Hornby 2021 - 4 & 6 wheel period coaches

[Joe Kelly]

On 02/05/2023 at 15:15, darthmh said:

Hi All,   Hornby are now showing some 4 wheel and 6 wheel GWR coaches on preorder,  The colour looks different from the previous releases.  Has anyone got an info on this?

 

 

I saw some of the new batch in Invicta Model Rail, Sidcup, on Thursday. The quality of the lining is definitely much improved and the brown is the same as it’s represented in the photos on Hornby’s website. They look infinitely better than before!

[Ian M.]

Apologies if this has already been asked but a search did not find it: if one has space for only 3 of the 4-wheel Hornby coaches behind a Stroudely-era LBSCR Terrier, what would be the most appropriate -- 2 3rd Class and a 3rd Class/Brake, or 1 1st Class, 1 3rd Class and 1 3rd Class/Brake? Cheers.

[Compound2632]

15 minutes ago, Ian M. said:

Apologies if this has already been asked but a search did not find it: if one has space for only 3 of the 4-wheel Hornby coaches behind a Stroudely-era LBSCR Terrier, what would be the most appropriate -- 2 3rd Class and a 3rd Class/Brake, or 1 1st Class, 1 3rd Class and 1 3rd Class/Brake? Cheers.

 

Two brake thirds with a first in the middle:

 

 

[Embedded link.]

 

That's actually a first/second composite in the middle but needs must...

[Ian M.]

7 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

That's actually a first/second composite in the middle but needs must...

Yes, that's what it looks like. Too bad Hornby did not do a 1st/2nd but the 1st is closest.

[6990WitherslackHall]

I've recently brought a light fitted 3rd class 6 wheel coach in BR crimson to use on Oxendale. I've already got a baggage brake to accompany it.

 

 

The baggage brake 

 

 

My aim is to have a rake of them so this a start. I'm also looking at getting a brake and a 1st class coach.

[phil-b259]

27 minutes ago, 6990WitherslackHall said:

I've recently brought a light fitted 3rd class 6 wheel coach in BR crimson to use on Oxendale. I've already got a baggage brake to accompany it.

 

 

The baggage brake 

 

 

 

 

 

That lighting is hideously bright ! (Not to mention so bright its making the plastic sides semi-translucent)

 

In reality lighting in train carriages was DIM by modern standards! A mere 12W incandescent lamp driven from a 24V battery supply was the norm - just about enough to read a newspaper and not sit on another occupant as you got in.

[6990WitherslackHall]

3 hours ago, phil-b259 said:

That lighting is hideously bright ! (Not to mention so bright its making the plastic sides semi-translucent)

That's Hornby for you

[Robin Brasher]

Hornby is now selling some of the LBSCR and LSWR 4-wheel coaches with lights at a discount of up to 40% in a New Years Day sale. The price has been reduced from £43.49 to £26.09 which is less than the price of some coaches without lights. Hornby has also reduced the price of an LSWR brake third from £36.49 to £21.09.

 

The lack of demand for these coaches my be influenced by the competition from Hattons where some of the LSWR coaches have sold out on pre-order and by the lack of interest in illuminated coaches.

 

I need not have panicked when I thought the Hornby coaches would sell out on pre-order.

 

 

[Hroth]

On 17/11/2023 at 18:43, phil-b259 said:

 

That lighting is hideously bright ! (Not to mention so bright its making the plastic sides semi-translucent)

 

In reality lighting in train carriages was DIM by modern standards! A mere 12W incandescent lamp driven from a 24V battery supply was the norm - just about enough to read a newspaper and not sit on another occupant as you got in.

 

1. Don't bother with the lighting

2. A 12w incandescent bulb might be dim, but imagine the lack of brightness from an oil lamp, shared between two compartments...

 

[Compound2632]

40 minutes ago, Hroth said:

2. A 12w incandescent bulb might be dim, but imagine the lack of brightness from an oil lamp, shared between two compartments...

 

The Victorians were used to gloom. There should be just enough light to inhibit the young couple opposite you from canoodling in your presence.

[Michael Hodgson]

5 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

 

The Victorians were used to gloom.

 

Of course they were.  They read too many of Dickens' writings.

[melmerby]

4 hours ago, Robin Brasher said:

lack of interest in illuminated coaches.

Hatton's illuminated coaches seem to have sold well as many went OOS before the unlit ones.

 

[Robin Brasher]

I ordered both the Hattons and Hornby 4-wheel illuminated coaches they were produced so I had no idea how effective the lighting was. I ordered a set of Hornby LSWR illuminated 4-wheel coaches from Kernow. Two arrived in Spring and Kernow said that the rest would follow. By June the rest were available from Hornby in June but not to the trade until December. I cancelled my order from Kernow and asked them to send me some non-illuminated coaches which they had in stock. It looks like I made the right decision and Kernow also thought that was the best thing to do. This was a couple of years ago so the dates are from my memory so they may not be entirely correct but that was the broad picture.

[Jol Wilkinson]

9 hours ago, melmerby said:

Hatton's illuminated coaches seem to have sold well as many went OOS before the unlit ones.

 

Because too many modellers/collectors are readily seduced by gimmicks.

[Michael Hodgson]

Hattons at least took the sensible "Fit it yourself" decision and stopped fitting lighting and sold the lighting unit separately.

At a stroke that decision reduced the sheer number of different products retailers were being rexpected to carry on their shelves, whilst still catering to the same total very large range.

[Halvarras]

On 02/06/2023 at 18:49, Steamport Southport said:

 

Couldn't they just use the LMS one?

 

Many buying these probably wouldn't care (or even know) it was wrong, and manufacturers have done far worse....

 

 

Jason

 

I managed to resist the Hattons Generator Unit as I wasn't happy with the way the louvres were printed on top of the side panelling. Ironically, the Hornby model makes a better job of it since using an even more incorrect 4-compartment First Class vehicle allows enough space on the panelling to print the louvres on blank areas. Anyway, resistance failed and I bought the Hornby version, as it's just so quirky! Then I had to find a purpose for it......

 

I did seriously consider the Dapol/Hornby LMS 12-wheel dining car for a Cinema Coach conversion as cheap ones are easy to find, but decided it was too long for my layout and more work involved than I wanted to do, so looked for something else for a might-have-been Cinema Coach of suitable vintage. I looked at all sorts before settling on a Hornby LNER Sleeping Car (later type, R4182 in BR  crimson/cream livery) - one thing I noted about DM395017M, the ex-LNWR sleeping car, was the large number of roof ventilators, presumably to make up for the lack of opening side windows - the LNER coach has these, and overpainting most of the flush glazing will considerably simplify the conversion compared to Dapol's 12-wheeler. In reality the two vehicles were gangway-connected so that needs sorting - placing the two models together reveals how little the Generator Unit is so alignment will be tricky. I may have to resort to using a spare pair of Lima Class 117 gangways.

 

A flight of fancy then, but since Hornby's Gen Unit is two compartments short of reality (Hatton's version one short) it hardly matters. This project is currently in my Round Tuit pile waiting for my airbrush and compressor to be awakened from their multi-year slumber - hopefully in 2024.....!

[Fishoutofwater]

6 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said:

Hattons at least took the sensible "Fit it yourself" decision and stopped fitting lighting and sold the lighting unit separately.

At a stroke that decision reduced the sheer number of different products retailers were being rexpected to carry on their shelves, whilst still catering to the same total very large range.

Do any other retailers sell these carriages?

Edited December 31, 2023 by Fishoutofwater

[Michael Hodgson]

16 minutes ago, Fishoutofwater said:

Do any other retailers sell these carriages?

I don't think so, apart from any they've bought second hand

[phil-b259]

On 31/12/2023 at 13:20, Fishoutofwater said:

Do any other retailers sell these carriages?

[ Assuming you are talking about the Hattons product ]
 

No - for two reasons

 

(1) They are a Hattons exclusive product so were only intended to be sold by them (meaning not only do Hattons retain all the profits but theoretically the price can lower than compared to a situation where multiple parties are wanting a slice of them).

 

(2) Many sold out on pre -order so in some cases there wasn’t any stock to ‘sit on shelves’ in the first place! Therefore the unusual situation where a previously ‘exclusive’ item ends up being fed out to the trade more widely to offload it / bring it to a wider audience is not required.

 

If you do spot any for sale anywhere other than Hattons then they will be 2nd hand ones which people have sold on in some form with retailers who offer “sell us your model railway items” schemes being the obvious way to acquire examples.

 

 

 

Edited January 2 by phil-b259