Re: Bachmann innovations.

That's not it, there is a second design of mechanisim (taken from their V200) which required a redesigned chassis/underframe in the 1980s, so they had to be selling sufficient models to justify that change.

Regards, Greg.P.

You're confusing 00 with 1:72 scale used by military modellers - that's nearly

Regards, Greg.P.

These were cars built for export. They are not typical of the cars found on British streets and hence British layouts.

Do you know of anyone making Hillman Minx', Triumph Heralds, Ford Anglias in H0 scale?

Neither company is British. Pola's buildings are very continental looking. Heljan make only western region structures.

(kim)

There is nothing to stop Europeans from buying British outline now. They run on the same track. They fit within the loading gauge. The 08 diesel is used in Holland. The UK modellers who buy European outline use it on continental style layouts. They don't run foreign and British models on the same layout as it would look ridiculous so there is no reason for them to be made to the same scale. If anything 4mm is a bit all for British outline and some modellers have defected to the slightly larger S-gauge. The more you complain about 4mm the more enthusiasts you will drive into the EM, P4 and S-gauge camps.

(kim)

No, but if someone made decent 1:87 models of them I would buy - I grew up with such cars! I still remember finding the limit in rear suspension cornering ability in Mum's Triumph Herald and managing to recover it!!! Now a 1948 Ford Prefect would be just the ticket - my very first car! It never once started on a Friday or Saturday night when I had a date but it always started to get me to work in the mornings.

Pola makes/made some Brunel style buildings. Ok ok, (G)WR again.

Greg.P.

But they are the wrong scale and look it alongside European models!

Roco make it in HO - it makes Hornby and Lima 00 models look like rubber moulded toys.

LOL.

Greg.P.

No I'm not.

Take a look thorugh the piles of small scale military hardware kits at your local model shop and you will find a large proportion produced in 1:76. Manufacturers which spring to mind are Airfix, Fujimi and Revell. Cheers, Bill.

It depends upon your reason for using P4.

But many more British modellers/collectors would buy them in 1/76 and the tooling costs are the same for either.

That must have been why it was called the Prefect :o)

They once made some very British-looking buildings for the Playcraft range but they didn't sell very well. There have been many attempts to sell H0 in Britain over the years but none has succeeded. One problem is if you add just one model in isolation it will always look 'underscale'. Thts is why if I was tooling a British outline model for H0 I would choose one which also looks at home on a continental layout.

(kim)

To you maybe but to the average parent buying one for a youngster their chief concern is whether it it will run on little Johnny's track. That is the economic reality of the mass toy market without which no major producer could survive.

Yes but then most continental locos look like toys to me. Shiny black bodies, flourescent red underframes and pastry cutter wheels. Bachmann's WD at least looks like something I would have seen in real life when I arrived in Britain in the 1950's.

(kim)

"kim" wrote

The 08 isn't used in Holland. The loco illustrated here is *very* similar, but they are certainly not identical with the British 350hp shunter. I think they're 400hp for starters.

David,

I had their E3000 and their Western loco and I remember them as being pretty good models, and they ran very well. One bogie was powered with a very good five pole motor. When I changed scale to S, I had thoughts of keeping the motors to use in S scale locos, since they were such good performers, but someone twisted my arm to part with the locos for a sum of money :-) - and by the time I had scratchbuilt my first S scale loco, the Portescaps were available.. I can't remember now what rolling stock I used behind them but I remember building a fair number of Airfix kits and re-wheeling them with Jackson wheels and Peco cup bearings, and probably building Kitmaster coaches as well, so that might have shown up the scale differences. The layout didn't last long. It was built for the first Glasgow exhibition to make up layout numbers and was broken up shortly afterwards.

I have a feeling that the E3000 started life as a Liliput model which Trix "took over" to launch their (yet again) new range of models.

Jim.

By your reasoning (British trains look ok on European layouts) British modellers would/should buy HO cars, buildings etc because they look ok.

Sure, but that swing axle swinging under at high speed (25 mph) was nasty - luckily there was no other traffic and I could use both sides of the road to recover!

Didn't do much for my intended/imagined lovelife of the time.

No cylinders, no valve gear, shiny multi-coloured bodies - now those look like toys! ;-)

Greg.P.

Well, I would agree that they are not identical, but compared to the Tri-ang Hornby and Lima "models" they are certainly more like the 08. :-)

Greg.P.

If you keep going the seing axle is never a problem. Lose your nerve and back off the throttle in the middle of a fast corner and you're in trouble though.... Cheers, Bill - looking after Heralds for a living!

With 40 bhp there was rarely a need to back off the power!

Precisely! Cheers, Bill.