RMweb Gold Phatbob Posted December 13, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 13, 2018 Fantastic photo there Mr York.Mystic Bob predicts....................................... DCC giraffe car! Have a cool yule everybody, 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miles73128 Posted December 13, 2018 Share Posted December 13, 2018 (edited) Opps deleted. Comment about SRN4, then saw people had already mentioned What on earth were you doing at Pegwell that time of the morning.....? Usually the preserve of dogwalkers and birdwatchers at that hour Stu Edited December 13, 2018 by miles73128 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Islesy Posted December 13, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 13, 2018 Since Paul Isles has apparently been in Scotland a lot should mean something in use there? I should also point out that I’ve been in Newcastle an awful lot this year, as well as the West Country, the Isle of Wight, North Yorkshire and, of course, God’s greatest county; Hertfordshire... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reevesthecat Posted December 13, 2018 Share Posted December 13, 2018 Are Hornby and oxford rail staying separate companies is Lyndon Davies working for both? Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold tetsudofan Posted December 13, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 13, 2018 I hate to be a party pooper, but there is only one thing which 'develops' on the Isle of Thanet ... ….and heck, do they stink when you drive past them...…. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Johnster Posted December 14, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 14, 2018 Catalogues, let's be honest, are a thing of the past; once the main marketing tool of the company they are replaced by the Internet and no longer really relevant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robmcg Posted December 14, 2018 Share Posted December 14, 2018 Catalogues, let's be honest, are a thing of the past; once the main marketing tool of the company they are replaced by the Internet and no longer really relevant. I respectfully disagree there, Johnster. The Hornby catalogue is not just a list of available and soon-to-be available models, which it does very well, but it also celebrates the hobby of model railways, at every level from children to scale modellers. It is quite beautifully produced, too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium ELTEL Posted December 14, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 14, 2018 Just a thought.... Having been at the recent BRM Exhibition at Peterborough I was amazed that Hornby we’re still charging for there 2018 Hornby catalogue. I am sure what they did not sell will be in the skip now. Had I been in the Hornby marketing team I would have someone approaching any family walking around with children, giving them a complimentary 2018 catalogue. At our exhibition for many years we hav given away recent model railway magazines to children attending. It all helps to promote the hobby. This year we have recruited five new younger members under the age of 15 Eltel 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium newbryford Posted December 14, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 14, 2018 What on earth were you doing at Pegwell that time of the morning.....? Usually the preserve of dogwalkers and birdwatchers at that hour Stu Probably not gone to bed - still out and about on BRM expenses...... The view would be considerably enhanced with one or two of these. Hmmm - Swift - are they doing 47270? No. I have a sniper scope on the rifle at the top of RMweb Towers. Can you see the North from there? Cheers, Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wombatofludham Posted December 14, 2018 Share Posted December 14, 2018 I should also point out that I’ve been in Newcastle an awful lot this year, as well as the West Country, the Isle of Wight, North Yorkshire and, of course, God’s greatest county; Hertfordshire... Ooh, a Tyne and Wear Metrocar, some light rail at last. And a de Havilland Comet just in time for the 70th anniversary of it's first flight. Well, apart from the M1 and WCML the Comet is the only other interesting thing I can think of to come out of Herts. I'd love an r/c SRN4, next time my brother comes to stay I could get one and my niece and I could play with it on the beach here in Fairbourne, she'd love it. My brother on the other hand would no doubt be happy to leave his daughter to the tender mercies of her mad fat Plastic Welsh uncle whilst he popped back to the Penrhyn Bar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkC Posted December 14, 2018 Share Posted December 14, 2018 Thing is, who is this Dawn from Margate? Does she have a phone number...…. Stewart Does she... ...nudge nudge... (with apologies to Monty Python ) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ikks Posted December 14, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 14, 2018 (edited) Nothing for me then .............................YET!!!!!!!!!! Sorry! Mike Edited December 14, 2018 by ikks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Dunsignalling Posted December 14, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 14, 2018 (edited) I respectfully disagree there, Johnster. The Hornby catalogue is not just a list of available and soon-to-be available models, which it does very well, but it also celebrates the hobby of model railways, at every level from children to scale modellers. It is quite beautifully produced, too. The problem is, because of the way the industry now works, it doesn't do it very well. You still need other ways to find out what is actually available, and when. Batch production, with (apparently) ever-reducing volumes, mean that almost no major item featured is likely to be readily obtainable for even half the period the thing purports to cover. Items arriving early in the year may be almost sold out before it is even published and delayed items might not appear by the year end. Meantime we can all "enjoy" the soulless CGI side elevations of new locos, and the edited ones of planned re-runs of older ones with only the names and numbers changed to protect the guilty. FYI Hornby, the old-type tender couplings in pictures of locos that have had the new pattern for the last several iterations are a dead giveaway. Sorry, but for me, the Hornby catalogue has become little more than a glossy wish list. IIRC, the newest one I own is the 2013 edition. If you want a shiny souvenir of what might or might not have been on sale for part of 2019, fine, but as a source of real information, it's pretty meaningless. And don't get me started on the other lot...…. John Edited December 14, 2018 by Dunsignalling 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGR Hooper! Posted December 14, 2018 Share Posted December 14, 2018 Some people like the catalogue, some people don't....I think that's established. It's far to expensive to give away free of cost. I don't expect Hornby to do that. So basically if it's free people will take it, if there's a price, people will moan and groan about it. It's been discussed at length every year especially between the months of Dec - Feb. A lot of companies give free catalogues, a lot don't. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hroth Posted December 14, 2018 Share Posted December 14, 2018 (edited) Does she... ...nudge nudge... (with apologies to Monty Python ) Dunno, but Janet does..... SPEAKING about catalogues. I wonder if Hornby will be offering a teaser shot of the cover, as they did for the 2018 one at the end of last year, showcasing their introduction of a new model? That was a bit more fun than the daft cracker jokes they're serving up on the Hornby Advent Calendar! Edited December 14, 2018 by Hroth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Dunsignalling Posted December 14, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 14, 2018 (edited) Some people like the catalogue, some people don't....I think that's established. It's far to expensive to give away free of cost. I don't expect Hornby to do that. So basically if it's free people will take it, if there's a price, people will moan and groan about it. It's been discussed at length every year especially between the months of Dec - Feb. A lot of companies give free catalogues, a lot don't. A mate of mine who does collect the catalogues, has adopted the practice of waiting until the next one is getting near and picking his up for a couple of quid when retailers start clearing them for whatever they'll fetch..... My own feeling is that a Yearbook, published just ahead of Christmas, chronicling everything that has actually been produced during the past year, and including pictures of the real models, would be far more attractive as well as constituting a meaningful future document of record for collectors. Ideal stocking filler too. That I almost certainly would buy and it could satisfy both the pro- and anti-catalogue camps. Win-win situation? John Edited December 14, 2018 by Dunsignalling 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Neal Ball Posted December 14, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 14, 2018 A gratuitous scenic snap of Sandwich to the right and Margate behind me yesterday morning after a trip to the ancestral home of Hornby, Westwood House, at Margate to see Hornby's plans for 2019. All I can say is that you're in for some real surprises come January 7th and some very visible signs of progress. We had the chance to talk to all the directors and I have to say, from talking to Lyndon Davies that there's very real evidence of substantial developments from the Isle of Thanet for 2019 and beyond. We could see that the team have been working very, very hard on some rather special items over the last year! Thanks for the early heads up Andy - Love the enthusiasm, which is clearly infectious. Having been "working from home yesterday" I was clearly hard at it and didn't see the post at the time! Have a good Christmas one and all - looking forward to the 7th Jan :-) PS: I still love the catalogues - give me a glossy book to flick through and I am as happy as Larry! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGR Hooper! Posted December 14, 2018 Share Posted December 14, 2018 A mate of mine who does collect the catalogues, has adopted the practice of waiting until the next one is getting near and picking his up for a couple of quid when retailers start clearing them for whatever they'll fetch..... John That is a very sensible thing to do.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Parker Posted December 14, 2018 Share Posted December 14, 2018 I was talking with the Hornby designer (didn't get his name) and his assistant at their stand at BRM Peterborough. The 1970s have called and are asking for their attitudes to women back... As far as the stand goes, the designer is likely to be the assistant here. Show presence, and a lot of other things including the event that prompted Andy to start this thread, are organised by the shortest, blondest person present. One who's also been known to drive the van as well. Don't try the "assistant" thing on the BRM stand either or Mr York and I will be watching as our designer Ruth puts you right, before instructing Howard to get her a coffee. Seriously though, I had someone from a well-known organisation boast to me at the end of Warley how he had "had a go at the girl on the Hornby stand" about an error with their latest delivery. I pointed out it was unlikely the person he spoke to was in charge of the order or could do anything about it. He agreed but then went on (even when I wearily tried to change the subject) to repeat his boast. A couple of things struck me - first, he could have "had a go" at one of the men on the stand who, as directors, might have been able to do something. But he chose not to. Second - I suspect that our paths will cross again in the future and he will be wanting my help. I don't like bullies, and karma can be a bitch. 16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pH Posted December 14, 2018 Share Posted December 14, 2018 I hate to be a party pooper, but there is only one thing which 'develops' on the Isle of Thanet ... Rapido have already done those -https://www.rapidotrains.com/ho-amtrak-npcu/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Parker Posted December 14, 2018 Share Posted December 14, 2018 To pick up on the OP - I was also at the event this week and echo what Andy has said. OK, we all want Hornby to succeed so perhaps we read the messages more optimistically than we should at times, but there were things said that make sense. Lyndon explained how they are back chasing big business, but it's a process that takes around 2.5 years. At the moment, they are fighting to be on the long lists for orders. Next month at the toy fairs sees the fight to get on the shortlists. This whole process is complicated and requires a lot of work behind the scenes with people who don't think like railway enthusiasts and aren't looking for them as their primary market. The ambition is to get into the high street because they will place the sort of big orders that keep a company going. 500 locos is nice to sell. 5000 train sets a lot nicer. There is a degree of frustration with some of the decisions taken by the previous managment, and much talk about their lack of understanding of the company and its market. It might sound a bit woolly, but Lyndon, Simon and Tim seem to be trying to put the heart back in the firm. The move back to Margate is an obvious example, but one backed up by some sensible costings. The products to be announced are interesting, and there are a couple that would have me happily trotting down to my local model shop to buy with my own money. I expect a lot of excitement, and some surprised people, when the list appears. It's not just the railway side looking good though. We were let into the showroom which is still being set up so we could smell the fresh paint. The Scalextric wall was only half built, but on a Post-it note stuck to the display was a suggestion that the previously announced Warner Brothers tie-up is going to generate something good there too... 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fireline Posted December 14, 2018 Share Posted December 14, 2018 I should also point out that I’ve been in Newcastle an awful lot this year, as well as the West Country, the Isle of Wight, North Yorkshire and, of course, God’s greatest county; Hertfordshire... Def Leppard on tour again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDG Posted December 14, 2018 Share Posted December 14, 2018 So is the starting gun for the annual frothfest well and truly fired? No Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGR Hooper! Posted December 14, 2018 Share Posted December 14, 2018 To pick up on the OP - I was also at the event this week and echo what Andy has said. OK, we all want Hornby to succeed so perhaps we read the messages more optimistically than we should at times, but there were things said that make sense. Lyndon explained how they are back chasing big business, but it's a process that takes around 2.5 years. At the moment, they are fighting to be on the long lists for orders. Next month at the toy fairs sees the fight to get on the shortlists. This whole process is complicated and requires a lot of work behind the scenes with people who don't think like railway enthusiasts and aren't looking for them as their primary market. The ambition is to get into the high street because they will place the sort of big orders that keep a company going. 500 locos is nice to sell. 5000 train sets a lot nicer. There is a degree of frustration with some of the decisions taken by the previous managment, and much talk about their lack of understanding of the company and its market. It might sound a bit woolly, but Lyndon, Simon and Tim seem to be trying to put the heart back in the firm. The move back to Margate is an obvious example, but one backed up by some sensible costings. The products to be announced are interesting, and there are a couple that would have me happily trotting down to my local model shop to buy with my own money. I expect a lot of excitement, and some surprised people, when the list appears. It's not just the railway side looking good though. We were let into the showroom which is still being set up so we could smell the fresh paint. The Scalextric wall was only half built, but on a Post-it note stuck to the display was a suggestion that the previously announced Warner Brothers tie-up is going to generate something good there too... Even more encouraging to read... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Islesy Posted December 14, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 14, 2018 Def Leppard on tour again? Funnily enough, yes. Was at the Metro Radio Arena on Sunday evening... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now