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Where does our interest lie in the 2021 Hornby Range?


The Stationmaster
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2 minutes ago, TomScrut said:

 

Definitely not, There are loads of what look to be people younger than me (I'm 33) interested in this, or trains in general, on Facebook groups.

 

I cannot actually remember how I ever became interested in trains, but it was from a very young age and I think the train sets followed the interest, it did not create the interest.

 

None of my family were/are into model railways so it was not indoctrination from parents although they were very supportive of me having it as a hobby. They would much rather I played with my trains or with Lego than whatever gimmick was out that year, I am glad they did as I think both in hindsight were (and still are) excellent things to play with.

A pivotal (chicken and egg) question? 

 

The train set followed on from the interest, and you were "in". I was the same and, reading between the lines, I reckon most on here probably were too.

 

Where the train set comes first, without that already being in place, I wonder what proportion of recipients go on to develop an interest in the real thing, or even persevere with model railways? I certainly had friends whose parents got them train sets because it was the done thing back then. Some of the additions to my first "layout" came via swaps when they lost interest. 

 

Possibly not so relevant now that kids no longer get a train set as "standard"? 

 

John

 

 

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23 minutes ago, Dunsignalling said:

Possibly not so relevant now that kids no longer get a train set as "standard"?

 

I don't expect that many kids have it on their letter to Father Christmas nowadays.

 

I think though they are at least trying to improve interest in using them. My kids (5 and 2) if I put a plain oval train track in front of them watch it go round a few times and are like "OK now what" which is basically what a train set gets you.

 

They like watching my layout (and will do more I think when it's operational again in a few days after a lot of work) because they don't know what's going to happen next and 4 or more trains are doing different stuff at the same time.

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9 minutes ago, TomScrut said:

My kids (5 and 2) if I put a plain oval train track in front of them watch it go round a few times and are like "OK now what" which is basically what a train set gets you.

 

That's where Brio and its look-alikes, and the very similar Playcraft I had as a child (with its red plastic track) really win out on playability. Hours of fun making complex layouts:

 

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45 minutes ago, TomScrut said:

 

Yes I had Brio too, again, brilliant toys.

We gave our 4 year-old grandson a brio turntable and a couple of points for Christmas.  He'd especially asked for those. Had to see him open them over zoom  but he was really pleased and went off and played with them straight away. He likes making new layouts. So if the new remote control trains could be made to run in the brio grooves I'd be interested in getting one to try.

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7 hours ago, railroadbill said:

We gave our 4 year-old grandson a brio turntable and a couple of points for Christmas.  He'd especially asked for those. Had to see him open them over zoom  but he was really pleased and went off and played with them straight away. He likes making new layouts. So if the new remote control trains could be made to run in the brio grooves I'd be interested in getting one to try.

 

Without wanting to go too far away from the topic I think the Thomas Trackmaster trains might, whilst not remote controlled they are powered. I'll check when my son has his Brio out next.

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My personal interest (D&E) is the complete TfW set with 67, coaches and DVT, and the odd coaches like the Loram and RCS. These are great for short movements of a loco and one or two coaches.

 

The Hitachi shunter is a great little item that will go well with the earlier Javelin models, but is 'cute' in its own right. The Caley Sleeper coaches are good, and whilst I won't be buying the new 87's they are exciting additions. Again not for me but the Blue Pullman set is also a great addition. More KFA's is good and will be on the shopping list as I can run full length trains in the garden.

 

More broadly TTS Colas and related items are great entry points for younger modellers or those looking to model contemporary activity.

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Personal interest:  very tempted by Clan (but it would be rule 1).   9F has reminded me that I still don't have one although it would fit well with layout, so that may well be the one.  Certainly A2/3 and A2/2 but they will probably be particular ones from the 2020 announcement.  W1 though.

The Hornby Dublo locos are an interesting idea, City of Leicester a possibility, but I've still got some of my original Hornby Dublo so the "collectors market" idea isn't for me. Whether it would run better than a "plastic boiler" loco  is a moot point. 

The HSTs  look an interesting selection, but I'm running out of space....

 

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7 hours ago, railroadbill said:

Personal interest:  very tempted by Clan (but it would be rule 1).   9F has reminded me that I still don't have one although it would fit well with layout, so that may well be the one.  Certainly A2/3 and A2/2 but they will probably be particular ones from the 2020 announcement.  W1 though.

The Hornby Dublo locos are an interesting idea, City of Leicester a possibility, but I've still got some of my original Hornby Dublo so the "collectors market" idea isn't for me. Whether it would run better than a "plastic boiler" loco  is a moot point. 

The HSTs  look an interesting selection, but I'm running out of space....

 

 

Interesting that you describe the Dublo models as 'collector's market', since I bought the die-cast Atholl without thinking over-much that it was simply a shelf ornament or possession, it was, I thought, a comparable or maybe better model than the plastic one.

 

As 6231 Atholl turns out to be rare and 'valuable' it does have a certain extra dimension, but as model, the plastic one is arguably just as good, with slightly finer detail and sharpness to my eye anyway, while the metal one has better sheen or paint finish .

 

As to the original Merchant Navy in metal forecast for July 2021, I suspect the same will apply. Oddly I had a brass original MN but sold it some years ago, but it was unpainted so hard to compare.

 

With the new H-D 35011 already out of stock on the Hornby website collectors better be quick! :)

 

I think the blue MN would be desirable too, Hornby are currently promising more than I suspect many buyers can buy,  we are spoiled.

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2 hours ago, robmcg said:

 

Interesting that you describe the Dublo models as 'collector's market', since I bought the die-cast Atholl without thinking over-much that it was simply a shelf ornament or possession, it was, I thought, a comparable or maybe better model than the plastic one.

 

As 6231 Atholl turns out to be rare and 'valuable' it does have a certain extra dimension, but as model, the plastic one is arguably just as good, with slightly finer detail and sharpness to my eye anyway, while the metal one has better sheen or paint finish .

 

As to the original Merchant Navy in metal forecast for July 2021, I suspect the same will apply. Oddly I had a brass original MN but sold it some years ago, but it was unpainted so hard to compare.

 

With the new H-D 35011 already out of stock on the Hornby website collectors better be quick! :)

 

I think the blue MN would be desirable too, Hornby are currently promising more than I suspect many buyers can buy,  we are spoiled.

On the "Hornby dublo" thread it was talked about as being aimed at collectors, think Simon K said that in the video? I'd actually buy one to run, though. It wouldn't stay in the box! Agree the blue MN would be desirable, oh dear too much choice.

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My personnal interest is primarily N gauge but I still maintain a small OO presence and Bachmann mainly cover my D & E interests, however I still look forward to Hornby's annual announcements every year but never really expect to see much that I expect to see me part with my cash. The one really relevent Hornby model to my interests is the VEP which I'm not convinced we'll ever see again. I do have a bit of a soft spot for the new Hornby Mk1s but the announcement of the BCK was a surprise - I'm not convinced it will bring a huge amount to the range seeing as Hornby already have the BSO and BSK, why not try a different tact with the Mk1s - suburban types with 10 compartments and related vehicles.

 

My personal wishlist I think would be a 3D/207, a re-release of the class 50 in NSE or a return of the named train train packs that where around about 20 years ago. 

 

The one Hornby purchase I will be making this year will be the blue 08 with sound, although it was really one of last years announcements.

 

 

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1 hour ago, steve1023 said:

The one really relevant Hornby model to my interests is the VEP which I'm not convinced we'll ever see again.

Someone asked Simon Kohler about the VEP in one of the recent Q&A videos and he said something along the lines of they'd bring it back if there was demand. Might be worth dropping him an e-mail if it is something you're interested in.

 

It was this video at 08:25: 

 

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On 06/01/2021 at 18:47, centraltrains said:

None of the MUs/locos were of interest to me this year which is a bit of a relief.

 

What looks really fascinating to me is the R7338 Maglight, looks like they can easily be modified to take different lighting strips. Much cheaper than the Train Tech solution and won't wobble on when the trains aren't in use so seems very win-win. It looks like reef switches are quite common, but the electronics to make them hold toggle statusu a bit more complex, so I will be very keen to get my hands on some.

 

My guess would be that they use latching reed switches - no electronics needed and no power consumption when the lights are off. Unlike a normal reed switch, one wave of a magnet turns them on and they stay on, and another wave turns them off. I have only a somewhat vague idea how they do it but they are very useful. (And fun).

 

Latching reed switches don't seem to be easy to get hold of - in fact the only source i know of is Layouts4U who will sell you them on their own, or as part of the lighting kits they have been selling for a few years and which the new Hornby system bears an uncanny resemblance to.

 

So no need to wait for the Hornby ones to come out if you want to have a play.

 

(Usual disclaimer: no connection, just a very satisfied customer).

 

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30 minutes ago, Coryton said:

 

My guess would be that they use latching reed switches - no electronics needed and no power consumption when the lights are off. Unlike a normal reed switch, one wave of a magnet turns them on and they stay on, and another wave turns them off. I have only a somewhat vague idea how they do it but they are very useful. (And fun).

 

 

That has been my presumption too. There are various ways in which they can be arranged, often using transistor. Essentially, once contact has been made and the current starts to flow, it also flows through an electromagnet that keeps the switch closed. An industrial user can buy them by the reel of 10,000 but the manufacturers don't like selling them singly, so a retailer who wants to sell them has to invest in that 10,000 reel. (Quantity for illustrative purposes only.)

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1 hour ago, Coryton said:

 

My guess would be that they use latching reed switches - no electronics needed and no power consumption when the lights are off. Unlike a normal reed switch, one wave of a magnet turns them on and they stay on, and another wave turns them off. I have only a somewhat vague idea how they do it but they are very useful. (And fun).

 

Latching reed switches don't seem to be easy to get hold of - in fact the only source i know of is Layouts4U who will sell you them on their own, or as part of the lighting kits they have been selling for a few years and which the new Hornby system bears an uncanny resemblance to.

 

So no need to wait for the Hornby ones to come out if you want to have a play.

 

(Usual disclaimer: no connection, just a very satisfied customer).

 

 

I did a bit of reading around it before making the post. I think Hornby state that it is a reed switch in the description. It seems that latching reed switches aren't manufactured in mass-production but are custom modifications with a magnet afixed. According to one source the result can also be achieved by using some kind of chip to detect the reed switch as a toggle. I'm guessing the Hornby variant is of the latter given the photo (the traces which can be seen don't seem to just be direct to the battery/switch) but I guess we'll have to wait a bit to find out. I'm quite keen on it being on a pre-made circuit board. I think you can already get hold of them within the 6 wheel coaches now being released. Will be looking out to see if anyone does a tear down before release.

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19 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

That has been my presumption too. There are various ways in which they can be arranged, often using transistor. Essentially, once contact has been made and the current starts to flow, it also flows through an electromagnet that keeps the switch closed. An industrial user can buy them by the reel of 10,000 but the manufacturers don't like selling them singly, so a retailer who wants to sell them has to invest in that 10,000 reel. (Quantity for illustrative purposes only.)

 

The ones I've used are not that complicated, though I'm sure that would work.

 

It's "just" a reed switch with a small magnet strapped to it.

 

I believe the way it works is that the magnet isn't strong enough to close the reed switch, but enough to keep it closed.

 

I'm sure the devil is in the details and I'd imagine that getting the right size of magnet in the right place isn't straightforwards.

 

I find it surprising that they aren't more widely available because having a contactless way of turning a circuit on and off, but drawing no current when off, seems like it would have uses beyond carriage lighting.

 

17 hours ago, centraltrains said:

 

I did a bit of reading around it before making the post. I think Hornby state that it is a reed switch in the description. It seems that latching reed switches aren't manufactured in mass-production but are custom modifications with a magnet afixed. According to one source the result can also be achieved by using some kind of chip to detect the reed switch as a toggle. I'm guessing the Hornby variant is of the latter given the photo (the traces which can be seen don't seem to just be direct to the battery/switch) but I guess we'll have to wait a bit to find out. I'm quite keen on it being on a pre-made circuit board. I think you can already get hold of them within the 6 wheel coaches now being released. Will be looking out to see if anyone does a tear down before release.

 

Yes you could use a non-latching reed switch. I can't see how to do this without a circuit that draws some current with the lighting off, but I'm sure that could be very small (digital watches can go a long time on a single battery, and they have more to do).

 

I'll be curious to see which method Hornby have used.

 

The two systems would behave differently - using it as a toggle, you'd presumably do the same thing to turn the lights on and off.

Using a latching reed switch you have to move the magnet the opposite way for on and off.

 

Either way, it's a nice system and quite fun to be able to wave a stick over a coach and have the lighting magically go on and off.

 

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1 hour ago, BokStein said:

How can a reed switch latch?

 

I described above how I believe they work. Possibly my understanding is wrong.

 

But they certainly can. It does seem a bit magical, but I have one* and it definitely works. It consists of what looks like a regular reed switch with a small permanent magnet stuck to it.

 

* Honesty compels me to add that I have more than one but  I haven't actually got round to using the others yet.

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1 hour ago, Butler Henderson said:

The small magnet is not powerful enough to operate the switch but is powerful enough to hold the switch on until overridden by the stronger hand held magnet.

 

That's what I said!

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