Quote from: Newportnobby on December 14, 2025, 10:22:24 PMA huge shame
Such an impressive structure deserves repairs so I'd like to hear of any appeal for funds please

I have forwarded your offer to Moray Council. You will no doubt hear from them requesting several million pounds in due course......

 

Quote from: EtchedPixels on December 14, 2025, 10:26:31 PMA poll doesn't tell you much without a price attached.

Lots of people wanted Virgin Mark II coaches. Rather less of them wanted to pay forty quid for one 

Only £40? More likely to be around £50!    And that is at today's (Dec 2025) prices.

Quote from: Jollybob on December 15, 2025, 12:08:58 AMWe already know what the price is going to be, it's going to be ridiculously expensive. And it will be sold as a limited batch so people are going to pay for it regardless.
But if it is something that someone really, really wants then they will pay for it.

Rob.

Given that it was floated over 5 years ago and after that initial request for expressions of interest there has been no further mention or follow-up, I think we can confidently say that there will be the VERY Limited batch size of ZERO at the bargain price of Zero!!

I'm not entirely sure why someone has suddenly chosen to resurrect this thread after 5 years for a barely related grumble about Anti GWR bias... 

Quote from: Adam1701D on December 15, 2025, 10:33:44 AMI must admit a J70 would be quite appealing and a great boon to Thomas fans who would like something closer to scale.

A J70 would fit quite nicely alongside a range that also include a Terrier (Stepney), a 57xx (Duck), 14xx (Oliver), A1 (Gordon), A4 (Spencer) and class 35 (Bear)...

Or perhaps a range that had Bo-Co in N and a J40 plus matching coaches in OO?

I must admit a J70 would be quite appealing and a great boon to Thomas fans who would like something closer to scale.

Quote from: Jollybob on December 15, 2025, 12:08:58 AMWe already know what the price is going to be, it's going to be ridiculously expensive. And it will be sold as a limited batch so people are going to pay for it regardless.
But if it is something that someone really, really wants then they will pay for it.

Rob.

If a limited batch then inevitably the cost would be higher, as the smaller the production volume the more unit cost for each one will be. "Ridiculously expensive" is subjective, the person commissioning the model would need to at the very least cover their costs as will everyone else in the supply chain, but ideally make a return.

To take the example of the NGS Hunslet (albeit I understand 4,500 were made across the liveries) nobody could ever say that £82 (to members only) is ridiculously expensive, for a model with DCC and "stay alive" on board it is an absolute bargain and easily worth the cost of membership on top without taking any other NGS benefits into consideration so it really does depend on the business model of the person or company supplying it.

Where I kind of agree is that someone will pay a premium for a model they really want, but the key is to find a product where enough people will do that, but also price isn't totally elastic, there will always be a point at which too many potential customers will pass.

Roy

Thank you for the kind observations, Bob.

If anything, the speed control is even better now that I've got Zimo sound decoders and a modicum of stay-alive, in all the locos. I found the ESU's were fine, but the Zimo's seem to be next level. It's also a testament to the quality of original Poole-era Farish loco mechanisms that they all run so well, some of them nearly half a century after manufacture.

Even though my son and I have only just commissioned Elevator Mk2, he is now working on Mk3, which promises to be an even better construction/design. He also has it in mind to make it "assemble yourself", which will be a good thing as I'm in Sydney and he's about to spend 2 years in New York! For those on the forum who are still thirsting for a N-elevator, our Mk3 might be able to fill a spot. Watch this space!

Sharkey51
What a great layout you have even without your elevatotor the detail and the speed control is really good congratulations .
Bob

These are a good Idea. I've built 3D printer kits in the past and it looks like these use the same types of hardware; stepper motors, lead screws, linear bearings on guide rails etc. there's no reason why they couldn't be built long enough for full HST or Pendo sets - it's just a matter of cost.

Though the components these are made out of really aren't expensive so anyone with the knowledge could DIY one however by the time you get it all together into a kit and put it out there for sale there are a lot of costs to recoup - so pretty much the same as anything else in the hobby really!

DCC-EX has stepper motor control functionality so that's the way I would go, then it could be controlled as just another layout accessory, any completely automated if I wanted.

I'm planning to make a horizontal traverser in this way one day, which is much the same really.

Will.

@Bealman  With an own goal? - hmmmm ... not sure why you are being quite so celebrartory ... obviously just the Toon being charitable with an early Christmas gift for the Southerners...