Your solution for building that tabletop was brilliant, Sam! I am also "woodshop challenged," so I very much appreciate what you did. And removing those power connectors was a good move toward more realistic track. I would suggest one upgrade before you get much further along, though. Nailing the track directly to the wood base will result in very noisy running. I recommend pulling up the track and remounting it on cork sheet, cut in strips to form a roadbed. Alternatively, many folks will cover the tabletop with a sheet of home insulating foam (say, one inch thick) and glue the track to it. This will take care of the noise and would also allow cutting and shaping the scenicic ground and make it easir to add track ballast, trees, grass, etc., etc. And I'd paint your wood or foam base with a cheap medium to dark brown acrylic paint before adding the track. Then any gaps in your ballast and ground cover won't stick out. Sorry to go on so; guess I'm a bit over excited about your new layout. Cheers from Wisconsin!
This setup reminds me of my first layout. My grandfather had a love for model railways, and he built us a layout when I was maybe 4 years old. This is going back 25ish years. It was a basic loop, I don't remember many of the locos I had, but he cut the base wood himself, he assembled it all himself and he kept it in the garden shed when it wasn't used. He did eventually add a few sidings, but he died before being able to properly expand the layout, so a few years after his death, my dad and I moved the old layout to the house loft and made a weird boomerang shaped layout, basically out of two standard oval layouts. It was unplanned, but we eventually just linked both layouts. My stepmother filmed us working on it in 2006, and I only found the footage on an old CD a couple of years ago. I haven't seen or even touched the layout in 13 years, but it was a real trip looking at the old footage.
Sam you... you splendid fella. That sigh at 1:15 is all the comment needed about Hornby at present. It also succinctly sums up why you are worth watching, time and again. Ta.
Even private ebayers combine postage so it's the least I would expect from hornby. Even if its just a tick box you select on their website like the hattons trunk service.
I really hope the TT 120 is successful for Hornby as it could be beneficial for those with limited space and a much bigger layout could be achieved as well. Keep up the good work Sam.
hint: solder to the bottom of the fishplates, you can remove them from the track to do it so no melting of sleepers and the fishplates generally take solder way better than rails anyway - run a few wires to somewhere to sick a terminal block (lay them alongside the rails on the surface and they can look like trackside infrastructure when painted (or use black/grey wires!) that baseboard is nicely done, did look at TT:120, looks nice, hope the range grows though
That was originally the plan (and same reasoning), on my own layout but I actually found the opposite to be true. Tried and failed repeatedly, to solder to fishplates, which steadfastly refused to accept solder - even when dipped in flux. However, when I switched to soldering directly to the rails, the solder melted quickly and easily, 'wetting' really well onto the nickel rails. No melting of the sleeper plastic, either. I don't know what the issue was (I was using new Hornby fishplates, supplied in a packet, and tried a variety of soldering irons, ranging from 15W to 45W. Also used 'proper' 60/40 tin/lead multicore solder, not the modern lead-free stuff).
Wow Sam I love to see you make a new layout and it’s tt! I hope you don’t replace 00 with tt! Shame about the shipping! I love what you do you help me make good chooses when I get a new loco and make sure I don’t buy a faulty model!
I don't think Sam will be replacing OO. Both scales have their place in the hobby, and besides, Sam's got a museums collection of rolling stock in OO lol
Thank you! Nah I won't be replacing OO - as TG said, both scales definitely have a place, and there's hopefully lots to see from both! :D Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Thank you for showing this, especially the track assembly and thank you for your detailed review of the train set as well. From what I have read or heard about TT Hornby want to attract new people to the hobby. I am potentially one of those people but I am not sure yet if I will commit. I need to figure out what I really want. Is the fun in taking lots of different track, building it up and trying to change the layout all the time which is how I played with the Scalextric or Lego. Or is the fun in having a layout and adding more and more to it in terms of detail and buildings as well as more track and trains. I am not a train enthusiast either but I can appreciate the proper British train types as opposed to the fake type steam locomotive I got given in a battery train set toy at Christmas. This is still fun but takes up lots of room, can only be a circle/oval and doesn’t run that great with it‘a single coach and speed! (Just at the point I had tried to forget about wanting a train set as well) One curious thing is the idea of a layout on a tabletop, which is something I would need, with either taking it apart every day or something that could lift off and be stored upright! On every video I have seen, except one, has been built on the fairly large boards like yours and some are even fixed in place or the intention is to take the room over! The layout on the table was to big and had the track rather perilously run off the end balanced on a stack of books. It’s not Scalextric so I presume having train crashes are best avoided. Maybe Lego trains would be for me!
It took a lot of trust... but my wood was awesome when it arrived, very very pleased with it. Glad I didn't try to cut it myself! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
My base board as a kid was a piece of chipboard that my dad cut into a rough shape with a jigsaw and then we painted it green. We made little trees from twisted brown wires and green foam. Built a load of HO kits for it with my dad. Had a couple of HO train sets on it. Happy days
The Hornby postage method predates the TT 120 offering. Back when Hornby were the only vendor of pre-grouping carriages, the livery of one company was not being offered through the retailers. So I went on line to order a number of them to make up a consist of 6 different coaches. I could buy from Hornby but would have 6 postage charges added to that one order. As I live in Australia, each postage charge was more than the carriage. I wrote to Hornby to see if they could combine the order in one parcel. After quite a while the answer was a flat “No.”. They did not even bother with a nonsense excuse. So I did not order and bought the far superior Hattons version when they emerged. So glad.
Good video here Sam, great to see track being put onto a board and not the floor especially with TT being smaller, from my experience I wish I had put my track onto some form of table when I first started in this hobby because nowadays I’m paying the price for having track on the floor and the floor I used to lay it on wasn’t carpet.
Oh great to see TT:120 content finally in action Sam. You know what, for the money you could just have well bought 2 Ikea Linnmon/Adils tables 100x60 cm, £35 each..., making 200x120cm. We’ve seen these used for a TT beginner setup which is a rather clever idea we thought. Well done for calling out H again. From our understanding, they have contracted a 3rd party logistics company..., but obviously the H way... (little regards for picking a reputable quality contractor, i.e. cheapskating). Understandably, you wanted to show H TT tracks, but Peco would trivially be the better choice probably. Anyway, each their own of course and great to see your TT content coming together. Cheerio.
Thanks very much Linda - sadly the tables wouldn't do, as I've had to think long and hard about where I can conveniently store the layout... so a custom board exactly the right size was the best way to go! Yes I understand they do use a 3rd party logistics company who have sucked for over a year and nothing seems to have been done. Peco would probably have been a better shout with hindsight! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
looking forward to your tt:120 layout. i think that hornby are regular comedians as to the ordering and the way they put the tracks i a silly huge box. i lost it when you showed the size of the track pice and the box 🤣🤣🤣🤣😁 keep up the good work you are doing sam. 👍👍👍🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪
haha I know - they need to invest in their own fulfilment facilities like the *real* retailers... whoever does it at the moment is (and has been for over a year) completely useless! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
They quite possibly contract out the packing as well as everything else that they seem to want to get someone else to do somewhere else on the planet, so it might be the fault of "A" I've certainly had several big boxes, bags of air &c. for tiny products from all sorts of companies. Via "A."
I usually just solder right on to the bottom of the track instead of using power tracks, but it can be challenging to get a solid solder joint if you are inexperienced.
Smooth and flat track. This will be a revelation for Sam. If possible I leave a notation on orders for "ship complete". I have had a few instances where I get nickled and dimed to death with shipping charges.
Hi Sam, Interesting video on the TT120 system and the track went together well. However, I'm mystified by your choice of right hand points. In the real world you will find that cross overs are made up with left hand points. This is a safety feature as crossover point work has to be trailing in the main direction of travel, not facing, which is what yours are. On the subject of Hornby's errors, they even slipped up with the Club membership scheme. They promised a delivery date for the club packages which couldn't be kept to due to the massive response. I should have had mine just before Christmas and it arrived late January. Personally I think they've made a bad choice not involving the retailers. I know my good friends at Great Eastern Models in Norwich are not to impressed. As ever Sam, take care, Cheers, Jon B.
Thanks for that video Sam, I'm looking forward to the rest in the series. I don't know what Loco you have bought but I have just taken delivery of the "Eastener" and was a bit worried as loads of video I have seen show bits have fallen off the loco and the carriages make a terrible noise. Well my loco was fine but after running it in I then attached the carriages it sounds it sounds like they are dragging an injured animal around the track, although this only happens on the radius. I've ordered all the "Track Packs" and may have to buy some more track as I'm not too keen on the Hornby layout. I've decided on a 5X5 feet board.
By the way, buying cordless power tools to make a layout does not have to be expensive. Parkside (not sponsored) 12v power tools are more than up to the task of a model railway building. or all you need is a measuring device, hand saw, hand drill and a screw driver to build a layout (hammer and nails can be substituted for the screwdrivers and screws.
When I was a lad (long, long, long time ago) I had a TT gauge, think it was Triang back then. Appreciate they are smaller but scale wise not sure how much. I know I used to use mainly OO gauge accessories, pretty sure it looked ok, but I was young.
When I built my layout, I also had no woodworking skills, so I didn’t do the baseboard with any framework. It still works either way. Also, I think Peco flexi track would be cheaper.
It is. Better quality too I reckon. The points are a bit pricey, but the reliability of them I bet will be better. They can be used as insulfrog or electrofrog which is pretty neat.
I've discovered something Sam: tt120 set in Aus is the equivalent of 335 GBP, as opposed to 195 GBP in the UK, as opposed to the 175 GBP plus 50 GBP postage as I had ordered it less of course the club discount. Hornby have put a no online sales to Aus from the Hornby website. I appreciate the support your local etc, but I can get a Tillig start set for 122 GBP, in fact for the equivalent of 5 pounds more than the Hornby set, I can get a tillig digital start set. Yes Hornby make British stock whereas tillig, piko, arnold, kres, roco, schirmer, kuehn, Fischer etc are predominantly German. Fairly obviously none of this is the local scene, so a tt purchase will likely be based upon the size preference of tt, and the personal taste of whichever rolling stock appeals. I've already got a fair swag of tt scale, but I'm afraid the sales regime is creating too much of a price barrier to warrant even getting some novelty items, which is a shame. Much as I hugely want an A4 or the Duchess in tt, or even a class 37, they're not really shaping up to be remotely in the same league as the German stuff, whilst admittedly more expensive, the difference does not come close to offsetting the actual models as models.
just so you know, B&Q will cut sheets of MDF or ply free of charge. They will do several cuts of a single sheet and you just pay for the MDF. If you have a small car, you are of course limited to what will fit in your boot
@@maryginger4877 I’ve had good and bad experiences with the accuracy. I asked how accurate the cuts were and specified a width of 598mm. It was cut to exactly 598mm the first time by a young girl. The second time was a scruffy older bloke and it was a few mm off. I complained and made him recut
If you don't mind me saying. You need another set of points. If your traveling clockwise on the outside and switch to the inside. You have to backup to get to the outside.
I'm surprised you opted for buying the tracks individually instead of buying one of the starter sets. 9:40 HO and N scale train sets have always used the same controller, as they both need the same amount of DC current going to them. G scale trains use a controller with more amperage (Bachmann's G scale controller uses 1 amp compared to 0.6 amp for their smaller scales) I do agree the power clamp is huge. Even N scale power tracks don't have such a giant clamp. 11:50 Bachmann's curve track packs always include enough to make one-third or one-quarter of a circle. I would like to see you add grass, ballast, and other details to this layout in the future. Maybe make this layout cover two baseboards to fit a station and yard.
Thanks Sam great review as per usual. I'll be moving house one day and mebbe I'll convert from 00 to tt120, I'm facinated to see what happens with this new scale. Regards Terry
I'm interested to see how this develops. I really thought you would have added some kind of shunting area for an inglenook puzzle. Do you plan on decorating it too?
Brilliant sam. Iv ordered the TT Easterner train set and it doesnt come with a track mat so some ideas are welcome. Im hoping to follow your lead, im hoping to have mine wall mounted.
Exciting times here Sam. DCC , TT:120 . I'm sensing Mallard, a Class 08, and some rolling stock coming our way. MDF company great service and a good option for many. Thanks Sam 👍. Cape Cod Steve
If anything else, those not wanting to solder could hide the power boxes underneath a station building or something. Although, Hornby could have just made the boxes separate from the track and have removable wires connecting them together to give modelers more options.
TT is very popular in Europe with a range of manufacturers producing quite a scope of stock. Downside is it's a premium market and prices generally reflect this, although the start sets are acceptable
I got a question, How come you did not buy any of the TT sets? Would you say the sets are better value for money? Ok that’s two questions. Also I’ve noticed they have brought out the digital versions recently so wonder if they are any good too.
I like how Hornby is making a smaller scale for those with less room to build a model railway but why didn't they just make n gauge as it is smaller and already popular.
I have had a similar experience but in spades!!! I ordered 5 sets of magnetic couplings 2x 20mm 1x17mm and 2x buckeyemagnetic couplings. 2 weeks later 2 boxes arrived 6in x 6in each with 2 4x2 inch plastic bags with 2 bags in. The next day a similar box arrived with another 4x2in bag. Despite oredering all at the same time I was charged 3 lots of postage nearly £12 for something that could be put in a jiffy envelope and posted. At least Hornby reimbursed me for two lots of postage. I will not order from Hornby directly again!!
You can find a lot of things (aside from locos and rollingstock) on european markets, because in Soivet times the scale was picked up by some east german manufacturers and thus the scale spread accros eastern europe and is still popular.
TT size originated in Switzerland and Germany, later becoming very popular in the Eastern bloc courtesy of the future East German manufacturers, the western European TT just never really gained inroads, and with the advent of N scale dwindled away
@@muir8009 TT Scale was first introduced by H.P. Products in 1945; at the time, it was thought to be the smallest scale possible. But it was eclipsed by HO Scale in North America and caught on in Western Europe instead.
@@survivingworldsteam probably easier to just say they were at the same time: lytax and wesa '45, and they were ready to run just not named TT. Wesa actually had a krokodil in '46 - oh to find one of those! Lytax had that genius multi train control, fantastic to watch in action
Yes!!! Thank you !!! I will building a TT120 layout, so this is appreciated! Not pre-ordering because of the postage issue which is known elsewhere. Will save up and order at once.
Timing is everything as in I have been struggling with the prospect of putting together just the same thing as you just built in front of me tonight, thanks ever so much Sam.
Is it me - or did you forget to insulate between the loops at the turnouts? ...or do the turnouts provide the insulation? Would not be an issue for DCC, but I assume you are going to use analogue? Enjoy ;-)
@samstrains what are your plans for the inner part of your board? More sidings and some scenery? I understand you can get TT scale cars trucks etc Great to see you are covering TT120 and also track planning/building
Yeah exactly - you're paying for a service as well as the material, including delivery... seemed like the best/cheapest/quickest way of getting what I wanted! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Hornby is so unbelievably unreliable I ordered 5x 4 Straights and they only sent me 1 I called and they took 2+ Weeks to send the remaining ones. I received it and one was still missing Almost a month after ordering finally received everything 👍
This looks awesome, you had a lot of creative ideas for designing it like using Sketchup and modifying the power tracks, the plugs for the wiring are a great addition as well. I can't wait to see what it will look like with trains running on it!
Great project, as a uni student who travels to and from uni every summer I have a similar system but broken into slightly smaller sections that clip together. Off topic but can we get sam's trains slippers????
If you visit your local hardware superstore, B@Q etc they would have supplied you with a piece of marine ply, and cut it to exactly the correct size for a fraction of the price. Glue on a piece of plastic edging and bingo. Less woodworking and screwing and no plastic printing.
one thing.. .. try your local papers for any carpenters or chippies in your area.. .. they'll advertise wooden window repairs or building outside furniture etc. I know it’s a long shot but if it supports a local trade.. . why not.?
Running trains on track pinned to plywood will be a bit noisy I think you need some insulation. Cork underlay (don't use that horrible foam track underlay) for the track and some carpet glued underneath the board will swallow up all the noise and you will just hear the click of wheels on joints .
Another entertaining and instructive video. I think you are wise to use a baseboard. No matter how zealous you are hoovering, any piece of fluff will be larger relative to a TT mechanism than to an OO one. I am glad you managed to resolve the shipping cost issue with Hornby. I do hope that Hornby get their act together. No one on their side benefits from such triplications and it only does their reputation harm. Did the points and power tracks come together? Regarding the woodworking tools, you would have had them for another time but this assumes you might use them again at some point and have somewhere to store them. Please keep up the good work.
Yeah exactly - better a perfectly flat and fixed surface too for the same reasons. Yeah I agree - that was just incredibly wasteful. No the same thing happened again with the points and power tracks... two parcels on the same day xD Yeah that's right - I'm very tight on space, so buying all the tools for very occasional use wouldn't have been smart right now for me, Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Should have got Peco track, not only is it better such as the points not having those large horrible plastic frogs you can buy it from regular retailers.
Hey Sam, nice job with the TT:120 train layout. I will be honest with Sam, Hornby has made many people very pissed because of their stupid customer service. Like you said, when you order certain items from Hornby. The customer expects the items he or she bought should be in 1 single box together not in separate boxes like what happened with you Sam. I was going to buy the A4 Pacifics from the Model Centre but Hornby has delayed the original release time for the models to come out. Now, I have to wait for the A4s to come out in the summer this year which has made me very angry and annoyed with Hornby. Since Hornby has announced the 6 surviving A4 Pacifics into their range, I want to get Dominion Of Canada and Bittern when they come out Sam. I am sorry from this comment but I just want you to know what I am talking about.
To be fair to Hornby the delays are caused by third parties, rather than Hornby themselves. Usually due to Covid restrictions in China which often cause factories to be shut down, shortages of materials, etc. There is also huge demand for shipping containers and places on transport ships. Delays caused by Covid at the factories have a knock on effect on these. I do think Hornby could be better at communicating these issues to customers, although they are improving in this area. And I agree Sam's issues with multiple deliveries for one order are ridiculous.
Thanks for sharing Bryan - yes the inefficiencies in their fulfilment system need to be addressed, though as Speleokeir says, delays in model releases aren't Hornby's fault - they want the models to come out quickly just like we do... beyond their control unfortunately! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
On shipping containers, one retailer in Australia announced its results this week. They stated that import container loads had dropped from $8,000 to $800 per container. As a result, they were reducing their prices to reflect that. It would be odd if Australia were the only destination to benefit in such a way. So I am not sure the old excuse for part of the prices is still valid.
I've just had the same problem with Hornby postage. 9 coaches, each packed separately, 9 payments each with postage. Hornby refunded the 9 lots of postage, each one separately. The admin & warehosing effort alone must be costing a fortune.
Your solution for building that tabletop was brilliant, Sam! I am also "woodshop challenged," so I very much appreciate what you did. And removing those power connectors was a good move toward more realistic track. I would suggest one upgrade before you get much further along, though. Nailing the track directly to the wood base will result in very noisy running. I recommend pulling up the track and remounting it on cork sheet, cut in strips to form a roadbed. Alternatively, many folks will cover the tabletop with a sheet of home insulating foam (say, one inch thick) and glue the track to it. This will take care of the noise and would also allow cutting and shaping the scenicic ground and make it easir to add track ballast, trees, grass, etc., etc. And I'd paint your wood or foam base with a cheap medium to dark brown acrylic paint before adding the track. Then any gaps in your ballast and ground cover won't stick out. Sorry to go on so; guess I'm a bit over excited about your new layout. Cheers from Wisconsin!
This setup reminds me of my first layout. My grandfather had a love for model railways, and he built us a layout when I was maybe 4 years old. This is going back 25ish years. It was a basic loop, I don't remember many of the locos I had, but he cut the base wood himself, he assembled it all himself and he kept it in the garden shed when it wasn't used. He did eventually add a few sidings, but he died before being able to properly expand the layout, so a few years after his death, my dad and I moved the old layout to the house loft and made a weird boomerang shaped layout, basically out of two standard oval layouts. It was unplanned, but we eventually just linked both layouts. My stepmother filmed us working on it in 2006, and I only found the footage on an old CD a couple of years ago. I haven't seen or even touched the layout in 13 years, but it was a real trip looking at the old footage.
Sam you... you splendid fella.
That sigh at 1:15 is all the comment needed about Hornby at present.
It also succinctly sums up why you are worth watching, time and again. Ta.
Even private ebayers combine postage so it's the least I would expect from hornby. Even if its just a tick box you select on their website like the hattons trunk service.
I really hope the TT 120 is successful for Hornby as it could be beneficial for those with limited space and a much bigger layout could be achieved as well.
Keep up the good work Sam.
love it. Thanks for doing tt:120 Sam!
It's a pleasure - I can't wait to get started :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
hint: solder to the bottom of the fishplates, you can remove them from the track to do it so no melting of sleepers and the fishplates generally take solder way better than rails anyway - run a few wires to somewhere to sick a terminal block (lay them alongside the rails on the surface and they can look like trackside infrastructure when painted (or use black/grey wires!)
that baseboard is nicely done, did look at TT:120, looks nice, hope the range grows though
That was originally the plan (and same reasoning), on my own layout but I actually found the opposite to be true. Tried and failed repeatedly, to solder to fishplates, which steadfastly refused to accept solder - even when dipped in flux. However, when I switched to soldering directly to the rails, the solder melted quickly and easily, 'wetting' really well onto the nickel rails. No melting of the sleeper plastic, either. I don't know what the issue was (I was using new Hornby fishplates, supplied in a packet, and tried a variety of soldering irons, ranging from 15W to 45W. Also used 'proper' 60/40 tin/lead multicore solder, not the modern lead-free stuff).
Awesome! Intrigued to see how the models turn out!
Me too!!
Very helpful! Hornby do a terrible job of track planning on their website. This showed exactly what you need.
Wow Sam I love to see you make a new layout and it’s tt! I hope you don’t replace 00 with tt! Shame about the shipping! I love what you do you help me make good chooses when I get a new loco and make sure I don’t buy a faulty model!
I don't think Sam will be replacing OO. Both scales have their place in the hobby, and besides, Sam's got a museums collection of rolling stock in OO lol
Thank you! Nah I won't be replacing OO - as TG said, both scales definitely have a place, and there's hopefully lots to see from both! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Great video - thanks for sharing your experiences. Can I ask what size the baseboard is?
Thank you for showing this, especially the track assembly and thank you for your detailed review of the train set as well. From what I have read or heard about TT Hornby want to attract new people to the hobby.
I am potentially one of those people but I am not sure yet if I will commit. I need to figure out what I really want. Is the fun in taking lots of different track, building it up and trying to change the layout all the time which is how I played with the Scalextric or Lego. Or is the fun in having a layout and adding more and more to it in terms of detail and buildings as well as more track and trains. I am not a train enthusiast either but I can appreciate the proper British train types as opposed to the fake type steam locomotive I got given in a battery train set toy at Christmas. This is still fun but takes up lots of room, can only be a circle/oval and doesn’t run that great with it‘a single coach and speed! (Just at the point I had tried to forget about wanting a train set as well)
One curious thing is the idea of a layout on a tabletop, which is something I would need, with either taking it apart every day or something that could lift off and be stored upright! On every video I have seen, except one, has been built on the fairly large boards like yours and some are even fixed in place or the intention is to take the room over! The layout on the table was to big and had the track rather perilously run off the end balanced on a stack of books. It’s not Scalextric so I presume having train crashes are best avoided.
Maybe Lego trains would be for me!
Great job Sam, but i don't really fancy someone else cutting my wood thanks 😳😳🤣🤣🤣
*INSERT SUS ROCK MEME HERE*
@GreatWestern07 watch with caution ⚠️ 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Someone already cut my wood
@GreatWestern07 i after they cut the wood they put salt in it
It took a lot of trust... but my wood was awesome when it arrived, very very pleased with it. Glad I didn't try to cut it myself!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
My base board as a kid was a piece of chipboard that my dad cut into a rough shape with a jigsaw and then we painted it green. We made little trees from twisted brown wires and green foam. Built a load of HO kits for it with my dad. Had a couple of HO train sets on it. Happy days
got my TT set through today. Looks ok. Glad you're covering it.
Ahh sounds good - I'm yet to try one yet - can't wait! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
The Hornby postage method predates the TT 120 offering.
Back when Hornby were the only vendor of pre-grouping carriages, the livery of one company was not being offered through the retailers. So I went on line to order a number of them to make up a consist of 6 different coaches.
I could buy from Hornby but would have 6 postage charges added to that one order.
As I live in Australia, each postage charge was more than the carriage.
I wrote to Hornby to see if they could combine the order in one parcel.
After quite a while the answer was a flat “No.”. They did not even bother with a nonsense excuse.
So I did not order and bought the far superior Hattons version when they emerged. So glad.
Good video here Sam, great to see track being put onto a board and not the floor especially with TT being smaller, from my experience I wish I had put my track onto some form of table when I first started in this hobby because nowadays I’m paying the price for having track on the floor and the floor I used to lay it on wasn’t carpet.
Thanks a lot David - yeah definitely, I suspect a sturdy board is necessary with TT!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Thank you Sam about the Christmas stuff, I don't know why the Royal Mail is have problems this year so far.
Cheers Jasper & Willow
The Royal Mail were hacked...
Oh great to see TT:120 content finally in action Sam. You know what, for the money you could just have well bought 2 Ikea Linnmon/Adils tables 100x60 cm, £35 each..., making 200x120cm. We’ve seen these used for a TT beginner setup which is a rather clever idea we thought.
Well done for calling out H again. From our understanding, they have contracted a 3rd party logistics company..., but obviously the H way... (little regards for picking a reputable quality contractor, i.e. cheapskating).
Understandably, you wanted to show H TT tracks, but Peco would trivially be the better choice probably. Anyway, each their own of course and great to see your TT content coming together. Cheerio.
Thanks very much Linda - sadly the tables wouldn't do, as I've had to think long and hard about where I can conveniently store the layout... so a custom board exactly the right size was the best way to go! Yes I understand they do use a 3rd party logistics company who have sucked for over a year and nothing seems to have been done. Peco would probably have been a better shout with hindsight!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
2 tables of 100 cm x 60 cm each would make 200 x 60 cm or 100 x 120 cm not 200 x 120 cm unless I'm missing something?
Very nice my friend again ur trains and ur ideas are the best. Keep being awesome. My layout isn't much. But I can show u my trains I have
Thank you so much - yeah sure, feel free to send me pics of your setup! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains ok
Where do u want me to send the pictures to
Yes, you did it Sam! Great stuff I'll watch with interest 👍
Pop some wheels on that and it'll fit under the bed 🙂
Thanks very much Ande - that's true actually!!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
new layout will be cool Sam nice build to the channel thank lee
Thanks Sam. I'm looking forward to seeing a TT:120 Unboxing and Review video.
Sam, I'm glad I live in Australia because I can go to my local hobby store and buy the Hornby TT from them...
looking forward to your tt:120 layout.
i think that hornby are regular comedians as to the
ordering and the way they put the tracks i a silly huge box.
i lost it when you showed the size of the track pice and the box 🤣🤣🤣🤣😁
keep up the good work you are doing sam.
👍👍👍🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪
haha I know - they need to invest in their own fulfilment facilities like the *real* retailers... whoever does it at the moment is (and has been for over a year) completely useless!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
They quite possibly contract out the packing as well as everything else that they seem to want to get someone else to do somewhere else on the planet, so it might be the fault of "A"
I've certainly had several big boxes, bags of air &c. for tiny products from all sorts of companies. Via "A."
I usually just solder right on to the bottom of the track instead of using power tracks, but it can be challenging to get a solid solder joint if you are inexperienced.
You should add some scenery like ballast grass a station etc to make it look nice and look like a proper model railway.
decent job! I actually had to repeat the moment where you paused after saying about the "cut your wood" part and had to think for a moment! good humor
Smooth and flat track. This will be a revelation for Sam.
If possible I leave a notation on orders for "ship complete". I have had a few
instances where I get nickled and dimed to death with shipping charges.
Hi Sam,
Interesting video on the TT120 system and the track went together well.
However, I'm mystified by your choice of right hand points. In the real world you will find that cross overs are made up with left hand points. This is a safety feature as crossover point work has to be trailing in the main direction of travel, not facing, which is what yours are.
On the subject of Hornby's errors, they even slipped up with the Club membership scheme. They promised a delivery date for the club packages which couldn't be kept to due to the massive response. I should have had mine just before Christmas and it arrived late January. Personally I think they've made a bad choice not involving the retailers. I know my good friends at Great Eastern Models in Norwich are not to impressed.
As ever Sam, take care,
Cheers, Jon B.
Oh boy!!! Tt120 is so good
Thanks for that video Sam, I'm looking forward to the rest in the series. I don't know what Loco you have bought but I have just taken delivery of the "Eastener" and was a bit worried as loads of video I have seen show bits have fallen off the loco and the carriages make a terrible noise. Well my loco was fine but after running it in I then attached the carriages it sounds it sounds like they are dragging an injured animal around the track, although this only happens on the radius. I've ordered all the "Track Packs" and may have to buy some more track as I'm not too keen on the Hornby layout. I've decided on a 5X5 feet board.
Nice job and reasonable size layout.
Thank you! It's fairly compact but I think it should be big enough :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
By the way, buying cordless power tools to make a layout does not have to be expensive. Parkside (not sponsored) 12v power tools are more than up to the task of a model railway building.
or all you need is a measuring device, hand saw, hand drill and a screw driver to build a layout (hammer and nails can be substituted for the screwdrivers and screws.
When I was a lad (long, long, long time ago) I had a TT gauge, think it was Triang back then. Appreciate they are smaller but scale wise not sure how much. I know I used to use mainly OO gauge accessories, pretty sure it looked ok, but I was young.
Very well done. I look forward to seeing tt scale trains running on it. What is the overall measurement of the layout? Cheers
beat me to it. I was about to ask the same question.
Thanks so much! The main board in mm is 1080x750
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
When I built my layout, I also had no woodworking skills, so I didn’t do the baseboard with any framework. It still works either way. Also, I think Peco flexi track would be cheaper.
It is. Better quality too I reckon. The points are a bit pricey, but the reliability of them I bet will be better. They can be used as insulfrog or electrofrog which is pretty neat.
That's a pretty neat layout, will you be doing a similar kind of layout for N gauge trains
Thank you! Yes hopefully there will be room for an N scale circuit or two inside the TT ones!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Hoping to see some of the TT120 stuff at Model Rail Scotland in Glasgow later this month.
I've discovered something Sam: tt120 set in Aus is the equivalent of 335 GBP, as opposed to 195 GBP in the UK, as opposed to the 175 GBP plus 50 GBP postage as I had ordered it less of course the club discount.
Hornby have put a no online sales to Aus from the Hornby website.
I appreciate the support your local etc, but I can get a Tillig start set for 122 GBP, in fact for the equivalent of 5 pounds more than the Hornby set, I can get a tillig digital start set.
Yes Hornby make British stock whereas tillig, piko, arnold, kres, roco, schirmer, kuehn, Fischer etc are predominantly German.
Fairly obviously none of this is the local scene, so a tt purchase will likely be based upon the size preference of tt, and the personal taste of whichever rolling stock appeals.
I've already got a fair swag of tt scale, but I'm afraid the sales regime is creating too much of a price barrier to warrant even getting some novelty items, which is a shame.
Much as I hugely want an A4 or the Duchess in tt, or even a class 37, they're not really shaping up to be remotely in the same league as the German stuff, whilst admittedly more expensive, the difference does not come close to offsetting the actual models as models.
What was the size of the baseboard you had built Sam? Thanks
Lovely stuff!!! Gotta say tho , the choice of no sidings is interesting.
If you’re worried about melting plastic parts soldering to track you can solder your wires to a rail joiner/fish plate.
just so you know, B&Q will cut sheets of MDF or ply free of charge. They will do several cuts of a single sheet and you just pay for the MDF.
If you have a small car, you are of course limited to what will fit in your boot
Only in some stores. Best to check before you buy.
Not all B&Q stores cut wood and don't expect them to cut to high degree of accuarcy, allowing an extra inch or so will save a lot of pain.
@@maryginger4877 I’ve had good and bad experiences with the accuracy. I asked how accurate the cuts were and specified a width of 598mm. It was cut to exactly 598mm the first time by a young girl.
The second time was a scruffy older bloke and it was a few mm off. I complained and made him recut
@@paulnash4425 I always allow a little extra for mistakes, you make a slight error as Sam did laying the track, and one end is to close to the edge...
@@maryginger4877 yeah, I was not building a train layout, but needed a load of sheets cut precisely the same width that I then cut in various lengths
If you don't mind me saying. You need another set of points. If your traveling clockwise on the outside and switch to the inside. You have to backup to get to the outside.
I'm surprised you opted for buying the tracks individually instead of buying one of the starter sets.
9:40 HO and N scale train sets have always used the same controller, as they both need the same amount of DC current going to them. G scale trains use a controller with more amperage (Bachmann's G scale controller uses 1 amp compared to 0.6 amp for their smaller scales)
I do agree the power clamp is huge. Even N scale power tracks don't have such a giant clamp.
11:50 Bachmann's curve track packs always include enough to make one-third or one-quarter of a circle.
I would like to see you add grass, ballast, and other details to this layout in the future. Maybe make this layout cover two baseboards to fit a station and yard.
Awesome video today Sam really looking forward to see what you have planned
Thanks a lot James - I'm looking forward to it as well! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Hey, you’ve finally got a layout on a baseboard 🎉😊😊
Thanks Sam great review as per usual. I'll be moving house one day and mebbe I'll convert from 00 to tt120, I'm facinated to see what happens with this new scale. Regards Terry
I'm interested to see how this develops. I really thought you would have added some kind of shunting area for an inglenook puzzle.
Do you plan on decorating it too?
Sam, your experience ordering the TT scale track from Hornby gives a very good argument for ordering Peco TT scale track from your retailers instead.
I'd certainly recommend giving that a try - got to be less of a headache regardless of which retailer you pick xD
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Brilliant sam. Iv ordered the TT Easterner train set and it doesnt come with a track mat so some ideas are welcome. Im hoping to follow your lead, im hoping to have mine wall mounted.
You should make this into a mini series and do scenery and stuff on this layout that would be a cool thing to watch
Exciting times here Sam. DCC , TT:120 . I'm sensing Mallard, a Class 08, and some rolling stock coming our way. MDF company great service and a good option for many.
Thanks Sam 👍.
Cape Cod Steve
Thanks a lot Bonne - very much so - it's all happening isn't it?! ;D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Now you can review Australian Queensland Rail models in HO3.5!
Just anything Cape gauge would be awesome
If anything else, those not wanting to solder could hide the power boxes underneath a station building or something. Although, Hornby could have just made the boxes separate from the track and have removable wires connecting them together to give modelers more options.
You should add a yard and a train shed it would be so great
I remember an article in Model Railroader about TT scale in the early 90s. I wonder if Hornby can finally make the scale a success.
TT is very popular in Europe with a range of manufacturers producing quite a scope of stock. Downside is it's a premium market and prices generally reflect this, although the start sets are acceptable
Looks great! Loving the layout!
Thank you!! :D
Great video! Can't wait to see more tt stuff!
I got a question, How come you did not buy any of the TT sets? Would you say the sets are better value for money? Ok that’s two questions. Also I’ve noticed they have brought out the digital versions recently so wonder if they are any good too.
Nice one Sam. Pleased to see your review models are off the carpet.
Thanks Ian!
One day Sam 😃I can see your TT layout getting bigger, with a few sidings .
Maybe!! Fingers crossed :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Yooooooo!! TT scale!
I like how Hornby is making a smaller scale for those with less room to build a model railway but why didn't they just make n gauge as it is smaller and already popular.
I'd love to see you get that OO layout onto some woodwork... I'm currently building a N gauge layout
I will do one day! And that sounds awesome - best of luck with it! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Really amazingly size layout and nice tidy connection under the plywood 😊 look forward to see the more TT120 model soon, well done Sam!
5:12 funny story Sam I use Blender 2.75 I think, to do all of my project :)
Cheers Jasper & Willow
Should have watched this one before your recent TT120 video. lol Anyway..thats great work Sam. Well done.
I have had a similar experience but in spades!!!
I ordered 5 sets of magnetic couplings 2x 20mm 1x17mm and 2x buckeyemagnetic couplings.
2 weeks later 2 boxes arrived 6in x 6in each with 2 4x2 inch plastic bags with 2 bags in. The next day a similar box arrived with another 4x2in bag. Despite oredering all at the same time I was charged 3 lots of postage nearly £12 for something that could be put in a jiffy envelope and posted. At least Hornby reimbursed me for two lots of postage. I will not order from Hornby directly again!!
Sam. Hornby has yet to deliver my order from November. I am now getting really fed up. The boss may smile. Yet delivery is dire.
I'm interested in TT120, however, I'm waiting for the traction I want to be produced. I'll use Peco track, though.
You can find a lot of things (aside from locos and rollingstock) on european markets, because in Soivet times the scale was picked up by some east german manufacturers and thus the scale spread accros eastern europe and is still popular.
TT size originated in Switzerland and Germany, later becoming very popular in the Eastern bloc courtesy of the future East German manufacturers, the western European TT just never really gained inroads, and with the advent of N scale dwindled away
@@muir8009 TT Scale was first introduced by H.P. Products in 1945; at the time, it was thought to be the smallest scale possible. But it was eclipsed by HO Scale in North America and caught on in Western Europe instead.
@@survivingworldsteam probably easier to just say they were at the same time: lytax and wesa '45, and they were ready to run just not named TT. Wesa actually had a krokodil in '46 - oh to find one of those!
Lytax had that genius multi train control, fantastic to watch in action
whats the widths of 3rd and 2nd radius? got a new coffee table and keep thinking "will it fit?"
Yes!!! Thank you !!! I will building a TT120 layout, so this is appreciated!
Not pre-ordering because of the postage issue which is known elsewhere. Will save up and order at once.
Timing is everything as in I have been struggling with the prospect of putting together just the same thing as you just built
in front of me tonight, thanks ever so much Sam.
Hi sam i hope your ok
After seeing this i am tempted to run a small tt gauge layout
Thanks a lot Lewis - as you see, it was very easily done!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Is it me - or did you forget to insulate between the loops at the turnouts? ...or do the turnouts provide the insulation? Would not be an issue for DCC, but I assume you are going to use analogue? Enjoy ;-)
@samstrains what are your plans for the inner part of your board?
More sidings and some scenery?
I understand you can get TT scale cars trucks etc
Great to see you are covering TT120 and also track planning/building
MDF direct seems very reasonable. Hardwood ply cut to size and delivered for £65. Sounds good to me
Yeah exactly - you're paying for a service as well as the material, including delivery... seemed like the best/cheapest/quickest way of getting what I wanted!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
And now I'm factoring in the cost of tools to do it yourself, the space to do it, the dust and the wastage. It's a great service.
Sam, I ordered some of your merch the other day and it has arrived in a right state, help!
Hornby is so unbelievably unreliable
I ordered 5x 4 Straights and they only sent me 1
I called and they took 2+ Weeks to send the remaining ones.
I received it and one was still missing
Almost a month after ordering finally received everything 👍
Nice base, your 🔨 hammering reminded me of a Benny hill sketch 😂
This looks awesome, you had a lot of creative ideas for designing it like using Sketchup and modifying the power tracks, the plugs for the wiring are a great addition as well. I can't wait to see what it will look like with trains running on it!
Probably still helping hornby sell a few more TT sets! Did you forget the plastic rail joiners?
This is the video ive been wating for! Will you be foing scenery on this?
Thank you!! Not right now, but maybe one day when I have a more permenant place for it :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Great project, as a uni student who travels to and from uni every summer I have a similar system but broken into slightly smaller sections that clip together. Off topic but can we get sam's trains slippers????
Can't wait to see the TT reviews
Me neither!! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
If you visit your local hardware superstore, B@Q etc they would have supplied you with a piece of marine ply, and cut it to exactly the correct size for a fraction of the price. Glue on a piece of plastic edging and bingo. Less woodworking and screwing and no plastic printing.
I wonder if Bachman will dip there toes into TT scale.
one thing.. .. try your local papers for any carpenters or chippies in your area.. .. they'll advertise wooden window repairs or building outside furniture etc. I know it’s a long shot but if it supports a local trade.. . why not.?
That's really nice Sam. I look forward to some TT trains on the layout :-)
A layout without carpet just isn't a Sam'sTrains layout. 🤣
Running trains on track pinned to plywood will be a bit noisy I think you need some insulation. Cork underlay (don't use that horrible foam track underlay) for the track and some carpet glued underneath the board will swallow up all the noise and you will just hear the click of wheels on joints .
Another entertaining and instructive video.
I think you are wise to use a baseboard. No matter how zealous you are hoovering, any piece of fluff will be larger relative to a TT mechanism than to an OO one.
I am glad you managed to resolve the shipping cost issue with Hornby. I do hope that Hornby get their act together. No one on their side benefits from such triplications and it only does their reputation harm. Did the points and power tracks come together?
Regarding the woodworking tools, you would have had them for another time but this assumes you might use them again at some point and have somewhere to store them.
Please keep up the good work.
Yeah exactly - better a perfectly flat and fixed surface too for the same reasons. Yeah I agree - that was just incredibly wasteful. No the same thing happened again with the points and power tracks... two parcels on the same day xD
Yeah that's right - I'm very tight on space, so buying all the tools for very occasional use wouldn't have been smart right now for me,
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Should have got Peco track, not only is it better such as the points not having those large horrible plastic frogs you can buy it from regular retailers.
3D printed brackets... why did I not think of that, genius
Hey Sam, nice job with the TT:120 train layout. I will be honest with Sam, Hornby has made many people very pissed because of their stupid customer service. Like you said, when you order certain items from Hornby. The customer expects the items he or she bought should be in 1 single box together not in separate boxes like what happened with you Sam. I was going to buy the A4 Pacifics from the Model Centre but Hornby has delayed the original release time for the models to come out. Now, I have to wait for the A4s to come out in the summer this year which has made me very angry and annoyed with Hornby. Since Hornby has announced the 6 surviving A4 Pacifics into their range, I want to get Dominion Of Canada and Bittern when they come out Sam. I am sorry from this comment but I just want you to know what I am talking about.
To be fair to Hornby the delays are caused by third parties, rather than Hornby themselves. Usually due to Covid restrictions in China which often cause factories to be shut down, shortages of materials, etc.
There is also huge demand for shipping containers and places on transport ships. Delays caused by Covid at the factories have a knock on effect on these.
I do think Hornby could be better at communicating these issues to customers, although they are improving in this area. And I agree Sam's issues with multiple deliveries for one order are ridiculous.
Thanks for sharing Bryan - yes the inefficiencies in their fulfilment system need to be addressed, though as Speleokeir says, delays in model releases aren't Hornby's fault - they want the models to come out quickly just like we do... beyond their control unfortunately!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@speleokeir In one of their regular TT:120 club videos on RUclips, they said as much. Easy to miss though.
On shipping containers, one retailer in Australia announced its results this week. They stated that import container loads had dropped from $8,000 to $800 per container.
As a result, they were reducing their prices to reflect that.
It would be odd if Australia were the only destination to benefit in such a way.
So I am not sure the old excuse for part of the prices is still valid.
@@speleokeir, Hornby really should stop putting their trust on these 3rd party companies because they going to lead Hornby to bankruptcy.
I've just had the same problem with Hornby postage. 9 coaches, each packed separately, 9 payments each with postage. Hornby refunded the 9 lots of postage, each one separately. The admin & warehosing effort alone must be costing a fortune.
That’s quite nice, can’t wait to see you detail it up