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Best value for money models ever made


Jinty7109fan
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Hmmm. An intriguing question.

 

I guess we have make a division between manufacturer's RRP and the many bargain/remaindered models.

 

The Hornby Railroad Hall is definitely among the best, I think the Railroad P2 is good value but I cannot recall the RRP.  

 

Remaindered Hornby Kings at £89 were good value about a year ago, but they don't count, otherwise it would be a bargain fest.  I think Bachmann LMS Compounds are cheap, and think I saw a Bachmann Stanier Mogul for £89 recently too. So there are truly brilliant models about for very little money.

 

So if we keep it to manufacturer's RRP it is indeed interesting!

 

edit; oops better keep it to Hornby as in your question, apologies!

Edited by robmcg
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16 minutes ago, robmcg said:

and think I saw a Bachmann Stanier Mogul for £89 recently too

 

Rails were flogging the BR (late crest) example off for £89, and I got one of their last ones, to feed my current Mogul habit...

 

(Only because Hornby had frozen onto the main range Rockets)

 

Sticking with Hornby, I'd certainly nominate the Railroad Halls, but the Railroad incarnations of DoG, the P2 and the Crosti 9F are worthy contenders too!

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Caledonian 0-4-0ST and the other 0-4-0Ts. They may have their knockers, but until recently you could get them for about £15 each. Contrary to popular belief they don't run at 1000 MPH anymore....

 

If you are looking for better models and value for money, then the J15 and 700 Class 0-6-0s must surely be up there. I would also add the Adams Radial Tank.

 

 

 

Jason

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10 hours ago, Steamport Southport said:

If you are looking for better models and value for money, then the J15 and 700 Class 0-6-0s must surely be up there. I would also add the Adams Radial Tank.

Now these are some good models, I don’t own them but judging by the reviews I’d say they must be great.

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11 hours ago, Steamport Southport said:

Caledonian 0-4-0ST and the other 0-4-0Ts. They may have their knockers, but until recently you could get them for about £15 each. Contrary to popular belief they don't run at 1000 MPH anymore....

 

If you are looking for better models and value for money, then the J15 and 700 Class 0-6-0s must surely be up there. I would also add the Adams Radial Tank.

 

Jason

 

The problem with value for money can rest with how the models were brought to market and when as the market itself can force the price to change and as a result make it look as if something is best value for money.

The 700's were never good sellers, they were reduced by companies to get them sold and get cashflow. Do you question whether Hornby was right to make the model in the first place if it did not sell well? The Adams Radial was a result of duplication which brought the price down when there was a mass of the same model from two companies, each trying to the niche interest this model would bring. With so many companies all hitting the Southern region transition period, it saw Hornby West Countries and general release items again all sat on shelves as everyone went for the new and latest niche or commissioned model. Again the price is lowered, the range is cleared allowing some to get bargains.

In terms of general release models Hornby don't always help themselves. The K1 was released late during one year as a new item in the range. Hornby clearly made several of these models all in one run, as the following year the second half of that run was released as a follow up batch to the first at the beginning of the next year, with about 6 months between the two. Result - a flood of K1s all on the market resulting in the price being lowered to suit.

Of course, for the buyer, they see the bargain and think they have a great deal. While that all makes us happy, we need good marketing and releases so that Hornby can get a decent cashflow stream and move towards profitability and long term security. Otherwise we get value for money now, but at a price that's folly for our long term interest.

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In mind of the above, heres some of my suggestions for contenders for this award:

Class 60, EWS, DCC Sound - £150ish
Duke of Gloucester - DCC TTS Sound - £130
NER/BR Q6 - £106 ish
Class 153 - £75 ish
Black 5 Sound fitted - £160

Some of those prices have changed. Hornby's fitted TTS range was excellent value for money when started, but I think they noticed this and have raised the prices to get more returns and cash flow. Don't blame them to be honest...

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Considering over time..rather than just now, I'd say a darned good value for money  loco would be an old {!} Athearn SW switcher?

Reasonable detail, nice finishes, darned good runner [especially for it's day.....and as good as many of the best of today?}....all at a price to challenge a Smokey Joe.

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And another vote for Hornby's Railroad Hall.  When Hattons had them at £49 in their winter sale a year back I bought one for the grandson.  When I looked at it when it arrived in the post I had to persuade myself to give it to him instead of keeping it myself. 

 

I'd expected a well made, robust model maybe just a bit better than Hornby's tired old ex-Dapol County but I found myself holding and looking at a complete surprise: something way, way better and quite capable of holding its own against many of my own models.  The detail was pretty close to a hi-fi model and the finish of assembly and painting was perfect.  Even at its RRP of £80-odd it still would have been a very, very good deal.

 

Pete T.

 

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The one I remember being exceptionally good value was the Triang/Hornby converter wagon - it had a tension lock at one end and a buckeye at the other. It was less than half the price of their ordinary wagons.

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The 'best value' for me relates to just how difficult it would be to get a matching result by DIY for a loco that I really wanted.

 

My 'oh so very desirable / principal difficulty list' (you may notice a slight location bias):

 

Stirling single                  concealed and effective drive                               (Rapido/NRM)

J15 0-6-0                          concealed and effective drive                               (Hornby)

Ivatt C1 (large atlantic) fitting in all those wheels, especially the drivers  (Bachmann/NRM)

Riddles BR 9F                the full brake gear fit                                               (Bachmann)

EE Deltic Prototype      the paint and decal job                                           (Bachmann/NRM)

 

I never attempted the single, just weren't the affordable resources to do it near fifty years ago. Did the other four with reasonable success, but only have the J15 built from a Stephen Poole kit now (the others - with much else - sold toward funding a Canon F1). Of these I would suggest to anyone who really wants a gauge of the value for money of current RTR models: build a robust and reliable running model of the 9F to equal the Bachmann product.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Just last week I 'won' an excellent, used EWS Bachmann 37 from a certain shop in Sheffield - missing the nameplates for <£80!! Loco's absolutely perfect - well weathered now!!

I also 'won' a superb, used 45593 Kolhapur - un-opened detail pack, no chip, speaker intact, one handrail missing on tender - replaced for £75!!

 

Al.

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Any over-produced trainset - right from a "Highland Whatsit" to a "Freight Express" type thing, when its time is done invariably the discounts start and it's extremely good value for even the least proto-typical sets. Trucks can be modified, coaches cut-and-shut, pugbashes etc. All on the cheap.

 

I've also found the costs of various eurostar, javelin etc sets quite reasonable when you think about the number of coaches (and tools needed) for these sets, again typically when they go on sale. Which almost all of them do at some point.

 

Also a shout-out to the Golden Valley Janus.

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Is the Hornby Hall a great deal when many places were selling off the Bachmann Hall split from the Shakespeare Express set for £65?

 

With the set being sold at less than £130 with a Hall, two BR Mark One Pullmans, a BR Mark One brake and a bus. I think some places still have them for about £150.

 

 

 

Jason

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24 minutes ago, Steamport Southport said:

 

Jason

I think rather than re running the bargain hunters thread the OP was thinking of models which were/are good value at 'normal' rather than fire sale pricing. In which case I'd also nominate the Hornby Hall.

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