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Railtec Transfers


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11 minutes ago, tractor_37260 said:

 

Hi Steve

 

              Any update on the revised 4mm ED 08938 transfer set ?  Noticed your e-mail is temporarily unavailable.  I've a couple of other items to order, so will just get them all together.

Regards

Ken

 

 

 

Spooky as I'm literally just designing a test cycle right now to get the thickness of the black outline looking correct on the ED box. Once I've done that the revised design will be dropped into the mock-up already shown and then it's just a case of printing. Tedious test iterations like this are the lesser-seen (and infiinitely time consuming) side of how most of the days are spent.

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On 23/09/2020 at 13:59, tractor_37260 said:

 

Hi Steve

 

              Any update on the revised 4mm ED 08938 transfer set ?  Noticed your e-mail is temporarily unavailable.  I've a couple of other items to order, so will just get them all together.

Regards

Ken

 

 

 

4mm & 7mm packs for 08938 just released @tractor_37260Ken:

 

https://www.railtec-models.com/catalog.php?search_str=08938

 

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On 26/09/2020 at 11:09, railtec-models said:

 

Hiya John, each Castle plate needs a lot of design and testing as they're all different. Some are getting there but they do take an extraordinary amount of time and specialist skills to get looking right. With the exception of custom work then unless it's showing on the web site then it's not yet fully baked and not available. It'd be easy to quickly bang out something which looks "ok", but it's just not the Railtec way and hopefully people do benefit from me going that extra mile.

 

Whilst I'm here it's perhaps a useful point at which to help folks further understand the constraints and challenges of driving such a hugely niche beast, particularly one which injects 400+ new product lines into the hobby each year, as this may help enlighten some of the more enthusiastic comments that occasionally get made. So for those that wish to know:

 

Due to the utterly colossal volume of incoming emails, IMs, forum tags etc in addition to everything else listed below, it's unfortunately often not feasible to be able to comment on requests for approx time scales of availability of new product, simply because there are numerous moving parts on a daily basis, some of which can come about quite unexpectedly, such as:

 

- Keeping up with new liveries when they are unveiled. These tend to be popular but only for a limited short time. I am fortunate enough to get a quiet heads-up for some of them, but not all.

 

- Largely dropping most things when TOCs/FOCs/govt organisations (who are kind enough to grant licences to reproduce their trademarks so we can all benefit) get in touch to ask for bespoke product such as decals for retirement gifts etc which are usually required within a relatively very short time frame.

 

- Responding to large bulk orders from manufacturers large and small.

 

- Continually having to replenish stock.

 

- Preparing and dispatching the increasing number of web orders for stock items.


- An eye-watering amount of R&D and countless tedious test cycles which go into developing new releases. Sure, some are straight-forward, but others can take literally weeks upon weeks of manual labour and fine tuning. This is probably the most time consuming element of Railtec, despite which, there are still 400+ new product lines released each year for everybody.

 

- Researching and developing new techniques, c.f. 3d waterslide and tampo printing.


- Preparing for and attending shows (when there are any).

 

- Keeping the web site and other processes compliant with law, new software, etc.

 

- Keeping up-to-date with compliancy around the finer details of HMRC requirements, and even more so now that Railtec has to be VAT registered, keeping on top of and compliant with VAT requirements.

 

- Trying to have a life! (And usually not managing very well).

 

I sometimes get people lecture me, "You have to hire somebody." But if I were to do this in a capacity whereby they would help to drive Railtec:

 

- Quality would risk taking a dip whilst I train them up on what's quite a specialist subject area. In fact running Railtec requires 4 specialist skillsets:

  1. Immaculate graphic design with attention to detail that would not even be seen with the naked eye (yes, some people do get the magnifying glass out at the Railtec stand at shows).
  2. Knowledge of what's quite a niche subject matter.
  3. Web design (incl set-up and admin of back-end database, server-side scripting and shopping cart integration).
  4. Knowing how to manipulate both commercial intermediary software and hardware to tweak and hack it to do what I want it to do.

 

Ask a recruiter what it would cost to hire for just one of those skillsets. Preferably I would want to be spared the madness of the world's best graphic designer ringing me up every 3 minutes with a question like, "Steve, what's a class 37?" All of the above are self taught from scratch (my degree was in something completely different), which is why I'm able to offer what I do at the low price I can.

 

- The huge output of new product would diminish for the forseeable.

 

- Prices would increase n-fold, likely way beyond what additional income hired help would generate. That would have to be passed on to everybody else.

 

- Once you've invested a huge amount of resource training somebody up and they get to see all of the little hacks that differentiates your product from all the others even if they have exactly the same set-up, guess what, off they go and set up on their own, not unrealistically in direct competition to the point where any margin becomes negligible and the market (and quality) gets devalued for everybody.

 

- One of the appeals of moving towards a self-employed model was to no longer have the hassle of managing staff and the impact that has, both around stress levels and other areas relating to tax, employment law, workplace pensions etc. Go to any of those corporate management workshops and they'll tell us that the biggest overhead of many organisations is the often non-quantifiable aspect of managing resource, relationships and staff.

 

In terms of hiring in somebody to help with admin, there'd be little point as that only accounts for <10% of what Railtec is. The absolute hugest overhead is going to the nth degree (sometimes bordering on certifiable) to R&D and test new product and techniques. Those who frequent the Railtec Facebook page will frequently see just how tediously laborious some of those test cycles are. But hopefully it's worth it!

 

 

Thanks Steve

Appreciate all you do and know they will be worth waiting for.

Best regards

John

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just read through Steve's post above and it amazing how he continues to develop and maintain the excellent range. I ordered some transfers last night just before midnight and by 9am i had a reply about the custom set and by 4pm a despatch confirmation, superb service as ever.

Looking forward to trying out the 3d printed works plates when they arrive too.

Thanks again Steve.

All the best

James

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  • 2 weeks later...

Fresh out of the paint shop.  08 720 / 08 761 HA Provincial 08's.  Almost identical twins, but there are a few differences if you know where to look. 08 761 was a commission job. 

The majority of transfers used being by Rail-Tec, the Blue Data panels and 3D printed works plates finish off the models nicely, along with the sole bar detail. 

Thanks to Steve for quickly sorting out a minor issue. 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I placed my first-ever order with Railtec (yes, yes, I know I'm late to the party) at 3.15pm on Wednesday and they popped through the letterbox at 8.45am on Thursday (yesterday). Reports of Steve's legendary service are absolutely correct - many thanks Steve!

 

Very impressed with the quality - no more having to paint 3mm x 2mm blue rectangles on green locos before applying data panels, result!! 08840 & 47091 first in line. I've realised that some other Railtec products will save me a lot of time and effort, and at very reasonable cost, so my first order will definitely not be my last......

 

 

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2 hours ago, cctransuk said:

 

See Sheet BL184 at https://www.cctrans.org.uk/products.htm

 

John Isherwood.

 

Thanks John, but I'm mainly interested in the later period (post-64 'boxed' style) and TOPS lettering for these.

 

As Steve kindly pointed out in a pm, the early style is now in the Railtec range with the later to follow.

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15 hours ago, cctransuk said:

See Sheet BL184 at https://www.cctrans.org.uk/products.htm

 

John Isherwood.

 

 

That's more than a bit cheeky, advertising your product in a competitor's topic!

 

Just for the record I've used both your product and Railtec's.

The Railtec transfers are a country mile ahead in terms of quality, ease of use and finish look.

 

 

 

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23 minutes ago, Argos said:

 

 

That's more than a bit cheeky, advertising your product in a competitor's topic!

 

Just for the record I've used both your product and Railtec's.

The Railtec transfers are a country mile ahead in terms of quality, ease of use and finish look.

 

 

 

 

Not cheeky at all - Railtec and I have a mutually compatible arrangement when it comes to these type of enquiries.

 

I concentrate on the pre-TOPS era, Railtec on the TOPS and more recent period - though there is some slight overlap.

 

The demands upon both outlets are huge, and if one of my readily-available sheets can save Railtec from re-inventing the wheel, it's got to be good for both of us.

 

You will not know this, but I have put hundreds, if not thousands of enquiries Railtec (and Precision Labels') way, when the enquirer requires TOPS or bespoke transfers - which I do not do.

 

The technology that I use is prehistoric in comparison to Railtec's - but I have had many thousands of repeat customers since I started producing transfers in 1999 - so I must be doing something right.

 

In summary - please do not assume selfish motives where there are none.

 

John Isherwood.

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John,

 

I stand by my comments, advertising your product on anther traders topic page is, in my opinion, plain rude especially in response to an  enquiry about an existing product.

 

1 hour ago, cctransuk said:

In summary - please do not assume selfish motives where there are none.

 

And please don't tell me what to assume, I'm not a 5 year old.

 

Thanks

 

Angus Higgins

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1 hour ago, Argos said:

John,

 

I stand by my comments, advertising your product on anther traders topic page is, in my opinion, plain rude especially in response to an  enquiry about an existing product.

 

 

And please don't tell me what to assume, I'm not a 5 year old.

 

Thanks

 

Angus Higgins

 

Angus,

 

Since you insist upon prolonging a non-event ......

 

I have NEVER, in 21 years, advertised the transfers that I produce.

 

I never wanted to be a transfer producer, and I have never sought to increase the amount of my modelling time that is taken up providing transfers to other modellers.

 

I acquired the hardware and software to produce waterslide transfers for my own use, as Woodhead Transfers had ceased trading. Word got out that I could print waterslide transfers, and I was bombarded with requests to produce transfers for other modellers.

 

I (briefly) offered a bespoke transfer service - but the time that it consumed was insupportable. I therefore simply offer to other modellers the transfer sheets that I produce for myself - that's why the vast majority are BR steam era subjects.

 

I do not 'compete' with Railtec or Precision Labels - we all do our own thing. If I never get another order for transfers I couldn't care less - but progress with my own modelling would accelerate immensely.

 

In this case I merely tried to point out that a sheet of transfers, which might have assisted the enquirer, was already available. As it happened, he needed the later 'boxed' style markings - which I don't produce.

 

Please do not go looking for 'unfair competition' where there is none.

 

John Isherwood.

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35 minutes ago, cctransuk said:

Since you insist upon prolonging a non-event ......

 

Whatever John

You seem to persist in thinking you have the right to tell people what to think.

 

Getting the topic back on track, I can whole heartedly recommend Railtec products and service.

Railtec produce the best transfers I've used and the service is excellent, most items land the day after ordering and this includes custom orders.

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If you look at my collection of MDVs then there are remarkably few "pure" boxed style TOPS written wagons. These wagons being produced in 1962/3 were possibly the last new build wagons that didn't get the new style and the old style persisted until their death. Admittedly, usually with the addition of MDV or MDW and often with some boxed in style for tonnage and tare including the metrication of these. To reproduce the appearance on BR during the 70s and 80s a mixture of style is necessary. 

 

Paul

and I won't put a link in as that would be advertising. 

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Here's a grab of what the later TOPS variant looks like for the MDVs (pack 4mm-6943). Pack based on useful info and images in the likes of Larkin, Rowland et al in addition to a wide variety of freely available media from around the web.

 

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Edited by railtec-models
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2 hours ago, railtec-models said:

Here's a grab of what the later TOPS variant looks like for the MDVs (pack 4mm-6943). Pack based on useful info and images in the likes of Larkin, Rowland et al in addition to other media from around the web.

 

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I put my order in for these yesterday, I guess I got lucky happening to check the Railtec website shortly after they were made available, propels those Five79 21t MDV kits up my ‘to do list’!

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On 31/10/2020 at 22:27, railtec-models said:

Here's a grab of what the later TOPS variant looks like for the MDVs (pack 4mm-6943). Pack based on useful info and images in the likes of Larkin, Rowland et al in addition to other media from around the web.

 

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And very good they are too, ordered both MDV sets as soon as Steve tipped me the nod they were available, arrived within a few days and I've bumped the part-finished Chivers kits to the top of the pile for finishing this weekend. 

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