Hornby - New tooling - 59' Bulleid 'Short' coaches

[Ceptic]

22 hours ago, Ceptic said:

 

Bulleid 64'- 6" long BTK/BSK No. S 4365 S pictured, once formed part of 6 - car Bournemouth Dining Set No. 298.

As built, they featured the weight saving single 30" dia. 'Prestall' vacuum cylinder, centrally placed on the u/f to operate the brakes on both bogies. 

In service, these proved to need nigher maintenance than the trusted twin brake gear set-up. The result of this led, in the mid 50's, to the conversion of coaches so singularly fitted, to twin, diagonally opposed, sets.

These are distinguished by having the outer Vee hanger outside of the Truss angle.

 

As an afterthought, I should have remembered to add that these retained the single, larger, 5' long x 1' - 9" diameter vacuum reservoir tank.

Edited July 8, 2019 by Ceptic
Typo.

[trevor7598]

Derails informed me this morning that the BR(S) composites are due into them

on Weds.17th July. So not long now.

 

 

 

 

[Robin Brasher]

Unfortunately the Swanage Railway shop has only got one BR SR brake left so when the composites arrive I will not be able to make up a complete set from my local shop. Hattons has got over 10 of each of the Bulleid 59' coaches left.

 

[w124bob]

Looks like 3 coach sets appeared on the S&D, Norman Lockett recorded set 971 behind 4F 44422 at Cole on 17th August '63. See page 107 "The Somerset and Dorset in Colour" . Thats good enough for me, now wheres my cheque book!

[Dunsignalling]

On ‎08‎/‎07‎/‎2019 at 11:08, Wickham Green said:

C'mon guys ! ............. there's enough meat on that lump of plastic to file it down so it looks like it's behind the truss  -  call yerselves modellers ? something like this shouldn't defeat you !

Far easier to remove the vee altogether and add a nice thin etched brass one where it's supposed to go.

 

John

[Dunsignalling]

On ‎12‎/‎07‎/‎2019 at 12:55, Robin Brasher said:

Unfortunately the Swanage Railway shop has only got one BR SR brake left so when the composites arrive I will not be able to make up a complete set from my local shop. Hattons has got over 10 of each of the Bulleid 59' coaches left.

 

I doubt you are alone in finding the first releases out-of-stock at smaller outlets before the coach required to complete the set arrives. Best grab the brakes you want whilst you can from where you can and pre-order the outstanding model (as I have done), Composites on their own won't be much use. 

 

OK, it means paying two lots of postage, but better that than risk winding up with an incomplete or non-matching set.  

 

What possessed Hornby to schedule the production/release of the different liveries/types in such an illogical way? I could understand it if all the brakes or all the composites arrived first but what's happened with these is just plain daft.

 

John

 

 

[Dunsignalling]

21 minutes ago, w124bob said:

Looks like 3 coach sets appeared on the S&D, Norman Lockett recorded set 971 behind 4F 44422 at Cole on 17th August '63. See page 107 "The Somerset and Dorset in Colour" . Thats good enough for me, now wheres my cheque book!

Whilst the odd set might have worked over the route earlier, sets 963-973 were formally allocated to the S&D from November 1959, replacing the Maunsell low-window 3-sets which were stored.

 

However, some or all went back to the SR for the peak summer period in 1960, with Maunsells returning to the S&D. The allocation of the Bulleids became more or less permanent in 1961.

 

John

[RFS]

2 hours ago, w124bob said:

Looks like 3 coach sets appeared on the S&D, Norman Lockett recorded set 971 behind 4F 44422 at Cole on 17th August '63. See page 107 "The Somerset and Dorset in Colour" . Thats good enough for me, now wheres my cheque book!

 

If you visit this gallery there are quite a few pictures of these sets at work on the S&D, plus others of the Maunsell sets. 

 

Here's set 968, for example, that's being produced by Hornby, at  Wellow in 1962:

https://railphotoprints.uk/p752970880/e4e554bf4

 

And set 965 at Templecombe in 1962

https://railphotoprints.uk/p752970880/e197cabdc

 

 

[w124bob]

I've been trawling my book collection and photo evidence indicates 969 to 972 all appeared on the S&D with set 973 being a maybe. Evening Star appears on several occasions with set 969 in Ivo's final volume, so that would be my choice for a set. My guess is these sets replaced some of the Maunsell sets around 1962. Thanks for the info above.

[Wickham Green]

On 13/07/2019 at 18:35, Dunsignalling said:

..................... What possessed Hornby to schedule the production/release of the different liveries/types in such an illogical way? I could understand it if all the brakes or all the composites arrived first but what's happened with these is just plain daft.

Probably thought it was a good idea after Bachmann did something similar with their Maunsell green birdcages ! 

[ed 66 plant]

Totally agree--they were planned /promoted as a set yet become available in dribs and drabs--frustrating for the customer and double postage.

regards,Ed

However very pleased with what I have so far--2 x BSK.

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[Dunsignalling]

7 hours ago, Wickham Green said:

Probably thought it was a good idea after Bachmann did something similar with their Maunsell green birdcages ! 

From what I've seen in recent times, I think the new team at Hornby will do well not to take leaves out of Bachmann's book.

 

John

[talisman56]

...yet Bachmann/Farish sold their N-gauge Birdcages as a three-car set in a box... :shrug:

Edited July 15, 2019 by talisman56

[Dunsignalling]

26 minutes ago, talisman56 said:

...yet Bachmann/Farish sold their N-gauge Birdcages as a three-car set in a box... :shrug:

But not the OO equivalents, Go figure.

 

Before that, Hornby sold their Maunsell "Somerset & Dorset" 3-set as a pack, and it would have been the logical way to market these also.

 

John

[Ian J.]

I wouldn't be surprised if Hornby were asked by at least some buyers to separate the coaches so that they could be afforded one at a time rather than three all in one go, remembering that the first Maunsell S&D set was a pack, but the second was separates.

[Dunsignalling]

19 minutes ago, Ian J. said:

I wouldn't be surprised if Hornby were asked by at least some buyers to separate the coaches so that they could be afforded one at a time rather than three all in one go, remembering that the first Maunsell S&D set was a pack, but the second was separates.

Not convinced that is (or at least, should be) an issue. After all, three of these will still come in at less than the price of many locos and we were given ample advance warning of their introduction.

 

I'd had plenty of time to budget for them, as will many others. The same will apply (in spades probably) to the eventual release of the promised Bachmann Bulleids….

 

John

Edited July 15, 2019 by Dunsignalling

[Bulleidboy100]

BR Composites (R4886 and R4886A) have arrived, and are in the post.

Edited July 16, 2019 by Bulleidboy100

[trevor7598]

Thank goodness they are sold separately, the price goes through the roof for boxed sets.

Just compare the Lyme Regis pack with purchasing a Radial and two coaches separately.

And the London Olympic set, that was eye watering.

[Dunsignalling]

2 hours ago, trevor7598 said:

Thank goodness they are sold separately, the price goes through the roof for boxed sets.

Just compare the Lyme Regis pack with purchasing a Radial and two coaches separately.

And the London Olympic set, that was eye watering.

Hardly through the roof, though separate items may have been significantly cheaper in the case of the Lyme Regis pack for a while. The locos in particular were discounted very heavily at one stage. Indeed, for a very short period, one version could be had for £69, less than the Oxford models.

 

IIRC paying between £96 and £104 for my various Hornby Radials (soon after release) say an average of £100, plus £38 per coach, so around £176 for a loco and a pair of coaches. The cheapest I recall the coaches being sold individually was £35 each, though I think certain suppliers beat that price with clearance offers but only if you bought four (one of each type) together.  I think that, at peak discount levels (assuming the maximum reductions on locos and coaches coincided) it was possible to get an equivalent combination to the train pack for £140, give or take a couple of quid. 

 

Currently, Hatton's cheapest Radial (BR) is £94 and dearest £126; the coaches 2 x £41.50 = £83, total £177 or £209 if you want the wartime black loco.

 

They are offering the train pack at £175 and last year it could be had for £149 from various sources.  

 

I have no idea or interest as to what was in the "London Olympic set" but, being something of a cynic, would expect anything with Olympic in the title to be overpriced anyway. EDIT: I gather it was a Javelin - just found someone offering them for £59-99.

 

John

Edited July 16, 2019 by Dunsignalling
Additions

[trevor7598]

I take your point, but I was referring to the full retail price originally ask for some sets.

The London Olympic 1948 set, consisting of the very old LNER N2 and two Gresley coaches,

with no track, was over £200. The coaches were very nice and I paid £ 30 for one split from a set,

[Robin Brasher]

You will be pleased to read that the Southern brakes for set 965 and the BR composites have arrived and are now on sale at the Hornby web site. I expect that they will sell better than the LNER Olympic 1948 set but I expect that more people will buy the BR versions than the Southern coaches.

[Dunsignalling]

13 hours ago, trevor7598 said:

I take your point, but I was referring to the full retail price originally ask for some sets.

The London Olympic 1948 set, consisting of the very old LNER N2 and two Gresley coaches,

with no track, was over £200. The coaches were very nice and I paid £ 30 for one split from a set,

Now that does constitute "through the roof". IMO, half of that would be plenty. Definitely taking the P155.

 

John

[GreenGiraffe22]

I'm hoping that eventually somewhere like Rails will offer a set at a discounted price if they don't all sell out, they're a bit modern for me but I'll have a set at the right price =). To me it makes sense to offer Southern sets as a coach pack but they obviously have their reasons for not doing so. The Dunkirk set has been super useful on my layout. 

[Robin Brasher]

I expect that the Southern versions will end up as Hattons bargains by December as fewer people are modelling the Southern malachite green era than the BR green era. Meanwhile on page 78 of the August Hornby magazine is a review of the Hornby Bulleid coaches produced to date. The other coaches do not seem to have reached the shops yet.

[Wickham Green]

16 hours ago, Robin Brasher said:

I expect that the Southern versions will end up as Hattons bargains by December as fewer people are modelling the Southern malachite green era than the BR green era. Meanwhile on page 78 of the August Hornby magazine is a review of the Hornby Bulleid coaches produced to date. The other coaches do not seem to have reached the shops yet.

Maybe more people would consider modelling the Southern malachite green era if Hornby ever get round to selling a Maunsell-cab King Arthur in that colour ....... or, for that matter, if another manufacturer does a matching Brighton Atlantic.