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Bachmann FFA/FGA early container flats


Andy Y
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I already have been building up some C Rail containers from the late 80s for my FFAs and FGAs. Looks like I will need to pick up some more at Warley. What Paul said about the fixings was interesting. I will have to experiment when the wagons arrive.

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Yep, the other thing is that older Maersk boxes like that were silver, not the modern grey. I've always presumed the grey was the SeaLand grey, anyone know for sure?

HI All

 

Silver of sorts as i got the correct shade once .

 

Regards Arran

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Did these wagons carry "private owner" containers from the start or was that a later innovation?

If  you look at photos I've posted some (not many) privately owned containers were in use very early on. -Winns, BP, Sainsbury's. Triang made a fair fist of some of the early containers. However they do slightly predate cross Atlantic maritime container ships and maritime traffic took a long time to build up - it was a largely domestic service for many years, And there were problems of access to the depots because of NFU action.

 

Paul

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Would anyone agree these two Bachmann Container Flats are bit on the expensive side?

(yes I don't have to buy them, yes we are a free market, yes someone has to pay Chinese wages, yes Bachmann have to make a profit and yes apparently we have been lucky on previous years prices...good now I've got those out of the way)

Are these special in any way to justify over £42 for a single wagon and over £84 for the twin pack even with containers and that doesn't include postage?

This is a genuine question?

Edited by classy52
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Would anyone agree these two Bachmann Container Flats are bit on the expensive side?

(yes I don't have to buy them, yes we are a free market, yes someone has to pay Chinese wages, yes Bachmann have to make a profit and yes apparently we have been lucky on previous years prices...good now I've got those out of the way)

Are these special in any way to justify over £42 for a single wagon and over £84 for the twin pack even with containers and that doesn't include postage?

This is a genuine question?

Look at the current list prices and compare with ten years ago, I now regret not buying China Clay Polybulks at the original price but that’s life!

 

It was the same when beer went beyond £1 a pint in pubs and clubs but most of us are still drinking the stuff at these prices!

 

Mark Saunders

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Would anyone agree these two Bachmann Container Flats are bit on the expensive side?

(yes I don't have to buy them, yes we are a free market, yes someone has to pay Chinese wages, yes Bachmann have to make a profit and yes apparently we have been lucky on previous years prices...good now I've got those out of the way)

Are these special in any way to justify over £42 for a single wagon and over £84 for the twin pack even with containers and that doesn't include postage?

This is a genuine question?

 

Welcome to the real world!

 

Mike.

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Would anyone agree these two Bachmann Container Flats are bit on the expensive side?

(yes I don't have to buy them, yes we are a free market, yes someone has to pay Chinese wages, yes Bachmann have to make a profit and yes apparently we have been lucky on previous years prices...good now I've got those out of the way)

Are these special in any way to justify over £42 for a single wagon and over £84 for the twin pack even with containers and that doesn't include postage?

This is a genuine question?

 

If you want them then snap them up while they are about at this price.

Take a look at page 50 of The Times today re predictions for future trends in the value of the pound and the effect on inflation.

Railway modelling is a niche market, with smaller runs at higher prices. Prices will continue to increase at a greater rate than in other sectors.

We are fortunate that Bachmann have kept faith with us and are still willing to invest in the hobby.

With 4 wheel wagons heading over £25 and coaches well over £50 they would seem to be priced in the right general area.

Bernard

Bernard 

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Would anyone agree these two Bachmann Container Flats are bit on the expensive side?

(yes I don't have to buy them, yes we are a free market, yes someone has to pay Chinese wages, yes Bachmann have to make a profit and yes apparently we have been lucky on previous years prices...good now I've got those out of the way)

Are these special in any way to justify over £42 for a single wagon and over £84 for the twin pack even with containers and that doesn't include postage?

This is a genuine question?

Bachmann wagons tend to be at the high end of the

spectrum, but are well produced and detailed. In fairness with this product, you do get 2 containers with the inner version and 4 with the outers, which is about £18 and £36 respectively using C-Rail discount prices. The most recent comparable model is the Dapol IDA lowfloor, which works out at about £19 for a single wagon without containers, discounted (they are sold as a pair). Add in the containers and you have a similar price. In the Bachmann maritime version, you get a tankcontainer, which is a more detailed and costly type in model form.

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Classy52

These prices are the new ‘normal’. For a super-detailed model that replaces a basic Hornby rendition, the pricing seems reasonable to me.

 

Which Hornby rendition, the only decent one to compare against is the KFA wagons with containers which are still reasonably priced even if you bought two it would still be about £30 below the Bachmann.

These latest Bachmann ones makes the Dapol & Hatton's variants seam cheap with or without containers.

 

Look at the current list prices and compare with ten years ago, I now regret not buying China Clay Polybulks at the original price but that’s life!

 

It was the same when beer went beyond £1 a pint in pubs and clubs but most of us are still drinking the stuff at these prices!

 

Mark Saunders

 

I've only been into railway modelling for the last 4 years so I'll take your word for it, having said that the prices have spiked considerably in the last 4 years.

 

Welcome to the real world!

 

Mike.

 

Yes indeed, btw I was already in it.

 

If you want them then snap them up while they are about at this price.

Take a look at page 50 of The Times today re predictions for future trends in the value of the pound and the effect on inflation.

Railway modelling is a niche market, with smaller runs at higher prices. Prices will continue to increase at a greater rate than in other sectors.

We are fortunate that Bachmann have kept faith with us and are still willing to invest in the hobby.

With 4 wheel wagons heading over £25 and coaches well over £50 they would seem to be priced in the right general area.

Bernard

Bernard 

 

Yeah I already stated I don't have to buy them but was just asking the question.

From where I'm standing and only been into this for the 4 years and it seems to me railway modelling is big business and not exactly a niche market as such considering the new players that have come onto the scene.

As if Bachmann would leave this hobby market, I don't think so.

 

Bachmann wagons tend to be at the high end of the

spectrum, but are well produced and detailed. In fairness with this product, you do get 2 containers with the inner version and 4 with the outers, which is about £18 and £36 respectively using C-Rail discount prices. The most recent comparable model is the Dapol IDA lowfloor, which works out at about £19 for a single wagon without containers, discounted (they are sold as a pair). Add in the containers and you have a similar price. In the Bachmann maritime version, you get a tankcontainer, which is a more detailed and costly type in model form.

 

So are Dapols, Hornby KFA's and now I would think Hatton's and to me they seem more reasonably priced than the Bachmann's.

 

Overall valid points and everyone is entitled to their opinions but I still say these wagons are overpriced for what they are and I suppose soon enough they'll end up the same price as a powered locomotive.

But yes we are the consumer and have complete control to buy or not to buy.

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Before the Hornby KFA, Hornby did a basic FFA/FGA inner only which was very cheap and crude. The KFA (When I was picking some up 5+ years ago) seemed to have an rrp of £35 ish pounds which was a lot more expensive than their more toy like previous model. At a similar time, C-rail FLA pairs were about £45. Given the way inflation has been this last few years £42 for a new single sounds about right. The Hornby KFA has been around for a while now, finding discounted prices on models that have been sat on shop shelves for a while isn't surprising. I don't know what the rrp of a new KFA is these days but the model has been out for quite a while now.

 

Ref the cost reaching that of a locomotive; the main basic difference between an engine and a coach/wagon is the motor. Motors on their own aren't really that expensive so I think we had a good deal for quite a long time on how cheap wagons/coaches were compared to engines. The main price booster for engines now seems to be the circuit boards, lighting, DCC fitted, sound fitted, etc.

 

Just my thoughts anyway. I have a pair of outers and 2x inners pre ordered with my local shop, The price is the limiting factor on wanting anymore at this immediate time but will wait and see what happens as they start selling. As noted earlier in this thread, what happens if there ends up being an excess of inners left on the shelf? I can see discounts then, and plenty of people have added headstocks and buffers to the original Hornby model over the years...

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Which Hornby rendition, the only decent one to compare against is the KFA wagons with containers which are still reasonably priced even if you bought two it would still be about £30 below the Bachmann.

These latest Bachmann ones makes the Dapol & Hatton's variants seam cheap with or without containers.

 

 

I've only been into railway modelling for the last 4 years so I'll take your word for it, having said that the prices have spiked considerably in the last 4 years.

 

 

Yes indeed, btw I was already in it.

 

 

Yeah I already stated I don't have to buy them but was just asking the question.

From where I'm standing and only been into this for the 4 years and it seems to me railway modelling is big business and not exactly a niche market as such considering the new players that have come onto the scene.

As if Bachmann would leave this hobby market, I don't think so.

 

 

So are Dapols, Hornby KFA's and now I would think Hatton's and to me they seem more reasonably priced than the Bachmann's.

 

Overall valid points and everyone is entitled to their opinions but I still say these wagons are overpriced for what they are and I suppose soon enough they'll end up the same price as a powered locomotive.

But yes we are the consumer and have complete control to buy or not to buy.

Don't be so sassy, classy.

I've spent some considerable time on the naughty step, in the past, for uttering such truths. 

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So far as I understand it, and i'm very open to more info here:

MAEU were Maersk's old pre Sea-Land merger marks.

 

MSKU I believe was used from the Maersk Sealand merger, with the marks still being used for a time after "Sealand" was dropped again - so my suspicion is that the MSKU box dates from the later part of the use of those marks (mid 00s).

 

MRKU is a later mark again, I suspect these marks started from the P&O Nedlloyd merger (2005) - unscientific I know, but my oldest shot of any MRKU is of a very shiny new one in 2008 - there are no white borders on the current Maersk scheme either!

 

I do believe that the Maersk ones are borderline for use on an FFA/FGA at best. (Web addresses reinforce this...)

 

They are lovely container models, but unless you model the last couple of years of their use you'd be better off trading them to a modeller of a later period (who ought to rightly bite your hand off...!)

 

 

 

Sorry if this has already been posted, but the container owner codes can identified here: https://www.bic-code.org/

 

Peterfgf

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Received FGA pair and FFA today from Rails. Here's a quick video i shot of them and the DBSO which also arrived. The threesome reversed well through points, before running fine. Containers were just placed directly onto wagons without using any of the supplied 'pins' - i was in a hurry to get them tested and have a shot of them before the children got home from school - as you can hear in the last clip i didn't make it!

 

https://youtu.be/j6DBU35SG-M

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