Parkside Dundas

[Dunsignalling]

Let's see how many test the system now!

 

 

I spoke to Andrew this afternoon. They have sent their last order, everything is on it's way to Peco now. However he did say that Peco will be able to supply individual sprues in the future. I have obtained sprues from Peco for their 7mm stuff in the past.

 

Mike

I understand the Parkside range will in future be manufactured at the Ratio plant in Buckfastleigh.

 

I've never had any problem getting individual Ratio sprues so it won't be a new process for them to learn.

 

However, the sheer size of the Parkside ranges might take while to absorb, so I'd not expect the changeover to be completely seamless.

 

John

Edited July 13, 2017 by Dunsignalling

[iak]

Excellent news about sprues, I will have a need for some soon...

[Andy W]

I spoke to Andrew this afternoon. They have sent their last order, everything is on it's way to Peco now.

Mike

And indeed the postman delivered a parcel from Kirkcaldy this morning, possibly that last order, at least as far as the Parkside bit of the range is concerned.

However the PD website will still allow you to order their standard gauge wagon kits and there is no mention at all of any change. If it wasn't for RMweb I'd have no idea anything was even planned. Presumably any orders are forwarded to Buckfastleigh?

[Enterprisingwestern]

And indeed the postman delivered a parcel from Kirkcaldy this morning, possibly that last order, at least as far as the Parkside bit of the range is concerned.

However the PD website will still allow you to order their standard gauge wagon kits and there is no mention at all of any change. If it wasn't for RMweb I'd have no idea anything was even planned. Presumably any orders are forwarded to Buckfastleigh?

 

Peco may think they have bought PD, but there is a shadow factory tucked away in the Scottish Glens satisfying these orders!

 

Mike.

[davefrk]

Sorry but having spoken with Parkside this morning on another matter they have asked me to state that they are still open for business until Peco take the Parkside 4 & 7mm stock away on the 26th of this month and orders are still being taken and sent out till the stock is uplifted indeed I'm busy making up certain castings for their 7mm kits as they have had a rush of orders.

So, don't panic yet.

 

Andrew's Dundas 009 kits will still be operating from Kirkcaldy after that date.

 

Dave Franks.

[rope runner]

I spoke to Richard recently and he has had to abandon the 13 ton BR Hopper 

Let's hope Peco pick up the torch...

 

Paul A. 

[turbos]

Having built a fair amount of PD 00 kits (and still have a few awaiting building), I've become a bit of a fan and was a bit worried when I heard a few months ago about it being for sale for retirement. I'm glad it's ended up in the Peco range as the kits will be around for many years to come. The main negative is that there was a lot more to PD than the kits, the individual sprue service, coupling mounts, different types of wheels, etc. All delivered with excellent customer service. Also they were willing to sell complimentary products such as Modelmaster and LMS, so giving new startups and small specialists access into the crowded market that is model railways. I don't expect any new kits to be developed but that creates an opportunity for either a new entrant or bespoke 3D printing services as this becomes more affordable. Overall I feel the positives outway the negatives, and I hope all involved get the most out of the new directions they're now going. Anyway, having just finished building a 13 ton goods wagon, which shall I do next?

 

Brian.

[ian]

Peco have just announced the availability of the PC89 LNER Toad E kit in OO to the trade in their cap[acity as wholesalers.

 

The newsletter includes the following snippet (my bold):

 

This kit is significant in that it will be the last one produced by Parkside Dundas part-owner and toolmaker Richard Hollingworth.

 

Future kits will be developed by PECO at our facilities in Beer and Buckfastleigh, Devon.

 

 

There may yet be new Parkside kits!

[ChrisMitchell]

I've only built a few PD kits so far, but one of their great attributes was the wheel swap service for those modelling the wider 4mm gauges. Not sure if this will continue with PECO even at shows

[Porcy Mane]

I point I heard raised yesterday is, will Peco continue to attend the shows that PD did but Peco didn't? EG Scaleforum, Scalefour North etc., etc.

 

Parkside was a staple at many shows for many years and personally I hope that will continue.

 

P

[Phil Parker]

I'd suggest that being able to order Parkside kits from your Peco rep might make them more readily available in model shops. Time will tell but at least the range has been saved by someone who bought it for reasons other than taking it off the market.

[iak]

There may yet be new Parkside kits!

Or even more remastered ones?

[Porcy Mane]

I'd suggest that being able to order Parkside kits from your Peco rep might make them more readily available in model shops. 

 

I hope your right but how many individual modellers know their local Peco rep?

 

Also with a great deal of model shops seeming to go the same way as many pubs and petrol stations, the choice of retailers nationwide seems to become more limited every month. The nearest model shop to me that stocks Peco (limited range), Ratio (Very restricted) and the odd Parkside kit is now a thirty mile round trip. Somehow I don't think the proprietor would want to have cash tied up in increasing stock that could be sitting about on his shelves.

 

I can't see Peco, as big as they are, doing sale or return deals so that retailers can increase their stocks. As with a great deal of modellers; being able to order an "in production or in stock at the warehouse"  from your local shop in a lot of cases isn't practical or cost effective as it means a return trip with the associated cost when it eventually gets delivered. This just plays into the hands of the mail order merchants.

 

For me one of the good things about seeing Parkside at the smaller provincial shows was the ability to see the full range, exchange wheelsets there and then ( I can't see model shops offering this service) and just take satisfaction from knowing money spent went directly to the folk that was producing the product.

 

P

Edited July 14, 2017 by Porcy Mane

[Dava]

I point I heard raised yesterday is, will Peco continue to attend the shows that PD did but Peco didn't? EG Scaleforum, Scalefour North etc., etc.

 

Parkside was a staple at many shows for many years and personally I hope that will continue.

 

P

This also applies to the gauge 0 events where Parkside always attended but PECO seldom/never. The Parkside range is essential for 7mm modeling. However Tower Models generally sold at a lower price on lines they offered [not the Scottish PO coal wagons, only available from PD, what will happen to those?].

 

Dava

[Colin parks]

Or even more remastered ones?

The trouble iak that there is that there is nothing in a PD kit to remaster, unlike music recordings, where the basic tracks can be re-mixed from the source material to create a new or improved product.  

 

From reading the article in a recent S4 News, it is clear that PD moulds are cut by a highly skilled person using machines and specialised cutters. It is not just a case of re-loading CAD files into a computer-controlled die-sinking machine, someone actually made the moulds.  Once the mould is worn out, it means starting again with plain blocks of metal and a good drawing of the prototype for reference!  (Not to mention setting up the ejector pins and stripping plates.)

 

If Peco have not expanded the Ratio range, then expansion or re-tooling of the PD kits range looks er, unlikely. 

 

All the best,

 

Colin

Edited July 14, 2017 by Colin parks

[Pint of Adnams]

I've only built a few PD kits so far, but one of their great attributes was the wheel swap service for those modelling the wider 4mm gauges. Not sure if this will continue with PECO even at shows

Already well covered in post 71 on p3 of this thread... but the answer awaits.

[cctransuk]

The trouble iak that there is that there is nothing in a PD kit to remaster, unlike music recordings, where the basic tracks can be re-mixed from the source material to create a new or improved product.  

 

From reading the article in a recent S4 News, it is clear that PD moulds are cut by a highly skilled person using machines and specialised cutters. It is not just a case of re-loading CAD files into a computer-controlled die-sinking machine, someone actually made the moulds.  Once the mould is worn out, it means starting again with plain blocks of metal and a good drawing of the prototype for reference!  (Not to mention setting up the ejector pins and stripping plates.)

 

If Peco have not expanded the Ratio range, then expansion or re-tooling of the PD kits range looks er, unlikely. 

 

All the best,

 

Colin

 

By 'remaster', I think that what was implied was the updating of early kits - eg. the recent re-release of the LNER TOAD E.

 

There are a few kits in the PD range that would benefit from similar treatment - the ones from the early days.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

[Colin parks]

By 'remaster', I think that what was implied was the updating of early kits - eg. the recent re-release of the LNER TOAD E.

 

There are a few kits in the PD range that would benefit from similar treatment - the ones from the early days.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

Yes, point taken.  But who is going to make the moulds? They are made, essentially, by hand.

 

Colin

[cctransuk]

Yes, point taken.  But who is going to make the moulds? They are made, essentially, by hand.

 

Colin

 

How do Peco produce the moulds for their new items?

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

[Porcy Mane]

How do Peco produce the moulds for their new items?

 

Contracted out to specialists?

 

As far as I know PD still prepared their own masters using Pantograph milling equipment from traditional drawings. Because of the nature of their business that was probably the most cost effective way of doing things with every thing being done in house.

 

I'd Imagine (but don't know) Peco had the master made for the latest "scale" 00 track bases by third party contractors using spark erosion techniques.

 

P

[hayfield]

How do Peco produce the moulds for their new items?

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

 

 

There was an article in the Railway Modeller a year or more ago where Peco were showing their new equipment based on modern computer aided techniques, certainly in both the design and mould making parts of the process. A state of the art system which enables moulds to be made quicker, more accurately and cheaper than the previous equipment they were using.  Certainly there has been quite a lot of new items added to their ranges over the past year  

[cctransuk]

There was an article in the Railway Modeller a year or more ago where Peco were showing their new equipment based on modern computer aided techniques, certainly in both the design and mould making parts of the process. A state of the art system which enables moulds to be made quicker, more accurately and cheaper than the previous equipment they were using.  Certainly there has been quite a lot of new items added to their ranges over the past year  

 

..... so who knows what new wagon subjects might be possible with the latest technology?

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

[Porcy Mane]

... so with all this new technology producing sophisticated masters does it then become more cost effective and profitable to produce complete RTR models rather than kits.

 

I think we've had the Knocked Down Kit debate a good few times previously.

 

Anyhow, I'm off to the pub for a full days debate on the future of the UK Model Train industry.

 

P

[iak]

I think I've been listening to too many "remastered" albums recently...

WIBBLE!

[PMP]

 

In case anyone is thinking the 4mm scale Toad E kit PC89 is a remastered/makeover of the earlier kit, it isn't.

It's a new kit in its own right.