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Post by steeve on May 13, 2018 20:11:22 GMT 1
Arrived in France last year. I deal in MTH and Accucraft and am considering Peco and Hornby. In an earlier life I had a OO/Ho layout, mainly Tri-ang (british and their Transcontinetal) leading on to Rivarossi's american range. Now I am running 1:32 (a simple loop in the house progressing to a fair weather line in the garden) and restarting Ho/OO/Hoe in the house, no surprise that I still like american outline. There is enough room to go larger but probably wishful thinking on my part. I reckon that I am most of the way towards getting full DCS control from a pc but that has mainly been a winter project, work on the house having summer priority.
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Post by chabanais on May 13, 2018 20:24:17 GMT 1
Hi Steeve,
Welcome and many thanks for the interesting background information. Are you intending to live permanently in France? and, if so, would that include your plans re Peco and Hornby. You have some interesting projects on the go too, and I am a fan of American outline, so would love to see some pictures of your stuff.
I know what you mean about going larger, I am constrained to 6M x 2M and now that I have to build what's needed to populate a convincing industrial 00 LNER, even that space seems bigger than I remember planning.
I am in Chabanais, not for from Limoges - are you anywhere nearby?
All the best
John
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Post by steeve on May 14, 2018 22:21:17 GMT 1
Hello John,
I reckon that you are an hours drive to the south. I'll be living here for most of the year. I have long wanted to have an account with Peco but even resorting to pleading with the editor of Cont Mod, who I've known for 15 or so years, did not release me from the physical shop requirement. So happens that the french house included a showroom so I am now going to try and push that through. Given that Peco mainly supports a british interest I may approach Hornby despite the real horror stories that I have heard from what used to be my local toyshop owners, forewarned may be forearmed. Walthers might be another possibility, they actually approached me a while back but again wanted proof of a shop front.
If I trawl google I find mention of a couple of model railway outlets in Limoges but am led to believe (from the remaining one in the centre and the "old toy" shop) that the others have closed, perhaps you can confirm? I have a contact out in the SE who helps run the Montelirail show and I went to Chartres last year. Both shows seem well attended but I was amazed at the amount of effort that some shops must have gone to to set up and finaly repack for the amount of transactions I had actually observed. The remains of my o-level french is not really sufficient for the shopkeeper task, mail order (as I did before) using google translate on emails or to english speakers might might just work. I guess I'll find out in time.
Regards, Steeve
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Post by steeve on Jul 6, 2018 1:27:26 GMT 1
Things are proceeding very slowly, suffered a flood in the semi-basement (still not sure where it came from), but I have heard back from Peco and I think it will go through. Nothing back yet from Hornby, perhaps they are over-stressed from what I understand to be their current financial position.
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Post by chabanais on Jul 6, 2018 8:25:45 GMT 1
Hi Steve,
As far as I know the Model Shop in the centre of Limoges is the only one left in that city.
I have recently been in touch with a Hornby spares supplier in the UK and even he felt that Hornby had rather negative policy towards any kind of sharing its resources.
Good luck with your flood!
All the best,John
Sorry for late reply, my alerts were not working properly.
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Post by steeve on Sept 3, 2018 12:49:47 GMT 1
Hi, possible entry path of floodwater diagnosed but will take ages to prove if it depended on a particular angle of downpour. No repeats since. Plenty of my hobby magazines ruined that were sat in plain cardboard boxes on the floor but the 3d items seem to have been positioned with a bit more luck/care. For anyone else using basement storage I'd now advise that only plastic boxes be used for the floor, card or wood can then sit on that layer. Or use some form of duck boards for anything too heavy for the plastic boxes to support.
I have apparently just been approved by the Belgian Peco EC distributor.
The Hornby rep was due to visit a couple of weeks back but it coincided with one of my visits "back home", so no idea right now where I stand with them.
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Post by chabanais on Sept 3, 2018 15:06:13 GMT 1
Hi Steve.
Badd luck with the magazines, I have a similar event in the UK years back and lost some valuable antiquarian books. But I hope you feel compensated by the Belgian approval, Good luck with the others.
All the best
John
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Post by steeve on Dec 5, 2018 17:30:36 GMT 1
Hornby (+Lima/Joueff/(euro)Riv and the other bits like Airfix, Humbrol, Scalex) now agreed should you need anything from those ranges (but judging by frequency of posts here I'll not hold my breath).
Wishing you all a good Christmas.
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Post by chabanais on Dec 5, 2018 19:47:54 GMT 1
Hi Steeve,
Thanks, are you doing paints and glue? That's all I need at the moment.
I have re-posted your message in "Commercial Sources for Railway Supplies", in the hope that you may get further enquiries that way.
Merry Christmas to you too,
All the best
John
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Post by steeve on Dec 23, 2018 14:52:01 GMT 1
Paints from the "hornby group" (Humbrol) should be available though there might be some minimum quantity small print to contend with.
As regards the traditional polystyrene cements, these now seem disguised amongst what are probably far too viscous with overlarge
nozzle "hard plastic" glues at the average Brico, I have not seen the likes of Britfix for ages. I can still find the liquid type, PlasticWeld
being the first one of that type that I used, but these liquids are certainly not the the best in all circumstances.
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