phil gollin

. As the title, the Mid-Hants Railway has dressed up an S-15 and its train in Christmas lights. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-hampshire-55246642 Amazing .

. Purely personally, I've always found the Hornby Stanier 8Fs lack any real sense of power and heaviness present in the real thing. I have no idea why, there is just something missing. The Hornby Dublo one was atrocious in many ways, but had the right "presence". I hope I like a new one when it is released, I have a "space" for one on my Southern Region layout based on a series of photos showing one going through East Croydon station with a ridiculously long train of parcels coaches on a racing pigeon special. .

. IF you want to model a British based working wartime S.160 it will need a set of cab blackout covers. Has any RTR manufacturer managed to model one successfully that will go around corners ? .

. The U-Boats are a good choice, but (after the 4-COR) I believe that the K class would be a better choice as it has such different looks from other Southern locos. .

. S.160 - I do not why there is such enthusiasm as they nearly all just served on the continent, whilst a few worked in the UK on mainlines only in wartime, so even wartime layouts will need several just sitting in a siding to be accurate (maybe an unpowered option). However, if people will buy them then it will be worth Hornby producing them. .

. WHAT ! And lose the opportunity to come on this site and moan about what wasn't announced ! IF there were to be a split in the reactions, I would suggest one thread for praise/appraisal, and one thread (that all sensible people could ignore) for moans and complaints. By the way, a 4-COR would be excellent - the only EMU with "character". .

. Lots of items which will make Hornby money. ( Oh! And please everyone here. ) .

. At least you'll have something to do after the Queen's Speech. .

. I pre-ordered three Hornby Rocket third-class carriages almost immediately. I received an e-mail from Hattons this morning notifying me that these items are due soon, but that my pre-order had been arbitrarily cut back to one number ! NOT GOOD. .

. Well, there are lots of buses available, how about a new road bridge ? ;-) .

. Do any of the Kernow, or now EFE, Gate Stock releases represent the LSWR livery carried when introduced ? .

. Could someone please list the applicable dates for the 4 loco models, Thanks .

. Oh yes ! I've already ordered some pre-TOPS MDOs and MDVs, but the various standard 16-ton coal/mineral wagons done to this standard would sell by the bucket load. Please, please, please ! .

. I was thinking of getting the MDO five-pack, but it includes pre-TOPS and TOPS together - any chance of a collection of pre-TOPS ones only ? Thanks. .

. Some lovely items, however the age of the £200 locomotive is now well established. The lineside stuff will be wonderful IF they come out as well finished. .

. 009 As there does not appear to be a FourDees topic in this section, I thought I would publicise these releases (as I only found out about them today ; An open steam tram loco ; https://www.fourdees.co.uk/sutton --------- A closed steam tram loco ; https://www.fourdees.co.uk/alford ----------- Two colours (green and maroon) steam engines ; https://www.fourdees.co.uk/howrah ----------- Four colours diesel locos ( green / grey / black / yellow ) ; https://www.fourdees.co.uk/castle ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

. I think it is more likely to be the equivalent to the Warley model railway show announcement ( ?????? ) which usually saw a single "early" announcement from Hornby. One never knows. .

. Unicorn handlers and flying pig pilots. .

. Externally it looks lovely. Does it have any internal detail - and if not, does the top lift off so that details can be fitted ? Thanks. .

. The loco photos are wonderful, especially the 2MTs. HOWEVER ! Have Hornby got no shame putting those crude monstrosities of wagons at the end - they are atrocious. .

. Obviously Mitcham had a huge effect on people ! I was born and raised in Mitcham (Barons Grove, very near Mitcham station) and went to secondary school by the "2 train". IF you go through the aerial pictures and Scottish National Library maps you will see that Mitcham yard went through at least 3 (if not more) major changes, ending up in the 1950's as a major signals and/or civil engineering depot (large timber piles, etc....) Just to add to the exotic nature of one of the most boring looking stations, between it and Mitcham junction in the 30's and 40's there was a standard gauge Contractor's branch which led to the St Helier housing estate, with sidings both adjacent to the branch line and up at St Helier (!) AND ! (Just when you thought it couldn't get any more "build me, build me, I'm odd") from the contractor's yard next to the branch line a narrow gauge railway ran up and either side of two large ponds (PRESUMABLY gravel workings) ! Find anywhere else in London where you get all that ! ( I remember the tar like smell up by the Parish Church, and the paint smell from the yard) .

. In this week's KERNOW MODEL RAIL CENTRE NEWSLETTER, is a teaser / riddle / challenge ; KMRC Exclusive News COMING SOON / MAYBE A NEW ANNOUNCEMENT OR TWO?! / OO GAUGE I have a wheel but I'm not a car... .

. God - this is tedious. People re-fighting the DJModels fiasco with no evidence. Just grow up. .

. Oh, you youngsters ! I used a computer to list my model railway items when I was at Uni, but none of your modern rubbish. In 1975 I started properly learning programming (what is "coding" ???) using Cobol 64 on a mainframe (what's a PC ?). We submitted programmes (not "programs" in those days) as punched tape to the "gods" to run overnight. Apart from real work I kept a print-out of my railway items, so I would send in the punched tape and get the printed list back on the old fashioned wide printer paper ! Somewhere in the Attic I still have a roll of punched tape and a folded up print-out, it would be interesting to look it out to see how my collection has grown. .