Hi all, Jimmy's latest video was very interesting and I thought well worth a share. Those of you not into DCC-EX or T-TRAK etc may not have heard of him as he's a US modeller but still a great channel.


In this video he goes over some data from a recent market research report into the state of model railways in 2026. Lots of good news! The key points:

- The whole market is forecast to go through very robust growth as millenials and gen Z (ages 20-40 or so) return to traditional hobbies.

- N scale (not sure if our N gauge is included) is the growth market, with demand driven by pressures on living space.

- Brick and mortar stores are beginning to dwindle but it isn't a indicative of spending contraction or a shrinking market.

- Smaller layouts and module standards are increasingly popular.

- There is an unmet demand for entry level models that manufacturers would do well to investigate to encourage this emerging market of younger modellers.

So this is all really good news for us! I'd be interested in your thoughts if you have any, as this focused mostly on North America, Europe and Asia, we're kind of our own "thing" I think!

What annoyed me was that the "spin to win" discount did not apply across the board - only on certain items as far as I could see.. Noted just now that they are also offering a 5% bank holiday discount... all a bit crazy really - I think I would be happier with simple consistent pricing rather than "social media games" .....

Quote from: kusojiji on Yesterday at 02:30:15 PMWhat a crock of sh!t!

Chatting with  Rails right now. They say it never happened.    

What a crock of sh!t!

Unhappy upgraded to enraged!

As soon as my Rails of Sheffield "Spin to Win" expired, I checked the prices again and... reduced back to "normal!!"  

While I was on-the-clock the prices were all bumped up 10 or more pounds per item, completely negating the discount.   

i can join in the pandemic, was about to replace the dogs collar when he pulled me over landing on my left shoulder , hitting my head on his cage***..

This joins my right shoulder injured 9 months ago when I tripped over at the sailing club..

Both are still painful at times though nothing broken..

***dogs cage covered in a old blanket, it was a place of security for our previous dog to hide in during loud noises like thunder or military aircraft exercising overhead, our current dog uses it as his bedroom, but luckily he doesn't mind load noises.

Rails pulled a fast-one...

I get a "spin to win" email like we all did, but when I go to look at locos a lot of the prices are up as well.

Stores do that over here, too. Claim some big % off sale, but raise the price of the item before the "sale."

Borderline angry thread material. 

The Tesco white reefers please

Looking at period photos on Flickr I'd suggest plough fitted class 47s were in the minority. It could be the spread was related to which depot the loco was allocated - Inverness or Aberdeen based locos may be more likely to carry them for example.

Ploughs were certainly more common amongst other classes - 26 and 27 carried them much more regularly for example; This may be down to them spending more time on the more remote lines.

Sadly the type of music in the Pat Metheny clip did nothing for me. I kept expecting Huggy Bear to appear!! (Antonio Fargas in 'Miami Vice')