Hornby 2014 - predictions

[toboldlygo]

Better Quality Control and more realistic delivery dates would be my hope....

[luke_stevens]

Better Quality Control and more realistic delivery dates would be my hope....

Introduction to the 2014 Hornby catalogue:

• Any images shown in this catalogue may or may not bear and similarity at all to any product that may or may not get produced at some point in the future
• No less than 30% of the new items announced in this catalogue will be available in some format no later that 1st April 2024. 

That should negate most complaints!

 

(As frustrated as anyone else with the problems Hornby are having)

 

Luke

[farren]

my predictions/hopes are

 

MR 1523 or 1823 0-4-4t

 

LNWR cauliflower

 

LNWR coal engine

 

LNWR coal tank

 

Claughton

 

Midland Push/pull set

 

I can see Bachmann more likely to do some of the above, but still nether know.

[Ian Hargrave]

Meeting today at Mortons. Revalations for the chosen few.

[Ian Hargrave]

Mortons are magazine publishers in Lincolnshire. Hornby are present there today meeting those who are involved in the publishing business and other interested parties.That is all I can tell you.

[Pete 75C]

Mortons are magazine publishers in Lincolnshire. Hornby are present there today meeting those who are involved in the publishing business and other interested parties.That is all I can tell you.

 

Aha. From your 1st post, I had visions of some sort of masonic funny handshake thing going on...

[frobisher]

I think Hornby are starting to run short of loco options for reissue in Railroad now;

 

From a diesel perspective we're down to the ex-Lima Class 26 and 27 (which should be trivial as they've already done a lot of the work on the 33) the Western and at a push maybe the 08/09 (but the drive in that may be a bit of a pain as a one off).

 

From the Hornby stable there's the 21/29, and the Hymek (the Western should probably be left hiding under a rock at this point).

 

Steam isn't a great deal better.  Lima didn't bring a huge amount to the table.  The Crab and King pretty much on large locos, both of which were tender drive, and the 64XX Pannier and the LNER 0-6-0T that I can't remember the designation for.  The last two have the 08/09's drive/chassis issue so might make sense as an all at once effort.

 

And I think Hornby have recycled most of their viable old tooling already.  Would the Ivatt 2mt 2-6-0 be worth the effort to rechassis?

[Ian Hargrave]

Aha. From your 1st post, I had visions of some sort of masonic funny handshake thing going on...

Which of course begs the question,doesn't it...of whether being a member of the craft and a contributor to RM Web are mutually exclusive?

[Fenman]

I think Hornby are starting to run short of loco options for reissue in Railroad now ... Steam isn't a great deal better.  Lima didn't bring a huge amount to the table.  The Crab and King pretty much on large locos, both of which were tender drive, and the 64XX Pannier and the LNER 0-6-0T that I can't remember the designation for.  The last two have the 08/09's drive/chassis issue so might make sense as an all at once effort.

 

One option would be to produce a new, higher-standard B12, and to shunt the old tooling into Railroad.

 

Paul

[ThaneofFife]

Ive wondered into the Pam Ayres appreciation society by mistake reading back through some of the older postings.........anyways......

 

For those making the prediction that Hornby will take a year out to take stock and play catch up I couldnt agree more to this sensible way forward for them.  One relivery I feel has long been overlooked though are the HST power cars in Executive livery with the full exhaust deflector farings.   Artwork aside not a huge leap forward to produce I would have thought but I am sure we have some armchair artwork experts here to tell me all about how wrong I am.......

 

I see no sense in retooling for a new Mk2d - surely the ship has set sail to Bachmann for the complete AirCon Mk2d/e/f family now?

 

The biggest leap forward in coaching stock IMO for modern image/classic traction/new age traction/D&E modellers (delete as you feel the most comfortable with) would be new Mk3s to marry up with the hifi HST power cars.  Whether anything could be gained from the old Joeuf Mk3 tooling is another story but at least for loco hauled it had it nailed pretty much up top.  I dont think we will see this though-not this year but the Mk3 is certainly ripe for somebody to regenerate.

[David32424]

If anyone else is on Facebook I've just noticed that the Hornby Magazine page has posted a status saying that "Hornby is the hot topic of December. If you could ask Hornby one question what would it be? Post your questions here and we'll ask them the best ones.."

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

... Steam.. Lima   ... the 94XX Pannier and the LNER 0-6-0T that I can't remember the designation for. (J50) ...

Seriously hope these are lost / unusable! While I am sure that as subjects these two classes would find a warm welcome, I don't think there would be many cheers if any of the old tooling was involved. I concede that the lead weight inside the J50 was good, got a couple well hammered into shape and still deployed inside other locos, providing extra traction.

[DLPG]

I would simply like to echo the thoughts on the K1, Q6 and J21. Add the J27 into the mix. If the manufacturers take notice of the Wishlists published each year, all four tend to score highly. BR Standard 3 tender is also a personal wishlist item. Any of the five items would be greatfully received!

 

I would also love something completely different again this year. The Sentinel will be fantastic. Cant wait to get my hands on the Tarmac liveried item. Something like an RSH industrial would be of massive interest to many modellers. The one on the left would be excellent!

[SDJR7F88]

How about some older Sentinels or other variants of Sentinel, like outside rods? Or my personal favourite the good old S&D ones!

[bluex5]

I wish they'd take the plunge and do an S15 or an N15X, but they won't.

[Dunsignalling]

Virtually every all-new Hornby locomotive (and there have been quite a few) that HAS turned up over the past three years has been of an LNER or GWR prototype, so I would expect/hope that the SR and LMS will get more than a couple of renumbers/reliveries this time.

 

The Van B was nice (and unexpected, too) and the Maunsell coach packs very welcome but they seem "small beer" when set alongside all the new LNER/GWR locos. The era that gave us "Green Badgers" a superb new loco every couple of years seems a long time ago.

 

With all the issues affecting output, I will be surprised if we actually see more than one or two items we don't already know about during 2014.However, I would dearly love to be proved wrong in this.

 

Apart from the obvious (an S.15 PLEASE) there are several things that would delight me that Hornby could make with minimal new tooling and intelligent use of what they already have. 34006 'Bude' in 1960s condition would be great and a new tender body (or two) would give both sizes of Rebuilt Bulleid a new lease of life. They haven't done all their Maunsell coaches in every possible livery and the T9 chassis and tender would suit a D15, too.

 

John

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

Cough! Where did that 4VEP, Brighton Belle and 2BIL run again, does anyone recall? Just because most of your traction isn't very attractive doesn't mean you can ignore its production you know.

 

Still waiting for Hornby to make good on its 'time to look North' plans mentioned in 2007. Been nothing but SR and GW since with a few exceptions...

[coachmann]

The OP mentioned 'predictions' but it's now't but a wish-list.  Where are all the Septic Megs amongst you with prophecies of mons megs, or the divination experts profering knowledge of a future saint. And what of the soothsayers from oop north chanting incantations of the fell, and sorcerors from daan saath communicating via necromancy with the original spamcan?. Who indeed has heard the sound of an augury of life within Hornby, or has the power of the black arts, black motors, voodoo, hoodoo, cauliflowers and witching? Come forth....

[Oldddudders]

Crikey, Larry. I'd always thought of you as a down-to-earth sort of geezer!

[Arthur]

I've heard thespians refer to Dear Old Larry, I always thought that they mean't Laurence Olivier, obviously not.......

[Downer]

I think the main point is that all the low-hanging fruit has been picked and eaten, leaving a choice between those locos (and coaches and wagons) that modellers want to fill their particular gaps and those with an inherent wow factor that transcend the demands of region or time.  Bachmann seem to have mostly gone for the former, Hornby, of late, more for the latter.  But Hornby will have had to choose their 2014 range before knowing how well the ultra-niche P2 was received, and may be reluctant to repeat such a leap in the dark.

 

There are some obvious gap-fillers which appeal to several regions or parts thereof: the K1, J50 and B12 on the ER, a high density DMU, ex-LMS non-gangwayed coaches and ex-GWR gangwayed.  Of these the B12 and LMS non-gangwayed seemed the most likely from Hornby (the K1 looks like a slam-dunk, but somehow I can't see Hornby doing it).

 

On the wow front there are several candidates, all severely limited in time and place.  The original Merchant Navy is the most obvious, and, as several have said, looks relatively straightforward from a tooling point of view.  Beyond that, in no particular order, are the Great Bear, the Turbomotive, a second-phase streamlined P2 and the Hush-Hush.  Hornby could do any of these, and might even make a grab for Kerosene Castle.

[Pebbles]

I noticed that in the Steam Days Calendar sponsored by Hornby there was a Raven A2.

[phil gollin]

I think the main point is that all the low-hanging fruit has been picked and eaten,  .............

 

 

Only for certain regions.

 

For instance, for Southern fans the S-15, 4-COR and class 455, as a minimum, are required and there are many "representative classes that are needed ( e.g. another 0-6-0 goods, e.g. 700 class or "Q"  --  or an 0-6-0T,  e.g. R1 ???? ).   

 

.

[rovex]

Of course what we haven't considered is duplication - Hornby may decide to copy something that Bachman or one of the other manufacturers is already doing, which presumably opens up a field of larger engines that Hornby seem to like.

 

Although not very useful to us modellers wanting models of new prototypes its not something that seems to bother the manufacturers a great deal - just look at the Hall, now soon to be provided by both Hornby and Bachman.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

... or has the power of the black arts, black motors, voodoo, hoodoo, cauliflowers and witching? Come forth....

 If I had that power I wouldn't be making model trains, but whatever 'must-have' product will cause half a billion consumers besiege retail outlets all over the planet!

 

Actually I did have a revelation while takimng my stroll / walking back from the postbox just now. Hornby's Star was the second in their 'Great Late Pre-Grouping 'Big Engine' Express Designs Collection'. So we may expect the LNWR Claughton, L&Y Dreadful, CR Cardean, NBR Atlantic, NER V Atlantic, GNR C1, supplementing the Gresley A1 and Star already available. Perhaps not all of them this coming year, the very attractive cloud patterns, migrating birds, scatter of fallen leaves, were being a touch indecisive...