brianusa Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 A recent thread suggests that Hornby should reintroduce TT gauge. While it might please a few adherents, if anything could be introduced perhaps it should be O gauge whether it be coarse scale or the real thing. There is a growing demand for three rail models as evidenced by the number of new models produced by US and UK manufacturers. The American ones cater to both interests with two or three rail options while the UK seems content with three rail DC. Hornby already has a connection to Corgi but never exploited it to the full. Perhaps they should rethink! Brian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodenhead Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 What UK 3 rail is there? I think Lionel have that market pretty well sewn up in the US, I would think it would be very hard to get a foot in and I don't think people in the UK really have the space with most O modellers doing serious over play. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianusa Posted January 26, 2015 Author Share Posted January 26, 2015 What UK 3 rail is there? I think Lionel have that market pretty well sewn up in the US, I would think it would be very hard to get a foot in and I don't think people in the UK really have the space with most O modellers doing serious over play. Much more than you may think! ACE, Darstaed and a couple of smaller companies produce trains and accessories as you probably are aware of and they seem to be making money on the deal. The US might be a separate entity but their UK models are popular. The older generation, the ones usually with disposable income find bigger models easier to handle and having run the gamut from N and OO to LGB and O, I can vouch for that! Brian. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mike Bellamy Posted January 26, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 26, 2015 You are a little late with this idea Brian as the 'modern' Hornby company has already entered the 7mm market (and of course not to be confused with the original Hornby company!). They own the rights to the historic Bassett Lowke name as sold here (for example) http://www.shamrocktrains.com/bassettlowke.html Also resin buildings as shown at Tower Models http://www.tower-models.com/towermodels/ogauge/hornbybuildings/index.htm . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
L&Y Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 Peckett is good but I notice it's £5 more than the Hudswell Clarke & not as detailed..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 The Basset Lowke stuff seems to have been quietly dropped as the link from the GOG Traders List no longer works and it is not listed on the Hornby homepage anymore. Presumably they saw the writing on the wall with advent of Ixion and (eventually) Dapol 0 Gauge locos. Of course, Hornby also own the LIMA name and it would be nice if that range was upgraded and re-introduced. It might make commercial sense if they followed the lead of MTH and produced versions for both the Finescale and Toy Train markets. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phill Dyson (onslaught832) Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 I would much rather see some O gauge finescale, Heljan seem to make money out of it & some competition might lower the ever increasing prices for us alI. Phill Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Brasher Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 0 gauge coarse scale is already well supported by Darstaed, Ace, Lionel and ETS and by second hand Hornby. The picture shows my Darstaed Jinty which cost about £300 but should last a lifetime. 0 gauge coarse scale is very popular who like to see, hear and feel trains running at exhibitions. It is also free from rivet counters. We regularly get about 40 people coming to our meetings at Broadstone where I took the picture. 0 gauge fine scale is also fairly popular. The Purbeck Model Railway Group is building a 240 foot fine scale model bases on the Swanage Railway in some stables at Swanage. This uses mainly Golden Age models which are very expensive with locomotives costing over £2,000. Lima class 33s and Mk1 coaches will run on our Peco track so I think there is a market for a Hornby Railroad range in 0 gauge possibly based on upgraded Lima models. Dapol will soon be introducing an 08 shunter and a Terrier and has already produced some wagons. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Just imagine if Hornby did enter 7mm scale - can you imagine, O scale Tension Lock couplers...!!! As a UK-resident modeller of US-outline in 2-rail O, I shall keep my opinions about 3-rail to myself.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWR460 Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Hornby 0 Gauge would be a nice idea. I think it would make more sense than TT Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianusa Posted February 2, 2015 Author Share Posted February 2, 2015 Can't disagree with that remark, TT is all but dead while three rail O is making a comeback as mentioned already. Its main adherents are older, wealthier and can remember the trains of their youth. They also presumably have larger houses to accommodate the larger scale Brian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phill Dyson (onslaught832) Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 I'm sure 3 rail coarse scale is making a comeback! but 7mm finescale would still sell in much larger numbers....even more so if it was a budget range which could be improved upon & didn't cost the earth. Phill Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phill Dyson (onslaught832) Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 Slightly off topic but I'm sure the likes of Ace trains could sell a few more of their express engines to the garden fraternity if two rail finescale was an option? Phill Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWR460 Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 Course scale is nice and has a charm but I would want to see just high standard reasonably priced Locos in normal 0 gauge that run on 2 rails. At around £399.99 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianusa Posted February 4, 2015 Author Share Posted February 4, 2015 It can't be all that difficult as some US manufacturers already do it fairly reasonably. Brian. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 It can't be all that difficult as some US manufacturers already do it fairly reasonably. Brian. The US O gauge scene is a much bigger, & very different, market. Most of it is 3-rail, & much of it not to standards worth converting to 2-rail.I think the pictures above sum up the situation very well - for Collectors of toy trains, choose 3-rail or Coarse O. For those who want to have realistic models, choose 2-rail Scale. Final point - if 3-rail/Coarse is a growing interest for those already retired, it isn't going to be sustained for too long, is it?? Tin hat on, ducks for cover whilst fleeing to Fire Exit............ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcm@gwr Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 They've already done it, it was sold as Basset Lowke (Hornby own the name/rights) Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
switcher 1 Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 I sit on both sides of the fence, I have some 'fine' scale & some 'clockwork' tinplate 0 gauge, (as well as some American 2-rail). With the tinplate, I can throw down some track & run trains, but for the 'fine' scale I still need small radius points before I get anything up & running. (Peco's mythical setrack points.) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.