Quote from: Bealman on March 27, 2026, 12:57:55 AMSo you drag yourself upright and mutter, "That's ok" when in fact it's anything but.

I don't say it's OK. I moan about it but, then again. I'm a whingeing Pom

Quote from: Newportnobby on March 26, 2026, 10:29:14 PMOn the basis Heljan do not do N gauge, and Accurascale have very little interest in the 'proper' gauge (IMHO) this news doesn't really make a scrap of difference to me...........

.......unless - the companies I do buy from decide to drop their retailers in favour of direct sales, and I can't really see that happening as, for the most part, their retailers do so much for them and to bring all that back in house would increase their costs considerably

In isolation and at this point in time it may seem like it won't make a scrap of difference to an N modeller, or indeed possibly a OO one as the amount of Heljan stocked in a typical traditional model shop is limited. It may potentially have a different effect on the O Gauge modeller and in particular the specialist O stockists like Tower Models in the shorter term, but as I understand it, already (and the big discounts point to this) it was becoming more difficult to sell the O diesels without huge discounts suggesting a market shift.

The point is though that if there is a gradual direction of travel towards direct sales only, each manufacturer going down the route will mean less products for a model shop to stock making it harder and harder to survive. As we depend on those models shops for everything we need to build our model railways (which is way more than just locos and stock) then that WILL make a difference, there is a whole railway modelling ecosystem which depends on the model shops in some form.

Roy

Stoney days.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIWY8UyW9bw

I will get my meter out an check the voltage on the bars. Also may substitute bullet connections for crocodile clips nearer to the action. My 00 gauge version is using DCC so higher voltages.

I recognise all of the artifacts in that picture. In fact I had the same ones!

Another blurry photo unfortunately. But this shows my first "Permanent" layout.
The loco is the cheaper version of the Tri-ang Princess, which was "Princess Victoria" in black with no representation of the Walschaerts valve gear. It came with 2 red and cream coaches, to which my uncle added a restaurant car.
My dad made up a couple of Airfix kits, some which might be discerned in the picture, including the footbridge and water tower.
We also had an original Tri-ang station set.
I later built up quite a big collection of mainly Tri-ang but also a few Dublo and Wrenn items, which I eventually sold to fund my first sortie into N Gauge.
The frame of this layout lives on underneath part of my N Gauge layout here on the other side of the World 65 years later!

Quote from: Newportnobby on March 26, 2026, 10:20:59 PMApart from the complete lack of dignity in hospitals, the next biggest lack is sleep. There's something about patients sleeping that nurses find worrying so, just when you've dropped off, they wake you up with "It's time to take your pills" or "we have to take your blood pressure" .
Oh no, you're not allowed any much needed sleep

That's exactly right, Mick. Happens all the time. You just get comfy and drop off, then a voice at the door (which I always leave open, goes:"Knock knock! Sorry!"

So you drag yourself upright and mutter, "That's ok" when in fact it's anything but.

Quote from: Newportnobby on March 26, 2026, 10:29:14 PM....... their retailers do so much for them and to bring all that back in house would increase their costs considerably

Now that sounds just like Harry Enfield doing a "loadsamoney" sketch.

All the best George, hopefully you won't be there long.
cheers
Graham

On the basis Heljan do not do N gauge, and Accurascale have very little interest in the 'proper' gauge (IMHO) this news doesn't really make a scrap of difference to me...........

.......unless - the companies I do buy from decide to drop their retailers in favour of direct sales, and I can't really see that happening as, for the most part, their retailers do so much for them and to bring all that back in house would increase their costs considerably