Hornby announcement 8th May

[adb968008]

Personally I think it will be a combination of both, Augmented reality could give a considerable boost to model railways.

 

Today the tech involves wearing something akin to a diving mask, that overlays scenes onto your back ground, but in a few years you’ll be able to wear something like an ordinary pair of sunglasses, and tonight your black 5 is chugging against a snow drift, blowing off, with steam leaks ploughing snow out of the way, later the pouring rain, or later still it’s the Sahara desert being chased by flying whales !!!.. take off your glasses and your black fives on bare track in the loft once more.

 

Couple that with footplate cameras, trains running off household WiFi with an IPaddress your iPad based experience takes off too. With wireless charging in seconds, from a pit under your shed, and a battery with an 8 hour life installed, you don’t need to worry about shorting track or expensive DCC complications.

 

The tech is coming mainstream with millions of potential household uses, model railways is just one of them.

Edited May 9, 2018 by adb968008

[NickC]

Eye-watering maybe, but it hasn't sold at the asking price

and presumably it won’t sell as from June you’ll be able to get it for £39.99 (or less)!

Edited May 9, 2018 by NickC

[Mike Storey]

Over 24 hours of chat and speculation since the OTT announcement with people predicting Hornby's doom and the new challenge presented to them by retailers like Hattons, Kernow etc, etc and how will Hornby deal with this in the future, but as yet nobody seems to have mentioned Dovetail games as possibly being the biggest challenge to face not just Hornby, but everybody else in this hobby.

 

Approximately 1 month ago I invited my 6 year old to come to the Crawley model show. His response was "I'm not really interested daddy". OK fair enough and off I went by myself, yet if I fire up train simulator he's next to me like shot. Loves pressing the horn and watching the animated doors open. Would sit there for hours if he could.

 

For a fraction of the space of a 6x4 roundy-roundy and less than the cost of a Bachmann 12ton box van I could wait for one off the frequent sales on Steam or by DTG and take my pick of a huge choice of routes or stock. Not saying it's perfect, but it grabs the interest of my 6 year old much more than Hornby, Bachmann or any of the others do, infact the only hope of any interest in model trains for my 6 year old is his Marklin my world, which is (frankly) brilliant, but even then it still doesn't maintain his interest like train simulator.

 

Again, roughly a month ago I found out that one of my colleagues at work has Train Simulator and loves it, we had never spoken about it so I had no idea that he was interested in trains, but when I mentioned a model railway to him he just turned his nose up, had no interest. So ignore DTG and the humble PC if you wish, but in my opinion they are the biggest threat to this hobby.

 

Regards

 

An interesting story, and I am sure many will have similar experiences. However, I have a different one. I carried the torch for model railways with my nephew, whose layout expanded with his dad's help (despite his dad being a senior automotive engineer and far more interested in sailing). But I admitted defeat when the nephew reached, I guess 12, when I took him around a department store in Munich, and offered to by whatever he wanted for his railway. He seemed genuinely appreciative, but we ended up buying a serious number of computer games. Some 15 years later, he is now the major advocate of expanding the layout for his younger brother (long story) but his brother does not get much of a look-in, I understand, They have spent a fortune at Gaugemaster. Our hobby is not dead whatsoever.

 

Equally, I notice one of the major purveyors of computer games is now expensively promoting the sale of cardboard models to support the playing of their games in a physical context. Where will that lead, one wonders?

 

Finally, I played many of the train simulator games some years ago, when an indoor physical layout was impossible. Very impressive to start. Very boring after a few weeks. I cannot imagine a child being held captive for very long. Contrary to those above who feel that Hornby Junior, Brio and similar products have nothing to do with the model railway hobby, I say cobblers. It has an awful lot to do with it - my nephew went through it into something more akin to our appreciation, and now his younger brother has done the same. My 3 year old grandson has been over-supplied with Brio, which is, by far, his favourite pastime (much to my daughter's exasperation at bedtime), but on their most recent visit here, he immediately wanted to play with my outdoor 32mm gauge track (which we could not do right now. it still being a building site) - he clearly saw the connection.

[steve1023]

Please be clear, I'm not predicting the death of the hobby, but I am highlighting another avenue of competition that didn't exist in the recent past and one that has been ignored in this thread up to now.

[TheSignalEngineer]

Eye watering, certainly. But when you can get one from Hattons for £38 including delivery, then a little silly....... 

Must have gone to the Cartmel School of Ebay Pricing. 

[dibber25]

There were predictions about the death of the hobby when steam finished and again when Scalextric came along. I don't believe sitting in front of a screen looking at animated cartoons is a substitute for a creative hobby, but it may be a temporary distraction. Interesting, too, that when the kids play these 'superhero' nonsense games on computer, what's the next thing they want? - A model of the characters! (CJL)

['CHARD]

How many of the prototype are in DB Schenker, compared to DB Cargo red, bearing in mind the rail cargo business was split off from the Schenker Logistics business more that 2 years ago and more 60 re-paints have appeared since then?

 

Have any of those carrying the Schenker branding, had it removed since the change?

 

A quick survey gives the following:

 

Plain DB Cargo - 8 locomotives (2 stored)

DB Schenker - 12 locomotives (5 stored)

 

Plain red therefore represents 6 % (active) of the once 100-strong fleet

Schenker red only 7 % (active)

 

Hardly big numbers, and a niche following.

[Dunsignalling]

To be pedantic 1977. Probably at the time we thought it was a step forward . Up till then LMS Great Western and Southern coaches were all Mk1s in different colours . But agree that’s the time they belong too, although I still run the LNER teaks

Thanks for the correction on the year; my guess wasn't as far out as I feared. I do have the relevant catalogue but it's in storage.......

 

I used to have a 3-set of the SR type which I treated as Ironclads for operational purposes. No Maunsell BTK ever had five compartments.

 

Lately, I've been thinking of having a proper go at another set to see how close I can get to a decent representation. However, a pal has suggested that Airfix/Dapol LMS non-corridors might be a better starting point.

 

I feel the need to find my scale rule and an inclination to visit a swap-meet or two coming on............ 

 

John

Edited May 9, 2018 by Dunsignalling

[Ouroborus]

Surprises have come in the past; surprises might come in the future about who sells what and who does not sell whatever. And nowadays 'distribution; isn't quite the tribulation it once was with numerous companies on the lookout for business in the game of doing it for you.

 

You never can tell what might be just around the corner especially in a market where volumes have dropped sharply compared with the old days at Hornby and the challenges are now very different. Will we see some interesting changes in 2018 - possibly. Will we see change in the manufacturing/commissioning landscape - I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised although what happens might come as something of a surprise to many. I'm prepared to lay down some money 'on the counter'. that I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised to see some commissioned models being on sale in wider range of outlets than has been the case up to now (some past Hattons commissioned models have in the past been sold in small numbers through at least one other retail outlet - first chink in the armour?)

 

Already happened with Hattons selling the Olivia's stock, not least the otherwise exclusive Olivia's EM1/EM2. Quite reasonable to think there may be reciprocation in the future with the 66. And how about Rails commissioning Hattons to do a l/e 66???? Interesting times ahead

[Geoff Endacott]

More than 1,000 comments and 60,000 views. It looks like they got something right.

 

Geoff Endacott

[robmcg]

You really do have to wonder..........The most popular era,evidently is the transition era (steam to diesel), red and green, no TTS  Duchesses would surely sell in greater numbers than blue and black ones ............as attractive as they may be!!

Hornby really need to wake up.....very sad.................Ask the modeler !!..........Simon/Ilsley

 

Mike

 

That pretty much sums up my feelings too.

 

I'm will be buying new Hornby models, I just found a 21C3 original MN yesterday at a very good price, nice feeling since I also have a renumbered rebuilt 35003 to go with it and make a 'pair', and I do look forward to the Lord Nelsons, but I find it a bit off that big-selling models like the Duchesses are not being sold in BR green  as you say Mike without TTS and preferably under £200.

 

But then I was a teenager in the 1960s, loved Hornby Dublo, and witnesses the end of BR steam so my tastes and perceptions may not be in accord with Hornby's ideas. I agree that both Simon K and Paul Isles understand where my tastes lie.

 

I had thought the BIG announcement of 8 May might involve a restructure of the brand into niche high quality higher cost models and toys, but not to be. 

Edited May 9, 2018 by robmcg

[Coryton]

Please be clear, I'm not predicting the death of the hobby, but I am highlighting another avenue of competition that didn't exist in the recent past and one that has been ignored in this thread up to now.

 

Train simulators have been around for quite a while. Pardon my ignorance, but is the one you are talking about something very different from what we had before?

 

More anecdotal evidence, but some years ago I went to the (now defunct?) Brighton model show. Lots of people clustered round the many layouts, but very little interest in the little row of PCs with people running train simulators (despite the "Please talk to us about it" signs).

 

I'm not sure that train simulators are any more of a threat to 'real' model railways than the many other things one can do on a computer.

[phil-b259]

 

Biggest selling toy of the last few years? LEGO.

 

 

Yes but I believe this is due to various movie tie in - Batman, Star wars etc. Due to these beeing 'officially licenced' products it means there is no competition from rivals or cheap Chinese clones

 

Sales of what you might call 'basic lego' have been nothing to write home about.

[PaulRhB]

Yes but I believe this is due to various movie tie in - Batman, Star wars etc. Due to these beeing 'officially licenced' products it means there is no competition from rivals or cheap Chinese clones

.

And the first spoiler for the 2019 range from Hornby

 

 

Bandai mini train range in N!!!

Edited May 9, 2018 by PaulRhB

[LBRJ]

More than 1,000 comments and 60,000 views. It looks like they got something right.

 

Geoff Endacott

 

 

Not if it does not lead to increased sales

[royaloak]

So we have green trains I currently drive and another green train I will be driving soon, sounds good to me although my wallet isnt very happy, now where is that Rest Day available form! 

I know its bad form to quote yourself but just to make the point I drove 43041 today (Wednesday) so it would be rude not to buy the model.

[LBRJ]

I know its bad form to quote yourself but just to make the point I drove 43041 today (Wednesday) so it would be rude not to buy the model.

 

I bought a few 153 models on a similar, though not the same, basis

 

An orange  one* or a Heart of Wessex faded  pink one is still on the do/acquire list

 

 

* Where did they advertise back in the day?

I am sure they were a W&B / ATW thing

[greatcoleswoodhalt]

How awful that a company that was picking itself up seems to have gone backwards in its social media skills

 

Quite possibly, however, compare their online presence to Bachmann Europe who have only a rudimentary website and no Instagram, Twitter, etc.  Occasionally, something is better than nothing!

[Hilux5972]

Quite possibly, however, compare their online presence to Bachmann Europe who have only a rudimentary website and no Instagram, Twitter, etc. Occasionally, something is better than nothing!

Bachmann have just upgraded the website to an all new design. They definitely need to increase their social media presence though. Bachmann USA have a good presence so it’s a shame UK don’t.

[jjb1970]

I think VR and augmented reality have immense potential, they're a bit like the hydrogen economy in that they are always next years big thing and then never quite make it but the technology is now matching the hype and it is very impressive. What is a model? If you can recreate a virtual railway world then I think you could almost call it another form of modelling and it could provide an immersive and interactive experience far beyond what could be achieved with traditional modelling.

[Hroth]

Just a thought.

 

With all the hype and misdirection over the 29 surprises, perhaps a check should be made on your pre-ordered items.  The few I have are now "due" two to three months later.

[PaulRhB]

Why? Another conspiracy for the next 29 pages

 

Grief they are blummin' models, it's not like the food is gonna run out! They are pre orders, not paid for ,and people seem to think that forms done sort of official contract with penalty clauses!!

 

Even Rapido have had a big delay with the Single and it's far from their first loco. With all of them they are balancing getting it right with production slots.

Edited May 10, 2018 by PaulRhB

[MarkSG]

Eye-watering maybe, but it hasn't sold at the asking price 

 

Well, it won't, now, will it

 

I'm sure there will be quite a lot of people, including retailers who stock train set accessories as well as the people who buy them, who are pleased to see Hornby spiking the guns of the price gougers on eBay.

 

This is just speculation on my part (just like all other comments are speculation by everyone else, of course), but it wouldn't surprise me if monitoring eBay prices isn't a normal part of market research by manufacturers such as Hornby. If your out-of-production items are selling there, and selling well, at prices above your own RRP, then that's a good sign that demand is strong enough to support a new production run. Obviously, there's a lot more to the decision-making process than that. But I would expect secondary market prices and sales volumes to be part of the data.

[Mallard60022]

Could someone please shoot this thread to put it and us out of misery?

Thank you

M.E. Thuselah

[Andy Hayter]

Quite possibly, however, compare their online presence to Bachmann Europe who have only a rudimentary website and no Instagram, Twitter, etc.  Occasionally, something is better than nothing!

 

I understand the point, but how many of their current customer base are deeply embedded in this technology?

 

And before someone else says that it is to attract a new generation, how many 20 somethings are going to see a twitter feed and suddenly be turned on to model railways?

 

I think it is good that H have these things but I do not believe the world will turn around because of it.