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Class 66 in OO Gauge - New Announcement


Hattons Dave
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46 minutes ago, adb968008 said:

quite so.. a diversion, but its not off topic

 

I don't know whether that is a fantastically random joke (which if so it got the desired effect from me), or if I am not seeing the link :lol:

 

Ok I have read your reply now, that's brilliant! Made me laugh twice

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1 hour ago, TomScrut said:

 

I don't know whether that is a fantastically random joke (which if so it got the desired effect from me), or if I am not seeing the link :lol:

 

Ok I have read your reply now, that's brilliant! Made me laugh twice


 

just a slight addendum to this story.

Legend has it, when seeing the stone, you should leave a coin on the grave stone to ensure you get peace.

 

So, being Northern Spirited, I had a penny and thought I’d do the same.

At the grave, I put my hand into my pocket, and pulled the coins, at which a 20p spun out, bounced off the stone and landed right on the grass..

At which I thought... you know what.. you can have it.

I was just mugged by a 400 year old pirate.


To add to it, my car gps and phone sat navs stopped just before we go there.. all random, pointing my car as if it were in a field, which looked like the hill.

 

So to wrap up, I think I will a add a mini skull and cross bones in the side of a drivers cab window. Want to be sure my 66 has no issues beyond what I know about.

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Took the plunge and ordered mine, werent many left of the the lower numbers 005 and 125 have sold out, so I was daft, stupid, brave to order 66005 with its defects (If anyone wondered who had ordered it from Hattons), lets see whats what when it arrives!

 

2088253013_66order.jpg.e522d530b6d84e0e0b43e93e9ce1689a.jpg

 

NL

Edited by NickL2008
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I'm sure this has been discussed, but there's 176 pages to go through... would anyone know the answers to these questions:

 

1) Does Hattons provide spare parts. I've just opened my new 66 and I think one of the small pipes from near the steps (for sand?) is missing. I tried to contact them on chat, but they closed the chat window so have emailed, but I'm getting a bit stressed about this tiny detail.

 

2) Whilst searching for the missing pipe in the box I discovered the piece below. Does anyone know where it's come from?

 

I'm starting to realise that these model are very fragile.

 

Thanks

20210107_181325.jpg

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32 minutes ago, Grouse101 said:

I'm sure this has been discussed, but there's 176 pages to go through...

 

2) Whilst searching for the missing pipe in the box I discovered the piece below. Does anyone know where it's come from?

 

20210107_181325.jpg


Discussed previously, but I don’t blame you for not scrolling back through this monstrous thread...
 

On 06/12/2020 at 09:42, Jack374 said:

 

CB99305D-BD6B-4FFE-AD4F-18E178CDF27A.jpeg.2ae532f10d5277494069935953cdeea5.jpeg


Can't help you with spares I’m afraid, and yes the locos are fragile!

 

Jack.

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Hattons are awesome on the spares front - i had a few bits missing across my fleet (1 bodyside pipe and few axleboxes) and a quick email to them saw them supply all my needs in a few days, no charge.

 

M

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11 hours ago, 37501 said:

Can’t fault Hatton’s service department. 3 replacement axle boxes were posted to me free of charge after I sent them an email. 
Excellent service.

 

John

This is a new development, isn't it? I haven't heard of them doing the a/boxes as spares before. 

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4 hours ago, Daddyman said:

This is a new development, isn't it? I haven't heard of them doing the a/boxes as spares before. 

Hi

Contact them through the 'direct chat' bubble on their homepage. They usually engage with you within minutes. The spares have usually been available from them on proof of purchase. Which they can usually check from their system.

 

Stephen

Edited by ayrmrg
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So the 66 has arrived today (66005) nothing majorly wrong with it from the description, but something with the chassis is a miss here, after running it back and forth a few times, a "burnt" smell coming from the chassis - suspect possibly an overloaded resistor, and now the headlights on one end dont work, as well as the tail lights on the "coupling" end, but thankfully at least the chassis still works, time to ask Hattons 

 

NL

Edited by NickL2008
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2 hours ago, ayrmrg said:

Hi Nick.

 

As a matter of interest when you purchased it, was it new or was it a return?

 

Stephen 

Preowned so possible a return, after talking with Hattons a partial refund as it just looks to be a resistor that's gone or the SMDs have blown possibly

 

NL 

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14 hours ago, NickL2008 said:

Preowned so possible a return, after talking with Hattons a partial refund as it just looks to be a resistor that's gone or the SMDs have blown possibly

 

NL 

I've had two with loose wires behind the lighting boards. Manage to fix them with a soldering iron. This all depends on how much you can do yourself.

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19 hours ago, NickL2008 said:

Preowned so possible a return, after talking with Hattons a partial refund as it just looks to be a resistor that's gone or the SMDs have blown possibly

 

NL 


As long at it is not the power transistors, as that if harder to fix. 
 

Roy

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5 hours ago, Roy Langridge said:


As long at it is not the power transistors, as that if harder to fix. 
 

Roy

 

I had a thorough look last night, whilst I had it apart, examined the PCB, nothing looked "charred" or destored, I also added some grease to the flywheel ends that the drive shafts conect into - no oil or grease there, very odd. I also checked the wheels - these had lots of wghat looked to be carpet fibres tangled round the axles so whoever previously had this model has run it on a carpet - big no no . SMDs still refuse to work, so will check all of the wires as per your sugeestion MrB

 

NL

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26 minutes ago, ERIC ALLTORQUE said:

Just wondering if since some of the numbers still in stock of these has anyone from Hattons thought of having bodys made and printed to fit onto chassis they will have in stock until the real Voyage heads for the stars. even removing and overprinting existing ones if thats possible?.

Doing some of 66731 to Sir Tom... as some of the stock levels are so high.

The Colas pair are low now,as are the GBRF europort ones,6 18 23 25 29 and 30 will be gone soon but others are 200 plus.

Would be a possible way to have more liverys and clear a huge amount of money stuck in shelf stock.

Often wondered but how do you find actual stock levels?

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4 hours ago, ERIC ALLTORQUE said:

Just wondering if since some of the numbers still in stock of these has anyone from Hattons thought of having bodys made and printed to fit onto chassis they will have in stock until the real Voyage heads for the stars. even removing and overprinting existing ones if thats possible?.

Doing some of 66731 to Sir Tom... as some of the stock levels are so high.

The Colas pair are low now,as are the GBRF europort ones,6 18 23 25 29 and 30 will be gone soon but others are 200 plus.

Would be a possible way to have more liverys and clear a huge amount of money stuck in shelf stock.

 

So they'd need to invest yet more funds in order to sell them at the same price, (ie. £119.00)?  So an immediate financial loss.  Unless of course the retail price was raised to cover the cost of the 'new' models (prints/bodyshells etc), and I think that Hatton's have already discovered that people aren't likely to pay much closer to £150 for a 66 that effectively may still have 'issues'?  So it could turn into a potential time- and resources-wasting exercise all around. 

 

If excess stock was seriously an issue, then it would be far less of a risk to simply knock the last few out at say £100, if business became really tough... and you don't need to invest more valuable time and funds in order to do it.  Cut your losses, clear 'em out and move forwards...  in the least/longest* (dependent on the dictate of cashflow) bearable time.  

 

Who knows, 'Sir Tom' - or whichever other special livery - might be in the next batch for all we know, along with an all-improved axlebox design...?

 

Oh and of course, not forgetting... 'Evening Star'...  :D

 

66779

 

Best

Al

Edited by YesTor
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3 hours ago, NIRCLASS80 said:

Often wondered but how do you find actual stock levels?

https://www.hattons.co.uk/stocklist/1484058/1000588/1000635/0/hattons_originals_oo_gauge_1_76_scale_diesel_locos/prodlist.aspx?sort=7&showpreowned=false&pageid=1

(sorted by least stock).
 

If you want to know the actual number, start guessing.. you cannot add more to your basket than they have in stock. ( @Steamport Southport take note)

 

As a median, 66-027  at £150 is a good judge... it wont let you add more than 24 to your basket. So anything above it in the list is obviously less stock.

 

Ive been following that, when chosing what to buy, as generally as soon as stock levels are less than 66-027 its sold out within a week, though 66-027 itself has dropped, it was in 30’s a few weeks ago).

 

Many of these 66’s have sold out (nearly all digital and sound) and several DCC ready have gone.

 

I reckon it will be game over on the most common liveries in a couple of weeks. I’m very sure Hattons have shifted a huge volume of 66’s last month.

 

The ones at the bottom of the list aren't really a surprise, odd ball ones, and look likely to provide spare parts fodder for a while to the more popular ones.

 

For other liveries, best bet is going to be contact respray specialists, for example: @cambo74 @Squirrel Rail They could probably advise on which is a good base livery to use for a respray... hint hint guys.. A 66727 Maritime respray might look good on a Hatton's 66 imho, 66727 being in FGW blue in Hattons range already.

 

At £119 your not going to see Hattons 66 this cheap again, so my opinion is buy em now, you can always let them go later, but buying them later your likely to find either similar or higher s/h prices but with more risk of bits missing.
Will Hattons make more, who knows, or when, but pretty certain they will be north of £150, rather than south.

 

 

 

Edited by adb968008
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11 minutes ago, ERIC ALLTORQUE said:

Try 66743 and 66623 for stock levels,and hold onto your hat as whoever ordered these production numbers must have had balls like space hoppers,three more still beyond one hundred,so eight hundred in five models,as theymust buy these for buttons a body to do some different liverys would be a cheap way to clear a load and we would all jump at an Evening Star or two.......

I’ll nominate that for todays English Clarity and Prose of the day award.

:D
 

But, one big but... the assumption is the body shell is the right body shell... Hattons have done a large number of body variants, including things like side doors, cab windows, head lights, buffer beam fittings, roof vents...

 

Theres a huge amount of research in these 66’s.

 

buttons a body...i love it. I’ll use that at work tomorrow.

 

 

Edited by adb968008
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20 hours ago, ERIC ALLTORQUE said:

a body to do some different liverys would be a cheap way to clear a load and we would all jump at an Evening Star or two.......

 

Perhaps, but I'd guess they'd still have to do a run of 300?  500?  And personally, at this stage of the game I'd much prefer 'Evening Star' with potentially improved axle-boxes etc... 

 

We've had the Bachmann 'Evening Star' = no thanks. 

We've had the Hornby 'Evening Star' = no thanks. 

 

The last thing we need is an almost-stunning Hatton's 'Evening Star'?   If they are gonna do it, then surely let's have it done properly...?  ;)

 

Edited by YesTor
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I hope we do get another run.

 

The issues are fairly limited really and will not be expensive to correct. 95% of problems just need the axle boxes sorting out and some are caused by those putting the models together (so no redesign, maybe just more training and oversight). The remaining issues possibly not be cost effective to address and Hattons just accept that a few get returned.


Roy

Edited by Roy Langridge
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8 minutes ago, Roy Langridge said:

I hope we do get another run.

 

The issues are fairly limited really and will not be expensive to correct. 95% of problems just need the axle boxes sorting out and some are caused by those putting the models together (so no redesign, maybe just more training and oversight). The remaining issues possibly not be cost effective to address and Hattons just accept that a few get returned.


Roy

 

Producing the tooling was a huge part of the development costs. It is now available.

This was Hattons first loco project, introducing problems they had never before encountered. Some issues really are easier to identify once many have had their hands on them ie. customers.

There has now been time to engineer solutions to these issues & I believe there will have been people within Hattons doing do.

 

There were well over 400 66s built & they have been running for over 20 years in many liveries, so there are plenty not covered yet. I am sure we will see another batch. It is just a matter of time.

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3 minutes ago, Pete the Elaner said:

 

Producing the tooling was a huge part of the development costs. It is now available.

This was Hattons first loco project, introducing problems they had never before encountered. Some issues really are easier to identify once many have had their hands on them ie. customers.

There has now been time to engineer solutions to these issues & I believe there will have been people within Hattons doing do.

 

There were well over 400 66s built & they have been running for over 20 years in many liveries, so there are plenty not covered yet. I am sure we will see another batch. It is just a matter of time.

 

I am sure you are right. This was probably a huge learning curve for Hattons. For me, probably the biggest factor was that producing so many models at once from a new tooling may not have been the right move. A small first batch, lessons learned and, revisions, big second batch may have been a better way forward.


Roy

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