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OO gauge Crowdfunded APT-P (Warley announcement)


DJM Dave
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There's already a 'test track' at the Heritage Centre.

 

The local club have a layout in the big shed to the west of the P-Train, and they already have a couple of Hornby P-Trains running on it most times the site is open. 

 

New imagine all the buyers of the new APT-P going to collect their models and seeing these old Hornby ones running on the track first thinking its the new version and getting wound up about it. Dave then suddenly finds himself facing 50 angry customers shouting their displeasure over a sub standard product - confused in not knowing they had mistaken the old Hornby for the new!

Edited by JSpencer
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My comment on test track was a little tongue in cheek. Can you imagine 100 adults, queuing up with a big 14 car box waiting to test the entire train (open the box, assembling the cars) on a test track one after the other?

Ah yes but in doing so you could have an extra certificate...

 

“as tested in the real APT”.

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Hi.

Yes a certifcate's easy to do, trying to build a curcuit of track inside the APT is another question lol :)

I’ll volunteer to do it...

It’s a challenge.

 

Indeed that’s almost TV worthy... a challenge to build a test track end to end in the APT... maybe exiting / entry through the cab doors, and through the power car.. that should provide some power, could we get a drivers control to power the track ?

Add in a climb to the buffet and some curves around the loo to test the tilt, ending with a helix out of the cab down to a table for wrapping outside.

Edited by adb968008
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I’ll volunteer to do it...

It’s a challenge.

 

Indeed that’s almost TV worthy... a challenge to build a test track end to end in the APT... maybe exiting / entry through the cab doors, and through the power car.. that should provide some power, could we get a drivers control to power the track ?

Add in a climb to the buffet and some curves around the loo to test the tilt, ending with a helix out of the cab down to a table for wrapping outside.

 

Not wishing to spoil the fun, but lets get the APT making its way through production first shall we, before working on the "nice to have's"...

 

Another little thought - if they are all handed out based on what Dave were saying about needing 300 14-cars to make the project viable, then thats potentially £300k of models.  May be best to check insurance policies first...

 

Regards,

 

C.

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Not wishing to spoil the fun, but lets get the APT making its way through production first shall we, before working on the "nice to have's"...

 

Another little thought - if they are all handed out based on what Dave were saying about needing 300 14-cars to make the project viable, then thats potentially £300k of models.  May be best to check insurance policies first...

 

Regards,

 

C.

 

14 car sets would be pretty big boxes too

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Hi everyone,

A month in since the new e-commerce site went live, and a few figures for you.

 

We are currently at 168 deposit payments for the APT so i think thats quite good bearing in mind some haven't received e-mails or read social media that often, and as the info will be propagating through the media and more of the original expressions and refunded orders will be back on board.

 

As with the N gauge King, i cannot seem to get a 3D company to print the APT (4 cars) so if anyone knows someone who can print the APT from the STL files, then please PM me.

 

Cheers

Dave

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Hi Dave,

How far away is 168 from the "go" position from a few months back prior to PayPal refunds? What is the feeling on whether the missing will come back on board?

the project needed 300 product 'expressions' converted to orders.

like i said, i am confident this will happen, but may take time.

 

after all, the initial 'spurt' last time went quiet and then picked up....... almost 'ebbing and flowing' as it progressed, can usually account for this ebbing and flowing by holidays, christmas, job changes, other more important bills to pay etc.

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Does everyone know why they got a refund? I ask in case there are some out there who might think they got a refund because the project was cancelled. A bit of targeted marketing to those who got refunds and have not re paid could yield a few re payments.

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Hi Dave,

 

It's all about Comms, Comms, Comms.

 

I was one of those that ordered at the last minute. 11:52pm on deadline day! Due to timing issues with Pay-pal I never paid the deposit.

 

I had an order confirmation from Durham Trains of Stanley, but have received nothing since. Last weekend I paid the deposit to your new secure site. But I was never totally sure what the final status of your website was as you had had issues with it, so hesitated for some time.

 

I would gently but firmly ask you to email everyone to let them know what the progress of the project is and just remind everyone what to do next. A fair bit of work now, but it will pay dividends in the long run.

 

I don't want the project to fail due to lack of Comms.

 

Kind regards,

Richard

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Great to see things moving forward now Dave My suggestion would be to wait till you have the Lloyds Click safe confirmed, tested and up and running and then do a targeted email drop to those who haven't yet re signed giving an update of progress, details of the new payment system etc to hopefully coinside with the end/beginning of the month when peeps have been paid

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Great to see things moving forward now Dave My suggestion would be to wait till you have the Lloyds Click safe confirmed, tested and up and running and then do a targeted email drop to those who haven't yet re signed giving an update of progress, details of the new payment system etc to hopefully coinside with the end/beginning of the month when peeps have been paid

This really. Pretty much what I was coming in to post

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Just to add something that Dave might not be aware of.

 

I'm one of those that hasn't yet repaid their deposit. The reason being is that I followed the link on Dave's email (that should have taken me to the new version of my order) but found that the model combination allocated to me was not the one I had originally signed up for and paid my deposit for. That means I'm going to have to go the main site and order the one I actually want from there. 

 

But if that kind of 'wrinkle' is happening to other people then it might account for some of the drop off in people signing up again. I know it's not the biggest deal but for some it could cause confusion/be annoying and possibly prompt them to wait until they're confident the main site and its payment system is up and running properly.

 

Just a thought!

Edited by jixer
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Well I'm one of the guilty one's that didn't re-order straight away, Not that I didn't want the model or lost interest just a case of various things going on and very inactive in the model railway scene, though still collecting.

I have now just re-ordered the 14 car unit as well as City of Derby (7 car) and a yellow fronted 6 car unit, so I am committed and do back this project,

For all those that haven't, Lets get back on board, get the wheels rolling and make this happen,

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

I have an email and think it is a better way to send out information to those that are actually interested in the project and it will stop the keyboard warriors who seem intent in find problems in anything they can just for the hell of it

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