Tested it out. The main rails carrying the voltage is good. However when it comes to the brass coloured rollers not all of them appear to pick up the voltage. I'm tempted just to bin it rather than experimenting with workarounds. 

Yes indeed. I sometimes wonder about myself 

Kernow and Gaugemaster have sent the same comms. Very interesting to see the retailers standing united. The whole thing appears to have left a very bitter taste in a lot of mouths, which I can understand frankly.

Trains4U's narrative on it was interesting - they're an Accurascale retailer and a Heljan one, but weren't told anything ahead of this, totally blindsided by it. I can't help but think Accurascale may need to climb down slightly on some of this.

Quote from: Bealman on March 26, 2026, 09:30:47 PMBealman update.

Well, I got transferred to Wollongong Hilton Private Hospital at 7am yesterday morning and had a good (ish) day. Highlight of which being a visit from Mrs B and her brother (who brought a couple of VBs with him - what a champion).

Er, wasn't it that that put you in hospital in the first place?

Seems to be some "support your independent retailer" content appearing on Facebook, I've had at least 2 emails with it too. (Rails and TMC)

Not one for me, sadly

Quote from: kusojiji on Yesterday at 11:06:21 AM

Quote from: Newportnobby on Yesterday at 10:05:07 AMA song that I like but I much prefer the Joe Cocker version

I didn't know he did this song. I just found it and wow, it is completely different. I don't recognize it at all.

How about this version from Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi with their band:

Quote from: Bealman on March 26, 2026, 09:30:47 PMOh, here's the view from Chez Hospital(Pacific Ocean in left distance):

Nice view. The old penal colony is starting to look quite civilised, isn't it??

News from Papyrus Calamity Corner, Mrs P has had her broken arm fixed (see Unhappy thread, 19th March) by a very nice young German sawbones. She now has a piece of Meccano in her arm (she was told she had the very expensive, Rolls-Royce version!). The operation took 2 hours, mainly because the bones weren't quite aligned and they had to juggle them a bit, but she got to watch the operation on a monitor! Wouldn't be my idea of relaxing telly, but each to their own.

Good to hear that Mrs B is up and about again. Hope you will be out of there soon and back to keeping the bus stop tidy.

All the best,

Chris

Quote from: Roy L S on Yesterday at 11:07:38 AM@Suffolk Rob in isolation I agree, the loss of Heljan products to retailers will for most model shops either be a minor inconvenience or if not stocked, have no impact at all.

It is the wider impact of the DTC (Direct to Consumer) model on the viability of model shops if it becomes more widely used by manufacturers that is the concern. Admittedly at this point it is only a theoretical concern and with Bachmann's ethos of not selling direct and only supplying bricks and mortar model shops there is hope it may not develop much further.

However with margins being squeezed there must be a temptation for some other manufacturers to consider the same approach over time. It may work for a while, but in my opinion it would in the end likely cause great harm to the hobby (and therefore their businesses) were it to become more widespread.

Roy

You may well be right Roy but I think this may be a specific case.

I base only on what I read rather than any knowledge but I get the impression that Heljan would either have been sold or gone out of business.

When I add to that my uniformed impression that Heljan price and quality didn't always match,I begin to think that Accurascale think there are worthwhile sales in the range to justify further production but not at an RRP that allowed both manufacturer and retailer margin.

For all the value that others bring to railway modelling, the big 2 still seem to be that with the sheer variety of their tooling and if either went down this route that would be a game changer. But didn't Hornby go the opposite way with their TT range?