Am I the only one who finds the orchestrated hype of Hornby's now traditional new-year's eve charade tedious in the extreme? Wandering around cyberspace, you'd be forgiven for thinking the world and his dog were locked away in a darkened room with the last of the turkey sandwiches, anticipating The Great Event and masticating furiously.
Yet back in meatspace, all is not well in camp. Don't get me wrong, I'm as keen on new toys as the next chap, but I'd sooner they weren't thrown out of the pram in the run up to this misguided stunt. Clearly, no censorship is ever going to prevent the information leaking prematurely. Magazines and web-sites are at each other's throats at the drop of a hat, retailers think competitors have an unfair advantage and the poor consumer feels completely un-valued. Whilst the threat of being outside of Hornby's in-crowd has a proven track record of bringing magazines and, more recently, web-sites to heel, is it worth all of the acrimony and pettiness? Would it really hurt if the end-user was treated as a deserving equal?
I guess it comes down to whether you believe there's no such thing as bad publicity.
Currently On My Stereo: Fish - Fellini Days
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If there's one thing I'll remember 2006 for, it's the mass-dumping of old Lima rubbish into the retail channel by Hornby. Like many enthusiasts fed-up to the back-teeth with the unusable junk that passed for UK D&E models over the decades, I was more than pleased to see this range die a death some years ago. Unsuprisingly, I'm firmly in the 'very concerned' camp as it lurches back from beyond the grave.
But, regardless of what I personally think of Lima, the models have been around for so long that most people have almost certainly formed their own opinions by now. Love 'em or hate 'em, you're unlikely to change this viewpoint based on what I say here. I'd like, instead, to point the finger of ridicule at some of the more bizarre arguments and outright porkies currently being regurgitated around the internet by the usual brown-tongued apologists and sycophants. Well, they made me laugh, anyway:
As I said at the start, this is something that concerns me greatly. Not only is the UK D&E modelling scene hopelessly behind the rest of the world, but the small gains we've made in the last few years are being thoroughly negated by the flood of sh*te hitting us fans. As some of the above examples show, even the WeveNeverHadItSoGood brigade are struggling to explain this one away...
Currently On My Stereo: Riverside - Second Life Syndrome
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I picked up one of the Recent Bachmann Class 20 releases today from AP Models, unfortunately not the sound-equipped version as that's only available in green. Typically I wanted mine in blue, so here it is - complete with the tablet-catcher recess of current tooling but without the benefit of those characteristic 'burbling' noises.
Never a contender for a 'Model of the Year' award (see here for some of my thoughts at the time) the Class 20 is nevertheless a useful model to have around, and it's worth highlighting some of the improvements Bachmann has introduced during the life of this product. As well as the oft-publicised bogie modifications and cab-side window upgrades, the model sports corrected exhaust ports and a much-enhanced fan-grille these days, although the fan itself has vanished on even the non-sound models. The Class 20 is still at the cheap'n'cheerful end of the market, but it's a lot less toy-like than when first released - at £40.95 I certainly don't feel as if I've been taken for a ride.
Perhaps the desires of the normal consumer do count for something, after all. Despite the efforts of folk such as the obnoxious representative of a D&E modelling society mentioned here, Bachmann has obviously listened to the typical wallet-in-the-street in this instance, and not those who seek to suppress all criticism.
Currently On My Stereo: The Flower Kings - Unfold The Future
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I guess that after more than three months of silence I can't really get away with not dashing off a quick Christmas message, although I honestly think you'd be better off watching Doctor Who than reading this twaddle.
Work has been pretty intense of late, with me either being away all week or working such long hours that I do little more than flop into bed when I get home. This web-site, or indeed the internet as a whole, isn't my first priority after a 16 hour day in Norwich or a protracted crawl around the M25. On the plus side, my travels have enabled me to touch base with some geographically distant acquaintances. Special thanks must go to Chris C for a particularly fine curry'n'beer frenzy down in Truro, and Keith B for a good op-session on his reincarnated US N layout in deepest Bromley.
Anyway, enough of the feeble excuses. Merry Christmas to one and all, I hope you get the prezzies you really want and not just re-issued Lamer junk - the model railway equivalent of socks if ever there was one.
Me? I'm hoping Fiona has bought me that knighthood or peerage...
Currently On My Stereo: The Flower Kings - Adam and Eve
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A selection of recent Bachmann releases, all livery/number variations rather than new tooling but don't let that put you off.
As long as the stock concerned is to a reasonable modern standard (as opposed to some 30 year old back-catalogue blob) I welcome this kind of thing with open arms.
Building up authentic freight trains takes time, so anything that speeds the process up while injecting a little variety is a boon.
NEM coupler socket height on Bachmann's VGA isn't too bad, although the usual droop spoils things a little. On top of this, the socket is set a tad too far back from the buffer faces for reliable operation with Roco close-couplers, but once again the longer Hornby equivalent (R8220) can save the day. The socket height on the MFA open is miles out, as covered in these pages before.
Currently On My Stereo: David Bowie - Earthling
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A modest rake of the new Bachmann OBAs (purchased from AP Models) is currently lurking on my workbench. I've been looking forward to these for a long, long time and was eager to see how much things had progressed since Hornby's wobbly, foal-legged range of decades past.
As I've come to expect from a new Bachmann wagon release, the product is very usable as it comes straight from the box, very much a product for today's layouts rather than a relic from the Lima era. From a visual angle, the only real issue I have is with the heavy-handed planking, an area in which Bachmann normally lags behind it's competitors. But at least with horizontal planking it's easier to apply transfers over the trenches - renumbering the BR standard brake van can be a swine.
The model is currently available in both EWS and Railfreight red/grey liveries, but not, alas, the earlier 'mucky brown' more suitable for the 1970s modeller. I've bought enough examples to cover a repainting programme, but knowing my glacial rate of progress Bachmann will no doubt have released other liveries by the time I get around to doing anything about it.
Mechanically, Bachmann has gone for a pivotting axle arrangement, much as Hornby did all those years ago, which will no doubt ensure compatibility with train set curves. Although visually less obtrusive than the older Hornby version, this configuration does nevertheless allow the axle-boxes to move out of alignment and lets the couplings wander far enough off-centre to make coupling erratic. Modellers with more generous curves will be gluing, melting or pinning these things in place fairly quickly, I'd imagine.
Finally, a quick look at the coupling arrangements, always a worry with Bachmann. Thankfully this release isn't too bad, a NEM Kadee actually comes out at pretty much the right height, even if this is more due to droop than precision engineering. Less satisfactory is the distance the coupler socket is set back from the buffer faces. This is too far for Roco close-couplers to work, which is a serious problem for me. Fortunately the longer Hornby equivalent (ask your dealer for product number R8220) works just fine.
In summary, apart from Bachmann's long-standing inability in the coupling area, this is a mighty fine release. Bring on the vans...
Currently On My Stereo: Steve Hillage - Open
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Real killer, not to be missed at any cost, absolute mega-bargain alert! Spotted whilst lunchtime browsing in 'The Works' bargain bookstore in a far-off town, I can't recommend this boxed set highly enough. This is definitely not the typical dumbed-down, mass-market fayre (Ant & Dec Do Chuff-Chuffs?) often found in bargain stores, but the real thing. All ten of TeleRail's Railfreight releases gathered together at an almost insultingly low price. I almost bought a second copy to keep for best - it'd be rude not to.
I've long regarded these TeleRail titles as compulsive viewing, even at full price. An added bonus is the content has become very much historical over the years, so you can get all dewey-eyed and nostalgic about what was an up-to-the-minute programme when originally released. The only downside is I've been carrying my set around for the best part of the week, itching to watch them but denied by the hotel trade's stubborn refusal to provide DVD players as standard in rooms.
Here's hoping the equally excellent 'Regional Guides' pop up at a similar free-in-yer-cornflakes price point...
Currently On My Stereo: Dream Theatre - A Change Of Seasons
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I've had some invigorating runs on First Transpennine's Class 185 units over the last month or so, none more enjoyable than a Leeds-Manchester dash yesterday afternoon. The landscape either side of Standedge Tunnel looked positively vibrant in the crystal-clear sunlight, all the more enjoyable when sitting in the air-conditioned comfort of the bright and spacious units. Whether they'll be quite the same after a decade or two of wear and tear remains to be seen, but for now they're just the job. A pleasing contrast to the grubby 158 that ferried me over the Copy Pit route from Preston to York earlier in the week - were the sharp edges in the seat-backs specifically designed with lacerating my knees in mind?
You can't beat a bit of loco-haulage, though, and all thoughts of boarding my intended York-Leeds service (another 158 knee-grinder) last Wednesday evaporated when a 'posh nosh' train appeared behind a Class 66 and I scurried over the bridge with that characteristic gait peculiar to enthusiast-with-camera-and-bags.
While the loco ran round it's train and coupled onto the other end...
...I amused myself taking photos of these classic old vehicles.
Although I prefer to model the mundane and everyday, I do rather fancy having a Pullman rake for the odd thrash around the layout. Modelling the rake with any degree of authenticity would take a fair bit of work, what with the variety of cars involved, but a representative string of Hornby items should do for the odd special. If anything, Hornby's dull livery is more of an issue for me, it doesn't capture the warmth and lustre of the current vehicles at all well.
Currently On My Stereo: Steve Hillage - Motivation Radio
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Despite being away all week, I have managed to source another batch of Lenz Gold decoders. These are to upgrade more of my UK fleet, in particular the multiple units as I seem to find more of these every time I poke my head up the loft.
Talking of multiple units, I travelled from London Waterloo to Woking the other day, and was reminded just how intense suburban operations can be. With other trains frequently passing mine on both sides, this fascinating experience is about as far removed from the typical model railway stereotype as it's possible to get. Exactly why I use a computer and DCC to provide a more realistic traffic density around whatever train I happen to be running.
Even though it's a small layout in theory, one of the best attempts at capturing this urban multiple unit environment I've seen is Nigel Burkin's Platform 4a & 4b. I note that he's extended his coverage of this by adding a nice layout photo gallery to his site.
Currently On My Stereo: Thunder - Laughing On Judgement Day
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