Pleasant enough, Martin, but I was not moved in any way

This probably won't be a great hit with those that read this thread but here goes :

The Bluetones have been a favourite of Mrs PP and I almost since their inception in 1996.
Indeed we have seen them live on several occasions - probably 11 or 12 times.

For those who don't know their music they sit somewhere between The Stone Roses and Oasis in the Brit indie/ pop rock genre.

Leader and singer Mark Morris has an engaging somewhat nasal style but his enunciation is particularly clear.

Anyway here is Cheap Hotel from their new album :

Incidentally their usual set ending rendition of their much earlier (2001 I think) song "If" is, to my mind, one of the best and most rousing finishes to a concert that I've heard but you have to be there to appreciate it properly.

Others will, of course, disagree.

Quote from: njee20 on May 02, 2026, 10:59:09 PMAnyway, wasn't my intention to derail the thread as that's a small part of the report!

I don't mind mate, I think it's actually a really important conversation to have because it helps people who are interested in that kind of thing to know how and where to position it and who to put it in front of to get interest.

It's fairly evident that "hey, long time traditional exhibition layout enthusiasts, look at this!" probably isn't viable xD!

When I was at the NEC last weekend, I had a single module with a loop of compact Unitrack just to display my alumina wagons, but the most interest came from parents on the Sunday who could immediately see the value of it as a family activity that can be put away once played with. They said it had all the appeal it a traditional train set, but with the added value of having some scope for bite sized modelling and storytelling. Which was unexpected!

I think perhaps the time may soon come for a national T-TRAK club or something, where members can organise displays, socials and pop ups to put that particular niche of the hobby in front of the right people, because it could be one of a few avenues for people to enter the wider hobby and add more fuel to that engine of growth that we're already seeing. Which is good for all of us, especially N gaugers !

Quote from: kusojiji on May 02, 2026, 11:20:32 PM

Quote from: scottmitchell74 on May 02, 2026, 04:33:55 PMThe latest outrage:

I have one n gauge loco in my cart. They are charging 44.50 for DHL Worldwide Express. I'm not being given the 17.99 Royal Mail option.

The person said the reason is, "The cost of the model."

That's such a low effort answer and is obviously not true. When I put the same model or a more expensive one in my cart at TMC it's... 17.99! Also, a few months ago I ordered a sound fitted loco and the shipping? 17.99.
 

I also had issue with shipping with them. They gave me a rate that was twice the normal amount at Royal Mail. When I inquired, they told me that they had made a mistake when the put the model into their system (a Hornby Peckett), so it automatically gave a higher rate for the weight. They fixed it, but I cancelled the order anyway.

I had such an issue for two items of the same weight and size which were ordered separately - where they priced the second at more than the first. I objected and got a refund of the difference. As I remember it the reason given was that the second was put into a unecessarily larger shipping box...

Colin. 

Quote from: scottmitchell74 on May 02, 2026, 04:33:55 PMThe latest outrage:

I have one n gauge loco in my cart. They are charging 44.50 for DHL Worldwide Express. I'm not being given the 17.99 Royal Mail option.

The person said the reason is, "The cost of the model."

That's such a low effort answer and is obviously not true. When I put the same model or a more expensive one in my cart at TMC it's... 17.99! Also, a few months ago I ordered a sound fitted loco and the shipping? 17.99.
 

I also had issue with shipping with them. They gave me a rate that was twice the normal amount at Royal Mail. When I inquired, they told me that they had made a mistake when the put the model into their system (a Hornby Peckett), so it automatically gave a higher rate for the weight. They fixed it, but I cancelled the order anyway.

Yep that's the one. I'm glad people enjoy building/operating modular layouts, they're just not for me. But then I'm not interested in the social aspect particularly, so maybe that's a factor as well.

Anyway, wasn't my intention to derail the thread as that's a small part of the report!

Quote from: njee20 on May 02, 2026, 02:29:40 PMI obviously don't represent the market, but for me they just grate visually. There are some US ones which are pretty good, I think it's Fareham or Gosport or someone who have a decent one, but in general I really dislike the wild variations from one module to the next, not to mention the fact they're generally just race track layouts with totally incongruous trains circulating endlessly.

Prob Gosport, there is a US Railroading N Gauge group round here, the Fareham group are more into UK prototypes, though think they are (mostly) OO if I recall right.

Quote from: njee20 on May 02, 2026, 02:29:40 PMI really dislike the wild variations from one module to the next, not to mention the fact they're generally just race track layouts with totally incongruous trains circulating endlessly. 

I understand the dislike of modular layouts, but from my experience they can bring people into modelling. The Yorkshire Area Group started with T-TRAK 3-4 years ago and since then we've seen more modelling being done by more members than we did in the 10 years before then.

By careful positioning of modules we avoid trains passing from 1960s Britain to modern day Swiss (without at least passing through France or Germany first). We've been successful enough to take home an award from an exhibition we showed at last year.

Modular layouts aren't for everyone, but they do offer a way into layout building with little risk of failure.

The latest outrage:

I have one n gauge loco in my cart. They are charging 44.50 for DHL Worldwide Express. I'm not being given the 17.99 Royal Mail option.

The person said the reason is, "The cost of the model."

That's such a low effort answer and is obviously not true. When I put the same model or a more expensive one in my cart at TMC it's... 17.99! Also, a few months ago I ordered a sound fitted loco and the shipping? 17.99.
 

Quote from: njee20 on May 02, 2026, 02:29:40 PM

Quote from: Will_J on May 02, 2026, 07:59:48 AMThe UK is generally much less interested in modular layouts than the US or Australia. Much less interested may even be grossly understating it. Established British hobbyists are comfortable with long established layout building traditions and are unlikely to adopt anything new I think, especially on the exhibition circuit.

I obviously don't represent the market, but for me they just grate visually. There are some US ones which are pretty good, I think it's Fareham or Gosport or someone who have a decent one, but in general I really dislike the wild variations from one module to the next, not to mention the fact they're generally just race track layouts with totally incongruous trains circulating endlessly. 

Don't get the appeal myself, I find it annoying when exhibitions devote a large chunk of floor space to a huge modular behemoth.

I think that's a reflection of how most of the British market feels about them from what I've seen and heard. They will tolerate micro layouts at exhibitions but it's definitely come across many times that disinterest veers into outright hostility towards module chains. I don't see it ever taking off here in the over 40s, and even with the younger market there's not much evidence of uptake. Which is a shame because it's a good way for people to achievably participate in the social/event side of the hobby without having to gestate a mature traditional exhibition layout for years.

I personally don't find any appeal in sprawling layouts which are prototypical, but feature lots of dead space with long periods of little or no train movement. But I know I'm in the minority, as those are the layouts that people pay to see at exhibitions.

So long story short, yeh that bit of the report doesn't apply to Britain.