Hornby 2019 Speculation

[Steamport Southport]

I prefer the Edwardian power station in the background....

 

 

 

Jason

[stewartingram]

I prefer the Edwardian power station in the background....

 

 

 

Jason

 

Don't forget the Sealink ferry either.

 

Stewart

[Steamport Southport]

Don't forget the Sealink ferry either.

 

Stewart

 

I forgot about that. I missed it this morning unfortunately.

 

 

 

Jason

[stewartingram]

I forgot about that. I missed it this morning unfortunately.

 

 

 

Jason

 

You missed it? No you didn't, it stopped running many years ago.....

 

 

Stewart

[tomparryharry]

Deleted

Edited December 24, 2018 by tomparryharry

[TravisM]

I wonder if Hornby will re-release the P2 in both full fat and Railroad when the A1 Trusts new build finally emerges.

[Steamport Southport]

You missed it? No you didn't, it stopped running many years ago.....

 

 

Stewart

 

Where's the Groan button? 

 

 

 

 

Jason

[Dunsignalling]

Perhaps the real problem, which Hornby may be on the verge of tackling, if the last hint in the OP is as radical as it might be, is a lack of imagination, allied to an undue reliance on wish-list polls.

 

Where is the real excitement in the announcements these days?

 

The Peckett has so far been stunningly successful. Astonishingly popular on first release and still packing them in now its back on stream. One of the interesting things about it is apparent number of people who bought one without having any need for one. What's also significant is that its "a really useful engine" both in itself and with a near infinite variety of liveries. Funnily enough 10 years ago and back it used to be received wisdom that a viable model should be one with a wide service appeal both in terms of geography and liveries. 

 

Doesn't sound like rocket science, yet how often have we been served up with a diet of black locomotives not looking terribly different from each other. Yet another Pannier variant or filling that last gap in the Standards,may well gladden the enthusiast,  but do sales in the wider world match that specialist clamour?

.

There's talk above of this or that Great Eastern loco, but is it being offered in blue or is it just another black loco? The J36 is to be applauded, but more so surely is the Caledonian blue 812 coming from Rails.

 

The argument against pre-grouping locos in the past has always been that they are too limited in their market, but so too are all-too many other recent releases of locomotives which worked on only a few lines in one small corner of the country. 

"The wider world" probably wants the occasional black loco, too, and probably isn't too fussed which black loco, so whichever one Hornby thinks will most appeal to the enthusiast fraternity should do as well as any other.

 

I also think that both Hornby and Bachmann look to the polls to reinforce their choices or as a tie-breaker if they have a 50-50 decision to make between two projects, rather than looking at the results and thinking "we'll do that". Slavishly going for the top few would surely lead to a lot more duplication than we get in reality.

 

The forthcoming 94xx from the Blue Team is one of only three Panniers that do look different from the herd to the uninitiated (the others being the 15xx and the condensing version of the 57xx).

 

The last gaps in the smaller Standards, the 3MT and 2MT moguls, 2MT Prairie, are more likely to come from that side of the fence, too. Hornby will (IMHO) get round to the de-Crostied version of the Crosti 9F in the fullness of time, and a Tyne Dock 9F might conceivably come from either side or not at all.

 

The potential pitfall with pre-grouping prototypes is that, whilst they may appeal to the dedicated collector, the Rule One fraternity and lovers of the pretty and colourful, not everything is guaranteed to attract all three segments. The last two may be quite fickle, with austerity/rising prices leading many people (like me) to cut back on impulse purchases to ensure they can afford to follow their core interests.The enthusiast market thus gives the manufacturer a bit more information to go on, i.e. "x and y sold well, so z should do all right as well."  

 

There's also the question as to what degree a manufacturer might be influenced to pick a prototype because they know there's little chance of the competition doing so. It didn't work with the Adams Radial, but I'm pretty sure Hornby wouldn't have covered so many Southern subjects if Bachmann hadn't spent most of their existence strenuously avoiding them.   

 

Pre-group should, at least in theory, become a smarter pick if the loco in question ran on the main line network during the BR era in that condition, or continues to do so now. However, very few such models have ever been made, the Tri-ang Caley single, Hornby's T9 No.120 (for their Collectors' Club) and Bachmann's Compound 1000 and City of Truro (for the NRM) are about it (though I may have missed one or two others).

 

Which leads me on to another question: is the Caley blue 812 pre-group or modern image?

 

John

Edited December 24, 2018 by Dunsignalling

[gc4946]

If a "Glen" appears in next year's range I'll go cock-a-hoops, however my version must be in LNER livery to go with the J36 that I've preordered.

However I suspect it'll be a 2020 announcement, with appropriate Reid NBR coaches

In the meantime, Hornby might appeal to those with Scottish interests next year announcing a LNER K4 - it ticks several boxes - they were named, appeared in various liveries including lined apple green and one is preserved. And they would go well alongside their Peppercorn K1.

[Pandora]

Tri-ang's most popular locomotive was the black Princess. Tri-ang sold over 720,000 R50 black Princesses according to page 129 of Tri-ang Railways The Story of Rovex Volume 1 1950-1965 so a total production run of 55,000 is possible. I thought that each batch of Hornby's current locomotives is between 1,000 and 2,000 units so making 55,000 seems optimistic.

I will go back to the source and check the number, he quoted 55000, but did he really mean to say 5500?

Edited December 25, 2018 by Pandora

[Caledonian]

 

 

Which leads me on to another question: is the Caley blue 812 pre-group or modern image?

 

John

 

Both. Rails are advertising one in original condition and another in current condition, besides black ones.

[davidprentice]

A DB red 60 would do me nicely, would like to see the full fat powercars in FGW Barbie or Fag Packet as well.

 

Couldn't agree more re a red DB 60 and some long overdue FGW Barbie and Fag Packet HST powercars! Another run of the NMT would be welcome too.

 

For anything *new*, I'd like to see Mk4 and traction.

[Tramshed]

Having waded through most of this thread I would agree with those who suggested the V4 2-6-2 might be released though I suspect it will be further into the future than 2019 and probably timed to coincide with the new build. The K4 would require a new tender but much of the K1 tooling could be used.

 

Based on previous announcements about the SR MN and LMS 8P I think it is likely that we will see the 'middle third' (21C11-20) produced in SR and BR colours and surely 8P Sir William Stanier in LMS black.

 

Coaching stock should certainly offer a GWR catering car for reasons stated elsewhere and the recent Maunsell car (c/w open 3rd) could appear in post-war Malachite

 

On the modern image front no one seems to have spotted the obvious (unless I have failed to spot the post) that this year sees the introduction to the UK of the Stadler 'Flirt' trains. Given the response to the GWR Hitachi trains the 'Flirts' would be a good project. Hornby would not have to offer a full 12-car inter-city but could release the 3 or 4 car 'bi-mode' units since all 3 passenger cars and the power car in the 3-car version are included in the 4-car so simplifying the tooling options.

[MGR Hooper!]

The K4 would require a new tender but much of the K1 tooling could be used.

 

 

No it cannot!

[7013]

I would like to speculate on the CIWL night sleeper coaches to compliment the Lord Nelsons and various other Southern locos. That will do for me.

[locoholic]

I've seen various photos of Pullman coaches painted in BR green or maroon livery (or as Camping coaches). Would any of Hornby's numerous Pullmans be candidates for this? It would be a way of squeezing even more revenue from the tooling, after all!

[John M Upton]

I think certainly regarding green painted Pullmans it has been discussed before and unfortunately nothing in current tooling exactly matches the correct type.

 

Not that would stop Hornby of course. Cough - blue grey Gresley Buffet - Cough! 

[JSpencer]

I would like to speculate on the CIWL night sleeper coaches to compliment the Lord Nelsons and various other Southern locos. That will do for me.

Now that would be a surprise. Can be tied in with the 71 too.

 

U type pullman and the 1st electric pulled Golden Arrow would compliment nicely the last steam hauled version done in 2017.

[steve1023]

I think certainly regarding green painted Pullmans it has been discussed before and unfortunately nothing in current tooling exactly matches the correct type.

 

Not that would stop Hornby of course. Cough - blue grey Gresley Buffet - Cough!

 

Didn't Hornby already do the Gresley buffet in blue/grey. IIRC there where complaints because of both cost and tooling (Hornby painted some of glazing grey to get round body issues).

 

Steve

[MrTea]

I think the Stadler Flirt units are a good shout. Although they might be limited in geographical area for now (in the UK) they are a futuristic-looking prototype and the bi-mode units with the diesel ‘power pack’ are like nothing else on the rails at the moment.

 

Given Hornby’s international brands there might be economies of scale with sharing the research with HO and N scale models?

 

The same thinking could be logically extended to the new e320 Eurostar sets, which I think I’m right in saying share some DNA with the DB ICE sets? Surely those would make sense if you still have half an eye on the train set market?

 

Having said that if they do bring out an LNER K4 I will struggle to keep my wallet shut!

[Downer]

I obviously don’t know the economic maths, but a Stanier III CK would seem like a sure fire seller to all those who’ve bought the TKs and BSKs in the various liveries. The lack of a Gresley BTK or CK is just as glaring, but unfortunately Hornby shot themselves in the foot with the tumblehome and beading problems on the original releases. As someone willing to overlook these shortcomings (and unwilling to purchase more SKs and BCKs) I’d be happy for them to repeat the errors in the cause of consistency, but I’m sure many others wouldn’t. So whatever they did, half the potential purchasers would be put off.

[Pint of Adnams]

I wonder if Hornby will re-release the P2 in both full fat and Railroad when the A1 Trusts new build finally emerges.

I wonder if Hornby will decide to stop reissuing infinite variants of e.g. the 'one-off' 'Tornado' in favour of real models rather than promotional items?

[The Johnster]

I've seen various photos of Pullman coaches painted in BR green or maroon livery (or as Camping coaches). Would any of Hornby's numerous Pullmans be candidates for this? It would be a way of squeezing even more revenue from the tooling, after all!

 

I would have thought (I didn't because I don't possess the necessary equipment) that an ex-Pullman camping coach, or any of the ones converted to restaurant accommodation and so on, are fairly easy to cobble up with even very limited modelling skills from the very large number of eBay examples.  With Hornby's new Pullmans running at near £70 a pop, I suspect most of would think that these are 'too good' for such conversions.  I imagine Hornby's marketeers, if they have thought of this at all, may have come to the same conclusion.

 

'I would have thought', 'I suspect most of us', 'I imagine', 'may have', should act as indicators that this is pure speculation on my part!

[Robin Brasher]

Blue and grey Golden Arrow Pullman cars to go with their and DJ Models, blue Class 71 electro diesel

[Steamport Southport]

I've seen various photos of Pullman coaches painted in BR green or maroon livery (or as Camping coaches). Would any of Hornby's numerous Pullmans be candidates for this? It would be a way of squeezing even more revenue from the tooling, after all!

 

The maroon Pullmans were the LMS ones which they inherited from the Caledonian. Later converted to Restaurant Cars. Nobody makes them or anything close to them.

 

 

 

 

Jason