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On 06/02/2024 at 12:20, Rhydgaled said:

Not sure if this is a recent update or has been there for a while but Hornby now seem to have photos of actual models (rather than just side-on Photoshop graphics) on their website for both the EWS 'business train' train pack (with 67) and coach pack. Can those who are familiar with these things please let me know whether the coaches are the ones with fictional solebars (mark 2e?) or the more-accurate models (mark 2d/2f?)?

I was considering these last night until I saw it was only the BSK which ended up being used on the Cardiff - Taunton - Paignton's (annoyingly the rest was either Cargo D or Riviera's ex Anglia Mk2s). Though they do look good - I do wonder about the sole FO though! 

https://uk.Hornby.com/products/ews-business-coach-pack-era-10-r40374?

So a lot of hype for very little then. I’m not sure why they felt the need to announce the 31 yesterday as it’s not exactly overshadowed anything from today. I like the Scenecraft buildings but I’m not sure why they’re getting excited over offering the same buildings with a different coloured door - more unnecessary duplication. 

I wonder, and now hope that as Hornby has announced one, if Bachmann will bite and give us either an FGW Local Lines 150 or 158? 

Now, the First Great Western Local Lines 153 is an interesting choice (and for me, potentially welcome choice) - It's been requested for some time, but we're often knocked back with "it's too complicated" despite RealTrack giving it a go on their 143. However, given the poor quality control we saw with the ScotRail 153, it is one I'll sadly have to hold back on until I see one in the flesh. 

Now, if Hornby can finally give it a crack, over to you Bachmann - It's your turn with the 158 & 153 now! 

Oddly, I had a feeling earlier that a new 142 may be on the horizon. Hornby doesn't like to see what it considers "it's" models produced by other competitors, and with delays (unfortunately) to Realtrack's fine looking model, it's the sort of move I'd expect from them.

However, I've got an even more stronger feeling we'll see an EMU of some kind. Maybe something Mk3 based!   

Granted, the bodyside of the 153 isn't as flat as say the 158, but RealTrack made an excellent attempt at printing FGWs Local Lines onto the side of an equally riveted Class 143 and at least theirs was legible. I'm sorry, but this just shows up Hornby's 'That'll do' approach to the quality control of their modern models - they wouldn't dare let out any rendition of the sacred Flying Scotsman like it, so why should we as modern image modellers have to put up with it? Heck, like the FGW Fag Packet HST, they made an excellent job at previous models - for example, Truro Cathedral & the Gold Knot on the Wessex Trains 'Great Scenic Railways of Devon & Cornwall' black 153 for example. 

I'm sorry to the shop I ordered from that I cancelled my order, I'm not at all sorry to Hornby for giving us this. 

Nothing. I just want far greater quality control for the models they currently produce as frankly, it's now reached the level too being simply appalling. Eg, same mistake with the East Midlands Trains power cars of 10 years ago (EAST MIDLANDS TRAINS) while the printing on the new Scotrail 153s has to be some of the worst I've ever seen - enough to say I'm glad I canceled my pre-order. 

On 12/05/2023 at 17:56, Northmoor MPD said:

Hornby have what looks like production sample pictures of the East Midlands Trains & Rail Charter services power cars on the website. Looks like they’ve done a good job with the triple headlight arrangement.

Indeed, though I am surprised it's taken them this long to produce a proper East Mids version. And will they re-do (correctly) MML Bambi with this tooling now? 

However... one somewhat annoying point still stands, after all these years they still haven't come up with a solution to the see through radiator on the Dummy Power Car. Come on Hornby, you sorted that with the 60 - It cant be that difficult surely!  

On 30/04/2023 at 21:37, Rivercider said:

A good question.

The latest information for station opening is 'Spring 2023', while the exhibition is 22nd and 23rd July 2023,

 

cheers

Waiting for Purdah apparently (along with Portway Parkway and hopefully Reading Green Park), but it should be fairly imminent as construction has been completed and the station has been signed off. The excuse of Purdah somewhat frustrating  - it's desperately misunderstood by local authorities as it shouldn't include the opening of new stations and infrastructure but here we are - presumably someone will want a nice and shiny photo opportunity to start off their new terms!  

Anyway, May 18th has been bounded around.

Some South West DMUs please; Wessex Trains 158 / First Great Western Local Lines 158 and South West Trains 158s would all be welcome! 

9 hours ago, guzzler17 said:

 

Ahhh long gone are the days when major work north of Didcot would result in the cross country's going via Swindon, Stroud, Standish Jn, the Lickey and Camp Hill to get to Brum.  Might've taken a bit longer but back then who worried about being late?

If only there was a suitable way... Guess who had Didcot - Swindon removed from their route cards last week (literally a less than a week before this all came about). 

Cross Country. 

(And yes, they have previously sent a HST via Oxford / Didcot towards Swindon and Bristol before. It's very rare, but it has been done!)

2 hours ago, Mike_Walker said:

Apparently Chiltern have been awarded the contract to operate Phase 1 (Oxford - Bletchley - Milton Keynes) using new Class 196s originally intended for West Midlands Trains but no longer required as their Snow Hill services remain at 2tph not 3.  E-WR services are expected to start in December 2024.

Only subleased from WMR - Passenger numbers still considered low enough by the DfT to share the 196 fleet between the two operators. Of course this only covers Oxford to Bletchley / Milton Keynes, so Bedford to Bletchley still to be worked by WMR Class 150 hire-ins from Northern.

It's all good fun in the merry - go - round of the modern railways!  

On 16/03/2023 at 19:23, scouse889 said:

R3575 153379 was an ex CT liveried unit with EMT branding, Derby to Matlock service, so indeed it seems likely they used one of these as a base with a vinyl on the side for this preproduction sample. Quite how they do the production version remains to be seen, but they do seem keen on transfers recently…..

It too is unfortunately one of the reasons why I've cancelled my order until I see the model in the flesh. Sadly I fear it'll be wrapped in large waterslide transfers than printed. 

On 10/03/2023 at 07:18, StuAllen said:

Aren’t these the ones that were announced in Jan 2022? They’ve just taken a while to get here.

I know these are something of a slap any old livery on the tooling & knock them out quickly and cheaply, but the curse of accuracy strikes again for Hornby. The tooling as we all well know is the ex Lima 66/0, first produced in EWS. Hornby's choice of DRS 66 is a 66/4 - DRS now operate 5 ex EWS 66s in DRS livery, so would it have hurt Hornby to spend 5 minutes looking at websites such as Flickr, and produced something like 66122 instead of 66422*?

*A lot emissions variant with various differences.  

23 hours ago, charliepetty said:

There is nothing to stop EFE Rail doing one and using the same chassis, I only hope the use the same approach as on the 143/144.

 

As I thought the whole thing was ill thought out and rushed, please also note that, this is why Rapido and ourselves are not using Maytex in China as so far EFE products have not exactly been 'world beaters'

 

Not long for the skip!!

Sorry Charlie, I don't think that's one of EFEs - It's far too clean for a start and doesn't look like it's covered in effluent!  

7 hours ago, adb968008 said:

Whilst looking through some older pictures, I just happened on this…

 

Quite close to standard BR blue outline.

Advenza Freight aka Cowboy Rail. That brings back some memories, I wonder if Mr Parcell has paid off most of those fuel bills yet... 

16 hours ago, Steadfast said:

Quite a few 66s have the little bufferbeam steps painted white for staff visibility. On many that's then covered in a liberal coat of grime.

 

66179 is the "most French" of all the returned locos. 66028 and 66190 are both still in debranded EWS, but have had fresh paint on the yellow and cab sides and the buffers painting black. All retain holes in the front valance where the obstacle deflector was fitted. Think it's too high to have functioned as a snowplough 

 

The others in service have been repainted DB red.

 

Jo

I notice it also has had the yellow panel squared off 59/2 style too, whereas the original EWS version was more of a V shape. 

Can also sadly confirm that is the Up Goods Loop at Slough having attended a few incidents there during my time in the job. 

18 hours ago, rob D2 said:

Yeah , that ain’t no livery. That’s undercoat. I’d suggest a can of Halfords primer 

It sort of was and wasn't - The "Battleship Grey" was the base livery for Belgium freight operator CrossRail (previously numbered DE6313) which this batch carried for a brief time until their dates with the Arlington paint shop at Eastleigh. 

Just now, Ncarter2 said:

I had bid on a EWS one several weeks back, but lost connection and missed out, it went for less than I was willing to bid as well, so I’m taking it as fate, especially given the good price of these. 

I too am impressed with the price of these. I mean, QC and axle box issues aside, it was hard to fault the Hattons model and I was waiting on another batch. So well done to Team Accurascale for taking this on and improving it - it both brings back and excellent model with widespread appeal back to the market, and fits in nicely with the Powering Britain range. 
 

Now… about 66s, ranges and Accurascale… What’s got to be next 😉

21 hours ago, big jim said:

 

You may remember back in January 2022 I found a doll on the tracks while on a possession, she came for a ride back to bescot on the lamp iron of the class 66…..

 

She appears to have had a hard life in the last 12 months and has got a some decent class 08 mileage in too!

 

Ruddy Trainsurfers, they get everywhere these days!

Mind you, if she's a member of the Branchline Society, think of all the Yellow & Red Pen Mileage she's already achieved!  😂

15 hours ago, Great Waterton said:

I intended to purchase the Regional Railways 144 and anticipated having to do a bit of work to make the weathering acceptable but having inspected it up close yesterday I didn't bother. The weathering is terrible. Hopefully in the future a clean one will appear!

Funny enough, your not the first person I've seen who has said that. It seems that, for reasons unknown, they've really chosen to shoot themselves in the foot with some terrible weathering on these. I did think about the GWR one myself, but having both seen the weathering applied close up and the bizarreness around the model, I would rather wait for an upgraded model from Realtrack to be honest! 

6 hours ago, SRman said:

 

That looks more like it should be something for April 1st! 😅

Spoiler Alert : It Was! 

10 hours ago, keefer said:

And this of course harks back to the system used by the p-p cl.27s i.e only so-fitted coaches could be used.

The cl.47/7 system was a Glasgow Works home-made solution which was developed into the TDM system, advantage being any coaches with RCH/lighting jumpers could be placed in a set.

 

There are some test-run videos on YouTube.

e.g.

 

Is it just me or is the dark upper panel black, instead of Executive/Intercity dark grey?

It is black, but presumably to match their other Mk3s which are also black (both rakes missing out on Exec Dark Grey). 

4 hours ago, dj_crisp said:

An interesting announcement that I didn't expect!

 

I like the clean ones alot and if they're ex realtrack then they'll be good.

 

Have to say the weathering is horrific. The clean shadow behind the front lamp irons just shows how poorly its been applied. Quite a few are modern liveried units and while I remember them steaming up inside I don't remember them being that dirty..

 Especially the GWR ones.  I'd rather they didn't bother 

They do seem to be suffering from some of Bachmann's surprisingly mix bag of weathering - the second Ltd Ed Southern 171 released a few years ago also suffered from a dose of the brown weathering spray, despite Southern keeping their fleet pretty consistently clean. Bachmann can produce some excellent examples, but do also seem to have a some what annoying tendency to unnecessarily weather things - though Hornby is a worse contender for this (I'll never forget their brown CDAs). 

4 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

That comment was a bit cheesy👀

God these puns really grate on me... 

Ok, I'll stop now. Or this thread might end up as toast 🤐

(oh and some more 150s would be welcome please too!)