Overhead and Third Rail

Fantastic. This is the future of railway modelling and if Hornby and Bachmann consider there is no future in steam because their customers won't be around in 20 years time the only option that Hornby and Bachmann have is to offer both third rail track and an overhead catenary system as this is the only way forward if Hornby and Bachmann wish to continue in business as model railway companies!

Diesels simply won't exist in the future so this product offering is inevitable in the next 20 years as who is going to buy electric locos or build models with all electric operations if there is not the right looking power supply equipment available to complement such a loco.

Happy modelling
Gary

QUOTE I think that as someone has already pointed out, this is the way forward and these polluting diesels will be replaced by nice clean electrics.

I'll hold my hand up to that comment. In the future all railways will either be third rail or overhead electric and all locomotives will have switchable dual pick up arrangements similar to those of Eurostar locos. It is inevitable as there will be no other option. Therefore it is as inevitable as night follows day that Hornby or Bachmann or somebody else will offer a suitable model of such equipment and that no matter what the manufacturers believe right now at some point in the future they will offer a good range of electric motive power. They had just as well offer product now as then as it is inevitable that in the future model overhead and third rail will have similar sales to track. The only real thing missing right now is the electric equivalent of a Class 66 and once that class of prototype becomes a little clearer then it will be all guns blazing for the first to model it!

We are now at the equivalent of the 1960's when diesel laid ghost to steam. The next few years will see electric lay ghost to diesel. The strange thing though is that in the 1960's a British catenary system was available!

A third option of course that has been overlooked by all of us is that the next generation of electric locomotives may all have a rechargable power cell tender behind them! So we might well end up with something that almost resembles a tender loco with a large battery unit replacing what was the storage tank for coal and water.

Or we could even see the return of steam with water in the tenders heated by electric Hornby Live Steam style!

Happy modelling
Gary