Knapford Hill Exibition layout-thomas based

[Bufferstop]

They don't know much about railways either. They were insisting that footplate crew and guards had the same CRB checks required for nursery teachers, as they would be working with children! I notice several heritage lines have now stopped doing Thomas events. That might put the lawyers and the accountants at loggerheads.

[StanierJack]

I considered doing one a while ago, based upon the books. The problem was I didn't have the time to do so.

It's a shame HiT are so protective over their brand. I mean, the good old Reverend Awdry was a fellow modeler, and would probably be chuffed to see someone take inspiration from his works.

Saying that, still tempted to do a OO9 Skarloey Layout. HiT don't own copyright over the station names, such as Glennock and Crovans Gate.

Jack

[kennyGWSR]

i can now cross toby and henrietta off the list too as they arrived earlier this week. im still trying to get a good plan but everything comes out too boring

[Whiff_66]

Planning does take alot of time.. I felt just the same when trying to make the original Elsbridge Mk I layout work..

Sadly it didn't go quite as i had hoped it would, but Elsbridge MK II eems to have come out abit better than expected, so although it may seem hard atm to get a good plan dotted down, i am sure you will come up with something smashing.

[kennyGWSR]

well plans are still being thrown out of the window, least theres no need to rush yet. well im going on holiday next saturday and i get the feeling that meviggissy world of model railways will have there bachmann thomas in stock by now, so i might pick some wagons up or something. will no progress on my home layout, the exibition layout hasnt progressed either but the boards are all there, just need to get sundealer board to go on them now.

[kennyGWSR]

after craeful consideration, i have now got a plan for Knapford Hill, well, in my head
it is going to be the same track layout as Bodmin General Station. the layout will have a twist to it, when i dont want it to be a Thomas layout, i can change the name boards on the station to Bodmin General so i can have my orginal railway plan aswell as my thomas layout! it also means i will be DCC chipping all my thomas locos as Bodmin will be DCC.

[markh]

thats a good idea kenny off having one layout & two lots of diffrent rolling stock

[Alexander Court]

There was a rather impressive thomas layout in the October 2006 issue of Railway Modeler if i am not mistaken on the date.

Alex.

[Foo]

well im going on holiday next saturday and i get the feeling that meviggissy world of model railways will have there bachmann thomas in stock by now,

how was Meviggissy? i live about 20 miles away but havent been there for donkeys as its a bit of a treck without a car!

[TK421]

I just want to throw my hat in the ring here regarding Hit they're just a greedy corporation that care about nothing but money which now seems to be there down fall as (don't know if it went through) but where forced to sell the thomas brand. Serves them right (yes it will replyed the trucks ) they've done nothing but ruin stories intended for children and try to milk every penny they can get by putting the thomas name on anything they can get their hands on and charge parents over the top prices for it. It's no longer about entertaining children (seems the same about most kids tv these days) with interesting stories with some form of structure and meaning but making complete rubbish and adding more and more characters so they can sell more and more products. It's now computer animated like most tv shows, how are kids of the future going to have any imagination when all they get is CGI thrust at them. Fair enough the models where expensive but they had there charm and where a timeless classic kids could watch again and again (I know I did) because I'm sure we can all relate here when i say there's nothing better than watching model trains go by. You don't need 50,000 new stories every week because when your a kid your happy with repeats (how many children keep saying something over and over because they think it's funny?)

I bet there are many people of the younger generation who never saw steam on british mainlines but where sucked into railway modeling by that little blue engine. Sorry it really makes me angry how greed has ruined someone's hard researched work. Some of the stuff i learnt from the 80's thomas has actually helped me with my job on the railway because I had learnt certain things from it already. It doesn't surprise me that Hit say you can't call an exhibition layout under a Thomas name because they want the money for it just like the extras they want when preserved railways have thomas days? Somehow you'd be robbing Hit even if you do fund them by buying the toys, dvd's and model trains. This is for children I'm quite sure any steam loving parent would rather go on a non thomas day when it's cheaper and there isn't faces on every locomotive. I do believe this is why you don't see Thomas theme layouts in model railway mags because of all this rights bull, if you look at the photos of the railway modeler article mentioned in a post on here you don't see any thomas engines face. The other thing to look at is if you compare the price of Gordon to a Hornby railroad A3 and you can see how greedy Hit are. The railroad A3 even has an improved driving chassis and isn't tender driven yet is still cheaper.

Sorry to rant on your post but I felt it needed saying. But on a positive note your layout plan sounds good and regarding skarloey railway I've made a small 2ft by 2ft narrow gauge layout of glennock including the station and tunnel Duncan got stuck in I'll have to get some pics of it but it's at my parents house at the mo no room in mine

[Alexander Court]

I just want to throw my hat in the ring here regarding Hit they're just a greedy corporation that care about nothing but money which now seems to be there down fall as (don't know if it went through) but where forced to sell the thomas brand. Serves them right (yes it will replyed the trucks ) they've done nothing but ruin stories intended for children and try to milk every penny they can get by putting the thomas name on anything they can get their hands on and charge parents over the top prices for it. It's no longer about entertaining children (seems the same about most kids tv these days) with interesting stories with some form of structure and meaning but making complete rubbish and adding more and more characters so they can sell more and more products. It's now computer animated like most tv shows, how are kids of the future going to have any imagination when all they get is CGI thrust at them. Fair enough the models where expensive but they had there charm and where a timeless classic kids could watch again and again (I know I did) because I'm sure we can all relate here when i say there's nothing better than watching model trains go by. You don't need 50,000 new stories every week because when your a kid your happy with repeats (how many children keep saying something over and over because they think it's funny?)

I bet there are many people of the younger generation who never saw steam on british mainlines but where sucked into railway modeling by that little blue engine. Sorry it really makes me angry how greed has ruined someone's hard researched work. Some of the stuff i learnt from the 80's thomas has actually helped me with my job on the railway because I had learnt certain things from it already. It doesn't surprise me that Hit say you can't call an exhibition layout under a Thomas name because they want the money for it just like the extras they want when preserved railways have thomas days? Somehow you'd be robbing Hit even if you do fund them by buying the toys, dvd's and model trains. This is for children I'm quite sure any steam loving parent would rather go on a non thomas day when it's cheaper and there isn't faces on every locomotive. I do believe this is why you don't see Thomas theme layouts in model railway mags because of all this rights bull, if you look at the photos of the railway modeler article mentioned in a post on here you don't see any thomas engines face. The other thing to look at is if you compare the price of Gordon to a Hornby railroad A3 and you can see how greedy Hit are. The railroad A3 even has an improved driving chassis and isn't tender driven yet is still cheaper.

Sorry to rant on your post but I felt it needed saying. But on a positive note your layout plan sounds good and regarding skarloey railway I've made a small 2ft by 2ft narrow gauge layout of glennock including the station and tunnel Duncan got stuck in I'll have to get some pics of it but it's at my parents house at the mo no room in mine

Very rightly said! I was born in 1992, but was perfectly happy watching videos of the first two series completely unaware (as i was a child, a very young one) of the series expansion, and yet i was still happy with watching the same stories, much like rereading the books over and over again. Then when i did get newer series(i got the yellow season 4 tape with skarloey on the front) i was happy watching that all the time even though they were the same. I think with CGI it just gets boring, it is much less like a railway, and since thomas got me interested in trains, it seems that children may be less into trains and railways now too. CGI makes it seem like railways are somehow just something thought up. I'd love to make a thomas themed layout, i probably will, and I wouldn't care if HIT didn't want me to, i just wouldn't tell them

[TK421]

I'm 1985 so Thomas had already been out for a year on TV but I always remember wanting to build the layouts I saw wether it was with my ertl's (the only thing i was ever spoilt on I always got the brand new ones as soon as they where out) and using lego or making my own sheds from card or just trying to get my dad to build Knapford (although I now know it should be tidmouth) on his layout, he always declined for some reason. I just don't see how CGI will inspire kids when all the writers try to do is write episodes in the style of hollywood blockbusters.

I don't think HIT will stop you making a thomas layout but would most likely be against a profit being made from it someway or another without a percentage going into it's pocket.

[Alexander Court]

I'm 1985 so Thomas had already been out for a year on TV but I always remember wanting to build the layouts I saw wether it was with my ertl's (the only thing i was ever spoilt on I always got the brand new ones as soon as they where out) and using lego or making my own sheds from card or just trying to get my dad to build Knapford (although I now know it should be tidmouth) on his layout, he always declined for some reason. I just don't see how CGI will inspire kids when all the writers try to do is write episodes in the style of hollywood blockbusters.

I don't think HIT will stop you making a thomas layout but would most likely be against a profit being made from it someway or another without a percentage going into it's pocket.

It starts with them tackling the people making profits from layouts and taking them to exhibitions, but then they will instate some kind of modeling tax on people who have named layouts

I remember having all the ertl toys, i made sure i had every single one and all of the new ones (with the posters of each new set from 'Toys 'R' Us), people would get me them for birthdays and christmas, and I still have the road vehicles like caroline and the fat controller's car on my layouts (the ones i set up on the bedroom floor) and i also have the ertl sir handel and peter sam occasionally on an imaginary narrow gauge line.

I too used to build sheds from lego (my older brother had a big metal chest full of it) and i used to make the trackways out of the old grey tile bricks, the smooth ones, building these on the big grey bases you used to get.

It's really such a shame that they moved to CGI, HiT did it with fireman sam and bob the builder too, though Bob's show isn't too different in story terms. They should have gone back and done more of the original stories, although i know it would cost more, but it would be more realistic, introducing characters wise by using ones like the mountain engines or the small railway engines.

I have the background themes from the shows on my computer, Mike O'Donnell and Junior Campbell's ones, I got theme from youtube, because they won't make them on CD. Surely if they wanted to rake in loads of money for the thomas brand they should be more nostalgic towards older fans who want stuff like the original themes.

[TK421]

Surely if they wanted to rake in loads of money for the thomas brand they should be more nostalgic towards older fans who want stuff like the original themes.

I've read this argument from hit somewhere before in which they basically said they don't care what older fans want as the show is for kids and not aimed at them. It's not a great attitude to have what if george lucas said the same about star wars? I don't think he'd going to bed on huge piles of merchandise money. The reason the thomas brand has done so well is because it appeals to the older audience as well as kids it's something parents are happy to watch or read with children and which some fans still hold dear to the hearts even thought there old enough to know trains don't talk and is something they want to show there own children. Thats how you get timeless classics such as thunderbirds for example tv shows with charm that's why Pat is still doing his rounds as far as I know the only kids tv show from my youth that is still filmed the same way and maybe pingu (think i was a bit too old when it came out but he still rocks).

[poliss]

George Lucas HA! The Phantom Menace was all about selling toys and making loadsa money.