Welcome

The Christmas break enabled me to crack on with my ‘Gedney’ layout. I’d completed the fiddleyard a few months ago and wanted to see whether it would allow me to run the prototypical timetable I wanted. There were a couple of minor items that required attention but, by and large, it worked well. However, the one thing that constantly interrupted the extended testing (or playing) was the incompatibility of tension lock couplings. Nearly all of my models have NEM pockets which should, in theory, ensure a consistent standard. But three coach sets of either Hornby Gresleys and Bachmann Thompsons, or Hornby and Bachmann LMS Period III stock, would constantly split or de-rail where vehicles from two different manufacturers were coupled together. I doubt I’m alone in being plagued by this (unless my track laying is particularly poor). If you’ve ever had this problem, I share your pain and know just how frustrating it is. Yes, I know I could fit something like Kadees to my stock, but that’s not the point. It’s an extra expense and inconvenience that we can do without. Surely it’s about time to insist on a truly uniform set of coupling standards to ensure complete compatibility? We can but hope. Richard Foster Editor