British HO is a non-starter. The relevant British modellers are heavily committed to 4mm with its huge trade support - including huge ranges of specialist components - and will not change because it would set them back decades in terms of the range of products available
With the very greatest respect to ebaykal, I don't believe there is much of a market out there amongst HO modellers for British outline stock. Those outside the UK with a strong interest in modelling British railways will almost certainly pursue it in 4mm . My impression is that outside the British Isles, interest in modelling British railways is largely confined to ANZ and Canada, and to a significant degree, though far from exclusively, driven by expatriots . In ANZ , the limited trade support for local prototypes may be a factor . There doesn't seem to be a great deal of interest in modelling British subjects on the Continent, and some recent items in the magazines about the British Railway Modellers of North America suggests it has about 400-500 members
Only a handful of British loco types have ever worked beyond Frethun yards, and Class 66s are already available in HO and TT. That leaves RODs (O4), 8Fs, WDs, and Dean Goods . Most of those only did so in wartime - modelling 1939-45 or 1914-18 used to be somewhat off limits in Britain though the taboo seems to breaking down a bit recently, and I'd imagine the feeling agianst modelling these periods would be ten times stronger in Continental Europe . Nearly all the types concerned are mundane black 2-8-0s : Bachmann's WD in OO hasn't been a best seller from what I can gather , and we still have no RTR ROD in OO , never mind HO
With the very greatest respect to ebaykal, I don't believe there is much of a market out there amongst HO modellers for British outline stock. Those outside the UK with a strong interest in modelling British railways will almost certainly pursue it in 4mm . My impression is that outside the British Isles, interest in modelling British railways is largely confined to ANZ and Canada, and to a significant degree, though far from exclusively, driven by expatriots . In ANZ , the limited trade support for local prototypes may be a factor . There doesn't seem to be a great deal of interest in modelling British subjects on the Continent, and some recent items in the magazines about the British Railway Modellers of North America suggests it has about 400-500 members
Only a handful of British loco types have ever worked beyond Frethun yards, and Class 66s are already available in HO and TT. That leaves RODs (O4), 8Fs, WDs, and Dean Goods . Most of those only did so in wartime - modelling 1939-45 or 1914-18 used to be somewhat off limits in Britain though the taboo seems to breaking down a bit recently, and I'd imagine the feeling agianst modelling these periods would be ten times stronger in Continental Europe . Nearly all the types concerned are mundane black 2-8-0s : Bachmann's WD in OO hasn't been a best seller from what I can gather , and we still have no RTR ROD in OO , never mind HO
