Graham Farish 2021 Winter announcements

[Bomag]

Has Farish said in any official bumph why they are spending so much time doing amended chassis after amended chassis for existing models rather than doing something properly new, or at least something like the 8f with a completely revised body?

 

As for the lack of re-runs of Mk1 and Mk2a in bog standard liveries, probably they think that they cannot justify the increase in cost without a bit of tinkering.

[woodenhead]

I would guess it's because as 00 gets more whistles and bells around simplicity of installing chips and sound, it makes it harder to encourage sales of N gauge.  By making it easier to install sound it makes the gauge an attractive viable alternative to the space starved and still have the same DCC and Sound options of the larger scale.

 

It made a difference to me, I swapped back to N last December and the sound option makes a difference.  It also means any other entrant needs to consider DCC & sound options rather than doing the Dapol M7 thing and in 2021 showing an EP without even DCC compatibility out of the box.

[bmthtrains - David]

I’m an old fashioned DC man myself with no intention of converting but I certainly think it’s a very sensible plan for Farish to upgrade all their models to DCC. It futureproofs existing releases and keeps them selling. And given how small the N gauge market is, any barriers that would put people off really do need to be removed.

 

David 

[woodenhead]

And the beauty of what they are doing is that even on DC you can have sound as it responds in DC mode to if you buy a sound locomotive which I think is really opening the market.

[Roy L S]

1 hour ago, Bomag said:

Has Farish said in any official bumph why they are spending so much time doing amended chassis after amended chassis for existing models rather than doing something properly new, or at least something like the 8f with a completely revised body?

 

As for the lack of re-runs of Mk1 and Mk2a in bog standard liveries, probably they think that they cannot justify the increase in cost without a bit of tinkering.

The 8F was completely new from the rails up, nothing revised, nothing carried over and it shows, it is without question the best RTR steam loco you can currently get in British N.

 

Roy

[Davexoc]

9 hours ago, fezza said:

I've never understood by BachFarish don't produce more of the bread and butter stuff that people need for everyday operations rather than rare items in very unusual liveries.  I guess they think the rare exotic items appeal to collectors, but the fact these stick around for ages, while blue/grey TSO attract a premium on the second-hand market should surely give them a hint about what the market wants?

 

I am only guessing, but production planning in the model world is probably akin to steering a super-tanker. It takes a long time to change direction.

Draw up plan for production slots for coming year lets say, Mk2s are allotted a Q2 production slot.

A problem arises, could be external or a machine/tooling problem which pushes production into Q3.

The product arrives and gets distributed in Q3/4 and quickly sells out, so when can we get some more?

The following year has by now already been planned, so they might get produced the year after that, assuming that something else isn't more profitable or more popular still...

It's where the smaller boys will always be quicker and more manouvreable to produce, but they are still susceptable to the odd delay here and there. That and they will produce more to pre-order levels, and might think of a rerun some time later...

[John M Upton]

I have to admit I am probably one of the last analogue dinosaurs ever built, no intention of adopting and no interest in DCC or sound (the latter I have always considered sounding a bit naff) so all this technotrickery that is being shoehorned in is complete wasted on me I am afraid.

 

Too expensive, too complicated, another thing to break down.

[Bomag]

17 hours ago, bmthtrains - David said:

I’m an old fashioned DC man myself with no intention of converting but I certainly think it’s a very sensible plan for Farish to upgrade all their models to DCC. It futureproofs existing releases and keeps them selling. And given how small the N gauge market is, any barriers that would put people off really do need to be removed.

 

David 

 

I have no issue with them gradually updating  chassis but the point I asked was have GF said why this seems to be in almost total exclusion to new models, or fully revamped models - tinkering with details e.g. Crewe cut 47s and refurbished 31s are nice but doesn't really count for me.  Also if you were concerned about sales than a brand new model would sell to a much wider market than those wanting a second or third version of an existing model.

[Bomag]

16 hours ago, Roy L S said:

The 8F was completely new from the rails up, nothing revised, nothing carried over and it shows, it is without question the best RTR steam loco you can currently get in British N.

 

Roy

 

While being a complete redesign Farish did an 8F before (actually one of the better ones) so is not a new loco for them.  Doing something new, even if they do it in OO, would be nice - Midland 7F, LNER K4/K1, Class 85 (not to be taken as a wish list). Given they have done more new locos in 009 than N over the last few years (and the Double Fairlie does look nice) for a market identified as being less than N to 'grow' it I cannot see why the same argument cannot be made for N itself.

[Steven B]

The lack of "bread and butter" models must make it really frustrating starting out in N Gauge (e.g. Mk1s, 16t minerals etc).

 

Whilst I wouldn't want to go back to the days of only having SK, BCK, BG and GUV it was nice to know you could go into any model railway shop and know you'd be able to buy the extra coach or wagon you wanted.

 

Steven B.

[grahame]

57 minutes ago, Bomag said:

 

Doing something new, even if they do it in OO, would be nice - Midland 7F, LNER K4/K1, Class 85 (not to be taken as a wish list).

 

I guess the class 319 and 69, that they are working on, will be all new models in N (when they eventually arrive). And not available in OO.

;-)

 

[woodenhead]

36 minutes ago, grahame said:

 

I guess the class 319 and 69, that they are working on, will be all new models in N (when they eventually arrive). And not available in OO.

;-)

 

the 319 is unique so far to N, they are doing the 69 in both scales.

[Kris]

2 minutes ago, woodenhead said:

the 319 is unique so far to N, they are doing the 69 in both scales.

And given the gestation time of the 319 (since 2016) it would not be a surprise to find that Bachmann release it in OO at the same time. 

[woodenhead]

15 minutes ago, Kris said:

And given the gestation time of the 319 (since 2016) it would not be a surprise to find that Bachmann release it in OO at the same time. 

As long as not before 

[Kris]

1 hour ago, woodenhead said:

As long as not before 

Don't hold your breath. 

[Zunnan]

On 04/11/2021 at 17:43, woodenhead said:

I would guess it's because as 00 gets more whistles and bells around simplicity of installing chips and sound, it makes it harder to encourage sales of N gauge.  By making it easier to install sound it makes the gauge an attractive viable alternative to the space starved and still have the same DCC and Sound options of the larger scale.

 

It made a difference to me, I swapped back to N last December and the sound option makes a difference.  It also means any other entrant needs to consider DCC & sound options rather than doing the Dapol M7 thing and in 2021 showing an EP without even DCC compatibility out of the box.

 

Its all well and good revisiting models to upgrade them to all the bells and whistles in order to attract a new audience...but what happens when that new audience buys said all singing all dancing model and wants some coaches or wagons to hang off the back of it?

 

DCC sound fitted 8F sir?

Yes please! What have you got to go with it? I'd kind of like to do a windcutter kind of thing...

Sorry sir, we have no 16t minerals at the moment, how about this ultra modern hopper wagon instead? We'll have them in stock in 4 years time.

[woodenhead]

Stop it, you’re making me feel guilty for all those mineral wagons and windcutters I have in my unused stock box 

[Zunnan]

I have around 90 of them for Bournville which only come out for exhibitions...so once in the last 2 years. Guilty? Heck no!

[woodenhead]

I actually want to run mine but the current layout is a passenger terminus so not much call for coal trains.  But things may change.

[Roy L S]

20 hours ago, Zunnan said:

 

Its all well and good revisiting models to upgrade them to all the bells and whistles in order to attract a new audience...but what happens when that new audience buys said all singing all dancing model and wants some coaches or wagons to hang off the back of it?

 

DCC sound fitted 8F sir?

Yes please! What have you got to go with it? I'd kind of like to do a windcutter kind of thing...

Sorry sir, we have no 16t minerals at the moment, how about this ultra modern hopper wagon instead? We'll have them in stock in 4 years time.

I have been a pretty vocal critic of the lack of Bachmann products of late, but re: the above, to be fair, best take a look at the Bachmann website to see what is currently in stock at Barwell first.

 

As well as a decent number of very suitable BR vans there are the following mineral wagons: -

 

377-226B BR16T Mineral Wagon Bauxite - Early

377-227E - BR16T Mineral Wagon Top Flap Doors Grey - Early - Weathered

377-228 - 16T Mineral Wagon NCB

377-250E  BR 16T Mineral Wagon Bottom doors Grey - Early

377-275C - BR 27T Iron Ore Tippler Grey - Early

377-450 C BR16T Slope Sided Grey - Early

377-451C BR 16T Slope Sided Bauxite 

377-453 BR16T Slope Sided BR Grey Weathered

 

Enough choice available to put together a pretty decent mineral train I'd say.

 

Roy

[Zunnan]

I was trying to be obviously facetious 

[Bomag]

2 hours ago, Roy L S said:

I have been a pretty vocal critic of the lack of Bachmann products of late, but re: the above, to be fair, best take a look at the Bachmann website to see what is currently in stock at Barwell first.

 

As well as a decent number of very suitable BR vans there are the following mineral wagons: -

 

377-226B BR16T Mineral Wagon Bauxite - Early

377-227E - BR16T Mineral Wagon Top Flap Doors Grey - Early - Weathered

377-228 - 16T Mineral Wagon NCB

377-250E  BR 16T Mineral Wagon Bottom doors Grey - Early

377-275C - BR 27T Iron Ore Tippler Grey - Early

377-450 C BR16T Slope Sided Grey - Early

377-451C BR 16T Slope Sided Bauxite 

377-453 BR16T Slope Sided BR Grey Weathered

 

Enough choice available to put together a pretty decent mineral train I'd say.

 

Roy

 

Good look at finding many of these in stock in your local shop; in any event I would not call mixing NCB, fitted, unfitted and iron tipplers a 'decent' mineral train.

[Roy L S]

36 minutes ago, Bomag said:

 

Good look at finding many of these in stock in your local shop; in any event I would not call mixing NCB, fitted, unfitted and iron tipplers a 'decent' mineral train.

The four different grey ones alone in sufficient numbers would make up a pretty decent unfitted mineral train, and if the duplicate numbers irked, they can always be re-numbered quite easily. I don't intend to go trawling shops to see who has or has not got them in stock currently, firstly because they are available to order from Barwell and that is the point - they have them, secondly because personally like Zunnan, I have got more of the recent different Farish models than I can ever realistically use on my layout at once already.

 

Running fitted and unfitted together? Very often you would find a "fitted head" of wagons behind the loco on a partially fitted train - not unusual at all. 

 

Regards

 

Roy

Edited November 6, 2021 by Roy L S

[Kris]

3 hours ago, Bomag said:

 

Good look at finding many of these in stock in your local shop; in any event I would not call mixing NCB, fitted, unfitted and iron tipplers a 'decent' mineral train.

Just looked at my local shop's website. I could pick up 30+ suitable wagons from them if I so wanted. 

[Bomag]

3 hours ago, Kris said:

Just looked at my local shop's website. I could pick up 30+ suitable wagons from them if I so wanted. 

 

Let me guess - your local shop is Kernow models? Not exactly representative. The quote train relates to going into a shop buying a 8F and not having suitable 16T coal wagons - something which is representative of many local shops I visit. Others may vary.

 

In terms of LMR (8F) coal trains I have not seen a picture of a fitted head to a coal train. Vans and mixed, yes but not a rake of 16T coal.