nickb4141

Yes, meant Dapol’s N gauge 156 (model in both scales) I already have a lot of Realtrack’s excellent 156 sets :) I agree re Bachmann doing a Class 950, as it would be a simple body retool/set of slides, but seeing they’ve had the 150 tooling for about 15 years, they don’t seem in any hurry to do it!

The Network Rail Class 950 Track Recording DMU would be a good choice - at least 3 liveries off the top of my head and they have been literally EVERYWHERE across the rail network, so an easy excuse for every modern modeller to buy at least one. …..there’s not that many items you can say run everywhere!

Revised Class 156 models with the universal toilet window modifications, so that we can have an up to date Northern White & Blue and Scotrail liveries. Also if the boxy underframe could be retooled, that would be a great improvement!

Yes,sorry, I meant in 00. Revolution always seem extremely cautious about producing 00 gauge stuff, demonstrated with the two liveries offered for their 4mm 175 and 180 models. They’ve also avoided 00 gauge versions of their 320/321, 313/314 and Electrostar models, so I wouldn’t hold your breath waiting for anything from them. Ben has said ‘N gauge sells at least as well as 00 gauge’ so they probably feel safer sticking with what they know with N gauge products.

Agree with all of those choices - I’m quite amazed that the 116 and 120 DMU’s have been shunned by manufacturers for so long, while some other quite niche (and ‘bargain bin’ candidates,) have been chosen ahead of them!

They actually run in 6 car formations fairly regularly nowadays, but granted this is a relatively recent development in the last couple of years. On the positive side, these have run over quite a widespread area, despite only having one operator and they would complement the forthcoming Hornby TPE Class 802, which seemed to sell out extremely quickly on pre order and the Accurascale Nova 3 Mk5 sets.

I second that. Probably more attractive to Revolution as there are only a couple of mainstream liveries to produce, rather than multiple liveries that Dapol tend to favour, but whoever was to produce these, I’d be in the market for four sets of these.

Well said Big Jim! The FNW livery is also the only livery that has operated over all of the lines shown in Revolution’s route maps!

….and if you counted the Welsh livery versions, (bearing in mind there are two options,) it wasn’t much more, so based on your theory, none of the livery options would be viable! Let me just ask you this, if you were investing your money in a project, how many 2mm models do you realistically think would outsell a direct 4mm equivalent? If you’re being honest, I think the answer would be very few or none. If that is the case, then how can the FNW version be viable in 2mm, but not in 4mm? If just doesn’t stack up! If 4mm versions are such poor sellers for Revolution, then why bother? Perhaps the answer is to share development costs with Accurascale and let them produce the 4mm versions and Revolution the 2mm versions, which I’m sure someone will correct me, if I’m wrong, but was pretty much what happened with the Mk5 Transpennine & Caledonian Sleeper coaches.

….whilst not a current livery, the ‘Barbie livery was around for about ten years, albeit later debranded with new operators names added. It was certainly around for longer than the last livery, which is now obsolete, seeing as the units have now been withdrawn by Transport for Wales. Anyone modelling the Cumbrian coast to Barrow, Blackpool, Windermere, Lancaster, Preston or Manchester areas sadly doesn’t have an excuse to buy a few units.

If you’ve been following this thread from the beginning, you’ll see quite a number of people stating they were going to purchase 4mm First North Western 175’s, so I’m certainly not the only one who wanted this livery before it was pulled - take a look, you might be surprised just how many there are!

Hi Ben, Thanks for your reply, but I’m struggling to understand the logic here? If 2mm versions sell ‘at least as well as 4mm’ then how can the FNW version be viable in 2mm but not 4mm? Last weekend Dapol announced an (arguably less geographically spread,) model with the class 323 EMU and have offered six liveries from the outset in 4mm, which seems at odds with your two offered for the 4mm 175. I don’t think expressions of interest tell you anything - it’s easy for anyone to say ‘I’ll buy two of those and three of those’ but the fact that you had little response would suggest the message didn’t get out there to the intended audience. I regularly read RMWeb and read all of the modelling press and didn’t see anything and I’m a massive DMU fan! I’m not saying all of this to be a thorn in your side, but I think your pendulum has gone from one extreme to another with the livery options offered (early Pendolino options and 321 spring to mind). My concern if that you’re going to end up stifling your potential sales and the viability of projects, which would be a great shame, when you produce such great products.

Hi Ben, Thanks for your reply. Re the expression of interest, I had no idea of this and I wonder if others may be in the same boat. I was surprised that you are still doing the FNW livery in 2mm if it’s that unpopular as I thought the common assumption was that N gauge is only 10% of the 4mm market, hence if 2mm is viable, you’d expect 4mm to be a certainty? Currently the only two choices are both Welsh liveries, so anyone modelling quite a wide area of Northern England is effectively excluded from having an excuse to buy a 175 from you, which is a shame as it no doubt effects the viability of this and future projects. I appreciate your past experience with the 320/321 liveries offered, but only offering 2 liveries both from the same geographical area seems like a missed opportunity to me? Cheers, Nick.

Hi, I don’t know if anyone on here can answer this? I’ve tried, (unsuccessfully,) to pre order two 4mm 175’s in First North Western livery on the revolution site, but they seem to have dropped off the 4mm section? They are still showing in the 2mm section, so assuming they must be doing in 4mm, as the more popular scale? They also show on the route map for 175’s in FNW which Revolution have on the site? I sent a message, but haven’t had a reply back, so not sure what’s going on? They don’t seem interested in taking my money, that’s for sure! :)

……may I suggest a trip to ‘Specsavers’ ?

The Bachmann Spares website is still very slow and refuses to load - shame as trying to buy a few bits! Hopefully it will sort itself out!

I still think it’s far more likely to come from Heljan, going by their O gauge announcement of a Class 153. They have quite a few models that are, (or are planned to be,) produced in both O and OO, for example the class 25/3, 35, 45 and 47 to name a few. Why go to the bother of researching a model in O gauge and not release it, where there’s an opportunity for a better model and a (much bigger,) market for it in OO?

Another excellent looking model! I’m pleasantly surprised how good these are, considering Andy said these were Railroad standard models when Hornby first unveiled their TT range. I’m sitting on the fence at the moment, but if this is the standard to expect, I could be very tempted to give TT a go!

This looks a hundred times better than the Dapol N gauge offering, which just looks wrong around the front windows and undersize headcode box. Hornby deserve some credit for this! Hopefully a class 37, class 47 and perhaps a 101, 108 or 117 DMU might follow on this, to the same high standard?

Thanks for the update Ben and glad to hear they’re still going ahead!

Hi Charlie, Any news on this? Are they still going ahead? Nick

I’ve looked on Kato’s main site and cannot find anything regarding 9 car sets. They are producing a couple of new GWR 5 car sets, but nothing on 9 car versions. Does anyone have anything concrete regarding the 9 car sets, as it all seems a bit unsubstantiated rumours at the moment (and I’d obviously love to be proved wrong!) Anyone?

I think Bachmann are just a lot more switched on as to where the market has been going in the last 20 years. In that respect, they’ve capitalised on the growing importance of the diesel & electric market and have introduced new tooling for the class 37 & 47 to compete head on with the likes of Accurascale and the new generation of model companies. Hornby on the other hand, have chosen to concentrate on predominantly steam based and increasingly niche items, which are quite often finding themselves in the bargain section. Their diesel & electric models are rapidly becoming obsolete by the introduction of much better models, at better value for money. To date their class 31,50,56,60 have all been (or will have been,) surpassed better models, with,no doubt,others to follow. The only models they still ‘lead the pack’ with are the 08,HST,67,87 & 91,755, IET and 4VEP, however some of these are probably on someone else’s radar (including the 153 DMU, rumoured to be announced soon). If Hornby don’t pull their finger out, their D&E range faces becoming obsolete!

Yes, but probably a lot less differences than there are in a tooling suite of a Class 37 or Class 47 or a Black 5 or 9F. Certainly nothing insurmountable with models produced nowadays.

The differences between the 119’s and 120’s are pretty minimal. BR outsourced the cross country DMU design to GRC&W, as Swindon didn’t have the capacity at the time. The major difference was the cab ends, with GRCW using the standard ‘Derby’ ends and Swindon works using their own cab design. Hornby could possibly also use their Hawksworth coach model, as one was added to some of the Class 119’s to increase their capacity in the early days, with the inserted Hawksworth coach painted in BR Green to match the rest of the unit. I’m sure the 755 will be a lovely model, it’s just I fear it won’t do much to revive Hornby’s fortunes.