C1 and Rebuilt WC 34013) and at track-level, with a white background, you can see the slight loss of detail and 'daylight' visible. To be honest though this is even less noticeable on the other side where all the pipework is situated, even when viewing from track level, and who views their models at track level with a bright background?! So for me, running around slightly more realistic curves, both models look equally good. I also agree with others that it is slightly odd that Hornby didn't include the flanged wheelset with the new MN's as they do with the recent (and older) rebuilt BoB's and WC's. The wheelset in the photo below is from recent-ish release Okehampton 34013. Hornby also include the flanged pony truck wheels with the Britannia's. Maybe they decided no-one fitted them anyway so didn't include them with the new MN's? Maybe it is just a cost-saving? I haven't investigated myself but maybe the construction of the new MN makes it difficult to change the pony truck wheelset?

You have a rationale for buying your models? ........ so that's where I've been going wrong!

Video of the sound fitted version now on the Bachmann website. Quite impressive!

I wonder at this point if it would be cheaper for Dapol (and better for us all) if they paid DRS to shift the swoosh lines on one side of their locos (the 1:1 scale ones) and slightly skew the nameplates! Fewer examples to rectify that way!

It certainly is. On Okehampton in particular it is quite a garish orange, whereas on the new BoB it is a very subdued red.

I too noticed that the shade of green was much more to my liking that other recent Hornby releases. Okehampton was an improvement on the slightly washed out green they use on GWR locos. I don't know if there is an intentional difference in these colours by Hornby, or if it just different factories or 'manufacturing tolerances' when mixing the paint? I wonder if they specify RAL or Pantone codes or similar? The photo below shows my three most recent Hornby late crest green locos. It is only a phone camera image and slightly over-exposed but it does give a good impression of the difference between: King Edward VIII R3332 (Factory Code SEN59) Okehampton R3203 (Factory Code CHL01) 603 Squadron R3468 (Factory Code TEC05) 603 Squadron is probably my favourite colour, being similar to that used by Bachmann. Okehampton is the 'greenest' if that makes sense! Love all three of them though - even the paler green of the King.

Yes, that was basically Vi-trains' approach! Don't get me wrong, I love the pre-fitted buffer beam detail, that looks great and can be a pain to do on some models, but nameplates are something I'd rather 'get wrong' myself or preferably stick on with something that is removable!

Just a thought but could some of the wonky nameplates just be an optical illusion? I agree that in RS4's photo of Defiant it certainly does look wonky but sometimes camera lens effects can worsen an existing optical illusion. I'm just wondering if due to the shallow angle of the green 'swooshy' lines under the nameplates it gives the illusion of the plate not being straight? Personally I think I'd rather have been left to stick them on myself! Probably with something less permanent than Dapol have used by the sound of it too!

How have I missed this topic? Amazing stuff - even more amazed once I'd read a few posts and realised what scale it is in! Your road with the Landrover on the verge at the start of the video in post 204 is probably the most convincing road I have ever seen on a model! That's not to detract from the rest of the landscaping and buildings either, which are all simply superb! I've just read through from post #1 - on my 'follow' list now!

"And that was it"..... quiet day then!

To misquote the film Jaws, "we're gonna need a bigger cupboard/layout/house" (delete as appropriate!)

Okay, thanks for taking the time to reply Dave. Fair point, the old 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' adage is very relevant, but there comes a point when technology moves on and I think to myself 'why do we still do x that way'! I'd be surprised if someone tinkering in their shed hasn't already attempted this! Maybe when I get a spare few weekends.......!

Hello Dave, Just a general question regarding OO gauge loco design (maybe more applicable to co-co/bo-bo diesel and electric bogie driven models rather than steam) and motive power selection.... Given how over recent years coreless brushless motors have become much cheaper, widely available and smaller, would there be any cost savings to be made either in parts count/costs or labour (assembly) costs by ditching the common method within such models, with one large motor, two driveshafts (one to each bogie) and a relatively complex gear-train setup but instead using multiple tiny coreless brushless motors per bogie (maybe even one per axle?) with much simpler reduction gearing. In other words like the prototype just without the large diesel/generator powering the traction motors! I can quickly see that there could be some downsides, such as the low torque from these tiny motors, or trying to match the output from each motor, and lack of rotational inertia in the drive-train (although small flywheels could be fitted) but I just wondered if anyone involved in model loco design had ever considered this approach? I have some of these type of motors in some toy radio controlled helicopters and they are amazing little things! Even in large O gauge and gauge 1 models they seem to go for one or two motors located remotely in the loco body with complex mechanical transmission rather than pushing them down into the bogie area. If I had the time I could probably sit down and go through some motor torque and velocity calcs and suitable gear ratios for a OO model and I might find it wouldn't work out but I thought it would be quicker just to go to one of the experts! Thanks in advance!

That shot reminds me of the 1980's film 'The Fog' with Jamie Lee Curtis! Don't think I remember any Class 37's in it though!

Olivias Trains seem to have more than one of each Peckett in stock - you'll pay a premium of course though. I'm sure there must be plenty out there in all the model shops with little or no presence on RMweb or the internet in general? Edited just to say that there do seem to be Pecketts available on eBay that aren't being sold at a huge premium (and obviously some that are!)