Muzza

I too have had one on pre-order from Hattons for quite some time. When they finally arrive, I hope there is enough to go around. I missed out on the L & M second class coach that I had on order. I'll be seriously miffed if I miss out on a W1.

Yes, I had my order for 1 coach cancelled.Surely Hornby actually want to sell their products. Making enough for demand seems such a simple business practice.

I bought one new from a hobby shop in Australia a few weeks ago for the equivalent of £145 (including postage). Arrived in pristine condition and runs beautifully. Yes, it's delicate and those couplings are a right pain to put in place. But I'm very happy - mine is going to run, not live its life in the box. TBH it is more likely to get broken by putting it in and out of the packing.

It looks like a switch from a set of Triang Super 4 points - L/H points by the look of it.If you don't have any Super 4 track, it may have been lurking on the loco for some time.

I've been using an NCE PowerCab for about 4 years and it is the only DCC system that I have used. I'm very satisfied with how it works for me.I have connected JMRI to it and have run six trains concurrently using my iPad & phone to control them (without having boosted the power). I would certainly recommend JMRI - if you don't know what it is, look it up.

Ken,good to hear that things are moving forward (and also in reverse). 😀 Looking forward to the video.

Ken, I agree with Huwsie - you do amaze us. It's not that you require any superpowers to do what you do, but you come up against problems that would cause most of us to give up and you find a way around them.I guess it is also the breadth of your knowledge that sees you come up with one innovative solution after another. It's such a pity Hornby didn't have you on staff 10 years ago. Imagine what could have been in the Live Steam catalogue.

It certainly will be a challenge. Finding a place for the boiler being the hardest part.Is there a prototype with a largish bunker that could provide the space? Maunsell W class or Thomson L1 perhaps? Looking forward to watching how things progress.

Glad to see that your grandson is enjoying running the LS.Start them young........... Handy having a Grandad who knows what he is doing.

GNR-Gordon-4, You obviously have an opinion on Hornby Live Steam and you may well be right. But I notice that you say that you don't own one. Have you actually experienced it, or simply gone on what someone else has said? Yes, they require a little more setting up and concentration while operating than DC or DCC, but that is part of their charm. With a little experience (and the right instructions), operation is not difficult at all. Clearly OO Live Steam is not for everyone, but anyone who puts in a little effort will be amply rewarded. Hornby were brave and visionary in bringing Live Steam to OO gauge and I thank them for it. Why it was not a commercial success, I don't fully understand, but I have a fleet of LS locos that prove that they were a technological success. I would encourage anyone who has one sitting dormant in the cupboard to dust it off and give it a proper go. For the record, I don't think Hornby will reintroduce them either, but there was plenty of development potential as people such as @gowest are proving (Live steam P2 with operating valve gear? - brilliant).

That sounds a bit exciting.

That's very kind Ken, but I don't know where to start. My skills are not too brilliant and most of my tools are back in Brisbane. I've filled the shed with the layout and don't have much space to set up a workshop. If I was to attempt anything, it would probably be a P2 (you can never have too many large, apple green locos), but the idea of an inside cylinder 0-6-0, like a J39 or J27 would be nice. I might have to leave those to the experts and get back to finishing the incomplete A4 chassis that I bought as a spare. It is now running, but still needs work.

Thanks Ken. How is the S69 going? That conversion was great to follow. Murray

Hi John, This links to a video of my layout in the garden. It still exists although is a bit overgrown and the sun takes its toll on the plastic sleepers eventually. I now live 1000 miles away and the current tennants of the house (my sons) have no real interest in it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hM-ki5HYKY Here are two photos of my current project. /media/tinymce_upload/bf67eca190fff46d8d18bd1521733950.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/ba5fadce1d1837c841418395bf757ad3.jpg

Sorry GNR-Gordon-4, that is not true. Having moved to a new town around 6 months ago, I have been constructing a new layout. It consists of 3 main lines - 2 parallel circuits and a third which loops back over itself in a squashed figure 8 configuration. Each of these three circuits are wired to run on 12v DC, DCC or Live Steam simply by use of switches. I can have a Triang Princess running alongside a live steam A3 (or better still, LS A4 & A3 together), with DCC on the third track. Using the OOLS Club Live-Drive controllers, I can have an LS loco pulling 6 carriages running up and down 1 in 40 gradients (with curves on them) under perfect control. After the loco has finished its run, I can have a DC or DCC loco running on the same track within seconds - even pulling the same carriages or wagons. When Hornby first announced the LS range, I thought it was the most exciting thing that OO model railways had seen and I still think that way. Clearly, they don't suit everyone, but OO Live Steam has been my first consideration when building my last three layouts. Many thanks to the bright minds of the OOLS Club (of which I am a member) for making it easier to keep these little gems running. Murray