Rallymatt

Almost certain there is some glue on either the blades or the contacts on the point you have ballasted.

Some people are just never satisfied 🤣

It’s probably easiest to ballast the track and then drop your level crossing after. That is an advantage of making the approach ramps etc. In the UK level crossings for vehicles tend to have stable ramps and centre sections to prevent vehicles getting stuck. Tarmac, concrete and wood rather than loose gravel. The level crossing on High Fell is a recent addition, I used ‘Model Splodge’ my homemade version of Sculptamould to make the road including the ramps. The centre section was made from Das modelling clay. Using ballast doesn’t always work well, it depends on the type of road, most roads in UK are sealed, farm tracks etc are frequently gravel but much more irregular than a ballasted rail bed. There are some great resources on YT from war gamers etc who model dioramas.

@BritInVanCA, I hope very much Hornby designers and engineers will call upon the experience and expertise of their Arnold colleagues who have delivered similar wheel arrangements. It promises to be quite something 😁 worth waiting for 👍

Not alone

Sound profiles can be a bit misleading because they are essentially the same as the OO version but with changes to the motor control. Although it does lead one to think those models will appear in TT:120 at some point.

Realistically 9F will probably be 2025 at best

I don’t think KMWL would not invite Peco on that basis, they are in modelrail terms massive, twice the size of Bachmann, the publishing part is only a small part. Peco have been restructuring their business and moving bits of the group about. There is a curious dormant company they own Howe&Davis, and there is some link to Key Publishing…but I can’t find what Howe&Davis did.

The real loco had flangless centre driving wheels so that would be correct. Min radius on High Fell is equivalent to R3, this was done very much in preparation for the arrival of the 9F 😀 Fun Fact; the 9F was designed to be able to cope with tight radius curves in industrial/dock settings, hence the flangless centre wheels, scaled into TT:120 that’s 1m radius, just shows how much we ask if our models

Not seen anyone covering Peco at KMWL, did Peco have a stand? I don’t think it’s a case of being a British manufacturer means you can’t be speedy, perhaps it’s more a case of demand on existing products is taking priority.

That’s also been re-iterated with the latest TT:120 catalogue, it will in future reflect what is planned to be available over the next 12 months (with possible hints to beyond that) rather than a full product listing. I was surprised Hornby didn’t move to use HM branding on the Elite and Select. Or perhaps that will come?

Quite a few 9fs barely made double digit service life. BR banning mainline steam in ‘68 was a hard cut off but probably the best plan or things would have dragged out over decades. It’s incredible to think the many diesels have had way longer in service than many steam classes, 125 much longer than A4s.

With the range in its infancy it’s hard with TT:120 to be too picky on era correct locos and stock. That will get easier as more new models arrive. I have gone for a general mid 60’s period because there was a good range and there was a level of flexibility at the ends, early/late crest locos steam locos and even early blue diesels and a few coach liveries (although I have ended up with all maroon due to a couple of s/h bargains I couldn’t refuse!) It’s also been useful for me to aim at an ‘era’ to help set the feel of High Fell and keep spending in check, but anyone can do whatever takes their fancy. To me TT:120 means in the space I have can mean some longer trains, although they are still half the length of the real thing! Out of likes but in full agreement @Moccasin 🤣

App control isn’t for everyone and there will always be a traditional control system but Hornby is due to update the Elite/Select controllers and was intended it could integrate with app, I understand that’s been put back

Black, grubby and hard working …. It’s the only way a 9f should be 🤣, Evening Star is a hero loco though

I genuinely think the BR Standard 9F will be the best ever….. I mean imagine all those rods and that valve gear, all those wheels, all that black paint that huge tender….. every home will want one 😁

Blue era diesels are in general a very popular and growing sector in all scales. It was an interesting time on the railways with some diverse trains running, still a lot of loco hauled passenger services and a wide range too. Plus those with the spending power today probably remember these where as steam as Dave says for most it’s been in preservation. I vaguely remember being taken to watch one of last steam services in my home town, I was 2 🤣. To commit to a wide range of scales would be expensive but Hornby could play their trump card and release TT:120 Eurostar variants in the ‘Home’ Brand, Jouef TT:120 Hornby TT:120 Arnold TT:120 and Lima TT:120. That would put the cat amongst the pigeons.

@Generic Hornby Username we did discuss this in the International section, Hornby absolutely MUST get a Eurostar out first. The standard of Hornby TT:120 is premium and while I have long been a massive fan of Piko models (so capable and reliable!) the detail is a little more basic. I’m hoping the reception of 125s has focused attention towards delivering a Eurostar. It’s not likely that I would buy one for High Fell but for the good of the scale and Hornby profits I would even be ok with my 9fs being slightly delayed…. 😳

I wasn’t aware 50 and 37 shared the same bogie design, famously 55s had the uprated version of 37 bogie, I think it had extra webbing for 100mpg rated running and the 37 was rated at 90mph. At end of service many Deltics had their bogies swapped into 37’s , possibly even preserved Dektics are actually on 37 bogies. All this means Hornby need to make a deltic and quick 😁

Great news that companies are looking at TT:120 being a scale they can get involved in, typically though there is always a lot of chatter at shows so I will restrain myself until we see products coming out. 😁

9f is THE most important model Hornby need to get launched because I really want one (or two) 🤣but back to the real world, I think the statement was based to what was upcoming at the time and not a desperately accurate projection. If there was a wide range of 37’s offered at launch, I think Hornby would need to commit to a very substantial stock and keep them freely available for a long time (almost permanently) That’s not an ideal business model and less attractive to modellers. Small batches helps people’s finances and numbers can change etc, it does depend on how often re runs would be made though. 37 in at least 4 era/livery variants should be a staple of the range

I found a a long video of KMWLive on YouTube, covered loads of the show. Quite a bit of TT:120 action too 👍

That’s what was going through my mind as I wrote 🤣

Insides have been changed a few times over the years and it’s already overdue a case ‘refresh’ to keep things looking ‘on trend’

They are largely hand made but even so if you are not happy, I’d return it. I wouldn’t say mine or any I have seen are chunky, something sounds a bit off on that one. I know resin stuff can come a bit wonky, if that happens, pop it in hot water for 10 mins and you can tweak them into shape