Collective wisdom of the NGF!
Various threads on social media have got me thinking about whether this is an expensive hobby. The recent arrival of various Farish coaches at over £40 a piece certainly seems to make this look like a rich man's hobby.
So, I'm curious whether any of you think there actually are good value products in the modern hobby? I was looking at some of the Dapol coaches today, and even if they're not recent releases, the Gresley coaches (light-bar ready, separately fitted details, nicely done lettering and numbers) struck me as surprisingly good value at £22 a pop. I'd rate the Collett coaches as not far off them in quality, and similar in price.
Again from Dapol, their six-wheel milk tankers remain inexpensive by modern standards, and even if they're a bit generic in detailing, they're well made and do the job nicely, and since you only need a few to replicate realistic milk traffic, getting 5-6 isn't going to break the bank.
Can anyone else think of any products out there that buck the seeming trend towards the ever more expensive?
Cheers, NeMo
I think a degree of perspective is needed.
It depends on what exactly you want and how urgently you want it.
I have eight new tooling Jubilees. One cost me £110, the rest were under £60 each. I have somewhere in the region of 40 (don't tell you know who) locos, and with the exception of that Jubilee and the SDJR 4F I haven't spent over £90 on any of them, in fact most have been less than £60. I've two lovely rakes of coaches, approximately £12/coach, all latest tooling.
If you're prepared to be patient, it's not an expensive hobby.
The fly in the ointment, however, is the more niche/select manufacturers like RevolutioN and Sonic. If you like what they're offering then you probably need to get in early and take advantage of the early bird prices. You'll have to wait a long time to get their stock at discount/reduced prices as they're relatively limited production numbers.
If you want the latest and the best, and you want it now, then it's going to be pricey. If you're on a tight budget and are happy with the older models, then it can be fairly cheap. I think I'm somewhere in the middle.
I'm not sure I've answered Neale's question however. Would I buy a £40 coach? Not a chance. Would I buy a brand new 8F? Absolutely.
It's all subjective.
I have to agree, value is in the eye of the beholder, and not necessarily related to cost.
So I'd talk about expense, rather than value.
I can't really comment on NeMo's original question as to whether there are products that buck the trend of increasing prices.
However, I feel that the cost of N Scale locomotives and stock has gone above the threshold between what is acceptable and what is expensive.
I can, if I want, afford to buy new locos and stock but haven't done so, with the exception of one Union Mills loco, for two years now and I have no intention of doing so, no matter how much I might desire a particular product.
That's just my view. Others will disagree but it is the way I view things. Everything has a price above which I'm not prepared to go I'm afraid.
At present Dapol and Peco seem to offer much better value than Farish, IMHO. Some of the Farish prices for quite basic wagons are just getting silly, even after the customary box-shifter discount.
PW
Quote from: emjaybee on October 29, 2020, 06:34:31 PM
I'm not sure I've answered Neale's question however. Would I buy a £40 coach? Not a chance. Would I buy a brand new 8F? Absolutely.
I almost mentioned the LMS 8F, which (as I've said on Facebook, and will say in Journal 1/21) is actually quite good value. Compared with the Dapol 9F which cost about the same when released, the Farish 8F is sturdier, runs much more quietly, isn't tender-drive (yay!), and includes a built-in speaker. So its specification probably justifies the ~£145 price tag. It's not a loco I'd recommend to someone starting out (not least of all because you'd need 20+ wagons behind it if you wanted to use it realistically) but at the same time, it's not overpriced. It's a good loco.
@Yet_Another (https://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=profile;u=4156), while I agree with you 100%, I think the 'value' vs. 'cost' issue is a bit of a red herring. When you're introducing someone to the hobby, you want to be able to point at products that are inexpensive, useful, and look good. Hence, I'd argue there's got to be some good value products out there, else recruiting new blood will be hard. It seems to be that while Dapol and Peco cater to that, I'm less convinced that Farish have what might be called a 'value' range of products.
Cheers, NeMo
Although I agree Ready to run is getting expensive, having recently downsized from O gauge, I find Five79 and NGS kits very good value.
JP
N Gauge is never going to beat OO in the value for money stakes. But it has never been easier to buy second-hand for reasonable prices.
RTR RRP is expensive yes. A lot of the time they get discounted after a time in stock but you have to run the risk of them going out of stock completely. Luckily I model GWR shirtbutton so these loco's are often found in an online bargain bucket as the least popular livery thank goodness (personally I really like it, always have). But as said above, you can always get a baragin/decent bundle if you are patient and don't need the items straight away.
I have been buying a lot of NGS wagon kits lately and think they are great value for money and the quality surpasses some other kit sellers, it's just unfortunate that there are a lack of N scale kits out there when compared to the other scales (time I got some of those CAD wagon designs finished and made up I think).
Yes, Neale; I think good value can be found.
I believe that price is what one pays and value is what one gets.
Here's my list:
Track - Peco;
DC Control equipment - Gaugemaster;
Locomotives - Union Mills;
Carriages - Dapol (as you mentioned);
Goods stock - Peco;
Building kits - Kestrel (or Metcalfe);
Little bits and pieces - Harburn Hamlet, PD Marsh and Osborne's;
Road vehicles - Oxford Diecast.
I use all of these on my layout and they are of excellent quality and provide lots of fun (and minimum irritation) for a fair price. I consider them all to be excellent value. We are so lucky to have them.
With best wishes.
John (a satisfied customer)
Quote from: Train Waiting on October 29, 2020, 08:35:39 PM
Yes, Neale; I think good value can be found.
I believe that price is what one pays and value is what one gets.
Here's my list:
Track - Peco;
DC Control equipment - Gaugemaster;
Locomotives - Union Mills;
Carriages - Dapol (as you mentioned);
Goods stock - Peco;
Building kits - Kestrel (or Metcalfe);
Little bits and pieces - Harburn Hamlet, PD Marsh and Osborne's;
Road vehicles - Oxford Diecast.
I use all of these on my layout and they are of excellent quality and provide lots of fun (and minimum irritation) for a fair price. I consider them all to be excellent value. We are so lucky to have them.
With best wishes.
John (a satisfied customer)
I largely agree with John although I think Dapol and Farish locos at just over £100 are reasonably good value. The Peco wagon kits are excellent value.
I think the Dapol Gresleys are excellent value for money at £22 each. My advice is if you see a bargain don't leave it too long to make your purchase. These days it seems that by the time another batch is produced the retail price has risen substantially. Recent Farish prices are a good example of this. Locos such as the Class 14 which were around £60 a few years ago are now over £100!
If you take the price of Farish locomotives today and compare it with Farish of say 25 years ago plus inflation, you will probably find that they are reasonably comparable.
However, coaching stock and wagons are a different matter, they have become very expensive and to me a luxury item. As others have said PECO and Society kits generally fill the reasonably priced gap.
For instance You can buy two PECO brake vans for the price of one Farish and probably still have change.
Mike H 8)
Hi Neale,
Did you mean, is N Gauge Railway modelling expensive compared to other hobbies, or, do people on this forum find it to be expensive?
I think the first question is a good one to ask and might put things in perspective.
The second one has been done to death loads of times and should get this thread locked. :no:
Regards,
John P
The comparison to other hobbies is interesting, but all that shows is that it's relative and depends entirely what your yardstick is. If you do crossword puzzles then it probably seems eye wateringly expensive. If you like drag racing Rolls-Royces then less so!
I used to do a lot of cycling, and particularly mountain bike racing, and the big difference between the two is the ongoing spend required. Build a layout, buy some stock and, within reason, you don't need to ever spend another penny. People are driven by wanting to expand their fleet. However, there's a very buoyant second hand market with strong residual values to recoup costs. For me this equates to excellent value, regardless of the actual capital outlay.
With mountain biking you buy a bike for ~£4000, which these days is mid-range. Then you need to make sure suspension parts are serviced, for £300 a year or so, or you risk big bills. Tyres are £80 a pair, and you'll want at least a few sets, which will last a year or so. A transmission can be £400, and again probably annual. Brake pads are £30 a set, and can be very easily destroyed in a single race, say 5 sets a year. Then at the end of the year that bike, however immaculate you've kept it will only be worth £2000 if you're lucky. This year I also cracked a frame, and wore out a wheel rim on a road bike; forced cost of £1000 and £200 respectively, the other option was to not have that bike at all. I was fortunate that I'm happy building my own bikes and wheels, otherwise you can add £300 labour into that as well.
Then motor racing, or keeping horses, makes both look disgustingly cheap!
I think it's very good value as a hobby, you can buy the super high fidelity new stuff the moment it lands, you can seek out better value products - it's undeniable that Dapol are consistently undercutting Farish on models of apparently comparable standard. Dapol's new 221s at £225 for a 5-car unit versus Farish's 4-car 220 at £400 show that somehow Dapol appear to have weathered the price rises far better. You can get Poole era Farish and Minitrix coaches for a small sums if you're truly on a budget, and then if you change your mind you can just sell it all. Great value in my mind!
I don't buy stuff very often at all anymore (last purchase from NewportNobby), but if I see something new in the press, (including the NGSJ), and I really want it, then I'm prepared to pay top dollar for it.
The post above basically sums it up.
We interrupt this month's debate on N gauge pricing to attempt to answer the OP's original question:
Quote from: NeMo on October 29, 2020, 06:09:39 PM
Can anyone else think of any products out there that buck the seeming trend towards the ever more expensive?
The recent Kernow/EFE/Distributed By Bachmann Class 17 was surpringly not eye-wateringly expensive for a brand new(ish) tooling British outline loco.
(Says someone who has just purchased a brand new tooling Japanese loco acquired at normal retail price for the equivalent of GBP 42.60).
The question is a bit of a contradiction though.
To buck the trend of increasing prices would mean a price dropping, and I'm not aware of any of those. New products can be good value, but they can't buck a trend of rising prices, because there's nothing before to compare them to. Ie it's not like a loco costs x and a wagon costs y, therefore these go against this.
EFE are intriguingly good value given they're Bachmann, and Farish products have been subject to huge price rises in the last few years. The new Dapol Dogfish looks excellent value, as do the new runs of 66s, there are definite examples out there.
Just to add my own penny-worth, it can be a cheap or an expensive hobby, depending on your approach.
If you want it to be an expensive hobby:
* Model modern mainline trains, so you need many, many almost identical coaches and wagons, plus a stable of matching locos whose liveries flip every five minutes.
* Buy the latest whatever, the minute it's available.
* Go DCC with sound, layout automation and signalling, for infinite opportunities to invest more money.
If you want it to be a cheap hobby:
* Choose a context where short trains suit.
* Buy after the rush
* Buy second hand
* Modify (convert, add details, renumber, repaint) older models.
* Build from kits or 3D prints
* Make things from stuff found around the house.
* Drive trains, uncouple rakes, operate signals and points manually.
Very few people sit exclusively in either one of those caricature camps; we all spend our time and money differently to get the railway we each want.
This makes it a very inclusive hobby - we might envy (say) Rod Stewart's (https://www.google.com/search?q=Rod+Stewart+model+train+layout) layout and collection, but everyone can own a model railway that suits their pocket.
Mike
It's much harder (and expensive too!) getting hold of secondhand models of the following:
green diesels and multiple units;
maroon carriages (especially non-Mk1s);
some privatisation era liveries are hard to find e.g. Dapol only did one run of FGW Local Lines 153s.
However BR early crest locos and crimson/cream stock are easier to track down and are often discounted even when new
There's always going to be certain examples of models that are 'rare', but the market is fickle and even those come and go.
I bought a Dapol 86 in Swallow livery for £50 on clearance from Kernow. Fast forward a couple of years and they were going for £200 on eBay. I've no idea what the market's done on those now frankly!
I think it's easy to think that the stuff you want is in short supply, whilst others have it easy. To my mind it appears that steam era coaches and PO wagons are constantly available, and dirt cheap, but the reality is, I'm sure, that if you want a specific livery or model that they're just as hard to come by as something I'd be interested in.
But to that end, if you really must have a certain model it'll be more expensive. I hope Chris Morris of this parish won't mind me using his example lately of the Farish mk2f coaches, which he appraised as too expensive, and instead bought a full Dapol HST for less money; great pragmatism! Where someone who 'needed' the mk2s would have had 'no choice' (heavy emphasis on needing and choice!).
As a Continental / European N modeller since the 80s (and British N before that) I would say that the prices for brand new locos and stock went way over my subconscious perception of their worth *to me* some years ago, but that's probably because I've been at it so long I still remember the prices from previous decades and I'm still running perfectly fine models from those days. As a consequence I buy very little brand new nowadays except the occasional "really must have" item.
On the other hand I can regularly find mint or near mint recent production locos etc. on ebay at good prices - say £60-£70 for a loco which would easily retail for £120 - £150 or more, and corresponding reductions for the more expensive models. I know I can rely on the qualities of all the major brands, or at least have the confidence that I can sort out almost any issue. Restoring cheap bargains I occasionally acquire is part of the fun :)
There certainly are "start set" packages out there which are worth considering for new starters as a way in, and there are cheap "hobby" items of stock based on old tooling and/or simplified detail but still good (think the equivalent of Hornby Railroad).
Is this "good value"? I suppose if you look at things objectively then paying many pounds for tiny toys must seem questionable from outside of the hobby, but the same can be said for any hobby.
I don't have a lot to contribute as I've always had disposable income to spend on my hobby rather than a 'must have' holiday, the latest phone etc so, if I want something that conceivably fits my modelled era/location I will buy it and not think "that's expensive".
I still fail to understand how Farish's prices have risen so much more than Dapol's and agree Dapol's rolling stock is tremendous value in comparison. I won't/can't buy 2nd hand motive power as I'm unable to mend them if they're not perfect. Brand new that doesn't work straight away goes back whence it came.
I do have to congratulate RevolutioN on the level they apply their 'early bird' pricing as, so far, I have found it extremely reasonable (that's probably not a good thing to say in case it changes) and I'll always use that facility.
Maybe the biggest difference nowadays is that, whereas before I'd buy more than one of a class quite happily, it's now mainly just the one
As for every model I buy I build one, the price of second hand locos is therefore a significant part of my spend and they have definitely gone up during lockdown.
I read yesterday that Hornby's sales have gone up by 34% this year and they are even making a profit. I can only assume that the across the scales most manufacturers are having a good year, assuming they can get stock from their manufacturers in China etc. and the shortage and demand is pushing up the second hand prices.
I buy what rolling stock I like when I can afford it, and if possible at a lower than SRP/RRP amount.
I think it is good value, based on the fact that whatever I buy makes me happy every time I look at it, run it, or otherwise enjoy it. Yes, most are seemingly expensive to a man in his late sixties with a reduced income, but then everything else electrical/mechanical seems that way these days. But it is only seeming. For instance, yesterday, for quite inexplicable reasons, I found the £35 vacuum cleaner I bought in 1973 (when I was living on a very reduced income indeed) would today equate to a cost of about £326.
Given the vastly improved quality of modern rolling stock in terms of accuracy and detail, prices ain't that bad - though I still reserve the right to exclaim "How much?!?!" :o whenever I like.
It's all relative, and one of my relatives, my wife in fact, has quite a differing view lately. But then her increasingly questioning comments when a new package for me arrives at the door are matched by my own when packages of this and that arrive for her. And thus we maintain the happy status quo.
And that's important in these uncertain times where the value of 'things' is very much secondary to the value of the enjoyment of life. And life itself.
Quote from: Newportnobby on October 30, 2020, 11:20:08 AM
Maybe the biggest difference nowadays is that, whereas before I'd buy more than one of a class quite happily, it's now mainly just the one
I can definitely agree with this. Once upon a time there'd be those deals and offers where "it'd be rude not to" take advantage of them, and so I've ended up with two 86s, two 37s, three Class 14s, three 08s, three 'Westerns', two 'Warships' and two 9Fs!
But those sorts of deals don't seem to come up much anymore. Presumably that means Hattons et al don't need to shift a lot of unsold stock, which must, I suppose, imply that selling stock at near-RRP prices is working fine for them.
With this said, I've more or less stopped buying UK stuff and starting looking more at American and Japanese trains. It's not so much the amount of train you get for your money as the greater certainty I have that the train will run reliably out of the box. With prices of even older spec models (like, say, the Dapol 33s) well over the £100 mark, my tolerance for flaky LED lights or split gears has decreased. I don't feel the same 'risk' when buying a Kato model.
Cheers, NeMo
Quote from: daffy on October 30, 2020, 11:36:38 AM
It's all relative, and one of my relatives, my wife in fact, has quite a differing view lately. But then her increasingly questioning comments when a new package for me arrives at the door are matched by my own when packages of this and that arrive for her. And thus we maintain the happy status quo.
@daffy (https://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=profile;u=5634)
Are you both buying Choo Choos? :D
Quote from: Newportnobby on October 30, 2020, 11:55:06 AM
Quote from: daffy on October 30, 2020, 11:36:38 AM
It's all relative, and one of my relatives, my wife in fact, has quite a differing view lately. But then her increasingly questioning comments when a new package for me arrives at the door are matched by my own when packages of this and that arrive for her. And thus we maintain the happy status quo.
@daffy (https://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=profile;u=5634)
Are you both buying Choo Choos? :D
I wish! :D
I did ask her what particular loco would she like to see running on the layout but she was wise to that and refused to answer. :(
It's all about how much "disposable" income you have & how you choose to spend it. The kids have all left home, we have "downsized" accordingly so we're doing OK.
I have in the past sent thousands on modifying cars, in terms of resale value I can tell you that N Gauge stacks up far better than that as a hobby!!!
Anyway, my latest "investment :D" should be waiting at home for me tonight.....
To pinch a phrase and change it slightly - value is in the eye of the purchaser!
I have collected LNER models extensively in the past, and most of my collection was purchased either second hand, or below recommended price. Even today, if I see anything new in LNER livery, I try to get it when the price is reduced (in other words I have yet to buy any of the new Farish Thompson coaches, despite how lovely they look!)
However, I also now model PKP - the railways of Poland. As you can imagine these can be rather few and far between, and so I have bought a collection of stock that, when my garage workshop is ready (yes I have been saying this for years - but at least I now have a garage... :-[ ) I intend to repaint and re-purpose. The trouble I now have is that PKP stock is appearing on the market ready to run - but, as they are from Continental manufacturers, they are rather expensive. I have one truck on watch on E-Bay, which is nearly £40, and I recently purchased one second-hand truck from Germany for just over £15, including postage - which I thought was reasonable!
So, I think that, if you are careful and purchase what you want from sources where the price is what you are prepared to pay, then yes it can be 'good value'! ANd of course remember that what is good value is different to all of us!
Quote from: Paul B on October 30, 2020, 05:24:45 PM
However, I also now model PKP - the railways of Poland....
You can't stay stuff like that in MY thread and NOT expect to be asked to write something for the
Journal!
Cheers, Neale
If you think model railways are expensive, you obviously don't know any musicians...
Cheers,
Chris
I tend to measure "value" as more than hard £££s but it is in any case relative and all views are equally valid. For example in cash terms, I think the Farish C Class at £115 discounted is exceptional value for a model which is plug and play for DCC sound. Add a Next 18 sound chip of your choice for about £100 with a sound file on it, and you have an exquisitely detailed and finished smooth running sound fitted model for £215 when even now a bespoke sound fit will add up to more like £300 all in. The "value" of enjoyment that the sound brings (to me) is then another measure.
One thing I am convinced of though is that there is a world of difference between "cheap" and "value", the first doesn't equate to the second. Yes, the Farish Thompsons are expensive at about £36 a pop discounted, but they are exquisite - you get what you pay for and the value is relative.
Roy
Economical modelling; buy Union Mills locos, forget Sound and DCC; be prepared to do some work improving the models, like adding vac pipes, lamp irons and other small detail parts, or buy second hand including a couple of "spares or repair" to get some cheap practice at repairs followed by a sense of achievement and pride .
Build kits, especially buildings and other scenic items, once you've built a few kits, next step is to gofor downloaded kit plans and brick paper images like Scalescenes (tip print them on A4 self adhesive label stock - no messing with glue and waiting for it to dry stick it onto card (Cereal boxes for card) and cut it out yourself, after a while you could well find yourself modifying kits even working out your own designs - or you may want to make a model of a specific building.
It's all part of being a modeller rather than a collector. "Look what I made" is a lot better than "look what I bought"
Quote from: Roy L S on October 30, 2020, 06:07:59 PM
One thing I am convinced of though is that there is a world of difference between "cheap" and "value", the first doesn't equate to the second. Yes, the Farish Thompsons are expensive at about £36 a pop discounted, but they are exquisite - you get what you pay for and the value is relative.
I think you can argue this both ways. The Thompson coaches are indeed lovely. Certainly, the printed teak effect is exquisite, and things like maker's plates and coach numbers are beautifully applied. The paintwork extends to the wheels -- a nice touch! On the other hand, they're not light bar ready, and I think I'm correct in saying the NEM sockets are on the bogies, not the body, which seems a step back from the Farish Mk2As.
So while they're something like £15 more expensive than the Dapol Gresley coaches, I'm not convinced they're (almost!) twice as good. The Dapol coaches have light bar ready bogies and fittings, which certainly nudges them ahead in that regard (especially if we're talking about the value of a DCC sound-ready locomotive like the Farish C-class as benchmark).
I stress that I'm not asking about cheap models. Absolutely not. I see no mileage in going back to Lima days! What I'm interested in are products you, and the NGF generally, would recommend to beginners as good value -- i.e., investments that will be useful and reliable for years to come.
Cheers, NeMo
I think I paid 40 quid for a Minitrix Evening Star in the late 80s, they can fetch double that now. Value for money?
Quote from: daffy on October 30, 2020, 11:58:49 AM
I did ask her what particular loco would she like to see running on the layout but she was wise to that and refused to answer. :(
That made me chuckle :)
Quote from: NeMo on October 30, 2020, 06:50:04 PM
Quote from: Roy L S on October 30, 2020, 06:07:59 PM
One thing I am convinced of though is that there is a world of difference between "cheap" and "value", the first doesn't equate to the second. Yes, the Farish Thompsons are expensive at about £36 a pop discounted, but they are exquisite - you get what you pay for and the value is relative.
I think I'm correct in saying the NEM sockets are on the bogies, not the body, which seems a step back from the Farish Mk2As.
Hi NeMo
No, the Thompsons have kinematic close coupling just like other recent releases from Farish and Dapol, and as delivered they are beautifully close-coupled.
The regression to bogie mounted couplings appears to be on the most recently released Farish Mk2s only so far, and as far as they go, it is hard not to consider it a regression.
Regards
Roy
Quote from: NeMo on October 30, 2020, 05:44:53 PM
Quote from: Paul B on October 30, 2020, 05:24:45 PM
However, I also now model PKP - the railways of Poland....
You can't stay stuff like that in MY thread and NOT expect to be asked to write something for the Journal!
Cheers, Neale
Oh damn - where's the delete button... :o
Quote from: Roy L S on October 30, 2020, 07:56:15 PM
No, the Thompsons have kinematic close coupling just like other recent releases from Farish and Dapol, and as delivered they are beautifully close-coupled. The regression to bogie mounted couplings appears to be on the most recently released Farish Mk2s only so far, and as far as they go, it is hard not to consider it a regression.
You are quite right. Nigel reviewed those rather than me, so I didn't get to handle them. The Mk2Fs I did review (for Journal 6/20) and I agree, the bogie-mounted couplings are an odd move. Perhaps they're more reliable? I do have at least one of the Mk2As where the coupling lists to one side, I think because a spring or something has failed. But otherwise: I maintain that the absence of light bar fittings on Farish coaches is a shortcoming (and it's not just Dapol that have these, but the likes of Kato as well).
Quote from: Paul B on October 30, 2020, 08:29:43 PM
Oh damn - where's the delete button... :o
Hah! Not getting off that easily.
I'm very serious about getting more non-UK stuff in the Journal. We have about 10% of the NGS members who don't model the UK at all, and a sizeable chunk of the rest collect or model non-UK prototypes alongside their primary UK modelling focus. But the Journal doesn't have anything like a 10% proportion of non-UK features, and I'd really like to see that fixed.
So if you'd like to submit something, please do.
Cheers, NeMo
Quote from: NeMo on October 30, 2020, 08:36:58 PM
Quote from: Paul B on October 30, 2020, 08:29:43 PM
Oh damn - where's the delete button... :o
Hah! Not getting off that easily.
I'm very serious about getting more non-UK stuff in the Journal. We have about 10% of the NGS members who don't model the UK at all, and a sizeable chunk of the rest collect or model non-UK prototypes alongside their primary UK modelling focus. But the Journal doesn't have anything like a 10% proportion of non-UK features, and I'd really like to see that fixed.
So if you'd like to submit something, please do.
Cheers, NeMo
Well - also switching to serious mode (brush the cobwebs off...) although I say that I model PKP, it is more of a collection of bits and pieces acquired over a period of time, with an eventual aim to put together a Polish themed layout. And the baseboard for that is in the aforementioned garage! :-[ I am always on the lookout for suitable models to get round to converting for Polish outline, and have quite a collection squirreled away. I was asked a few months ago to write something for the Forum on freight models for Polish outline in N gauge - but working from home and other priorities (wife wanted bedroom redecorated... :worried:) has put that back too.
OK - how does this sound? I will get something written up for the Forum on Polish freight stock and its availability, and post it on its own in the Continental section. If this goes OK, and you like the look of it, I will see if I can get something written for the Journal? (although I am not presently a member of the N Gauge Society - may have to rejoin?)
Quote from: Paul B on October 30, 2020, 08:50:39 PM
OK - how does this sound? I will get something written up for the Forum on Polish freight stock and its availability, and post it on its own in the Continental section. If this goes OK, and you like the look of it, I will see if I can get something written for the Journal? (although I am not presently a member of the N Gauge Society - may have to rejoin?)
By all means get your creative juices flowing on the NGF.
Then, as/when you're a member of the NGS (and yes, you do need to be a member to appear in the Journal) drop me a line! I'm sure even an overview of what's available for the potential modeller of the Polish scene would make for interesting reading. There is an active 'World Wide Group (https://ngaugesociety.org/274-2/)' in the NGS that has its own (electronic, bi-monthly) magazine called The Globe. If you've not seen it, you might well find it interesting.
Cheers, NeMo
Quote from: NeMo link=topic=51909.msg674986#msg674986But otherwise: I maintain that the absence of light bar fittings on Farish coaches is a shortcoming (and it's not just Dapol that have these, but the likes of Kato as well).
Pickups for light bar installation are pretty much standard in Japan and have been for at least the last three decades. The only Kato models which don't have them are those still produced from very old tooling like the Kokuden EMUs.