Twinrover1965

I thought I would wait a little to gather the responses on the AC issue. I feel I should clarify that when I said "three rail" I did mean Marklin M or C. The last commercially available actual three rail "a-la-Hornby Dublo" Marklin track was I believe a set of 3600 series points advertised in its 1959 catalogue! The "stud" track has been the only available type since then From what you say, time has certainly passed on from when I was living in Lisbon, Portugal about 40 years ago. At that time Marklin AC was literally everywhere, almost like a plague, in both Spain and Portugal with Electrotren's version of Marklin's M track remaining in their catalogues until 1991, not the 1970s as I had previously stated in my initial post. Enthusiasm for model railways did exist but in a sort of muted way, not advertised - the interest that did exist in transport was multi-modal. For example, a friend of mine in Lisbon had quite an extensive Marklin M track layout but he also visited the military air show in Setubal as well as keep a diary of ships visitng the docks, which were still quite busy in those days. Transport texts tended to be written by obscure academics published by the university and were highly detailed written in a scholarly style but only seemed to be on sale at one of the open air book fairs. The Spanish market was a little more developed with magazines, etc. Don't forget RENFE, before the US trained accountants and mangagement consultants descended and decimated it, was a huge employer in Spain [Franco like Mussolini used the railway system to unite regional differences] in that virtually every station, even those in the middle of nowhere, was manned and lovngly cared for as well as each having a goods yard - some more utislised than others. I spent many a late afternoon during my travels in the 70s and 80s after lunch [ and eating in the same "cantina" as the staff, if a large station] watching the shunting in these yards or the bizarre spectacle of a huge diesel hauling a single passenger coach and depositing a handful of punters on the platform. The flower displays alone were beautiful: I just want to cry when I see the once loved and actually lived in brutalised, denuded and vandalised stations of today on the Huelva to Seville broad gauge route in YouTube videos. Given this, the need to fantasise with models was not a priority because the real thing was still very much in evidence in daily life. 40 years on, becuase of this rationalisation and obvious degradation, however, I can now see a ready appetite for more realistic railway modelling as an outlet for nostalgia and reliving the past. Although I have embraced much of the new technology, I still operate both analogue AC and DC layouts. I have seen some fantastic DCC layouts but I really much prefer the simplicity and lower costs involved in analogue, and by employing AC, setting up a reverse loop without all that wiring to worry about. Moreover, the sounds generated by computer chips just don't cut the mustard for me; in some cases the sounds are totally unrealistic and seem like a series of farmyard noises being played through an enhanced stereo chamber from the 1970s. So The Duke 7100, thank you - you have brought me up to date somewhat with the current situation, particularly with young people's taste for two rail DCC and as they form the basis of future markets, the question of AC seems less hopeful. Nevertheless, I would like to point out that when I recently viewed a Sud Express catalogue it showed AC versions of each loco available for sale. I understand that Sud Express is quite a successful company so it is interesting that they have chosen to continue dual provision of their models. I hope you do not take offence, however, when I think you should consider that not everybody wants to nail down and laboroiously ballast track as if this is the only way to enjoy railway modelling. I know in the UK anybody who doesn't do carpentry or have a bottle of glue and hammer to hand is regarded as some kind of weirdo and not a genuine modeller. Since the demise of Hornby Dublo in 1964, such people have been totally ignored by the big manufacturing and publishing interests in the UK, apart from sympathetic reviews by Peter Marriot, with the result that hobby is diminishing as not everybody can take part. Very much like the education system in the UK where if you were not good at sport in certain secondary schools you just didn't exist!!! It is only those who look beyond these rather narrow minded and suffocating shores and find there is track for them while retaining scope for some sophitication at a later time such as the addition of points and signals that can be attached to the track - you see no drilling!. I have been a great fan of bedding track of various makes since 1976 and it suits my purpose: one week I build my Kato layout, the next my Fleischmann Profi, the following my Marklin C mixed together with M and a sprinkling of French VB finishing of with some Trix C and I love it. I'm currently saving up for the new PIKO A bedding track and then the two Rocos will complete the picture! I live in a large studio flat and I do not want mess all over my £800 Turkish carpet thank you very much! There are also those who are elderly and disabled, have dementia/chronic illness and those just wanting to play trains who would appreciate a ready ballasted solution. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that PIKO have developed their own ready ballasted track given the competition from other brands. I think it is the charismatic Managing Director of this company that is bringing new ideas to the hobby and he is certainly getting good reviews on both quality and price. I do admire your efforts at the railway museum and it will be interesting to learn how everything transpires. Going by from what you say you seem to have a golden opportunity to develop traditional railway modelling throughout the Iberian peninsular albeit 2 rail DCC without bedding! In so far as AC is concerned Marklin still have a Spanish offshoot so I don't believe AC will disappear completely. You should bear in mind that many Spanish went to work in Germany after the war so there will always be that connection now with family ties. German companies have also traditionally expected their sales staff to speak the language of the nation in which they seek contracts in contrast to British ones who only spoke English, the result of which is obvious, particularly in a place like Spain that has a rich oral tradition. What sustained Marklin in the UK, particularly in London and the south-east was the very large numbers of national servicemen who spent time in Germany during the post war period and developed their interest. Sadly, this generation of modellers is passing on leaving behind the mad bad and the sad like me - those born in the 1950s in other words - who have been left high and dry with no UK shops to purchase from or to ask any queries but I have to say an excellent website "Marklin Users" manages to plug the gap most of the time. Concerning the Alexandra Palace show, there was no International range on display. I still maintain that the Hornby stand should have included examples or at least atalogues to sell. On average 2.2 million Brits spend their holidays in Spain every year so there should be a golden opportunity to sell Spanish things to the public here let alone enthusiasts. If there's one thing tourists remember it is the transport they use to get around. If I were a major shareholder in Hornby, I would be calling an emergency meeting. I know the show itself is controlled by one of those Lincolnshire based publishing houses which has a rather strange agenda of removing Europe from the narrative but if you are a business making something make some attempt to market and sell it! Thank you all for your contributions and your warm welcome elloloco!

Can anybody please advise me regarding the current policy regarding the future provision of AC versions of locos. I telephoned the Hornby HQ somehere in Kent to ask this question some months ago on more than one occasion but nobody seemed to know! Apparently the International Brands unit of the company seems to operate in a rather clandestine fashion and doesn't tell anybody anything nor can they be contacted! In fact, I asked about the availability of catalogues, which I was willing to pay for, at Ally Pally the second year running and the answer was the catalogues are in the boot of a car outside the building plus no mention whatsoever of the International Brand in any promotional material or displays. It seems Brexit has well and truly gone to their heads. It wasn't so long ago that all the continental brands were present at this exhibition, now we have Hornby with a golden opportunity to promote something where there is no competion [apart from a Fleischmann layout on the Gaugemaster stand] but completely misses the opportunity big time. This is the direct result of employing people with retail degrees against taking people on with a passion. I guess the proper experts all got the boot for looking a bit strange and not smiling at the managing director. I don't like to rant but the simple fact is that I find these days that there is no shortage of potential customers who wish to purchase something but are obstructed from doing so because of the malign influence of the discredited crackpot theories of the Harvard business school such as the dogma of market segmentation and narrow computer generated preconceptions of what types of products certain kinds of consumers want to buy. Because I attend an exhibition in London doesn't mean that I am only interested in products focused only on UK subjects, surely? I have English, German, Spanish and Japanese layouts for heaven's sake! Hope someone in the know can answer my AC question. In addition, I pray only for the sake of Hornby International's future that the uncontactable and mysterious international brands dept is aware that 3 rail AC still rules supreme in Spain for historical reasons mainly because of the country's long association with Marklin; in fact, the former Spanish owned Electrotren used to make its own three rail AC M track under licence from Marklin up to the 1970s but I suspect that this basic and very simple fact will be news to them!