What makes a gimmick?

The fans are an interesting touch, but in the case of the 50 spin so fast as to be barely noticeable! The real gimmick has to be the opening doors. They're only really good for holding up the loco to people and saying "Look! The doors open!" as there's no way of holding them open. Seems a bit pointless IMO.

Yes, I'm all for a revolving diesel engine, what about working head code blinds on pre TOPS diesels and Electrics whilst their at it ?

Where will it all stop...

Yes, the doors...they'd have been better not to be on springs and be...sort of stiff so they could be posed open/ half-open etc.

Fil

In message , ":::Jerry::::" may have written...

Before you know it that will be a DCC mod, if it isn't already!

The sliding vents on the steam cab roofs are much easier to show off!

Seen First Class Trains diesel exhaust smoke kit?

They are a mixed blessing. When Bachmann introduced see through ventilators with fans they looked good when standing still but appear to be 'jammed' when moving. The Hornby fans look good when moving but still appear jammed when the loco is stationary. I would rather have independently switched fans.

(kim)

You can use them to insert a driver figure. If they weren't sprung you wouldn't be able to close them again.

(kim)

Exactly my thoughts when the operating mail coach first appeared.

:-)

Then there was the hopper system, the firing rocket, the searchlight car, locos "with smoke!"...

Won't be long before the loos flush.

A false bulkhead prevents any sort of access to the cab proper though.

You could if either of the two cab door windows were 'wound down' a bit :)

Fil

At that point it will be modern stock only for me, OK it will mean emptying the tanks but at least I won't get hit in the eye whilst base-board side !....

"Fil Downs" wrote

The driver moves on the real thing but .................

Now I've no real opinion on loco lighting. I don't mind it if it's there, but I don't particularly want to pay extra for it, and I suppose the same goes for opening doors and revolving fans.

The latter especially strikes me as pointless - on my Hornby class 50 the fan stops when the loco is not moving and that's the only time you're likely to be able to see it. In any event the fan grill on 50035 is so crude and heavy that it's almost impossible to see the bl##dy thing anyway.

John.

The message from "Brian Watson" contains these words:

...and the giraffe wagon! Please don't forget the giraffe wagon.

searchlight car,

Nor the helicopter-launching wagon and the kind-of-spaceship-on-wheels driven by a propellor.

Andy Kirkham Glasgow

The message from "Andy Kirkham" contains these words:

Good old Tri-ang! (FSVO good )

Not on Virgin trains :-(

Gimmics: -

Smoke, sound, traction tyres.

Nice to have: -

Opening doors, opening windows, opening cab roof ventiltors.

Must haves: -

On diesels and electrics, constant intensity working headlights.

-- Cheers Roger T.

Home of the Great Eastern Railway

Don't forget the opening smokebox door on that Southern thingy: M7 was it? Years ahead of its time.

The message from Tommy contains these words:

Was that classed as a design feature or a design flaw? I never did work it out. But then I was a Meccano/Hornby-Dublo fanatic, so Tri-ang only made toys and dolls...

"Duchess of Atholl Rules OK!"