Phil Parker

Please, everyone, don't try to turn this into an interminable moan about prices.

Please see this thread:

I fear you may have to expand your shopping horizons then. If the only criteria is "Can I buy it in Lidl?" then there's a whole world of stuff you are missing.

So does Parkside.

Some useful information from Martin Lewis: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2024/01/online-platforms-etsy-vinted-airbnb-report-hmrc/

I dunno. @RedgateModels has a very nice O gauge Ivor.

Well done! I'd have snapped those up myself as I've never seen such well-built Modelcraft kits. If they ever need a home, the HMRS would give them one.

The results can be found here:

"Normals" expect clean toilets and somewhere nice to buy food - if these are right, then repeat visits are on the cards. The train ride is part of the experience, but according to a TR manager I talked to, they aren't that fussed about what is on the front. A well-stocked gift shop is also very much part of the package. Enthusiasts will turn up planning to take a lot of photos, which must include no people, or anything that hints it's not 1952 in shot. For this, they will bring their own sandwiches (the ones in the cafe are far too expensive), then thumb (but not buy) the books in the gift shop, because these aren't being discounted either. Days out, especially the grey pound, are what keeps preserved railways running. Grumpy old blokes, less so. That's why the WHR built a station at Caernarfon that is basically a milking parlour for "normal" visitors, despite the howls of protest from enthusiasts. Those Garratts cost several thousand pounds to get out of the shed.

You might be better off buying a rolling road. DCC Concepts - https://www.dccconcepts.com/product-category/specialised-model-accessories/dccconcepts-rolling-roads/ Ten Commandments - https://tencommandmentsmodels.co.uk/product/rolling-road-professional-ooho-n/ (There are others, and I'm sure people can recommend their own favourite) Then your locos can be given a good run, without going anywhere! No worries about tight curves.

Being the weekend AND New Year, it will take a little investigation. Not all the process is automatic, hence the delay.

Making the side skirts removable might be tricky. I'd just glue them in place. It's your model, a mass produced toy train, not a unique piece of Faberge art. Don't be scared of it. As for painting, a little weathering will cover a multitude of sins. Ultimately, it's just toy trains. If anything goes wrong* , then nobody dies. *and you have the RMweb safety net of advice too.

I'm someone who has talked to the main players, including the director behind the project and the guy who designed the models. I've brought you the facts as they explained them to me. You prefer your own fantasy, but it doesn't change the facts. And it's never a clever idea to insult a moderator.

You've posted 7 times in 7 hours in this topic. Stop obsessing about the subject for a bit. Chill. FWIW, I've met the team, and have the comments of someone who also knew them and now works elsewhere. We both have confidence that none of your last four lines are likely to be relevant to this situation, but only time will tell.

No it wasn't. It came about because the Steampunk market is massive, ask any preserved line who hold a Steampunk weekend. An opportunity was spotted and cheaply tried. Would things have been different if Covid hadn't stopped plans to go to those weekends with the product? Maybe. But it's not a bad idea to stick to the facts.

And that's the problem. Loads of people with no skin in the game enjoying predicting the demise of Hornby. Imagine, if you can, being a real person who works for Hornby reading gleeful predictions of their demise. Predictions based on very little actual information. How would you feel? Spot on. Alone on this thread, I have actually sat down in a room and talked to the new management. There will be an interview in an upcoming BRM. As you've already seen, the direction is changing, mainly the emphasis on certain areas, but that's based on a "big picture" approach to the business, which I think they have the background and experience to pull off. Obviously this won't suit anyone who cares nothing beyond demanding an obscure SR shunter, but it’s what the business needs. Hornby's demise has been predicted on here many times. And they are still trading.

Nope. A trip to the office is 170 on its own. Only one of the shows I attend for work is within 100 miles, and all the photo shoots @AY Mod fobs off to me seem to be a long way away too. As for my two recent trips to Kent, how far away!?

Hmmm.

Which is why, that wasn't the point of HS2 - as has been pointed out repeatedly on this thread. (Hot: It's about rail capacity) Not according to the mileometer in my car. For work, I rarely do less than 100 miles.

Bump

Spot on. This thread is to discuss the model, not the company making it. That way leads to yet another rabbit hole, and a thread with no value to anyone..

Because I have a kit for it, and would have moderated the entry off the poll as I'm sick of my kit stash being overtaken by RTR models... 😈

Before everyone gets hysterical, can we wait to see what @rapidoandy or @RapidoCorbs has to say. They are nice guys, and generally don't go around assaulting people.

Contents The Silverdale Light Railway (North) Comes Of Age by Ian Midgley On the Wagon – Again! By Mark Thatcher Weighted-randomised freight handling by Rik Bennett Diary Dates Modifying an LGB Logging Loco by Ned Williams Making a silk purse? by Laurence Sampson Ceramic buildings for the garden by Amy Bucki Simple remote point control by Ken Walsh Something a bit agricultural by Dave Skertchly Building a living van Product News Seen at the Midlands Model Engineering Exhibition

I've carried out a quick clean-up. This is the KR thread - please can we avoid the DJM rabbit hole, it never ends well. Thanks