Rallymatt Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 With a couple of exceptions, TT:120 is all about new or proposed layouts. It’s exciting (for me at least) to see layouts developing but some maybe haven’t either started or got very far. That can be frustrating (I know I have been there) I’m not entirely convinced it’s all a lack of locos/rolling stock thing. So.. What is holding you back? And what can the forum help with? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete82 Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 At the moment for me it's a lack of time, having a young family means at the moment I can't commit enough time to get a layout off the ground. However I'm excited by tt120 and will be buying locos with a view to creating a layout in a few years time or so. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ntpntpntp Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 For me it's simply that I have commitments to complete N gauge modules for exhibition later this year so that takes priority. I will get around to a TT layout at some future date :) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr2002 Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 Definitely lack of locos and rolling stock.I'm doing what Hornby called Era 7 - 1978/9, Bristol-ish area - and unlike previous attempts at model railways I'm going to be ruthless in sticking to that.So I've bought an 08. Of the other locos planned so far I'll take a blue 47 (maybe 2025?) and a blue 31 (probably 2026 at least). I'm not doing a mainline, so the HST is out. A plain blue 50 would be plausible, but it would need to be in an un-refurbished state.Rolling stock? The very recently released tankers are the first that would fit, and I plan to buy at least two. Repaints will probably be required as I always remember tankers as being a very dirty black. Nothing else so far fits my timescale. There are VGA and VEA vans planned for phases 3 and 4, but when will they appear?I also need want a BR standard brake van (a Hornby standard, Stunned they're not being planned) and a BR blue DMU of some sort. A class 121 would be perfect, or a 2 car class 101. Can't see either of them coming along in the next five years at least.So, my little urban branch terminus sits on it's shelf unloved - not helped by a point that broke after I'd glued all the track down - with very little incentive for me to actually do any more work on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul M Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 Spent some time deciding whether to go 009 or TT120, and have gone TT120. Baseboard is in place, Scotsman and extra track on order and awaiting delivery.Less space than I had hoped so this will be pretty much a table top layout.Thinking reservoir and forest and upland moorland, running through it rather than operating a station etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave the Busker Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 Simply money at the moment. I'd love to have more locos and rolling stock, but new isn't cheap and the whole TT120 project is too recent for cheap second hand Hornby yet. I'm putting a bit aside for an HST this year, in the meantime I'm doing as much as I can with scratchbuilding, card kits and things that I can make with what I have already at home. I hope that my YouTube videos and posts here help show a bit of what can be done without spending a fortune. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robc058 Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 Definitely time - just been on a 2 week business trip with more in prospect. And waiting for the loft to warm up a bit.But this always was a project to take me into retirement.Local region is Southern and boyhood in GWR, so range is not my first choice, but trying to model Scots/England border at the moment. Church carries flag of St George and the tower is Scots saltire. But I can switch the tower flag for Welsh dragon and switch to GWR if locos and money allow.Work required - relay and ballast track and install gaugemaster controller with wiring bus. Complete branch line an upper level. Build turntable . Should keep me busy for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moccasin Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 For me it’s probably not having the space for the layout I want (and a cat who doesn’t much like me having the stuff out!). I have a small 1100mm x 220mm modular baseboard in the wardrobe which may become an interim wagon maintenance and locomotive stabling layout but the oval required to run trains fully has to go on the dining table. That lack of opportunity is then reducing my willingness to buy additional models over and above the pre-orders, especially when I need to pay off holiday debt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterM67 Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 Lack of a dedicated train room holds me back. At the moment if I want to run anything I need to set it up on the dining table which means it can only be out temporarily as my wife soon starts grumbling. Add to that we have free flight budgies in the house which do not mix too well with trains so I can only run anything in the evening after they have gone to sleep and if I don't pack it all down again I need to ensure it is well covered for protection.I do have a lot of trains, rolling stock and enough set track to max out the table so can play around when time permits and I have a lot of phase 2 on pre order - basically buying stuff while the going is good and abusing the introductory discount as much as I could!The intention is that we move to a bigger house at some point this year and as I am paying for that it will have a dedicated train room whether that be a spare bedroom, garage or something similar however until that time I am limited. I don't even know how much space I will eventually have so cannot make too many long term plans.My main intention when I do get a dedicated room is to be able to run full length trains. Ideally I'd like a mainline station similar in size to my local station in Maidenhead which would mean 5 platforms capable of fitting 10 carriage trains. Hmm that's going to mean a big room I think! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grenkin Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 Money - all is quite expensive.Permanent place for layout Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rallymatt Posted January 27 Author Share Posted January 27 A very varied response and mostly very positive, people are looking forwards and thinking about fixes/solutions. In most cases something is happening even if it’s taking a bit of time. Never expected a cat or low flying budgies to feature 🤣I bet everyone is thinking now about it…..my cunning plan is working Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moccasin Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 I bet everyone is thinking now about it…..my cunning plan is workinga plan so cunning that you could put a tail on it and call it a weasel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenneth-365689 Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 I've just finished making my 'Track' baseboards, these are a second layer of my railway cake that sit on top of the first layer which has now been designated as 'Table'. The 'Table' layer provides the strength and rigidity while the 'track' layer, made from 5mm ply on 2x1 batons roughly 2 foot by 4 foot each can be removed and replaced as necessary. So what's Holding me up? The humble Fishplate.. 🙄.. When I first decided to make a TT120 layout I purchased a load of Hornby settrack for the viewing part and a load of Peco flexitrack for the fiddle yard. As the only fishplates I can get at the moment are Peco ones and they don't fit the Hornby settrack, I'm somewhat up the creek and paddleless.. Well that's my excuse anyway... Come on Hornby.. Get some fishplates in stock! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris98 Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 I second the hornby fishplates........where are they? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew-372848 Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 Space, cost and availability of smaller locomotives are the main stumbling blocks for me, although I am enjoying the process of building my new layout. I love all the controllability of a DCC layout which I have never experienced previously.To accommodate my TT:120 layout I’ve decommissioned my old Hornby Dublo 3 rail layout and used one half of the 6’x4’ board for it. This has given me much the same scope as the Dublo layout in half the space and as it is much less heavy than the tinplate track is much easier to pull in and out from under the bed!I started a spreadsheet to tot up my expenditure so far, but quickly decided it was a bad idea, most orders creep well into three figures! Hopefully I’ll recoup something by selling the Dublo stock.I’m not the most patient of people, so the concept of long pre-order wait times is a challenge! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenneth-365689 Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 This should give a better idea of my 'Layered Layout' approach. 🙄😁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The son of Triangman Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 I'm waiting to see how TT does in the marketplace, the past history of TT hasn't been great. The lack of small Hornby tank locomotives is off putting, no level crossings, no turntable, no signals. TT120 is growing but it will take time, I will look at it once matures more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skelton Junction Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 The loft will have to be made layout friendly for the ‘grown up’ version of the R7277 interpretation in the spare room. I’m told by she who must be obeyed that this is agreeable with her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rallymatt Posted January 27 Author Share Posted January 27 Peter, more than a Cunning Fox with a Degree from the university of Cunning…..On the lack of suitable locos etc, would people consider something that’s not right to be running trains? I bought me BR130 essentially to test the layout as I had started the build well before any Hornby deliveries. But it’s a cracking loco, same with the v60 heavy shunter..I know I could sell them on if I had to but I’d rather keep them. The international element of the scale does open some avenues up even if not strictly ‘prototypical’Another manufacturer does have suitable fishplates available for code 80 rail@Al, the power point presentation must have won over the planning inspector 👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John-L Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 Who’s being held back? I’ve not seen any complaints beyond an impatience for the future phases.The next year or so should see 0-6-0 tanks, classic mainline diesels and the first modern image stock.Seems like more than enough to tempt anyone who’s currently on the fence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skelton Junction Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 Also, I'm too heavily invested in the scale, both financially and emotionally, to even consider another and the opportunities it will provide over the next decade are endless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moccasin Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 Who’s being held back? I’ve not seen any complaints beyond an impatience for the future phases.The next year or so should see 0-6-0 tanks, classic mainline diesels and the first modern image stock.Seems like more than enough to tempt anyone who’s currently on the fence. I think @Rallymatt was asking those who haven’t got a layout started what was the reason for that, rather than being held back by the release of models and expansion of the scale. There are relatively few contributors to this forum who’re sharing their layouts. As the replies show, lack of space allowing a permanent layout is one issue that many of us share. While requiring less space than OO, TT120 still requires a decent-sized area for the majority of models currently available (express locomotives etc). Few of us are blessed with a table top that can be permanently given over to a model railway, rather than eating or working from home!Arrival of TTAs and HAAs as well as diesels with couplings on both ends will allow more end to end and shunting layouts in small spaces (which was highlighted as one of the benefits of TT). That may be the way I go, with my A3 & A4 only coming out of storage occasionally until I have a larger space available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritInVanCA Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 In addition to being “held back” I’ve seen a few people abandon TT120 and sell off their purchases. To me that is worse than people just waiting to see. These people were willing to take the loss. There is an argument that most of their issues were already obvious cost, limited range, fiddly, etc. but I find it interesting. I’m all in! (Well I still have a very small OO layout) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rallymatt Posted January 27 Author Share Posted January 27 I was really thinking that sometimes people hit a bit of a modelling wall. We have all been there. It’s a great hobby and I am keen to see people get most out of it. Once people’s imagination gets going, great things happen. It’s not a judgement on anyone, it’s just a gentle nudge, bit of assistance, confidence boost whatever it takes. The hobby has been full of unfulfilled dreams since it began. This forum is ‘our model railway club’ 😁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moccasin Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 This forum is ‘our model railway club’ 😁 A great way of seeing it. Certainly more welcoming & inclusive than the other online place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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