John Isherwood

There never was a 'budget range' of model railways - try Googling some old Hornby Dublo and Tri-ang price lists and converting the prices to today's currency. It was, and still is, a case of cutting your clothing to suit your cloth and buying secondhand - something infinitely easier since the advent of the internet and Ebay. John Isherwood.

All true - but still an ill-judged choice of motor; if the motor won't produce the required output safely - wrong motor. It may have been a problem years ago - but not now. ....and - "the benefits of using a coreless motor" - please explain. Regards, John Isherwood.

Here we go again - too close for comfort! You can shut up some of the people, some of the time - but not all of the people, all of the time ....... or you're out of a job. John Isherwood.

My representation of hay, straw, etc. is somewhat esoteric, though worth keeping an eye out. If you can get one, a bullrush head can be 'deconstructed' into a mass that very closely resembles those substances. John Isherwood.

Would not adjusting the weight of the locomotive - presumably downwards - affect its ability to haul trains? Surely the sensible course is to select a motor that can accept the current load, resultant from the weight of the loco necessary to achieve the desired ability to haul trains? I certainly wouldn't wish to allow the motor in my loco to limit its haulage capacity, within my reasonable prototypical expectations. John Isherwood.

A little less rushing to the defence of the manufacturer. By all means point out that the cause is, as yet, unknown - but some comment to the effect that the lack of information being placed in the public domain is inevitably fueling alarm and discontent would be viewed as more balanced. But ..... this furore was generated by your misguided verbalisation of your reaction to what you perceived as an ill-advised course of action by a customer. To misquote - "You may think that, but you shouldn't possibly comment"; you have made this point to me on a number of occasions, so it stood out when you did it yourself. No, I don't pay for Premium Membership of what I regard as an open, commercially run, forum. That forum was purchased (from you) for purely commercial motives, and I do not feel that I am obligated in any way to subsidise the current owners' (profit-making) operations. John Isherwood.

Without risk? It would appear that anyone pre-ordering a Hornby product risks disappointment. There would appear to be 52 unhappy customers out there who can verify this. John Isherwood.

Sorry, Andy, but I am far from being the only one who has the impression that a 'cosy' relationship exists between RMweb and the major manufacturers, that seriously compromises the editorial independence of this group. You are far from being alone in this - it is endemic in the mainstream model press, for understandable commercial reasons. Comment is only made when that perceived bias strays into apparent hostility to the customer. It is clear that you will not apologise in public, but we can only hope that you do so in the privacy of a PM. John Isherwood.

So you don't sit here and see barbed comments - you make them yourself against an innocent party !! Who-ho !! It's open season on barbed comments now - duly noted!! The Naughty Step is dead !! Hole - digging? John Isherwood.

4 x 112 = 448 448 - 500 = -52 If I were looking for a significant shortfall, I would be investigating simple mathematics rather than what is probably an isolated misunderstanding(?) between retailer and representative. Could a rep., faced with a loyal but dissatisfied retailer asking for an additional allocation, agree to increase the allocation, but 'forget' to confirm that commitment in writing? Pure speculation, but whilst we're still in the realms of 'may' and 'may not' - due to the great Hornby silence - it seems reasonable to fill the information gap with such musings. John Isherwood. John Isherwood.

Andy, Like it or not - such criticism will persist until such time as Hornby issue a plausible explanation as to why retailers have had short deliveries. The way Hornby have handled this regretable manner is a disaster, and each day that goes by without complete disclosure does them huge damage. Notifying retailers at the end of the week, when no communication was possible, and leaving the trade to deal with understandably angry customers, is cowardly and underhand. I understand that you would like to maintain cordial relations with Hornby, but you are coming over as an apologist for that which is indefensible. John Isherwood.

True - but they're very polite about it; which is more than can be said for your sarcastic comment. You have taken me to task in the past for that kind of cynical comment - pot / kettle? John Isherwood.

..... but nothing that a little close inspection and a touch of a needle file won't cure. I still swear by them, and wouldn't use press-fit / self quartering wheels. John Isherwood.

Which accords with my view that these problems arise from an overly tight fit between wheel and axle; forcing the wheel onto the axle can disturb the correct orientation of one to the other. By careful filing the back edge of the square hole, I try to achieve the kind of fit that I used to experience with these wheels as-bought - the wheel should fit the axle without the need for any pressure, but with no rotational play. John Isherwood.

For obvious reasons I tried to take this off-topic and inflamatory subject away from this group. Clearly there are other points-of-view than my own - I can only say that my views are the product of forty years practical experience and are honestly held. With that, I will withdraw from any further comment. John Isherwood.

If so - why not simply say so? Lack of communication is always damaging. John Isherwood.

Since this discussion has gone way off-topic, I have continued it via PM. John Isherwood.

Is this a subscription copy? .... because that's not how mine arrived - somewhat wrinkly in a plain white envelope. John Isherwood.

My experience too - could it be wear in the moulds for the mazak wheel centres? John Isherwood.

Because the sight of such unnecessary and costly resources being wasted - at our expense - is enough to bring fury to the fore in the mildest-mannered driver. I sympathise with the signals crew - but nowhere near as much as I sympathise with the enraged drivers. It is the burgeoning Health & Safety industry that has invented all these 'vital' new regulations - as you would if your business relied upon you 'discovering' ever more risks that must be mitigated. However did we manage before? .... and don't tell me that it's all about avoiding accidents and fatalities; most risk arises from human error, and you cannot legislate against human nature. John Isherwood.

As a former senior local government highways and traffic engineer I recall that, until relatively recently, a contractor or in-house highway works crew were perfectly capable of erecting, maintaining and adjusting temporary traffic signals. The layout and positioning of signs and signals would be designed by the in-house project engineer, and drawings provided to the contractor / works unit. Then came the 'hands-off' concept of works management - the further removed the commissioner from the (potentially risky) implementation the better! Wouldn't it be so much better if the principal contractor designed the works, so that the commissioning body couldn't be held responsible if something went wrong? Wouldn't it be so much better if the principal contractor sub-contracted out all of the work elements and associated traffic managment responsibilities - so that the principal contractor could not be held responsible if anything went wrong? ........ and so on, and so on, ad infinitum! Every time a responsibility is passed on there are huge tendering costs, and everyone involved in this ludicrous chain of buck-passing has to have someone on site to represent them - even if there's nothing for them to do for 99% of the time. I can personally vouch for the fact that scheme costs multiplied several-fold as soon as these 'umbrella' contracts became the fashion - and we've all seen how we, via the Treasury, have to bail out these mega-contractors (who actually do very little but sell the work to others) when they fail. Now you know why I got out of local government on the day that my pension matured, and why your taxes - local and national - are so high! It's a mad world! John Isherwood.

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Alternatively - put "Not for sale in California" on the packs! John Isherwood.

Political correctness gone mad !! ..... and politicians are paid (our) good money to dream up this madness !! The best one in the UK at present is that, if roadworks use temporary traffic lights, there has to be a (at least) two man gang, sitting in a vehicle equipped with a spare set of temporary traffic lights, at all times that the first set of lights are in operation - just in case they fail!!! Now that is a job I could do - even at the age of 70+. John Isherwood. John Isherwood.

Is there anything sold in the USA that does NOT have that warning on it? John Isherwood,