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jouef ead x4500


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hi everyone 

 

i see that jouef are making a new x4500 - which is down to cost approx 160 pounds.  

 

for a new model that seems cheap.  whats the catch? 

 

i was thinking of pre ordering one but there are no pictures or reviews or even specifications for the model so i am waiting now. 

 

anyone got any info on these or pre ordered one? 

 

 

tim

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Specification details will be found on pages 89 and 90 of the 2020 Hornby International Catalogue.

 

The X4300 and X4500 (as well as a CC72000) are shown in a separate part of the catalogue named "Jouef Loisirs" situated between the main Jouef range and Jouef Junior Range. As you say the X4500 is marked as "new tooling"

 

Looking at the specification its very basic, there are no sound versions available. The models are shown to have:

-21 pin decoder socket

-overall length of 490mm

-motor with flywheel

-extending coupling mechanism

-front and rear lights

 

So, I would think a basic model. Maybe Jouef are doing what Hornby did with the Cl.66 - turn out some basic models at a reasonable price for those who don't want all the bells and whistles of an LS Models version.

 

Keith

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4 minutes ago, tetsudofan said:

Specification details will be found on pages 89 and 90 of the 2020 Hornby International Catalogue.

 

The X4300 and X4500 (as well as a CC72000) are shown in a separate part of the catalogue named "Jouef Loisirs" situated between the main Jouef range and Jouef Junior Range. As you say the X4500 is marked as "new tooling"

 

Looking at the specification its very basic, there are no sound versions available. The models are shown to have:

-21 pin decoder socket

-overall length of 490mm

-motor with flywheel

-extending coupling mechanism

-front and rear lights

 

So, I would think a basic model. Maybe Jouef are doing what Hornby did with the Cl.66 - turn out some basic models at a reasonable price for those who don't want all the bells and whistles of an LS Models version.

 

Keith

 

The body moulding on the old one was really quite good (as often with Jouef). So perhaps they are reviving that tooling but addressing the issues with the mechanism?

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  • 3 weeks later...

I see this as a very good move from Hornby, hopefully the sales will justify more models of this sort.

 

For the past 10 or 15 years the French market has been very restrictive in terms of pricing, and it's basically been a case of spending upwards of £200 on a locomotive or seeking out 20-year old second hand models. In fairness these can very decent value for money if you're either using DC or handy with a soldering iron, in particular "Lima Collection" stock and the old Jouef "Modéliste" range, but we're in desperate need of a "Hornby Railroad" type range for beginners and the younger generation who seem to be pretty much excluded from the hobby. I attend a model railway club that has 30-odd members, and at nearly 35 years of age I'm the youngest member, even though we're just outside a decent-sized city in Western France (400,000+ inhabitants in the metropolitain area).

 

Over the past few weeks I've bought myself a two-car Piko Z9500 EMU and a Roco CC72000. Granted they're digital sound models with interior lighting etc, which is becoming the norm here, but the EMU set me back the equivalent of £340 and the 72000 weighed in at about £250, both after discount! The DC, non-sound version of the EMU is listed at £270 and the 72000 at £185. When you consider a Corail coach (basically a French Mk3a) costs about £60, it soon mounts up and it's no surprise young people aren't interested.

 

Let's hope prices come down a bit with Hornby's initiative.

 

Alan

 

The 72000 is still in the post, but here's a smartphone shot of the Z9500 which is very, very nice (just as well, considering the price)

IMG_20200606_094520446_HDR-01.jpeg.6aa0bfc38847c80bb4e0962a5527725c.jpeg

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2 minutes ago, jivebunny said:

I see this as a very good move from Hornby, hopefully the sales will justify more models of this sort.

 

For the past 10 or 15 years the French market has been very restrictive in terms of pricing, and it's basically been a case of spending upwards of £200 on a locomotive or seeking out 20-year old second hand models. In fairness these can very decent value for money if you're either using DC or handy with a soldering iron, in particular "Lima Collection" stock and the old Jouef "Modéliste" range, but we're in desperate need of a "Hornby Railroad" type range for beginners and the younger generation who seem to be pretty much excluded from the hobby. I attend a model railway club that has 30-odd members, and at nearly 35 years of age I'm the youngest member, even though we're just outside a decent-sized city in Western France (400,000+ inhabitants in the metropolitain area).

 

Over the past few weeks I've bought myself a two-car Piko Z9500 EMU and a Roco CC72000. Granted they're digital sound models with interior lighting etc, which is becoming the norm here, but the EMU set me back the equivalent of £340 and the 72000 weighed in at about £250, both after discount! The DC, non-sound version of the EMU is listed at £270 and the 72000 at £185. When you consider a Corail coach (basically a French Mk3a) costs about £60, it soon mounts up and it's no surprise young people aren't interested.

 

Let's hope prices come down a bit with Hornby's initiative.

 

Alan

 

The 72000 is still in the post, but here's a smartphone shot of the Z9500 which is very, very nice (just as well, considering the price)

IMG_20200606_094520446_HDR-01.jpeg.6aa0bfc38847c80bb4e0962a5527725c.jpeg

 

OK it's got a DCC sound chip. But apart from that, is it really so much better than the Jouef Z2 of 30 years ago?

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1 hour ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

 

OK it's got a DCC sound chip. But apart from that, is it really so much better than the Jouef Z2 of 30 years ago?

 

Granted the Jouef Z2 was a great model at the time, but up against today's models it looks (and sounds...) fairly crude IMO, particularly the gaping holes where the light clusters should be. It's a lot of work to get it up to a decent standard, a bit like trying to make Hornby's 1980s HST power car look like the current model.

 

Photo from eBay:

1100063100_Z2jouef.jpg.f794a01fcb68b8f1995806e0ee939968.jpg

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  • 1 month later...

i looked at getting a piko z2 in lorraine, alsace or cfl livery, but just too expensive right now, and i have a few other things on pre order. 

 

maybe a non sound one will appear in a sale one day for a low price and i will get one. 

 

come on the gbp to euro exchange rate!!! 

 

 

tim

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The Z2, when you can get hold of the version you want, is difficult to find below 300€ for the DC version, or 400€ for the DCC sound version. That's just the French market unfortunately, much less demand than in the UK so average prices are a fair bit higher (which is where the vicious circle begins to slowly kill off the hobby...). Hopefully the Jouef Loisirs line will make a difference to that. I can't imagine the UK market would be in very good shape if starting prices for locomotives were around £150 and £50 for coaches.

 

I got mine from MiniPlanes which is a retailer near Nantes (don't be fooled by the name, they sell tons of trains too). The price is a few euros lower than Pierre Dominique but I'm not sure how much international postage comes in at. Also worth noting is that parcels are heavily delayed at airports at the moment, it may be best to wait a bit of you have a tendency to get nervous about such things! I had one parcel arrive from Italy which got to France in 24 hours but then spent 9 days stuck at Charles de Gaulle. Similar story with some kit I sent over to Spain, which got stuck in Madrid. Everything arrived in the end, but it does make you a bit twitchy to have 400€ worth of fragile kit stuck in the postal system and not going anywhere...

 

Alan

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